-->Paprika is one of those things that most of us take for granted, but its importance in Spain’s regional cookery cannot be overstated. It lends it’s deep, intense, sweet, spicy flavour to many of the country’s favourite dishes including “paella”, “habas a la Asturiana”, “sopa de ajo” as well as a multitude of “chorizos” and off course, local “sobrasada”. It is produced from cone-shaped peppers (capsicum annuum) that are ripened to redness and was introduced to Spain by natives of Hispaniola during Columbus’ second voyage to the New World in 1493. Hungarian scientist Dr. Szent-Gyorgyi was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1937 for isolating vitamin C in paprika. He also discovered that, pound for pound, paprika is a richer source of the vitamin than citrus and the red spice quickly became an important ingredient in preserving meats and sausages.
In the height of the summer visitors to
the Island will notice the colourful red pepper “Pebre Bord” being gathered everywhere to make “Tap de Corti” (local
Paprika). Indigenous to Mallorca, this pepper nearly became extinct but is now
being grown in increasingly larger numbers all over the island. In days gone by
the red pepper would be hung from pieces of string “enfilalls” to dry out in
the sun. The walls of white-washed houses would be covered in these chains of
red peppers gently swinging in the afternoon breeze as far as the eye could see
across large parts of the island.
The traditional process to produce Tap de corti is complex. The peppers
are dried in the sun over three to four weeks so that they do not lose their
natural antioxidants and thus their capacity to preserve food. Afterwards they
are put through a stone grinder six times, with a 24-hour period break in
between for the pimento to cool down. After a sifting process the paprika is
then ready to be packaged. Experiment with Tap de Corti to really attack the
taste buds and use your imagination to give a spicy depth of flavour to
anything from scrambled eggs to lamb, chicken and fish dishes.
Recently Mallorca's red pepper has gained official recognition by being
entered into the national register for protected trade goods.
Having nearly become lost for so many years, “Tap de Corti” is now
enjoying greater popularity than ever before...it’s easy to see why.
Pulpo a la Gallega (Galician Style Octopus)
Ingredients serves
6-8
2 Kg Octopus
2 Kg Potatoes
(Peeled)
2 Tbsp Tap
de Corti
1 Tbsp Rock
Salt
350 ml Virgin
Olive Oil
Wash the octopus in cold water. Bring a large saucepan of water to the
boil with a good pinch of salt and a couple of bay leaves. Carefully place the
octopus in and simmer for about 40-45 minutes until tender. Remove and drain
the octopus. Cook the peeled potatoes in the cooking liquid for about
15 to 20 minutes. Cut the octopus in small slices. Remove the potatoes,
slice and place them on a large plate. Cover with the octopus slices and pour
over the olive oil. Sprinkle with Tap de Corti, rock salt and serve
immediately.
COCHIFRITO DE CORDERO
(Spanish-style lamb stew)
Ingredients: Serves
4
800g diced leg of lamb
2 Red peppers
1 Medium onion
100ml olive oil
2 Garlic cloves
200ml lamb stock
2 slices of stale bread
1tbsp Tomato puree
1tbsp Sherry vinegar
1tspn Thyme
2tspn Tap de Corti
Seasoning
Roast
the red peppers in a hot oven until they start to blacken and blister. Remove
from the oven, place in a bowl and cover tightly with cling film. Leave for 10
minutes and carefully remove the skin and discard the seeds.
Place
the red peppers in a pestle and mortar with the stale bread and garlic cloves.
Crush to a puree.
Heat
the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan. Fry the diced lamb until its
nicely coloured on all sides. Add the chopped onion, thyme and tap de corti and
lower the heat to a gentle flame. Add the tomato puree, lamb stock and cook
slowly for 25 minutes. Stir in the red pepper puree and cook for a further 10
minutes. Season to taste and serve with fresh vegetables.
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