Baby avocados stuffed with serrano ham and black olives

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Baby avocados stuffed with serrano ham and black olives

4 serves

12 black olives in olive oil or brine, drained and halved

50g Serrano ham, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons lemon-infused or basil-infused olive oil

4 baby avocados, halved, peeled and pitted

Few drops of balsamic vinegar

Freshly ground pepper

Basil leaves, to garnish

Method

First, mix together the black olives, Serrano ham and lemon or basil infused olive oil.

Then, arrange the avocado halves on a serving platter and spoon the olive mixture into them. Season with a little freshly ground black pepper.

Finally, serve, sprinkled with a few drops of balsamic vinegar and garnished with fresh basil leaves.

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Olive tabbouleh

4 serves

150g pitted green olives in brine, drained

150g pitted black olives in brine, drained

3 tablespoons lemon-infused or extra virgin olive oil

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange

350g bulgur wheat

600ml hot vegetable stock

1/2 cucumber, finely chopped

6 spring onions, finely chopped

3 tomatoes, deseeded and finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

First of all, chope the olives roughly and tip them into a serving bowl. Add, the olive oil, orange zest and orange juice and stir to mix.

Next, put the bulgur wheat into a saucepan and add te hot stock. Simmer for 5-6 minutes until swollen and tender. Then, drain and cool for 15-20 minutes.

Tip the bulgur wheat into the olive mixture and add the cucumber, spring onions, tomatoes, parsley and mint.

Finally, season and serve while barely warm, or cool completely and serve as a side salad or as part of packed lunch or picnic. Enjoy!

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Spanish baked eggs with olives

4 serves

150g black Hojiblanca olives

Olive oil to fry

1 large onion, finley chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Good pinch chilli flakes

1 tsp coriander seeds, roughly crushed

600g large vine ripe tomatoes, chopped

4 piquillo peppers, sliced

Two large handfuls baby spinach

4 medium free range eggs

Method

First of all, heat the oven to 200c. fan 180c.

Next, in a frying pan heat a good layer of oil and gently fry the onion for 10 minutes until soft then add the garlic, chilli flakes and coriander seeds and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the tomatoes and peppers.

Cook over a low heat until the sauce is lovely and thick, about 10-15 minutes then add the spinach and allow to wilt then stir in the olives. Tip into an ovenproof terracotta dish.

Make 4 hollows in the sauce and crack an egg into each. Pop the dish into the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the eggs are just set. Serve straight away. Enjoy!

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Black olive tapenade and goat’s cheese croustades

4 serves

200g pitted black olives in brine or olive oil, drained

220g jar whole piquillo peppers, drained

2 tablespoons capers in brine, drained

Handful of basil leaves, plus extra, to garnish

3 tablespoons olive oil

12 thin slices crusty bread, toasted

150g goat's cheese, sliced

Olive oil, for drizzling

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Firstly, put the olives and piquillo pepper into blender or food processor with the capers, basil leaves and olive oil and blend until smooth. If you prefer, you can blend for less time for a rough-textured tapenade.

Then, tip the tapenade into a bowl and season with freshly ground black pepper.

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/fan oven 170ºC/gas mark 5.

Next, spread some of the tapenade on to the slices of crusty bread and arrange them on a baking sheet. Put a piece of goat’s cheese on top, drizzle with a little olive oil and season with black pepper. Bake for 10-20 minutes.

Serve, garnished with fresh basil leaves. Enjoy!

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Olive and salt
cod buñuelos

Gordal
20 serves

500g salt cod

450g floury potatoes, cut into chunks

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, grated

25g plain flour

120g pitted gordal olive, roughly chopped 1 large free range egg

1ltr vegetable or mild olive oil to deep fry

Salsa

2 free range egg yolks

1 clove garlic, grated

2 tsp apple vinegar Pinch saffron strands 1tbsp of hot water 250ml light olive oil

50ml extra virgin olive oil Lemon juice to taste

Method

Soak the salt cod for 36 hours in cold water, changing every so often. Drain and cut into 2cm chunks.

Put the potatoes in a pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil then simmer for 15 minutes until tender but not broken down. Drain well.

Meanwhile, cover the salt cod with cold water and bring to a rolling boil then drain, reserving 175ml of the cooking water. Remove the skin and bones and flake up the fish.

Heat the oil and garlic together over a low heat for a minute until aromatic then stir in the flour and cook for a minute more. Gradually add the cooking water, stirring till you have a smooth thick sauce. Fold in the olives and tip into a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add the cod and potatoes and beat until combined and most of the cod and potatoes have broken down but it’s not yet smooth then beat in the egg. You can do this vigorously with a wooden spoon as well. Spoon into a bowl and cover and chill for at least three hours.

Make the alioli. Whisk the yolks with the vinegar and a good pinch of sea salt and ground white pepper. Steep the saffron in the water for a minute then add to the egg yolks with the garlic. Gradually whisk in the oils until you have. Thick glossy, vibrant yellow alioli. Add lemon juice to taste.

Heat the oil in a deep sided saucepan to 180c. Use two dessert spoons to scoop and shape spoonfuls of the bunuelos mixture together, making sure you press it together well, and drop them into the hot oil a few at a time and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden.

Drain on kitchen paper and repeat with the rest of mixture. Serve hot with the alioli to dunk them in.

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Roast spiced cauliflower
with romesco
and olives

Hojiblanca
6 serves

1 large cauliflower, outermost leaves removed

1tsp each smoked hot and smoked sweet pimenton 6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped

4tbsp olive oil

2tbsp medium dry sherry

Juice of a lemon

25g roasted flaked almonds

2tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

Salsa

50g blanched almonds

50g blanched hazelnut

350g roasted red peppers from a jar 100g black hojiblanco olives, pitted 1 clove garlic, grated

1tbso sherry vinegar

1 tsp smoked sweet pimenton 30g fresh breadcrumbs

5tbsp extra virgin olive oils

Method

 

Heat the oven to 200c. Fan 180c. Mix the pimentons with they thyme leaves and olive oil and rub all over the cauliflower. Sit into a small roasting tin and season well. Add a good splash of boiling water and roast for 40 minutes. Drizzle with the sherry and lemon juice and return to the oven for 10 minutes more.

Meanwhile, bash the almonds and hazelnuts in a pestle and mortar to rough crumbs. Whiz the peppers and olives together with the garlic, vinegar and pimenton. Season and stir in the roughly ground nuts and breadcrumbs. Add the oil.

Serve wedges of the cauliflower on a bed of romesco sauce and scatter with the flaked almonds and parsley.