Rick Stein's Spanish Christmas

My journey around and through the heart of Spain in an old camper van

was a real inspiration to me.

It taught me some simple home truths about seasonality, traditions,

and the importance of the family.

There's a lesson to us all about the joys of eating and celebration,

particularly around Christmas.

Well, I have to say, I love Christmas.

It's just that time when you feel so euphoric,

everything's going to happen.

Travelling in Spain,

I came to the conclusion that Spain IS the country of festivals.

They're always celebrating something,

and Christmas is no exception.

So I'm doing my bit, because this is my base in London,

and I've just prepared a little party

for all the people that contributed to the Spanish series,

and I've come up with a few dishes of my own, but Spanish dishes.

A bit nervous, hope they're going to like it,

but I'm sure, being Spanish,

we're all going to have a lot of fun.

'I thought I'd kick the festivities off this year

'with a party for a few friends.

'I'm treating them to dishes that I plan to cook

'over the Christmas break,

'and even the Spanish ambassador agreed to come along.

'Don't get me wrong,

'nothing beats roast turkey with all the trimmings

'for Christmas Day lunch,

'but while travelling through Spain, I stumbled on many dishes

'that would make a welcoming treat for a Christmas Eve supper,

'or indeed those gastronomically challenging days

'following Boxing Day.

'By the end of this programme

'I'm hoping to offer you a positive cornucopia of recipe ideas

'for the Christmas break.

'Also, I get treated to some very special

'and intimate Christmas celebrations.'

This is the most important day of the whole calendar.

This is when close family gathers together,

and when we really want to do a festive night,

that we can remember for the whole year.

Well, I'm just a little bit nervous,

because these are actually MY Spanish dishes.

Well, I'm not personally cooking them, but they're my idea of Spain.

First of all, we've got these aubergines,

which are stuffed with lamb and roasted red peppers.

I'm hoping those will go down really well.

Over here we've some chicken and saffron with almonds,

and that's a very Seville sort of dish.

Again, slightly my own take on it, but it's very recognisably Spanish.

And there's the filling for the clams.

We are going to do clams with Serrano ham and Oloroso sherry,

I love that dish.

It will be a bit fiddly for them

because the sauce is all over the clams,

but we'll give them lots of paper napkins.

And then we're going to finish with a little orange cream from Valencia,

which is one of the best sweets I've found in Spain.

So I'm quite excited, a little apprehensive,

but that's how it always is in kitchens, I think.

'I'm fascinated by the Spanish passion

'for celebrations and fiestas.

Each and every one is seen as an excuse

'for enjoying plenty of food and drink.'

Ambassador, could I just had a word?

When we were travelling around Spain, making the programme,

I came to the conclusion that the Spanish really love a good festival.

We do. We are always ready for a party, always ready.

In Spain you have Christmas, that last for, what, two weeks?

Three weeks! Four weeks now!

We start on Christmas Eve, and it ends with the three Kings,

which is 6th January.

'Jimmy Burns is a respected writer on Spain, and he fondly remembers

'the importance of Christmas in their family home.'

You've got an English dad and a Spanish mum,

-you were born in Spain.

-That's right.

I had a double whammy.

On Christmas Day, I had a very English Christmas,

but what's really important in Spain is Reyes, the three Kings.

These three wise men coming from the East,

we had to put our little shoes out the night before.

If you were bad, you were going to receive coal,

if you were good you'd get pressies.

So I would go to bed terrified

of waking up and finding coal.

You had to write a little letter to the wise men

saying all the good things you'd done during the year,

and they would write you a little note afterwards,

and you'd leave some food for the camels

and a little glass of fino for the Kings.

'No Spanish feast is complete without jamon,

'and they don't come any better than this.

'It's very expensive,

'hence the thin slices.

'I was inspired to come up with this recipe

of clams with Serrano ham, 'and Oloroso Sherry,

'precisely because it's a combination of ingredients

'which seem to bring out the very best

'of the country's abundant, fresh seafood.'

I got a lot of inspiration for new seafood dishes

when walking through the markets of Spain.

Each locality specialises in a different variety of seafood.

From percebes in Galicia,

to fresh anchovies from the Cantabrian Sea.

Prawns off the Catalan coast,

or a wealth of riches brought into the southern ports of Andalusia

from the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.

Anyway, let's get back to the dish.

I did all my cooking in our villa,

nestled among the olive groves

outside the village of Casarabonela.

I start off by chopping some Serrano ham,

which translated literally means "mountain ham."

These are dry-cured for around 6 to 18 months,

and I'm told the best comes from the region of Aragon.

So after frying off the ham in some olive oil,

I add two or three bay leaves, some chopped onions and garlic.

And now for the clams,

small carpet shell clams would be ideal for this dish.

Next the Oloroso sherry.

Sherry became fashionable in the English court

when Sir Francis Drake attacked the port of Cadiz

and seized 3,000 barrels.

Right, that will take about three minutes, no more,

just for them to steam open in that deliciously aromatic...

I wish you could smell it!

The flavours of the ham and the sherry.

I'm using oloroso sherry here, which is slightly sweet.

The sweetness goes really well with the ham and the onions,

which I cooked for about 10 minutes.

I don't know whether I put too much ham in,

because I've sort of guessed the quantities after seeing the dish,

but I think a lot of this Serrano ham is a great idea

because it goes so well with the flavour of the clams,

and with that slight sweetness of the sherry. It's sort of like...

a symbiotic agreement of flavours, if you like.

This clam dish works well, both as a portion of tapas,

or an impressive starter at any Christmas or New Year party.

I'm hoping it'll make a promising start

with my guests here in London.

-Mmmm, you put ham in the clams!

-Yeah, why not!

-Oh wow!

Oh, thank you.

Very nice.

-It wouldn't be the same without the sherry.

-Yeah.

What we do in Spain,

we eat a lot, as I suppose everywhere else,

and we enjoy ourselves, with friends and family. That's what we like.

I had a pretty happy childhood.

We had turkey because I had an English part of my family.

We had our turkey on Christmas,

but what I really looked forward to was the lamb.

Can you imagine, marinated in wine and herbs,

very simple, lots of olive oil.

-Slow cooked?

-Very slow cooked.

'Well, slow cooked lamb happens to be a family favourite

'with a good chef friend of mine from Extremadura,

'called Jose Pizarro.

'These days, he's a successful restaurateur in London.'

'Our paths first crossed on a rather unforgettable day

'near his hometown of Caceres.

'He offered to cook me some freshly caught tenca fish at a nearby lake.

'It was all going so well - beautiful day,

'lunch cooked in Campy, lakeside location -

'that is, until the local media turned up.

'They'd got wind of the fact that he was back home from London

'AND with a chef friend from the BBC.

'Things began to take on a totally different agenda.'

-Very nice to meet you.

-How are you?

-I'm very well, thank you.

Yes, I'm very well.

Aqui en esta caravana.

-Over here.

-Oh, right, OK.

Are we going in there?

It's very, very different to the way we do things.

It's really...

Learn a thing from her, you know,

really punch above my weight, sort of thing.

You'll see... Oh, sorry.

-Rick.

-Rick?

SHE SPEAKS SPANISH

OK, right. Right, erm, you'll have to say wh...

What was she saying?

'I never did get to eat the lunch that Jose had promised to cook me,

'so instead, back in London,

he invited me to join him

'and cook for a festive get-together at a friends house.'

Tell me what to do, I can see some...

I think you can help me with some garlic.

-I just peel the garlic, I will do...

-Everything else.

-Help you, as well.

-Very traditional recipe.

-Where does it come from?

This one is from Scotland.

You know the...

-No, no, the dish!

-Oh, the dish.

RICK LAUGHS

From my grandmother!

Good stuff. Ha-ha!

-I remember this one with my grandmother.

-Yeah.

It's a slow... Slow roast.

And it's marinated with garlic, parsley, thyme,

white wine, olive oil,

salt and pepper.

-That's it?

-That's it.

-Simple, then?

Then you have time to enjoy it with your friends.

It's Christmas - it's time for enjoy.

To me, you sort of epitomise a new look about Spanish food,

which is, you've got this real seriousness

about good produce, haven't you?

For me always, because I was working in the Michelin star restaurant,

and then I go back to my roots.

I go back to the ingredient, the quality and the simplicity.

You need to give the love to the food, you need to use...

HE SIGHS

You've got to work with your fingers.

Exactly. You put all the passion

and all the love in this lovely piece of lamb.

This is only one of a sort of lot

of quite special dinners and lunches for Christmas.

There's a lot of work goes into a Spanish Christmas.

Yeah, like we say, the mother and grandmothers

are always very busy in this time.

Wine? We are going to use quite plenty of wine for this.

That's a good idea, so you're getting all the residual flavours

-from the mortar into the... Into the liquid.

-Olive oil.

-Yeah.

-Two tablespoons, more or less.

And some water.

And bring to the lamb.

-More wine.

-Fair enough.

And some thyme,

just to give some countryside flavour.

Leave it marinating like this for two hours

Hello. Hola!

'We got the lamb ready for roasting

'just in time for the arrival of Jose's guests.

'It was time to begin the celebrations

'and break open the bubbly,

'which for the Spanish, of course, means Cava.'

-Feliz navidad!

-ALL: Feliz navidad!

-Thank you for coming.

Thank you for having us. What's for dinner then?

-Lamb from Scotland.

-As we learnt earlier on.

-Not from Segovia?

-Not from Segovia.

'The lamb went into a moderate oven to roast for at least three hours.

'The slower the roast, the better the end result.

'A perfect opportunity to hold an impromptu tasting

'of another famous Spanish export - sherry.

'Bea, one of the guests, led the way.'

-So what's this one? What's the first one we're having?

-Fino.

-Do you cook with sherry?

-I love cooking with sherry.

A manzanilla or a fino you use for cooking like white wine.

-Exactly in the same way.

-You serve it as well as a white wine.

So in a white wine glass,

chilled, as a white wine.

Next one is the amontillado.

It's roughly 20-year-old wine.

-I think you have to pour it to try it.

-Yeah, sorry!

-Making you thirsty, sorry.

-So that's why it's darker?

-Yes.

It is older and that's the amazing thing about sherry.

It's got all this complexity of flavours and aromas.

That is knockout.

Seriously, I've never tasted any sherry like that.

It's got so much complexity.

-I think sherry's a really underrated wine.

-Absolutely.

My mother used to drink it all the time.

South African sherry,

or sherries from big cities in the south-west of England.

We don't have that in the south of Spain or in Spain at all.

That only exists in this country, I'm afraid.

Do you know what she once said to me?

I once brought home actually quite a good sherry from the restaurant.

She said, "It's too good for me."

-This is unbelievably good.

-Stunning.

-So the next one is the oloroso, which is...

-A bit darker.

For me, oloroso, I treat the same way as the red wine for cooking.

I can see that.

Fino, manzanilla - white wine.

Oloroso - red wine.

And it goes with the same sort of food.

So with stews and...

-The lamb that is in the oven.

-Absolutely.

That is going to taste like heaven, I think, both of them together.

-Last but not least, the dessert sherry.

-Which is?

Pedro Ximenez, or PX for short.

I know this cos we actually do a recipe for vanilla ice-cream

with it poured over in the restaurant.

That's a very popular way of doing it.

-It's, like, so unctuous, isn't it?

-It's so rich.

So many people say this is like a Christmas pudding in a glass.

-Absolutely right.

-A Christmas pudding in a glass. It certainly is.

THEY CHEER

Move the glass for me.

Go for it.

-That's nice.

-Gosh.

Beautiful.

-I think it's time to carve it.

-Come on then.

-Perfectly cooked.

Tender, but still very, very juicy.

We don't make gravy in Spain.

We just use the juice.

Well, I'd call it gravy.

Can we have a Spanish carol?

Sure. What about...

# Pero mira como beben Los peces en el rio

# Pero mira como beben

# Por ver a Dios nacido

# Beben y beben y vuelven a beber

# Los peces en el rio

# Por ver a Dios nacer. #

Ole!

My God.

The crew would say, "Are we surprised by this?"

-We call it the medals.

-That's my medals.

'I loved Jose's recipe for roast lamb

'just like his mama used to make.

'A perfect choice

if you're looking for a festive roast with a difference.'

My favourite memories of Spain remain firmly fixed

in the older places that are yet to be touched

by the hands of rapid progress -

Quixote's Spain, where quality is still celebrated despite poverty.

I first visited in 1955 and ever since then

I've collected vivid memories of new and exciting taste sensations.

Freshly cooked hake, octopus and anchovies,

black puddings made in front rooms

and distributed to all the households in the village.

Asturian cider,

enormous grilled ribs of beef cooked rare.

-Gracias.

-Salud.

-Salud.

'Everywhere, the locals had a sort of

take-it-or-leave-it attitude 'to their cuisine,

'but were always delighted

'if you shared in their passion.

'And that passion is something I continue to share to this day

'with Spanish friends who live much closer to home,

'right here in the UK.

'But not just Spanish friends.

'This is Richard Bigg, a restaurateur and bar owner

'in the East End of London,

'who's made it his life's passion

'to introduce Spanish cuisine to Britain.'

Richard, you're not Spanish.

Why are you so taken with everything Spanish?

What's so special about it to you?

Me? Well, just the passion of it probably as much as anything.

The contrast, the heat, the cold.

The diversity of it.

Every different region has such a strong identity.

They have their own food, their own drink, their own fiestas.

They've always had this fabulous produce and now

they're really making huge efforts how to make the very best out of it.

I agree.

Rioja may be one of Spain's smallest regions

but I discovered an abundance of riches there.

Apart from its wine growers, a mother and son team

are making a real name for themselves

in the small town of Ezcaray

on the foothills of the San Lorenzo mountains.

Marisa Sanchez Garcia and her son, Francis,

have transformed an old coaching house

that once served as an overnight stop for carriages

into a national success.

Today, the business caters for lovers of traditional cuisine

and the ground-breaking cooking that Spanish chefs

seem to be excelling at.

At one end of this kitchen, we have a Michelin-starred restaurant

and the other end, Francis's mother is in control

of just a very traditional Riojan restaurant.

My main reason for coming to Spain, of course,

as far as I'm concerned, is all those local dishes.

The fabadas, the paellas, things with chorizos, beans,

lovely seafood - all that sort of thing.

But this is also really interesting.

In the top 50 restaurants in the world,

probably 10 of them now are Spanish.

Not only Spanish, most of them come from this part of northern Spain.

There's a real new movement afoot to create really perfect little dishes

using very seasonal ingredients.

That's what Francis excels at.

But also, most of the dishes

have their origins in the traditional cooking.

He's just doing a new slant on it and it's really successful.

I was really impressed with Francis's enthusiasm

and some of his ideas representing the best local produce.

But my real interest was in the traditional Riojan bacalao dish.

I'll definitely be doing this over the Christmas holidays.

Marisa simply arranges pieces of salt cod or bacalao

into a wide shallow pan having pre-soaked them

and changed the water on at least a couple of occasions.

Look at the colour of these red goat's horn peppers.

They're dried in the heat of the late September sun

in towns all over Rioja and find their way

into many of its regional dishes.

She poaches the cod for five to six minutes

and Francis helps to drain off the liquor,

keeping some of it back to add more consistency to the sauce.

This rich Riojana sauce

had already been pre-prepared in a food processor.

The red peppers were previously roasted before being added

to fried onions, garlic, pimenton powder and tomato sauce.

Voila!

'The striking scarlet of this dish is Rioja on a plate for me.

'Incidentally, the term "a la Riojana" refers to dishes

'made from their famous red peppers, not the wine.

'It's great to see both mother and son treating each cooking experience

'as a means of improving their dishes for future menus.

'It's something I like to do regularly with my son Jack

'back in Padstow.

'Well, Marisa's final verdict is that it needs more salt.'

Very good.

'But for Francis, it's a winner.'

'Family gatherings in Spain are sacrosanct

'and mums take centre-stage by preparing a real treat.

'This salt cod dish would make an impressive addition

'to any Christmas menu.'

Guillermo's just told me

that Marisa's very pleased I came to her house

because all her children have got bigger houses and they all wanted me

to go to lunch with them but she's very pleased that I've come here.

So it's lovely, actually.

This bacalao... Bacalao Riojana?

-Bacalao a la Riojana.

-A la Riojana.

It's almost like fresh. It's very moist, very juicy.

The sauce is so vibrant, the peppers in it.

The Spanish and peppers are sort of synonymous really.

I was thinking it's probably because of the South American connection

but they're so important and they know how to cook them so well.

Look at that plate - it's the colours of Spain to me.

Thoroughly enjoying it, I must say.

-Mas bueno para manana.

-Better tomorrow?

-Manana.

Better tomorrow. I'll be back.

The Spanish love for hospitality had a profound effect on me.

I wonder if the old adage is true,

that sunshine and warmer climes

give you a bigger appetite for social occasions.

Belvis Soriano is my guide in Castilla la Mancha.

La Mancha comes from the original Arabic term for parched earth.

Difficult to believe that anything could grow in that climate

but a small town in the region has got the whole of Spain

hooked on its pickled aubergines.

Do you remember them?

-Almagro.

-Yes.

-Castilla la Mancha, of course.

I love these.

-A real delicacy, do you mind if I have one?

-Yes.

-You've brought these all the way from Spain?

-Yes, I did.

Sorry, I forgot. It has a little bit of fennel stuffed in there.

You can try that.

La Mancha probably made more of an impression on me

than any other region,

because it's an area one would romantically imagine Spain to be.

A skyline of windmills make an unforgettable landscape

and the province is immortalised through the adventures

of its local hero, Don Quixote.

These fields belong to Vicente Malagon.

They're on the outskirts of the town of Almagro.

The aubergines come from the Arab people

about 1,000 years ago

and they bring with them the aubergines from India.

When you jar the aubergines, what else goes in, what flavours?

Paprika, garlic, olive oil, vinegar.

We cut the eggplants,

put a small piece of red pepper into the eggplant, into the aubergine,

and then we cross the aubergine with a small stick of fennel.

You skewer it with a stick of fennel - wild fennel, the herb?

Wild fennel, yes, like this.

That's great. So you're trying to get a flavour of...

Of all the materials that we have in our country.

-So it's La Mancha in a jar.

-Yes, La Mancha in a jar. That's perfect.

'They grow so many of these little aubergines here

'that the only option for preserving them is pickling.'

Thinking aubergines, I came up with a recipe

that encapsulates the produce of the land

as well as paying homage to the undeniable influence of the Arabs.

This dish in English is called

lamb-stuffed aubergines with Moorish spices and Manchego cheese.

Obviously, it's a Moorish dish.

I'm just deeply scoring these aubergines.

Drizzle olive oil over them, a bit of salt and bake in an oven.

It will make it much easier to take out the flesh.

These go into the oven now for about 30 minutes at 200 centigrade

about gas mark six.

Now for the filling.

I'm preparing a large red pepper to fry off in some olive oil.

In the finished dish, these peppers stand out like red jewels

or glowing hot coals.

Once they begin to soften,

I add chopped onions and garlic.

Next, the minced lamb, reminiscent of so many Arab dishes.

As is cumin. I've just crushed the seeds in a pestle and mortar

so that the full force of their flavour

can begin infusing the lamb.

No Spanish dish is ever complete without pimenton,

complemented by a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg

and a fiery kick from crushed dried chillies.

Finally, some salt.

I've actually made up a tomato sauce with onions, garlic,

olive oil, salt and pepper.

A jar of passata would be almost as good.

So, there goes the tomato sauce. It's just a little bit dry.

I'm going to loosen it up with a bit of white wine there.

Just enjoying cooking this so much.

The smell of nutmeg and pimenton particularly.

I just love this combination of Spanish and Moorish,

it's just a la mode to me.

The sort of food I love to eat.

That's beautiful. It's lovely. Well, it's very moreish!

I don't know if it's just me, because I'm so hungry,

or because it's just before lunch,

but I think this could be among my top three favourite dishes of Spain.

To finish off the filling,

add the chopped aubergines to the spiced lamb

and spoon back into the baked aubergine shells.

Now for the final essential ingredient that completes the dish.

It even takes its name from the region it represents -

Manchego cheese.

Put the aubergines back in the oven for 10 minutes to melt the cheese

and finally they're ready to eat.

I promise you, this recipe will not disappoint.

It's absolutely superb.

I can't get over the combination

of pimenton and the smoked paprika and those Moorish spices.

It's so blinking good.

The anticipation of this dish

reminded me of a line from Don Quixote.

"While I'm eating, I know nothing,

"but when I've finished eating,

"I begin to understand."

The lamb-stuffed aubergines are a real tribute

to the Arab legacy which still dominates southern Spain,

and guaranteed to add seasonal cheer.

I had no doubt that my guests in London

would share my enthusiasm for them.

What do you think about Spanish produce? Do you think it's underrated in this country?

I think actually people are beginning to understand it now,

that the quality of the produce is fantastic.

When I got back from making the series, people said to me,

"Did you find anything good there?"

Like, you can't possibly have found it.

Do you think that's a very lingering thought in British people's minds?

I think when people went to Spain on their holidays,

they went to the costas.

You've got to venture further to find the real stuff.

And that's exactly what I did when I went to visit a renowned cook

who lives in the hills north-west of Barcelona.

Merce Brunes and her team have created a Garden Of Eden here.

Oh, my gosh.

'Walking into her larder is like entering an Aladdin's cave.'

This is wonderful.

To tell you the truth, when I walked in there,

I just thought it was like Alice Waters.

This has got to be a female's kitchen.

It's like a big flower arrangement.

Everywhere I look is a delight for the eye.

'Merce's place excels at celebrating

'the best that Catalonia has to offer,

'and encourages the use of local produce -

'what Merce likes to refer to as kilometre zero.

'She invited me here today to taste her favourite recipe

'for the Christmas holidays -

'duck with pears,

'which starts with slow-cooking pieces of duck in duck fat.'

This dish, it's made only for very special occasions.

In some houses,

we have this dish for Christmas.

-Have you been cooking all your life, Merce?

-Yes.

I've been cooking, but not duck.

I had a period when I was vegetarian.

-Really?

-When I was a hippy.

-Were you a hippy?

-Yes.

-I was travelling through India...

-Wow!

..and did what hippies did!

But then I came back to my roots. I really love Catalan food.

There is one word in English that I really, really love.

-It's foodie.

-Foodie!

Don't you have a word in Spanish for foodie?

-We don't have it.

-I'll tell you why I know you're a foodie.

While we've been doing this,

all you're worried about, really, is overcooking your duck.

-Oh, yes.

-You are, like me,

"Blow the television, blow that. It's my duck I'm worried about."

Oh, yes. OK.

We'd better get on with it.

'I know this dish is going to be included

'among my Christmas favourites.

'So having already infused the duck fat with some sage,

'Merce adds a few sprigs of rosemary

and a generous portion of brandy. It is Christmas after all.

'Now for the pears. They only need to cook for about 10 minutes.

'So you need to have

'the next essential set of ingredients already prepared.

'The Catalans have perfected a marvellous way

'of seasoning many of their dishes.

'Merce is showing me how to make a picada,

'which is a combination of toasted hazelnuts

'and romesco peppers, garlic, olive oil and parsley.

'Bread is also a common ingredient

'but I was interested to find that Merce left it out.'

-Will you help me?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-It's quite heavy.

-It is.

-Oh, my God.

OK.

'Don't these colours look Christmassy?

'I found this dish a real inspiration.

'The thought of a marriage between the richness of duck

'and a festive fruit like pears really appeals to me.

'Having seen the satisfying way the picada was used by Merce

'to thicken the sauce, I was inspired to use a similar technique

'back at the villa to prepare an Andalusian dish

'that I've cooked on a number of occasions for friends.'

I'm particularly fond of this Andalusian dish

because it has so many flavours of North Africa, things like nutmeg,

coriander, cloves, black pepper and saffron,

really go not just to North Africa

but all the way back to Iran, back to Persia.

But then it's cooked with sherry and saffron

which is very Spanish as well, so you've got this really interesting

blending of Moorish and Spanish flavours,

and it's a real favourite in Andalucia at Christmas.

In the same way that light seems to take on

an astounding intensity in Andalusia,

so the flavours of this dish reflect a powerful combination

of the most aromatic ingredients.

No wonder then it's eaten on high days and holidays.

I'm infusing fried chicken with the essential flavours

of this dish, freshly crushed spices, followed by rock salt

and saffron, the luxury ingredient

that travelled from its original birthplace in the Middle East

to a new-found home in southern Spain.

I do love cooking, I must say.

Just putting all that spice in there, smelling the olive oil

and the heating-up spice, you just think, you know,

I'm happier over a stove than anywhere else.

You might have thought I was being a bit, well,

unrefined by bunging in the onions on top of the chicken,

but I can't see that it makes that much difference.

I'm always looking at recipes and thinking,

"How can I make this simpler?"

Because I think cooking should be simple. It shouldn't be difficult.

While the chicken is absorbing the flavours of all those spices,

I add some dry sherry.

This is home-made chicken stock. And finally, some bay leaves.

I just leave it to simmer and cook gently for about 40 minutes.

And now it's time for the picada.

I'm definitely using bread in my recipe.

Just frying small chunks with slices of garlic and some olive oil

until the bread begins to take on a golden colour.

Back in the mortar and pestle I begin crushing the bread

and in stages start adding

the essential ingredients that go to make a picada.

I'm using both pine nuts and blanched almonds.

And for a bit of extravagance, I also add an egg yolk to my paste.

That's nicely pounded.

I'm just going to loosen it up a little bit with some chicken stock.

Now I add the picada slowly to the simmering chicken

and almost immediately the sauce begins to thicken.

For added texture, I like to chop up some more pine nuts

with flat-leaf parsley, and garnish just before serving.

No need to include anything else as a side dish.

The chicken, fortified by this sauce, will prove a real winner

for any special occasion.

A gift left behind by the Arab culinary legacy

to an impoverished Spain, full of eastern promise.

During our travels through Extremadura,

our guide in that fairly undiscovered region of Spain

was Vanesa Palacios.

It's really nice you came over, Vanesa.

-It's lovely to see you again.

-Such a pleasure.

-I've got a present for you.

-What's that?

-I've brought a gold ticket for you from Spain.

-Really?

-What is this then?

-That is for our big Christmas lottery.

It's called El Gordo. It's what we say, the fat, you know, the big one.

-This is the big Christmas lottery?

-It is.

And it's 22nd December, it's a massive one. So...

That's really nice of you. Thank you very much.

-If I win, I'll have to come over and pick up?

-Yeah.

-OK, well, that'll be good.

-You have to come back to pick up the prize.

It's nice to see you. The last time I saw you, we were having that dish.

What we ate that day was chanfaina.

-It's an old dish.

-Chanfaina.

-Chanfaina.

It's an old-fashioned dish. It brings our memories,

my grandma's memories back. So we do have it every Christmas.

It's just so convivial, that you just have so much to talk about.

-That is something we call in Spain sobremesa.

-Sobremesa?

After a meal, we like relaxing. We have some food, we enjoy food.

Food is the big thing during Christmas time.

-Yeah.

-We are not in a rush, as you can imagine.

-No! Well, manana is where...

-Take it easy and enjoy the food!

Back in Spain, I was really honoured to be asked to observe

this intimate family gathering.

Chanfaina is a recipe made from offal,

something most people would choose to avoid at celebrations,

but no-one would dare disappoint Vanesa's gran.

-Good Lord.

-It's lovely.

-Thank you very much.

-Eggs, blood, tripe, kidney, maybe liver?

-Yes.

-I think that's the blood pudding, blood sausage.

-Mm-hmm.

Maybe a bit of lung there. Let's try it.

It's a bit of what we call grown-ups' food.

That's right, exactly. I have to say, eat it, to taste it.

Well, I think it's very nice.

I think a lot of people back in Britain

would be a bit put off by things like blood.

When you think about what's in it, yes, you do, you do.

Would you imagine people of your age would eat this sort of food regularly?

No, I don't think so. Even I think, it is good,

it is a traditional dish, but I think some people,

some young people here, do you think they would be able to cook it?

I know my own sons,

they don't really like offal.

I think it's a bit of a generation thing.

Maybe the same age as you.

In Mallorca, they do a thing called frit mallorqui,

it's exactly the same ingredients,

but they cut everything very small

so you can't actually see what you're eating!

THEY SING

And wherever Spanish families gather

to begin celebrating the joys of Christmas,

the villancico, or Christmas carol, is never far away.

THEY CHEER

-ALL: Salud, salud! Salud!

-Great song!

On this journey, I'd set myself a goal

to discover the more hidden aspects of Spain.

Celebrating Christmas with an old-fashioned offal dish

ticked the box nicely.

But now I'm up in Navarra, in the foothills of the Pyrenees.

I'm up in the Salazar valley,

because I'm a great Ernest Hemingway fan, and I know he came up here.

In fact, I always think it's this sort of place

that For Whom the Bell Tolls was written about.

I've always got this idea of a valley in the Pyrenees somewhere.

And Hemingway took a day off from bull running

and came up here for a day's fishing with a friend.

He describes finding this idyllic trout-fishing river

and putting a couple of bottles in the water,

just to get them really cold,

and fishing and drinking some wine.

And at the end, he describes six silvery trout lying on the grass,

glistening in the sun.

Clearly, this was not a day for being outdoors,

so, instead, I decided to visit the ancestral home

of a friend from Pamplona.

Only the older generation

continue to live in these remote villages,

relying on delivery vans for their basic needs,

for meat, fish and dairy produce.

I arrive just in time for lunch,

but first, Lawrence and I had to catch the daily bread van

that supplies these households.

Una baston.

-Esto se llama baston.

-This is called a baston.

HE SPEAKS IN SPANISH This is bread from a wood oven.

That looks brilliant too.

Where I live in Cornwall,

if we had a bread van coming round with this quality of bread,

you'd be well liked, I'm sure.

-OK.

-Under my umbrella. Right, let's go.

-OK, let's go.

'Back in the house,

'Lawrence had prepared his favourite Christmas dish

'of gorrin, or suckling pig.

'Just seeing the potatoes coming out

'caramelised from being roasted in the pig fat

'made my mouth water.

'Lawrence said that he and his family took every opportunity

'to escape the city and touch base with family roots and traditions.

'Just like his own youth, he wanted his children

'to get a real sense of family heritage,

'away from the trappings of modern technology.'

Lovely crackling.

Yeah. Spain's becoming more modern and more modern,

but places like Esparta are still there from the past,

still hanging in there.

I read in a book somewhere

that said we all need old-fashioned Spain.

It's a memory of a life that most of us used to lead

-but there's still a bit of it left in Spain.

-Yes.

OK, here we are.

-Fantastic.

-Right, let's see if it's crunchy or not.

There's something really special about the crackling on suckling pig.

-It's unbelievable. Especially when the meat is juicy.

-Yeah.

LITTLE GIRL SPEAKS IN SPANISH

What's that?

-The crunch of the skin.

-Is that what she said?

-Yeah.

-Brilliant.

-Potatoes are really splendid.

-Salud!

Salud, por todos los que habeis venido desde Inglaterra.

-Cheers.

-What does that mean?

-"Health, to you and to everyone who's come from England."

-The same to you.

-Lo mismo.

-The same to you, tia.

Lawrence's aunt, Maria Carmen, ended lunch with a memorable poem

called My Father's House, that made us all appreciate

the importance of family and roots.

Defendere la casa de mi padre.

"I'll defend house of my father."

Contra los lobos.

"Against the wolves."

Contra la sequia.

"Against the droughts."

Contra la usura.

"Against robbers."

Contra la justicia.

"Against justice."

Defendere la casa de mi padre.

"I'll defend the house of my father."

Perdere los ganados.

"I'll lose my cattle."

Los huertos.

"The fields."

-Los pinares.

-"pine trees."

Me morire.

"I'll die."

Se perdera mi memoria.

"My memory will be lost."

Pero la casa de mi padre seguira en pie.

"But the house of my father will always stand."

En honor a nuestros antepasados.

-"In memory of our ancestors."

-Wonderful. OK.

I loved the house of those two aunts.

Lawrence confessed to me that given the chance,

he'd have suckling pig week after week.

I know where he's coming from

because I never tire of eating or cooking with seafood.

Christmas is the most important family event on the Spanish calendar

and a time when seafood takes centre stage.

We've just asked that lady - she's singing -

what fish means to her.

And she said, "It's everything."

She loves work, she loves fish. It's healthy, she's happy.

One thing I've noticed with lots of people,

people that like fish are generally happier than people that don't.

Sometimes, I get told off back home for complaining

that the fish in our supermarkets and generally everywhere

is not good enough and that's largely to do with the fact

that it's mostly in filleted form,

and you go into supermarkets and just see acres of fillets of fish,

but look here, everything is on the bone. That's so important.

And it all looks so incredibly fresh. Of course,

you've got these very interesting things for me,

like these percebes, which are gooseneck barnacles.

Sometimes, they appear on Constantine Beach on driftwood

and people just don't even bother to pick them

but here they're, well, 45 euros a kilo, that sort of price.

And where do you get a scallop in the shell like that?

I mean, you know, that's how to buy a scallop.

But I can see loads of fish that we get at home, some hake there,

red bream, we don't get that very much. John Dory, of course, we get.

Look at those Dories. They are superb.

And this isn't a commercial market, this is for the domestic.

Your housewives come in here to buy. I mean, they've just got everything.

I just wish we could have something like this back in the UK.

We may not have their markets but we have got the fish.

So like the Spanish, how about serving some at Christmas?

In Spain, the Christmas Eve meal marks the start of the holidays.

Back in London, I was invited to learn about all the traditional

preparations at the home of another good friend, Marie Jose Sevilla.

Lovely to see you. Feliz Navidad!

Happy Christmas.

-Shall I pour some of this?

-What a good idea.

-What is it?

-It's Manzanilla.

-Manzanilla. Sorry about my pronunciation.

-Salud.

-Salud.

I must say, this looks totally different from what we might have

on Christmas Eve but on the whole, I don't think people tend to bother.

Is Christmas Eve dinner important to you?

-This is very important. This, for us, is...

-So's this!

It's wonderful, very fresh.

This is the most important day of the whole calendar.

This is when the family, the close family gathers together

and when we really want to do a festive night that we can

-remember for the whole year.

-Fabulous. And so you've got wonderful seafood, langoustine,

fresh langoustine, just the thought of having that on Christmas Eve.

They're still alive, so they're really special.

You've got crabs and also that beautiful Iberico ham.

I mean, you're talking my language here, no question about it!

What do you eat on Christmas Day, though?

Well, if we are in England, we have turkey.

But my people would prefer something like roast lamb,

or suckling pig, something like that, something very festive.

-Oh, suckling pig...

-Something wonderful, special.

It'd be nice to actually say, "Let's not eat turkey this year,

"let's have suckling pig." I'd go for that.

Let's cook these langoustines,

because they need cooking right away.

'A large platter of shellfish is how the Spanish kick off the festivities.

'Maria Jose simply boils them in pans of salted water.

'I'm getting more and more excited about the importance

'of seafood as a start to the Christmas celebrations.

'I wonder if it would take off in Padstow?'

So what are we going to do here, then?

Bream is particularly traditional in the Basque country.

It's a dish just for Christmas Eve celebrations.

'So bream takes pride of place as the main course,

'served alongside slow-roasted oven vegetables.

'Maria Jose prepares a tray of thinly sliced potatoes

'and onions which are part roasted before being crowned by the bream.

'This way, all the cooking juices from the fish cover

'and flavour the potatoes. Wonderful.'

Remember that we have to go to Mass.

There is children eating with us, and the idea is to do something quickly.

That's a good thought. You wouldn't want to go to Mass

-having eaten a fabada or something.

-Definitely not.

You'd be falling asleep when you should be attending. (CHUCKLES)

'I'm really taken with the simplicity of it all.

'You can even ask your fishmonger to descale and clean your bream.

'So all that's left to do is to score them,

'adding slices of lemon to bring out the full flavour of the fish.

'Once the langoustines and crabs are cooked,

'they get drained and left to cool in time for dinner.

'Meanwhile, the sliced potatoes are ready for the fish

'which will take about 20 minutes to bake.

'Maria Jose's granddaughter, Sofia, has the important task

'of setting up a nativity scene called the belen -

'short for Bethlehem. In Spanish homes,

'this often takes the place of Christmas trees.

'The rest of the family start laying the table. Not long to wait now.'

So we've got all these things. What are we going to do now?

Another traditional recipe, the broth that we have at Christmas.

This is my grandmother's recipe.

She was a professional cook and she created these small profiteroles

and she thought, well, if I stuff the little profiteroles I will sell them with my broth,

to make something a little more festive.

Broth or caldo is a firm winter favourite,

but I was fascinated by the filling for the savoury profiteroles.

While she fries pieces of chicken liver in olive oil,

I have the task of preparing the rest of the filling,

beginning with apples and pine nuts.

The idea is to have the chicken livers just very lightly cooked.

-A bit pink.

-A bit pink. Otherwise, as you know, it's a pity.

-It gets very dry.

-That's exactly what it is.

Actually, I think it's very tasty.

So how long would you cook these onions for, Maria?

-For at least 1 1/2 hours.

-Really? Just really gentle heat?

-The red onions, very gentle, very gentle.

-In olive oil?

-In olive oil.

And then I put an absolutely dash of vinegar,

-to give it a little bit of acidity.

-Fantastic.

-Any salt?

-Do you know something,

I prefer that you put the salt once you have the chicken livers in.

-OK, so I've done it, I've done it. Sorry.

-It doesn't matter.

-It doesn't matter.

-Sorry.

I'm getting too enthusiastic.

I'm going to give you the chicken livers.

'So, by adding the caramelised red onions and chicken liver,

'the filling begins to come together.

'Maria Jose told me that mushrooms

'also work very well with this recipe.

'Time to fill the profiteroles.

'I must say, I was looking forward to trying this.

'I think it's a great idea for an alternative dish

'with a combination of ingredients that are at their best

'in the winter months. Finally, it was time to serve up.'

-And...

-Wow!

-Well done.

-Cheers!

-Cheers.

-Bueno. Oh, they are wonderful.

-SOFIA:

-Look, snappies! Mummy, can I take the head?

You've got to eat the head, Sofia, it's gorgeous.

-Is that good?

-Honestly, the crabs are...

LAUGHTER

I first went to Spain when I was eight

and I had squid cooked in its own ink.

My parents went, "Oh, Ricky!"

You know, "SO grown-up!"

'Maria Jose had this broth cooking

'since the early hours of the morning. As it's a feast,

'she's made it with beef, chicken and ham bones

'as well as chickpeas and vegetables.

'But I was looking forward to tasting the savoury profiteroles.'

I'll take two profiteroles.

-And the idea is to eat them very quickly, because they go soggy.

-OK.

Mm. Fabulous. It's good when they've got just a little bit soft.

That's it. That's when you have to eat it, haha!

Lovely looking fish. Nice and chunky.

'The bream is served next to its bed of potatoes and onions

'and a colourful escalivada, made with roasted red peppers,

'onions and garlic.'

Very delicious. Just right before Mass. Just lovely flavours.

Really, really lovely.

'Cava and a spiced fruit compote

'were the perfect end to a perfect meal.'

What's in the compote, then?

Chestnuts, figs, dried plums and dried fruits.

It's a bit like Christmas pudding. It's got nuts in it and dried fruit.

I did take a Christmas pudding to Spain, actually,

to one of Maria Jose's cousins.

-And I was so sad because nobody really wanted to eat it.

-Really?

Partly because they said it looks delicious,

-but it's kind of strange seeing a pudding that's black.

-LAUGHTER

# Campana sobre campana

# Y sobre campana, una

# Belen, campanas de Belen

# Que los angeles cantion

# Que nuevas me traeis? #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

No Christmas meal is ever complete without a serious dessert.

And this is a great alternative

if you're hoping to avoid traditional heavy puddings.

It's a variation of creme caramel but without any cream.

I was inspired to make it after visiting Valencia,

the region where the orange is king.

I must say, the smell of oranges has such memories for me.

Always, when I'm making an orange dish, I just remember a trip

I made ages ago via third-class train from Seville to Valencia.

And I think it must have been about March or April,

and the smell coming through the windows of the orange blossom,

I just never forgot it. It's possibly the most evocative smell

in the whole world, I think.

'I remove the zest from a couple of oranges before juicing them

'as they help to give the mixture its real taste sensation.

'Adding caster sugar and orange juice from four large oranges.

'A good stir and then on to a low heat,

'slowly bringing it to the boil until all the sugar has dissolved.

'And then I strain the mixture.

'I'm normally a huge fan of Christmas pudding,

'but I'm also taken with the idea of these lighter desserts

'that are more popular in the warmer climes of the Mediterranean.

'Panna cotta is one example and this is another.

'It becomes light and airy while whisking the eggs.

'When the eggs are ready, I add the orange juice

'and put to one side so I can get on with making the caramel.

'I'm using a heavy-based pan, again on a low heat.

'Otherwise, the sugar will burn instead of slowly caramelising.

'Only turning the heat up at the end and leaving to boil

'rapidly for a few seconds until the sugar begins to thicken

'and take on its golden-brown colour.

'Now, quickly off the heat, to line the base of the moulds,

'so that at the time of serving, it forms that impressive crown.

'Many recipes have some sort of story attached to them

'and this one's no exception.

'I was intrigued as to why this orange dessert

'had no cream or milk in it.

'Mainly egg yolks, sugar and orange juice.

'And the reason, simply, is that in the 15th century,

'egg whites began to be used to clarify wine.

'The egg yolks had to go somewhere

'so they found their way to the convents,

'where the nuns came up with ideas

'to make lovely sweets out of them, just like this one.

It's been great to have had a chance

to end my journey of discovery in Spain with a celebration

among the friends who have helped me so much to understand its way

of life, its passions, traditions and above all, its attitude to food.

And no Spanish celebration is complete,

especially at Christmastime,

without a spontaneous outburst of collective singing.

So, as my guests treat me to a final festive carol,

I wish each and every one of you a very enjoyable Christmas

and a new year filled with the prospect of new discoveries.

# Lleva en su chocolatera rin, rin

# Yo me remendaba yo me remende

# Yo me eche un remiendo yo me lo quite

# Su molinillo y su anafre

# Maria, Maria, ven a aca corriendo

# Que el chocolatillo se lo estan comiendo

# Maria, Maria, ven a aca corriendo

# Que el chocolatillo se lo estan comiendo. #

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Salud! Navidad! Haha!