Call me Manuel.
Hey guys, here I am again, your Rare Lynx man in Portugal!
So…I woke up with this idea (I usually wake up with a bunch of ideas which I forget immediately, but this one got stuck in my mind). What if I put together two flavors: nutty and savory, using the exquisite Rare Lynx products? I also felt I could bring together cold and warm, since summer is ending, as a blend of seasons. Well, sounded interesting to me. I could create an harmony in a dish! What about that, huh?
Near Seville, right here in Spain, there is a city called Córdoba. Besides being known for its beauty, Córdoba is also known for this fresh, fragrant dish called Salmorejo. Its similar to a gazpacho, but denser, more nutritive and people eat it cold, to cool down from the 118F on the streets. Shepherds and farmers used to make it for lunch., now it is served in restaurants as a traditional delicacy. You can see where I’m going, right? Rare Lynx Wild Red Spread Rice and Samorejo Cordobés! I just can’t tell you how well these two came together. It was like “Wow, this is awesome!”
Ok, then, basically I’ve put together a vegetarian recipe, and I’ve called it
BLEND OF SEASONS
This means you will actually have to make two recipes….lets go for the SALMOREJO. You will need:
- 4 Tbsp. of Rare Lynx Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 pound of ripe red tomatoes
- 2 cups cubed homemade bread or go get it from a good traditional bakery. Let it sit for 2 or 3 days before you use it on this recipe.
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/4 of an onion (optional)
- 1 Tbs. of a mild vinegar (Courtesy Virginia Vinegar Works of course) or lemon juice (optional)
- a pinch of Rare Lynx Saffron Flor de Sal
The first thing you want to do is to cut the tomatoes in cubes and pop them into the blender and hit the button. Then you strain it, so you get this soft creamy tomato juice. Now we put the juice back into the blender along with all the other ingredients. Click the button and go Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! Some blenders sound like this, others go Vrrrrooooooooommmmm! Careful: don’t ever put it on a blender that goes Rrrratatatatata., cause those are called….tractors.
Open the blender and taste it for salt and acidity. You don’t want it too acid since this is not a gazpacho, this is milder.
You like it huh? Its fragrant, fresh, has a soft tomato and garlic flavor and the saffron is there too, right? Besides, the silkiness of the olive oil takes it to another level.
Now its time for the WILD RED SPREAD RICE. Ready?
You will need:
- 1 1/2 cups of brown rice. (whole grain rice is hard to cook, right? Here’s a secret: wash it and soak it in water overnight. The next day just cook it as any other rice. No pressure cooker needed).
- 3 cups of water to cook the rice
- 1/4 cup sweet corn
- 1/4 cup chopped green beans
- 1/2 cup mushrooms (Our favorite here in Virginia are North Cove Mushrooms)
- 1/2 cup of peas
- 1/2 cup of chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup of pine nuts
- 1/2 cup of minced black olives
- 1 1/2 Tbs. of Wild Red Spread
- tsp. of thyme
- 2 Tbs. of Rare Lynx Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Rare Lynx Flor de Sal
- mint leaves
First thing you want to do is boil the vegetables and let them sit aside (corn, green beans and peas). Now lets cook the rice. Pop the Rare Lynx Extra Virgin Olive Oil into a deep pan and let it heat a little bit. If you have left the rice soak overnight as I told you before, strain it and throw it on top of the olive oil to give it a fry. Pour the water in and let it cook. Taste it. You will want it “al dente” like the Italian pasta. Take the rice out of the pan and put it in a strainer.
Now comes the fun part! Yay!
Use the same pan where you cooked the rice. Pop in the Wild Red Spread, and a splash of Rare Lynx Extra Virgin Olive Oil along with the thyme, cause we’re going to sauté everything in it. Put the mushrooms in and then the nuts. Let these slightly toast. Add the cooked rice, the olives, and in the end the vegetables. Sauté everything for 1 minute and you will be amazed by the nutty smell released from the pan! Take it out of the oven and sprinkle some mint leaves over.
You gotta pay attention, cause now comes the DIFFICULT PART!!!!!!!!!!!
(drum roll…….)
…YOU FRY TWO EGGS! (or more, depending on how many people you have to feed)
Some of our favorite producers of free range eggs here in Charlottesville are Free Union Grass Farm or Liberty Farm.
All you have to do now is just presentation, presentation, presentation. Put the rice on a dish along with the salmorejo and the eggs. As you can see in the picture, I’ve put a layer of rice on the dish, then dug a hole in the middle and poured the salmorejo in (thats the orange/pink cream you see under the eggs).
You can also divide the dish in 3 areas: one for the rice, another for the eggs and the remaining one for the salmorejo. Now its up to you…just be creative!
Finally, drizzle a little bit of Rare Lynx Extra Virgin Olive Oil on it and….. JÁ ESTÁ! (thats Portuguese for “Its done!”).
This is just the most delicious combination of nutty, savory, fresh, and warm sensation in your mouth. Its like tasting the four seasons in a bite, believe me!
I hope you try it…I know you will love it!
I’ll be back soon with one more of my Rare Lynx recipes.
Greetings from the Rare Lynx man in Portugal! Bye!
