2021 Vuelta - Stage 17: Unquera to Lagos de Covadonga
The riders head westward working their way into a new territory today, from Cantabria to Asturias. Today’s dish is the last feature of all the tapas I made when I had my mother over for dinner a few weeks ago. We had a wonderful spread of quince garlic toasts with serrano ham and manchego cheese, anchovy stuffed tomatoes (after which I suggest using tuna as an alternative), croquetas, potato and chorizo skewers along with kalimotxos, and today’s offering: a lentil salad along with some white sangria.
I initially made a mistake when I served the salad. I forgot to top it with bleu cheese crumbles...I guess that’s bound to happen when making a myriad of options. However, when I topped the plated salads, we all found the bleu cheese to be too acidic and detrimental to the salad’s deep flavor. Don’t worry though, I have another tapas coming up where the bleu cheese was absolutely fantastic and integral to the dish’s balance. So, stay tuned for a few more recipes as we are in the last week of this culinary ridealong with the 2021 Vuelta España.
Lentil Salad adapted from Made in Spain, José Andrés
Salad
1 cup dried French Green Lentils
1/2 onion
Half of 1 garlic bulb
Bay leaf
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup each of diced green and red bell peppers
1/2 cup diced, seeded plum tomato
Shallot, diced
Dressing
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp chopped chives
Combine the first 6 salad ingredients, along with 4 cups of water, in a pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain into a large bowl, reserving some cooking water to pour over the lentils to prevent them from drying. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables for the salad and toss them onto the resting lentils. Combine the first 3 dressing ingredients into a jar and shake them until emulsified. Alternatively, whisk in a bowl, but why? Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to combine. Taste for any seasoning needs.
Sprinkle the chopped chives on top of the salad, mixing briefly, and serve.
White Sangria adapted from Made in Spain, José Andrés
The original result of this recipe was a little too sweet and tasting of vanilla for my liking. I’ve adjusted the recipe slightly so you have a nice and refreshing drink that isn’t too cloyingly sweet. Cava can be found next in the store next to the champagne and prosecco.
1 cup mixed, fresh berries, sliced or chopped
1 bottle of Cava
3 oz brandy
1 oz Licor 43 (vanilla liqueur)
1/4 cup white grape juice
1/2 tsp superfine sugar
Fresh mint
Fill a large glass pitcher half-way up with ice. Toss in the sliced fruit. Slowly pour the cava into the pitcher. Meanwhile, mix together the brandy, liqueur, grape juice, and sugar and pour into the pitcher of cava and berries. Gently stir.
Fill a glass with ice. Pour the sangria into the glass and garnish with mint and fruit. Serve, chilling the remainder in the fridge. ______________________________ Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.