Tapas come in many guises, from simple tortilla to London-centric ‘picture on a plate’ restaurant creations but often in Spain, and also Chez Ben’s, they can just be a ladle of whatever is in the pot at the time. Spain has an abundance of bean stews and Fabada Asturiana is, without question, the best known – almost the paella of the north. It's as simple as they come but totally dependent on the quality of the meat ingredients. It's almost a religion and the packs of, ready to go, belly pork, morcilla and chorizo are available in every food shop (including Ben's Farm Shop). Complete authenticity requires fabes de la granja (large dried runner beans) and a lightly smoked, semi cured morcilla (black pudding), chorizo and thick slices of salted belly pork. In damp Asturia, they smoke all their preserved meats in the chimney. The morcilla is the only one that keeps it’s form when cooked so definitely isn't interchangeable. The real deal beans are expensive and hard to find so most people, including me, substitute fava/butter/judion beans. It's important to stir as gently and little as possible to keep the beans intact.
The end result isn't exactly short of flavour but the extremely inauthentic mojo picon adds a little body to what can be a pretty thin broth. As with all these dishes, a slow cooker is ideal.
This spatchcock chicken with sticky miso & harissa is sure to wow any guests you have over this summer. It's simple to put together but the delicious umami and sweet flavours of the marinade give it a mouth-watering and succulently complex taste.
If, like me, you've been suffering over the not so festive period, not only does cooking become a bit of a chore but, even worse, it's hard to summon up much enthusiasm for the fruits of your labour. Unless those fruits include a 'Totnes hug' of a chicken soup. It might have been slightly hijacked by Ashkenazi Jews as 'Jewish penicillin' but I think it's true to say that every culture has its own, much cherished, version. This one started in Persia - so, as with so much Middle Eastern food, probably by the historic Sephardic population.
A traditional Lebanese dish, usually made for celebrations, duck fattee offers an incredibly colourful display of pomegranate seeds, yoghurt, parsley, chickpeas, rice and duck, It's a great, slightly informal, alternative to a traditional Easter (or Christmas) roast, Normally served with toasted flatbreads, it's one big sharing plate; sure to wow family and guests alike. Any slow-cooked meat works well from chicken to lamb, but we think the delectably gamey and fattiness of duck really sings.