Traditional  Extremadura recipes with legumes


White beans with chorizo
Alubias con chorizo


Ingredients
500g dried white beans (preferably the type ''planchada")
1 whole head of garlic
1 medium onion
1 green Italian pepper
1 ts de Pimenton de la Vera Dulce
1/2 cup olive oil
3 fresh chorizo sausages, without skin, diced


Method
1. Soak the beans with lots of water at least overnight.
2. The next day, bring the beans with the water to a boil. As soon as the water boils, take from the fire and remove the water.
3. Add new cold water to the beans and add the garlic head, the whole onion, the whole Italian pepper, the olive oil, pimenton and chorizo. Make sure the beans are under water and bring everything to boil. Cook until the beans are tender (this depends on the age of the beans, the older they are, the longer the cooking time).
4. Take from the fire, stir the dish well and season with salt and pepper is desired.
5. Serve the dish hot with bread on the side.




Lentils de Extremadura
Lentejas Extremeñas

Ingredients
500 g lentils (brown)
1 head garlic
1-2 bay leaves
12 black pepper grains
1 onion, diced
1 chorizo picante, cut in slices of 1/2 cm
3 carrots, sliced
6 tblsp olive oil
1 can of "tomate troceado"
1/2 ts pimenton de la vera, dulce
1 glass white wine

Method
1. Cover the lentils with water and leave to soak overnight.
2. Remove the water and add fresh water, together with the garlic, bay leaves, pepper and carrots. Cook for 45 min, until lentils are soft and tender.
3. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and add onion and chorizo. Fry until the onion is tender. Add the tomate troceado and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Add the pimenton and the wine, and stir well.
4. Add the tomato mixture to the lentils and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Season with pepper and salt if desired and serve with fresh local bread.



Black-eyed beans with bacon and sausage
Potaje de Alubias Carillas

Ingredients
350g dried black-eyed beans
4 spring onions
3-4 cloves of garlic
a piece of pumpkin, diced
1 small leek, in rings
1/4 red Italian pepper
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp tomato frito (brick)
2 small sausage Morcilla Iberica, each cut in half
4 thick slices of salted pancetta
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
olive oil
salt

Method
1. Soak the beans overnight in sufficient water. The next day, drain the beans and set aside.
2. In a deep frying pan, heat some olive oil and add the garlic (whole cloves), onions, Italian pepper and bay leaf. After approx. 7 minutes, add the leek and the bacon. Stir fry until the bacon browns a bit and add the tomato frito. Stir fry again for a few minutes.
3. Add the beans and enough water to cover the beans and other ingredients. Bring to a boil and cook 45 min. or until the beans are soft and tender.
4. Add the pumpkin and potato and simmer another 20-30 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add the morcilla and simmer for 5 minutes more.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste
6. Serve with fresh bread.

Nostalgic vegetables

Our eating habits changed a lot the last 100 years. The old fashioned cooking, with potatoes, meat and vegetable is replaced for a more adventurous way of cooking. Influences of other countries changed our daily diet. Mexican, Asian, Italian cooking is now a part of our eating pattern. Moreover, vegetables are nowadays available the whole year round and we eat winter dishes in summer and visa versa.

This is great. Cooking and eating are much more fun when you can try out different tastes and different ingredients. The other side of the coin however, is that some traditional food is used a lot less, or not at all. This is especially the case with greens. Turnip tops (or turnip greens), rocket, Swiss chard and purslane are the typical spring greens that are hardly available and remembered. In times before especially these greens were very important. After the long winters in the North of Europe, these greens were the first fresh vegetables that people ate.

I have a number of those 'nostalgic' vegetables growing in the garden. In this article I will give information about these veggies and some recipes to inspire your imagination.

Turnip tops

Often called turnip green, turnip leaves or spring leaves.
As the name suggests, this vegetable are the young leaves of the turnip. The turnip is a close relative to radish, but also to rocket and several Chinese cabbage types (cruciferos vegetables or Brassica). The leaves are rich in Vitamins A, C and K and in Calcium and Iron. They can be eaten crude in salads, or cooked, stir fried or mashed with potatoes. For a Mediterranean dish, try the following pasta recipe:

Pasta with Turnip greens

Ingredients:
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs 

500g pasta
Bunch of  turnip greens
   cut into manageable pieces
6 garlic cloves, chopped (or 1 tbsp jar garlic)
2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
6 flat anchovy

3 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese (or Parmesan)

Method:
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over moderate heat. Add the breadcrumbs and stir gently with a wooden spoon until golden brown. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, drop the pasta and turnip greens and cook until al dente.

Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet saute the garlic, red pepper flakes, and anchovies in the remaining olive oil until the garlic is lightly browned. Drain the pasta and turnip greens, add to the skillet and sauté for a couple of minutes. Mix well, top with breadcrumbs and cheese and serve.

Swiss Chard

Although Swiss Chard is still very popular in South Europe, in the Northern part we seem to have forgotten this great vegetable. Nowadays we see it sometimes back in salad mixtures in the supermarkets. In Mediterranean countries, Swiss Chard is just as popular as spinach. The most known type is the one with the thick white stems and dark green curly leaves. There are however more types of Swiss Chard, my favorite being the many coloured stems. All types of Swiss Chard can be prepared in the same way as spinach, cooked, sauteed, stir fried, in soups, with eggs etc. 

Swiss chard quiche

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 large eggs

¼ cup milk

salt and black pepper

ground nutmeg

1/2 cup Cheddar, grated 1 

prebaked 9-inch pie-crust

Method

Heat oven to 350° F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chard and onion and cook until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the milk; season with 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and nutmeg to taste. Add the Cheddar and chard mixture and mix to combine. Pour into the prebaked 9-inch pie-crust and bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes.

Purslane

This might be one of the most forgotten greens of the lot. Purslane contains surprisingly more omega-3 fatty acids (α-linolenic acid) than any other leafy vegetable plant and even more than most fish. Besides this it is rich in Vitamins A, C and B-complex and in Iron, Magnesium, Calcium and potassium. It can be used in salads, soups, curries or cooked on itself. It is very good in combination with spinach or Swiss Chard.

Tomato, Cucumber, Purslane Salad Recipe

Especially good served with grilled seafood.

INGREDIENTS

·         1 large cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, seeds removed and discarded, then chopped

·         1 medium tomato, chopped

·         1 bunch purslane, thick stems removed, leaves chopped, resulting in about 1/2 cup chopped purslane

·         1 minced seeded jalapeno chili pepper

·         2-3 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

·         Salt to taste

METHOD

Combine all ingredients in a serving bowl. Salt to taste.

A lot of change

The biggest advantage of living in the Extremadura is that it can be real spring on the first of March. Already the last two weeks, the change in the weather was noticeable. The birds are very active, the moles are moving around, the celandine is starting to flower, as are the fruit trees. Even the frogs are waking up and croaking in the charco. About time because we had some pretty cold days and nights.

This winter a lot has changed in the garden of La Tierra Verde. With the idea to extend the vegetable garden a tractor was bought. After a lot of research and comparison, we decided to buy a new Kubota B1620 from Cial. Lianos, Don Benito. The service was excelent. All registration and paper work was done in a short time, and 3 weeks after buying the tractor it was delivered on our doorstep.

 The tractor came with a rear loader and harrow, but the last was on our request modified to ridger. A rotary tiller was purchased from an Italian agricultural firm, Deleks, and delivered to Cial. Llanos to adjust the implement to the tractor. The Kubota has 16 hp, 4 wheel drive, three point hydraulic lift, etc. In short all the systems and gadgets of a large tractor, although this one measures only 90cm width and 220cm long. A real mini tractor, perfect for garden and orchard work.

In order to protect the tractor, implements and other garden tools from the harsh elements like sun, rain and wind, we set up a large army tent.

Now that we are mechanized, more land can be prepared for production. However, there were still a number of dead and dying olive trees in the field. With the help of an excavator those trees are now removed. On their places other fruit trees will be planted. At the same time the excavator removed the two large mountains of bramble and other rubbish. These rubbish mountains were a result of the original clearing of the field, now more than 2 years ago. Although the larger wooden bits and pieces were not completely rotten away, most of the ruble is now a reasonable compost. This compost was spread on the still barren parts of the field. A part of this area will be used for flowers, both wild and cultivated, to attract bees, and part will be used for vegetables and herbs.

In the coming weeks a lot of overdue work will be done. Planting and sowing is a bit delayed this year, but with the tractor, we will soon be up to date again. Shortly there will be a larger range of vegetables and herbs on offer again. In the garden peas, snow peas, broad beans, broccoli, red cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, leek and onion are growing fast. From the tunnel greenhouse you can expect spinach, Asian salad leaves, spring salad leaves, rucola, turnip tops and coriander during early spring. Furthermore, bean sprouts and alfalfa sprouts are always available.

Vegetables in May

Since La Tierra Verde is a small scale market garden, I grow seasonal crops. Although some vegetables are available all year round, most vegetables have their own growing season. Because of the climate in the Extremadura the crops are mainly grown in open ground. A few plastic tunnels protect some vegetables from the cold weather in spring. When the sun starts to get stronger, the plastic is removed from the tunnels, and if necessary replaced by shade cloth. The plastic and shade cloth tunnels are mainly used for seedlings. As is mentioned elsewhere, vegetables are now also grown in a tunnel greenhouse. This tunnel covers an area of only 60m² and is more like an extra to the garden.

The list below is a prediction of what will be available in May. Due to weather conditions it is hard to guarantee when a crop is ready, or if it is available at all.

Vegetables in May

v  Snow peas (mange tout)

v  Peas

v  Broad beans

v  Lettuce

v  Spring onions

v  Leek

v  Spinach

v  Swiss chard

v  Radish

v  Turnip tops

v  Rucola

Like last year in Spring, I have a range of different types of lettuce in the garden. This year these are:

·         Oreja de mula, the Roman type lettuce that is also used for Caesar Salad

·         Little gems (Gogollo), also a Roman type lettuce, but more sweet and delicate than the Oreja de Mula.

·         Iceberg, a fresh and crisp lettuce type that goes very well with a dressing of Greek yogurt and fried bacon bits. It keeps well in the fridge for several days.

·         Batavia, a sub variety if the Iceberg lettuce. Batavia however is delicate and the leaves are a bit crinkled.

·         Oak leaf (Hoja de Roble), an open type lettuce with a beautiful colouring from dark red on the outside, to fresh green to the inside. A lettuce type of many uses.

·         Red Salad Ball, often also referred to as Hoja de Roble, because of the similarity in colouring but it is a different type. Salad Ball forms a head and the leaves are a bit stronger than the oak leaf.

·         Butterhead (Reina de Mayo) is a very tasteful soft and old-fashioned type of lettuce.

·         Maravilla de verano is growing very well at the moment, due to the higher temperatures. It is a strong open type of lettuce with a nice colouring of green and soft red.

Except for an abundance of lettuces, there is at the moment also an abundance of broad beans. The time to eat fresh broad beans is only during spring time. To enjoy broad beans the rest of the year, you can easily freeze them. Just take the beans out of the pods and freeze them raw in a single layer upon trays. If you have a good freezer, it takes only 2 or 3 hours to freeze them. Keep them in plastic bags or large containers.

A great and nutritious meal is the following (I call it Haba con chili):

Ingredients:

1 ts olive oil

1 onion, chopped finely

2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

250g minced beef

1 ts hot paprika powder, or more if you like it hot

1 ts dried oregano

1 can diced tomato

½ cup tomato frito

1 bay leaf

250g broad beans (podded)

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley and/or coriander leaves, chopped

1.      Heat the oil in a pan. Fry the onion and garlic until soft. Add the minced beef and stir fry until the meet begins to brown. Add paprika and oregano.

2.      Add the diced tomato, the tomato frito, bay leaf and beans to the meat and stir well. Stew for 10-15 minutes. Taste the chili and season to taste. Remove the bay leaf and add the parsley and/or coriander.

3.      Serve with fresh bread or rice.

Broad beans and peas can be used in many dishes, like risottos, paellas, soups, stews, fried rice, salads, and pastas or as accompaniment with meet and (new) potatoes.

Some people have problems with fresh peas and broad beans due to intestinal gas. This is not only a nuisance, but can be embarrassing as well. To reduce the gas forming and also possible cramps you can try the following:

1.      Remove the skins of the beans, this is called double-podding. After normal podding, cook the beans for a few minutes in boiling water until just tender. Rinse under cold water and remove the light green skin from the beans. This reduces bowel irritation in general.

2.      After the meal is completely prepared, sprinkle a little bit of ground cumin over it. This reduces the gas to form.

                                        I wish you all a beautiful and warm spring 2014.

La Tierra Verde Comeback,

It’s been a while since the last entry. But ist is never too late to update again. In the few months a lot of things have changed and there are a few improvements as well. I will not bore you with all the details. It is sufficient to say that La Tierra Verde changed its entity from SLu to autonoma. As from the beginning of 2014 La Tierra Verde is the name of the finca and not the name of the enterprise.

 The vegetable garden has increased considerable. In October 2013 the area under vegetables was approx. 800m². This has increased to approx. 1700m² at this moment, more than twice as big. Additionally I have places a tunnel greenhouse of a size 4x15m. This tunnel should be producing the whole year through, in summertime providing shade to crops like tomato, melons and peppers, in wintertime protecting the crops from the low temperatures. At this moment I am still experimenting by planting and sowing different crops and see how there produce in the greenhouse.

The vegetable garden will this year be irrigated by a drip irrigation system, which has been improved by placing a number of structures with water tanks on top. The water pressure is hereby increased, giving a better and evenly distributed irrigation throughout the whole garden.

Due to the early warm weather this year, the spring crops have been doing great. The peas and mange tout are about ready to harvest and the broad beans are heavy with pods. Also crops like lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard and other leafy crops are growing very well in this warm weather. Due to the occasional rains, there is still enough water in the soil, although with the rising temperatures at the moment, the start of the irrigation season is not far off. 

Cabbages

The Latin name of the cabbage family is Brassicaceae (or brassica). This plant family include most of the cabbage types that we know: broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage, Brussels´sprouts, white cabbage and savoy cabbage. These are all closely related under the species Brassica oleracea. They are annual grown vegetables with dense leaved heads or flower heads. There is also a group that is more loose leaved and are commonly known as spring greens. The last is a group of cultivars that are closer to the wild cabbage than the others and include among others Kale and Collard greens. However, spring greens also refer to young plants of Brussels´sprouts, green cabbage, rape and turnip.



The other group of cabbages is the Chinese cabbages, Brassica rapa. In this group we´ll find the Chinese cabbage, Pak choi, Bok choy, Choi sum, Am choy, mustard cale, but also the turnip, radish, rapeseed, rucola (formerly Rocket) and many more.




All above mentioned cabbage types and varieties are winter and spring vegetables in the Extremadura. The cabbages from Brassica oleracea are especially adapted to cold weather and some off them, like the Brussels´sprouts, have a better flavour after a touch of frost. For all the varieties of this family group the temperature is important to produce the heads. If the temperature is too high during development of the plant, the heads will be small, or no heads will be formed at all.

The vegetables of the Brassica rapa are more favored to spring. They grow in winter, but they produce better and have better flavour in spring time. Turnip greens are a vegetable that can be grown very early in the year, producing nice tender shoots that can be used as salad leaf or cooked, stir fried, steamed or in soup. In former times this vegetable was often the first fresh green vegetable the people in Northern Europe could get after winter.

The gardens of La Tierra Verde are also full of cabbages. I try to grow a wide selection of cabbage types, as long as the planting material is available. At the moment there is a lot off broccoli. You can also expect romanesco, cauliflower, red cabbage, white cabbage, savoy cabbage, chinese cabbage, turnip greens, rucola and maybe some Brussels´sprouts.