We hope everyone enjoys a happy and safe holiday season.
Sincerely,
Donostia Foods
From the Bay of Biscay in northern Spain, Bonito del Norte is fished from July until September each year. Each fish is line-caught with live bait and quickly brought back to shore for packing in pure olive oil.
Our Donostia Foods Bonito del Norte Tuna is pictured above, straight from the can.
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
1 jar (7.58 ounces) - bonito tuna in olive oil
1 - scallion
3 tablespoons - mayonnaise
1 loaf - crusty brown bread
chives, tomatoes, or other topping can be added as desired
Directions
1. Drain the oil off the tuna.
2. Chop the olives.
3. Chop the scallion finely.
4. Mix the scallion, olives, mayonnaise, and tuna in a bowl, mashing the tuna with a fork.
5. Spread and serve on toasted slices of the brown bread. If you'd like, sprinkle snipped chives on top and add a few cherry tomatoes for color.
If you're visiting northern Spain and Basque country, Alameda, open in Hondarribia since 1942, provides an excellent meal that blends the culinary traditions of the region with modern style. We had a great meal there a few weeks ago, including this fine dish:
While many Spanish octopus recipes call for fresh octopus, this variation using canned octopus is quick, simple, and delicious.
Total Time (preparation and cooking): 10-15 minutes
Ingredients
1 tin (4 ounces) - octopus in olive oil
1/4 tsp - piment d'Espelette (substitute smoked paprika or other spice of your choosing)
Directions
1. Empty the tin of octopus, oil and all, into a small frying pan.
2. Cook over a low heat; if you're bold, look for some sizzle and foaming, but beware of splattering. If things start to get messy, cover the pan and turn off the heat.
3. Stirring occasionally, heat for about 10-15 minutes, until the octopus looks so good you just have to eat it right then.
4. Near the end, add the piment d'Espelette or other spice.
5. Serve.
This is a variation of a recipe found at cookography.com
From Susan Taylor, for the Chicago Tribune:
Buy saffron as threads, because powdered saffron is easy to adulterate with turmeric or other cheaper spices. And, if the color looks very red and it was not very expensive, chances are it's a cheap substitute dyed red.
Read the rest of the article at chicagotribune.com for tips on avoiding other commonly doctored foods.
