Hog Roast

                                         A Spanish waitress cooking over an open fire

Until the 20th century 80 percent of the Spanish population lived off the land. Cooking over open fires goes back to the time when people working in agriculture needed to cook in situ. With 80 percent of the population now living in cities and the old rural life being swept away by booming tourist and building trades, peasant food belongs to the older generation of farmers and landowners who ate what they grew and reared. Goats, chickens and pigs supplied cheese, eggs, jamon and chorizo and nothing was wasted, today, a menu del dia in rural Spain still consists of a course of cocido or lentejas, stews using cheaper cuts of meat and leftovers.

Food for Spaniards is connected to memories and emotions, they believe that gastronomy, as with music, can touch people and make them cry. That said, eating with friends and family is always a joyous occasion. The typical Spaniard probably eats more than anyone in the UK or USA, but they take their time eating, spread their meals throughout the day, and work or walk in between meals. Typically, Spaniards do not eat dinner until 9pm, this is when families and friends gather and on weekends and holidays during the summer months, it wouldn't be unusual for them to continue socialising in neighbourhood cafés and bars until the early hours of the morning.

Suckling pig is a symbol of celebration for Spaniards which is prepared throughout the year for any special occasion, particularly festivals. The tradition of the pig roast goes back centuries, the pig, cooked by skewering the entire animal on a large stick and cooking it over an oak wood fire, is typical farm-to-table eating.

My first experience of suckling pig wasn't great, we British have become desensitised, buying our meat in prepared portions, neatly packaged, from the supermarkets. The butchers of my youth, where animals were displayed in the Windows, heads and hoofs still intact, are long gone, we don't mind eating meat but we Brits choose to close the door on the uncomfortable aspects of eating meat, we don't want to see the 'dead animal' that our cut of meat is coming from, out of sight, out of mind! Consequently, when I first encountered a suckling pig I was shocked and rather upset.

The longer I have lived in Spain (not permanently as you know) the more I have grown to appreciate the honesty between the average Spaniard and the land. Most Spaniards accept that some animals are for food but that their lives have been spent in natural surroundings. It is their reverence for the animal which makes them waste nothing which is why it is not uncommon to see offal or pigs trotters on a menu.

At a recent party here in England, the host had supplied a hog roast, again, slightly shocking on first sight, but I was assured the pig was outdoor bred. Hog roast is becoming hugely popular here in the UK, my criticism was that the rolls were cheap, white and doughy and the apple sauce and stuffing weren't homemade. I feel that when eating an animal we should do it justice, if the accompaniments are delicious we eat less actual meat.

I can't stress strongly enough that quality is more important than quantity, if you can't afford free-range, outdoor-bred and organic meat seven days a week, have it three or four times a week as Mediterranean's do.

The above piece of outdoor bred pork was delicious, I simply popped it in a hot oven and cooked it for 2 hours. Although expensive and quite small, I served it with homemade stuffing and apple sauce, lashings of roast potatoes and lots of fresh seasonal vegetables. The little amount I had left was used the following day for a hotchpotch dinner, I cut the pork up and mixed it with fried onions, leftover vegetables, gravy and topped with creamy mashed potatoes....delicious

One of my favourite meat free meals is risotto, it's cheap, versatile and delicious, you can add vegetables of your choice, roasted porcini mushrooms are delicious for example, and flaked Parmesan cheese.

Risotto

Recipe
150g Arborio rice, you can use plain or rice with added herbs
460ml cold water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, peeled and sliced
A large handful of frozen peas
A large handful of sweetcorn
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese

Fry onions in olive oil until softened
Sauté the rice gently in the onions and oil

Add water and bring to the boil
Simmer with a lid on for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, add peas and sweetcorn
When all the water is absorbed, season and add flaked Parmesan cheese

Serve immediately

'We are not rich by what we possess, but by what we can do without.'
- Immanuel Kant

Love Donna xxxxxxxx