Baked rosquillas
30 – 40 units
Ingredients
1 kg + 125 g of flour
1 glass of sugar
1 packet of Royal baking powder
1/2 jar of ground cinnamon
1 lemon (zest and juice)
1 glass of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 jar of matalahúva (anise seeds)
1/2 glass of white wine
1/2 glass of sweet anise liqueur
Sugar for coating
Preparation
Place the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and lemon zest in a large bowl. Heat the glass of oil, fry the peeled lemon in it, remove it, and add the matalahúva to the hot oil off the heat. Pour this oil over the flour mixture. Also add the lemon juice, the white wine and the sweet anise liqueur. Mix well and knead by hand until you obtain a firm, homogeneous dough. Cover it with a cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Shape the dough into rings using small portions and bake for about 30 minutes, until golden. Remove them from the oven, roll them in sugar while still warm, and let them cool before serving.
Bread and garlic soup
6 people
Ingredients
1 quarter-kilo loaf of day-old bread
1 glass of olive oil
4 garlic cloves
1 heaped teaspoon of sweet paprika
100 g of jamón serrano, cut into small cubes
6 eggs
1 sprig of mint
Salt to taste
Preparation
Put about 2.5 litres of salted water to boil in a pot. Meanwhile, cut the bread into 1-cm slices, fry them lightly in a pan with oil and set aside.
In another pan, add the oil, the garlic cut into thin slices and the ham, and place over the heat. When the garlic turns golden, remove from the heat and, once the oil has cooled a little, add the paprika and mix well.
When the water is boiling, add the bread, the oil with the garlic and paprika, and the sprig of mint. Let everything boil together for 5 to 10 minutes.
At this point, some recommend adding the eggs raw and stirring. I prefer the following method: when serving the soup, place a raw egg in each bowl, pour in the portion of soup, and heat the bowl in the microwave for 2 minutes so the egg sets.
Stewed rabbit
4 people
Ingredients
1 rabbit, cut into pieces (about 1–1.5 kg)
Salt and pepper to taste
3–4 garlic cloves (you can include half a head if you prefer)
Extra virgin olive oil
White wine (or red) for marinating and cooking
Fresh or dried thyme and bay leaf
A cinnamon stick (optional, local variation)
Preparation
Season the rabbit with salt and pepper, then brown it in a pot with hot olive oil. Remove it and, in the same oil, sauté the whole (or chopped) garlic cloves, then add the thyme and bay leaf. Pour in the wine to prevent burning and let it reduce. Return the rabbit to the pot, cover with broth or a little water, add the cinnamon stick if you want a local touch, and cook over low heat for about 30–40 minutes, until tender and the sauce has slightly thickened. Adjust the salt at the end.
Mosto
Ingredients
Fresh grapes (from the harvest, typically in September, preferably local varieties)
Preparation
The grapes are harvested and taken to a space prepared for their processing. Traditionally, the grapes were trodden by foot, but nowadays de-stemming machines are used to separate the stalks from the crushed fruit, preventing excessive acidity. The grapes then go to a press, where the juice is extracted and separated from the skins.
The resulting mosto is placed in glass containers or stainless-steel tanks to begin alcoholic fermentation, which lasts between 40 and 45 days depending on the ambient temperature. During this stage, the sugars transform into alcohol.
After this first fermentation, a racking is carried out to remove the sediments at the bottom. The mosto is then placed back into the container for malolactic fermentation, during which its final flavour and characteristics develop.
Additional rackings are performed as needed to clean and clarify the mosto, always following an artisanal process to preserve the quality of the final product. The result is a fresh mosto with a balanced flavour, highly appreciated in Cartajima.
Fried mushrooms
4 people
Ingredients
500 g of fresh mushrooms (such as níscalos, button mushrooms or seasonal wild mushrooms)
3 garlic cloves
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Chopped parsley (optional)
Preparation
Clean the mushrooms well with a damp cloth or a soft brush to remove any dirt, avoiding washing them with too much water so they don’t absorb it. If the mushrooms are large, cut them into medium pieces. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Heat plenty of olive oil in a pan and add the garlic, letting it brown lightly. Add the mushrooms and fry them over medium-high heat, stirring frequently so they cook evenly. Season with salt to taste and continue cooking until the mushrooms are tender and lightly golden. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped parsley for freshness.
