Good Luck Food for the New Year

by Sue Ann Colvin

In Spain, New Year's Eve (Nochevieja) is a traditional affair. Families gather to celebrate and watch the television waiting for the bell tower clock in Puerta del Sol, Madrid to strike midnight and the church bells to ring in the New Year.

photo courtesy of erikras.com

The grape eating begins at midnight with the chimes. Everyone eats 12 grapes for luck, one for each coming month of the new year. If you get a sour one, you may want to prepare yourself for a tough month to come.

This tradition dates back to 1909, when grape growers in the Alicante region of Spain began the practice as a solution to a grape surplus. The idea stuck and spread to Portugal as well as former Spanish and Portuguese colonies such as Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Ecuador, and Peru.

There are several foods from across the globe that are considered lucky if eaten on New Year's Day:

Cooked greens are thought to bring financial rewards, as they can look like folded money. In the south of the United States, collard greens are eaten for a prosperous year ahead. The Danish consume stewed kale sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon to bring them good fortune. Legumes are another symbol for money in the form of coins. Lentils and pork are quite popular in Germany, Italy it is green lentils and sausages and in the south of the United States it is black eyed peas and ham hocks. Pork is also considered a lucky food because the fat it is considered a symbol of wealth and the fact that a pig roots forward is considered progress.

In general, be warned about eating lobster as it is thought to leave a person dwelling in the past because the lobster crawls backwards, same for chicken which scratches backwards. In some countries your table must be full at midnight to guarantee plenty of food for the coming year. Traditions vary from place to place but we all seem to be after one goal: Good fortune, plenty to eat, prosperity, and a chance to let go and begin a fresh new year.

Have a Very Happy New Year!

Four Gifts That are Re-gift Proof

by Sue Ann Colvin

No sooner are the Thanksgiving plates washed and put away when we turn our attention to the season of gifting. How many times have you received a gift that you really didn't like? Be honest. I'm all for the edible gift. There is much less chance of it being re-gifted or stuffed in a closet to be pulled out only when you visit.

The edible gift must still be chosen thoughtfully but, rarely will it displease the receiver. I've listed some of my favorite gift items:

Azafrán-Oro Saffron

1. Saffron threads.  Azafran-Oro Saffron makes an elegant gift for a cook. Each saffron thread is hand-picked and unique just like the person receiving it.

2. Matiz Marcona Almonds - Fried and Salted. Once you start giving these, they will be anticipated every year. They are bold and rich in flavor, similar to a cross between a Macadamia and an Almond.
Add to salads or with fruits and cheese or eat them by the handful.


3. Zócalo Mesquite Organic Honey - Made from bees in organically managed mesquite forests of Northern Peru. It spreads beautifully and melts on the tongue. This is a unique gift
especially for honey lovers. It has a distinct sweetness not found in most honeys.

4. Oleum Viride Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil - An unfiltered oil produced from the native Manzanilla de Zahara olive and Lechin olive varieties. Grown in a pristine environment in the province of Cadiz, the most southwestern province of Spain. It has a smooth fruity flavor with notes of pepper.

Choosing to share your culinary delights with friends and family is a wonderful way to keep everyone happy.

Double Mashed Potatoes (Patatas Revolconas) for Thanksgiving

Are you bored with your side dishes at Thanksgiving? Ready to liven up those dull mashed potatoes? Try this recipe that we sent to Olive Oil Times to update your Thanksgiving meal this year.

 Adapted with the gracious permission of Janet Mendel from her wonderful cookbook and blog 

"My Kitchen in Spain."
 

Olive Oil Times

A Spanish Halloween

Photo courtesy of Paolo Del Signore

In Spain, Halloween is a three day celebration called El Dia de los Muertos.
Day one begins on October 31st and is called Dia de las Brujas (Day of the Witches) followed by Dia de Todos los Santos (All Saints Day) on the 1st of November and ends on November 2nd Día de Los Muertos (All Souls’ Day).

The main activities are lighting bonfires, carving pumpkins and visiting cemeteries to pay respect to the dead. Lush bouquets of flowers are laid on graves and people mingle and visit, celebrating life.

A bread called Pan de Muerto, (Bread of the Dead) is often made into skeleton shapes or formed to look like a brain. Try your hand at it and celebrate Halloween this year Spanish style.

Bread for the Dead
recipe revised from Global Gourmet

Ingredients:
    •    1/2 cup butter
    •    1/2 cup milk
    •    1/2 cup water
    •    5 to 5-1/2 cups flour
    •    2 packages dry yeast
    •    1 teaspoon Matiz Flor de Sal
    •    1 tablespoon whole anise seed
    •    1/2 cup sugar
    •    4 eggs

In a saucepan over medium flame, heat the butter, milk and water until very warm but not boiling.
Meanwhile, measure out 1-1/2 cups flour and set the rest aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the 1-1/2 cups flour, yeast, salt, anise seed and sugar. Beat in the warm liquid until well combined. Add the eggs and beat in another 1 cup of flour. Continue adding more flour until dough is soft but not sticky. Knead on lightly floured board for ten minutes until smooth and elastic.

Lightly grease a bowl and place dough in it, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours. Punch the dough down and shape into loaves resembling skulls, skeletons or round loaves with "bones" placed ornamentally around the top. Let these loaves rise for 1 hour.

Bake in a preheated 350 F degree oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and paint on glaze.

Glaze
    •    1/2 cup sugar
    •    1/3 cup fresh orange juice
    •    2 tablespoons grated orange zest

Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, then apply to bread with a pastry brush.
If desired, sprinkle on colored sugar while glaze is still damp.

Castillo de Canena certifies its Carbon Footprint

The 2011 sofi award winner for best olive oil, Castillo de Canena takes their impact on the environment as seriously as they take the quality of their oils. They are examining their carbon footprint and their greenhouse gas emissions to be able to monitor, evaluate and improve their environmental stewardship.

 
Calculating its carbon footprint represents yet another step in the firm commitment made by Castillo de Canena to unite the outstanding quality of its oils with respect for the environment and the fight against climate change.

This is one of the many reasons that we continue to be excited about bringing these products to the USA. Please read more about Castillo's commitment to the environment here.

Marcona - Not Your Typical Almond

For those of you not familiar with marcona almonds they are not your typical almond. Marcona nuts are fatter, rounder and have a buttery taste, like a cross between an almond and a macadamia nut.

The Marcona almond grows in the coastal areas of Spain, mainly in the region around Valencia and Alicante. The marcona has an insect resistant hard shell and can therefore be grown without the use of pesticides.

The marcona tree is difficult to grow and is not very productive. It is a risky proposition for an almond producer to grow marconas as they are harvested in February and a freeze could destroy the crop. But, marconas are a staple of Spanish tapas.

Chef's prefer cooking with the marcona and they are used in the production of turron, a nougat confection that is very popular in Spain for the Holidays.

We import marcona almonds that are fried in olive oil and salted. They compliment everything from cheese and fruit to wine or beer. We also carry them blanched to be used in recipes such as romesco.

The marcona almonds are versatile and can be added to salads or eaten all by themselves for a terrific snack. Once you try them you'll understand why this nut is coveted and is definitely not your typical almond.

The Special Ingredient in Matiz Torta de Aciete

The Spanish torta or crispbread has been around for over 100 years. It's a favorite breakfast and snack of the Andulcians and is believed to have its roots in the Moorish cuisine.

In 1870, Antonio Prieto Pinto, established Hermanos Prieto Gordillo as a family bakery on the main plaza in Castilleja de la Cuesta in Seville.

Alongside conventional bakery fare, the family also produced tortas for local consumption.

Today, Antonio's grandson Francisco and his brothers run the family business with their mother, the boss, who continues to work the front-of-house doling out sweet Magdalenas muffins and fresh-baked bread to her neighborhood clientele.

Francisco supervises the making of the tortas using his grandfather's recipe that he safeguards in his head. Each morning, as he makes the dough, he varies the ingredients ever so slightly depending on the quality of the flour and the humidity in the air. Once the dough meets Francisco's standards, he turns the dough over to the women in the bakery who for years have perfected the technique of hand patting the tortas into their characteristic shape.

The town of Seville is known for its oranges, and Prieto Gordillo has added a Seville orange flavor to the line up of superb tortas that we can now offer to our customers in the US. But the special ingredient remains in Fransico's head and heart.