Mediterranean menu

It continues to puzzle me why Philadelphia does not have a fine Spanish restaurant.

Sure, tapas — the famous little dishes of Spain — are popular around town. A number of French, Italian and New American bistros, as well as South American restaurants serve small plates. The occasional discovery of wine from Spain or Portugal always makes me happy. These countries produce some very fine wines.

Several weeks ago, I attended an Iberian wine dinner at Fork. Owner Ellen Yin and chef Thien Ngo organized a menu of uncommonly delicious Iberian fare. Yin was a pioneer when she opened Fork in Old City more than six years ago. The dishes here always delight me.

Yin told me she decided to feature the foods and wines of Iberia because Spain is now in the forefront when it comes to the evolution of food. This is largely due to the cuisine of chef Ferran Adria of the restaurant El Bulli in the Catalan region of Spain. This man has had a major impact on chefs around the world.

Yin served a 2001 Caves Velhas, Bucelas, Arinto from Portugal with the salt cod and stuffed squid. This wine was Thomas Jefferson’s table wine at Monticello when he could no longer afford his favorite white Burgundies. She served a 2000 Fernandez Pesquera, Ribera Del Duero, Crianza, Tempranillo from Spain with the rice and shellfish. Except for the leg of lamb, all the dishes Ngo created were prepared with fish and shellfish.

With the Lenten season upon us, I asked for the recipes because each dish is easy to prepare and contained interesting culinary twists. I’ll give you the recipe for the leg of lamb, which was served with a saut� of spinach and toasted pine nuts, and sweet luscious figs, for my Passover/Easter column.

Here are Lenten recipes for dishes I enjoyed at Fork.

Salt Cod with Chickpeas
Meia Desfeita de Bacalhau

Ingredients:

1 pound salt cod, soaked overnight in cold water, rinsed and re-soaked in cold water 12 hours
2 red chili peppers, sliced and seeded
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
2 small yellow onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
1-1/2 cups canned chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
12 Spanish black olives
Salt, to taste

Directions:

Drain the salt cod. Place it in a saucepan, covering the fish with half water and half milk. Simmer until tender, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the fish. Flake the cod into small pieces, removing any bone. Set aside.

In a food processor, puree the chili peppers with the garlic, olive oil and salt. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and paprika, and saut� until the onions are tender, about five minutes. Add the cod, chickpeas, eggs, vinegar, half of the chopped parsley and 1 tablespoon of the chili pepper puree. Stir and season with salt.

Garnish this tapa with the olives and remaining parsley. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Serve warm with grilled bread.

Serves four.

Note from Phyllis: It is wise to wear rubber gloves when working with chili peppers. If you don’t wear rubber gloves, wash your hands immediately. I once worked with hot peppers without wearing gloves and then rubbed my eyes. The burning sensation was indescribable and I had to rinse my eyes with cold water for quite a time before they felt better.

Stuffed Squid
Lulas Recheadas

Ingredients:

4 whole squid bodies, each about 6 to 8 inches long
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 cup chopped prosciutto or other roasted ham, optional (see note)
1-1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 bunch Italian parsley leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 egg, beaten
Olive oil for drizzling
Lemon juice for drizzling
Chopped oregano

Directions:

In a saut� pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil and add the onions, garlic, prosciutto, if using, and breadcrumbs. Stir until blended, about two minutes. Add the lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir in the egg and remove from heat. Blend well. Set aside to cool.

Prepare a grill or preheat the broiler.

Stuff the squid bodies with the filling and skewer the top with a toothpick to close the opening. Brush the squid with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the squid on the grill or broiler pan. Grill or broil and turn only once, about three minutes on each side. If using an oven broiler, you may have to broil a bit longer, as each stove is different. Do not overcook. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and sprinkle with fresh oregano.

Serves four.

Note from Phyllis: Obviously if you are preparing this tapa as a Lenten dish, you would omit the prosciutto. A good substitute would be a handful of chopped, pitted Spanish black olives.

Shrimp, Mussels and Squid with Black Rice

Ingredients:

1 pound farm-raised mussels
1-1/4 cups olive oil
2 small yellow onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fresh tomato, chopped
5 cups water or fish stock
2 cups Chinese black rice or long-grain rice
2 tablespoons squid ink
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound squid, tubes cut into 1/2-inch rings, tentacles left whole

Directions:

Place the mussels in a pot and add 2 cups of water. Cover the pot, place over high heat and cook until the mussels open, about five minutes. Remove the mussels from the pot using a slotted spoon and set aside.

In a paella pan or deep frying pan, warm half of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, bell pepper and garlic. Saut� until tender, about eight minutes. Add the tomato and 1 cup of the fish stock or water. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the rice and 4 remaining cups of water or fish stock. Add the squid ink. Stir and simmer over medium heat until the rice absorbs half of the liquid, about 10 minutes.

While the rice cooks, heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp and saut� for about two minutes. Remove from the heat.

When the rice is ready, add the shrimp, mussels and squid. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serves four.

Note from Phyllis: Since tomatoes are dreadful this time of year — although from time to time, I am lucky to find a ripe plum tomato — I recommend using canned diced tomatoes in this recipe. Squid ink is sold frozen and can be found in gourmet stores. You also could substitute 3 cups of water mixed with 2 cups of bottled clam juice for the water or fish stock.