A very warm and Merry Christmas from our family to yours.
| Monika Linton
Christmas is a tumultuous time for us all: rushing to get gifts, planning menus, fitting in festive gatherings, finding ways give to others less fortunate and not to mention trying to keep our health on track and the kids focused once school is out. This is the normal feeling for the days leading up to Christmas and this year, at very late notice, Covid presents its ugly head again to send us into that familiar extra spin. It feels a lot like Christmas last year, and we have to remember that we have been here before and we can and know how to make the best of it.
Good food, games, friends, and family will make our festivities sing!
Overy that last two years there have been so many hoops to jump through and so many hopes dashed. 2022 just has to be better!
Brindisa is here to help as we can bring you delicious and comforting foods from the land we love - Spain and all its islands!
COMFORTING CHEESE
Our cheeses and cured meats go a very long way to provide that luxury of unique and diverse flavours, some so immediate that you just want more. Others are delicate and are there to savour. They should be thoughtfully paired with a well-researched bottle of something special and some well-chosen accompaniments.
The main event of our festive cooking, whether it be roast meat or fish, is usually so all-consuming in terms of effort that all those irresistible extras come to mind: the ones that just involve opening the packet and finding a pretty bowl or two! Serve almonds with sherry, Basque olive oil crisps with cava, anchovies with beer, Manchego tacos with champagne, chocolate figs with port and turron with sweet wine, olives with gin & tonic - the list could go on!
SLOW COOKING & LEFTOVERS
I am a bit obsessed with beans and slow cooking and we almost always cook from scratch at home. I scour our food range for ingredients for the quieter days to come.
Once the calm returns after Boxing day and all the leftovers are safely consumed, this is the time for making stocks, braising, and poaching fruit with aromatics.
Recipes from my book 'The True Food of Spain' that I shall be cooking up over the break are: guiso de pollo, changurro con alubias and porrusalda de la casa!
So, take comfort in home and embrace the quiet that this Covid phase should bring.
Stay strong and healthy and in 2002 we will all be around to help each other through another year!