Mahon Curado

I never imagined you could improve the rich, salty flavor of Mahon cheese. It really never accrued to me that it was possible to magnify its salty, buttery flavor. There was no need. Yet, the delicious cheese from Menorca, Spain did improve itself. How? By aging. Traditionally made with unpasteurized cow's milk, this amazing cheese has been produced by generations of artisans since the 15th century. Mahon has a rich buttery, salty, nutty flavor. After aging its called Anejo, and it acquires a stronger flavor. A much more intense cheese than its kid brother, Mahon Curado is perfect for true cheese enthusiast! I love eating mine with a mango chutney or a sweet fig jam or simply by drizzling it with extra virgin olive oil.

Tronchón

This artisinal cheese, made of a blend of Sheep's and Goat's milk, has been made in the same traditional manner for centuries. Tronchón is named after the town in which it is produced. Tronchón is a town of only 103 inhabitants situated in the Spanish province of Teruel. Its population has drastically decreased in the last 100 years because of a mass migration to industrialized cities in Spain. The cheese itself is very subtle and fresh. It has a unique shape with a peculiar dent in the middle. It is very buttery. Its a semi-soft cheese. The town has raised Sheep and Goats for centuries, thus the creation of this blended cheese. Today it can be also made with cows milk incorporated to the blend. It is definitely one of my personal favorites.

Garrotxa

Garrotxa is a raw goats' milk cheese from the Catalonia region of Spain. It is an intense but not overwhelming cheese. A bit tangy, salty yet pleasant to the palate. Its a perfect late night snack, yummy with a good Sherry. The best thing about it is its accessibility in the states. Too often we are denied the riches of Spain, but thank god, cheese is an exemption.

White Fish

White Fish is under rated. It is grunted upon because of its cost and simplicity. I personally love white fish. Recently I was fortunate to dine at Avec, my new favorite restaurant here in Chicago. I had an amazing Galician style White Fish. It was beyond anything I could have imagined. It was perfectly crisp and not over cooked. I prepared mine in a much sweeter palate. This is my twist on a wonderful dish we serve at Azucar tapas. Its paired with sweet and earthy squash, parsnips and crispy shallots. It all comes together with a sweet and tangy Orange Thyme pan sauce. I used Kabocha, or Japanese pumpkin and cooked it a bit longer covered to make a delicate mash. It was perfect.


6 ounce white fish fillets, skin on
salt
fresh thyme
kabocha squash, organic
parsnips
orange juice
shallots
garlic
butter
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add about one quart of orange juice into a small sauce pan. add one shallot, thinly sliced, along with crushed garlic and a couple sprigs of fresh thyme. reduce down to about half. cool and strain. set aside.
carefully cube the squash into even small pieces. peel and chop parsnips into the same size. toss with salt and bake covered in 375 degree oven until tender, about 20 minutes. caramelize shallots and mix into kabocha and parsnips, using a fork, mix to make a rustic mash.
salt fish on both side, on high heat, sear skin side first.
deglaze pan with orange sauce, add some butter and fresh thyme.let reduce.

Olives

Olives are ancient. Olives are not meant for everyone. Only to be enjoyed by a most refined palate. For centuries, the Romans nurtured on their fruit. Its very branch became a universal symbol of peace. Olives are more than a peace offering. Fat, notoriously evil, can nurture when extracted from a plump Olive. I have enjoyed many Olives, and Olive mixes in my lifetime, but this is by far my favorite. This mix harmoniously balances itself to give an unforgettable culinary experience.

Best Olive mix

Cuquillo olives

Black Moroccan oil cured olives

Casatlevetrano olives

Spanish Manzanilla olives

fresh rosemary

Valencia oranges, sliced

bay leaves

Mix all of the olives and their brine. Add desired rosemary, oranges (alot of both), and a couple bay leaves. Let sit in refrigerator overnight.
recipe by Matt Sacarro

Fennel coca

I have grown very fond of cocas. I Love them! They are versatile, they're a blank canvas for us kitchen artists. Ive tried them with a large array of colorful toppings from roasted bell peppers to Spanish cured meats.However, I came to realize that less is always more. The dough is always the same, carefully dressed with a sweet garlic oil and dusted with chopped rosemary and thyme. My favorite topping however is definitely sweet caramelized onion with tender caramelized fennel. Fennel is great fresh, crunchy and anise flavored. Cooking it makes it tender and sweet. Hinojo is fennel in Spanish. Fennel is a prominent ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine. This coca is delightful paired with a Manzanilla sherry. So look back to the basic coca dough recipe from a previous blog and get cooking!!

Coca amb pebres

Cocas are crispy, yummy flat breads native to the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean. They can be traced back to the middle ages. This yeast based dough can either be wafer thin or thick and doughy. The rich topping varies by region and personal taste. At Azucar! we serve it with a sweet garlic oil, shredded Garottxa and Mahon cheeses. Then, grilled artichoke hearts are layered over the cheeses and topped off with cherry tomatoes. It then gets a fresh arugula garnish when its plated. The first time we prepared this, Chef Matt and I, we had no idea how the dough would turn out. The recipe is very simple and easy to make. At first, it seems a bit dry. Eventually it comes together to form a spongy dough. Traditionally, its rolled out and then topped off with the fillings.We adapted the recipe in order to successfully prepare it on the line in the restaurant. The dough is first par baked and then pre-portioned. Its prepared to order and this results in a much crispier flat bread. Some dare to compare it to pizza. I believe a flat bread is a flat bread. So remember to always brush it with a sweet garlic oil sauce and never ever tomato sauce!

Coca yeast dough base:

20g dry active yeasta

pinch of sugar

4 1/2 cups of flour

1 tsp of salt

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp white wine/ 1 oz

flour for dusting work surface

add the dry yeast to a mixing bowl and add in a Little lukewarm water and a pinch of sugar.let sit for a few minutes. then add in the 4 1/2 cups of flour, the olive oil and white wine. using the dough hook attachment, begin to mix the ingredients together. slowly add one cup of warm water while mixing to bring the dough together. add the salt and allow to mix until it all comes together into a ball. turn off mixer and let sit in a warm place until it doubles in volume. then, on a floured surface roll out to a thin rectangle, trimming off the edges. bake in a sheet pan lined with parchment paper in a 390 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the dough is par baked (touch the surface of the bread to make sure its hardened and resembles pizza crust, however it should be a light color) pull out of oven and let cool. Brush the top with a garlic oil, dust with some rosemary and thyme. layer your favorite toppings on top and bake in the oven until its crispy and a golden color. its best to bake it right on the rack to get a crispier crust.

I used a traditional topping of roasted bell peppers and caramelized onions, Coca amb pebres in Catalan.
By far my favorite flat bread recipe. Authentic Spanish cuisine. Enjoy with a sweet Amontillado sherry.