HOT STUFF

Hot stuff! Several types of chile peppers.

I’m always surprised to see renditions of Spanish recipes by Americans, both chefs and home cooks, that include chile peppers in one form or another—Mexican salsa, cayenne, jalapeños—whereas, in Spain, the chile is hardly used at all! It’s as if Americans have just gotta have the extra punch of spicy-hot.

Oh, I recognize Russ’s gazpacho—best farmers market tomatoes, olive oil, bread as a thickener. Then he adds harissa, a hot chile paste. Harissa? Really?

Gazpacho with harissa? Try it!

I decided to give it a try. Hey, I like that! The harissa—only a teaspoon or so—gives the gazpacho some bite, while, if not characteristically Spanish, goes well with the tomato-garlic-green pepper flavors. (I am less enthusiastic about the dollop of goat cheese cream to finish the gazpacho because the heavy cream seems in conflict with the olive oil of the gazpacho.)

Spain, of course, “discovered” the chile, capsicum pepper, in the New World and introduced it to the Old World. While the chile found its way into the cuisines of North Africa, India, Southeast Asia, China, in Spain it was the milder versions that left their mark—sweet pimentón (paprika), In Spain, “salsa” means any “sauce,” not the chile-spiked relish that accompanies Mexican-style foods.

Guindillas - dried red chiles.

Baby eels with garlic and chile.

In Spain, the word for hot chile (or, as Brits spell it, chilli) is “guindilla” or “pimiento picante.”  Guindillas can be the tiny dried red peppers (not sure of the variety - cayenne or pequin) that, with sliced garlic,  go into gambas al ajillo, shrimp sizzled with garlic, and angulas al pil pil, baby eels sizzled in olive oil with sliced garlic and flecks of chile. (The ones shown in the photo are fake eels made of  surimi fish paste.)

Pickled guindillas.

Guindillas also are the mild green pickled peppers that Basques serve alongside bean dishes or as an aperitif such as the Gilda (guindilla speared on a toothpick with olive and anchovy)..

Chile is essential in Spanish preparations such as snails, stewed tripe and the spice blend for pinchitos morunos, mini-kebabs with Moorish spices. And, truth be told, not much else.


In my own kitchen, when I want spicy-hot foods, I cook Thai or Indian, maybe Mexican or creole. I keep prepared hot sauce on hand—Tabasco (made in Louisiana), harissa (this brand is made in Tunisia) and sambal oelek (Indonesian, although this brand comes from Holland). Harissa—I call it “Moroccan ketchup”—is really good squeezed on a burger. And, mixed into gazpacho too.

Red beans with chorizo and potatoes are garnished with pickled peppers.

Basque cooks say you have to asustar the beans - give them a “scare” with cold water several times during cooking. It’s also important to make sure they always are covered with some liquid, so the skins don’t split. I cheated. I cooked the potatoes, vegetables and chorizo in water, then added the contents of a jar of already-cooked beans.

Serves 4.

1 pound red or pinto beans, washed
Ham bone (optional)
1 large carrot, peeled and cut in chunks
2 bay leaves
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
½ onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leek, chopped
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon salt
¼ pound chorizo sausage
Cooked cabbage (optional)
Sliced red onion (optional)
Guindillas (pickled green chilies)

Put the beans in a soup pot and cover with 6 cups of water. Add the ham bone, if using, carrot, bay leaves, pepper and onion. Bring the water to a boil and add the oil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and cook for one hour.

Add 1 cup cold water. Cook another 30 minutes.

Add 1 cup cold water. Add the sliced leek, potatoes, salt and chorizo. Bring to a full boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook another 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

Serve the beans accompanied by cooked cabbage and onions, as desired, and pickled green chilies.

Green pepper relish.

Spread cream cheese on mini-toasts, top with spoonful of green pepper relish. Sprinkle with pimentón picante (hot paprika).

Guindillas rojas - fresh red chiles.