Gastronomy - Andalusian Christmas Food & Recipes

By Dee McMath

In Andalusia, as in the rest of Spain, the feast of Christmas dinner takes place late on the night of Christmas Eve (Nochebuena) and normally goes on into the small hours of Christmas Day. Traditionally, the exchanging of presents is not until the 6th of January, on King's Day (Reyes) and so full attention is given to the cooking of an extravagant meal on the night of the 24th.

If you are spending Christmas on the Costa del Sol but still want to enjoy a Christmas lunch on the 25th in a hotel or restaurant, in a typically British or other European style of cooking, this will not be too difficult. But if you are in a small village inland or in one of the towns or cities back from the coast, you will be able to enjoy the local specialities of the season, often including game, lamb and other dishes. Many traditional Andalusian restaurants and bars may be closed on the 25th, so it would be best to find out and book up in advance for a Christmas Eve dinner. It is also important to be aware that the prices charged on this special day of the year for eating out are usually much higher than normal, so if you are on a budget, it is best to check on the expected price while booking.

As regards Christmas decorations, the Nativity Scene is the centre of the Andalusian home, school, church and many commercial establishments - rather than the Christmas tree that many of us are used to from colder countries. However, real and artificial trees are becoming more in evidence now, showing the northern influence once again. Main Andalusian cities, such as Malaga now set up a huge Christmas tree in the main square, the Plaza de la Constitución, where locals and visitors enjoy the festive atmosphere while out shopping and socialising.

On the lead up to Christmas in the shops and supermarkets you will see many of the traditional seasonal foods on display. Particularly popular in the range of packaged sweets are polvorones and mantecados (small sweets/biscuits), marzipan and many different types of turrón (nougat). Normally you will see this on sale in pastlerías (cake shops) as well as in supermarkets and smaller and specialist food shops. The village of Estepa is renoun for the best polvorones.

Most of the polvorones and mantecados are manufactured the village of Estepa, about 100 kilometres from Seville. Although many years ago, these would be made at home, most people now buy them in large boxes of individually wrapped sweets. Traditionally the main ingredients are lard, sugar and flour. From this basic recipe are added different flavours, such as anise, cinnamon and sometimes wine. They are very popular and very much a part of Christmas, but certainly not a particularly good bet for the weight watchers.

The marzipan comes in tempting and dangerously delicious bite-size pieces, in regular and sometimes in moulded shapes for variety. The wonderful turron, or nougat, is another of the representative foods of Christmas and, like the other sweets, it is often placed as the central display of shops and supermarkets on the lead up to the 24th and also right up to King's day on the 6th January, after which you will have to hunt for them or go to special shops to seek them out later in the year. Turron has a fairly long shelf life, so if you really love it, buy some and keep it to enjoy well into the New Year.

If you want to enjoy a typically Andalusian Christmas, you may be able to have your turkey and eat it, so to speak. The main dish in many Andalusian homes is usually 'Pavo Navideño' (Christmas Turkey). Although it may not be quite like the roast turkey you make at home, there are many variations on the way it is prepared in Andalusia. Below is just one of the many recipes used.

There are also a variety of other dishes at an Andalusian Christmas dinner. Often the starters, including prawns, cured cheeses, and Serrano ham would make a meal without need for anything else. Good Spanish red and white wines go well with the array of meats and sea food. An aperitif of a glass of 'fino' (sherry), cider or soft drinks are also usually offered. The first drink of the evening may also be a chilled glass of bubbly Cava, although this is more in evidence at celebrations, fiestas and dinners on New Year's Eve (Nochevieja).

Below are just a couple of Andalusian Christmas recipes you might try this Christmas.

Recipes:

'Pavo Navideno' - Christmas Turkey

Ingredients:

• 1 5 - 6 kilos turkey ready to roast

• 10 slices of white bread

• 1 cup of water or wine

• 1 cup of chopped parsley

• 12 small green onions and one small leek, all finely chopped

• 6 eggs lightly beaten

• 2 teaspoons of salt

• ½ teaspoon of pepper

• 2 teaspoons of thyme, sage or tarragon (dried)

• 1 cup of soft butter or margarine

• ½ teaspoon of salt

• 3 crushed cloves of garlic

• 2 teaspoons of breadcrumbs

Preparation:

How to make the stuffing:
Moisten the bread in the water (or wine) and let it soak for about three minutes. Squeeze out the excess water and mix the bread with the parsley, onions, leek, eggs, 2 teaspoons of salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper and 2 teaspoons of your preferred herb for flavouring.

How to stuff the turkey:
Carefully separate the skin from the turkey, placing your hand in between the skin and the breast. Then, in the same way, separate the skin from the wings and legs.

Place the stuffing between the skin and the breast and then over the wings and legs.

Roasting the turkey:
Carefully set the now stuffed turkey, with the breast uppermost, in a shallow oven dish. Grease with the butter (or margarine) mixed with breadcrumbs and crushed garlic. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Place in a pre-heated oven of 375oF (190oC) for 45 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350oF (177oC) and roast for approximately three more hours. Baste with its own juices at least every 20 minutes. Can be served hot or allowed to cool to room temperature.

'Polvorones' - anise flavoured sweets/small biscuits

Normally you will see this on sale in pastlerías (cake shops) as well as in supermarkets and smaller and specialist food shops. They are usually sold individually wrapped in thin tissue paper. Although they are traditionally cooked with lard, which gives the delicate crumbly texture, they can also be made with butter as below:

• 2 tablespoons of icing sugar

• 2 cups of flour

• 1 egg yolk

• ½ teaspoon of ground anise seeds

• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

• 2 teaspoons of brandy

• 1 teaspoon of grated lemon zest

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 pinch of salt

• ½ pound of unsalted softened butter

Mix together one tablespoon of the icing sugar, the egg yolk, the lemon juice and the brandy. Mix well to make a smooth blend. Then mix the flour, ground anise seeds, the lemon zest, the cinnamon and the salt.

Cream the butter until it is smooth and add the egg yolk mixture. Then beat in half the flour and using a wooden spoon, gradually add in the remaining flour, mixing continuously to keep the mix smooth.

Preheat the over to 300oF. Roll the mix out thin (approximately ¼ inch thick) and even onto a floured surface. By using a small biscuit shape-cutter (approximately 3 inches), cut out the mix. This should give you around 10 - 12 individual polvorones. Place in the oven on an un-greased baking tin for around 30 minutes or until the polvorones are lightly toasted, but firm to the touch. Allow them to cool for a couple of minutes. Transfer them on to a sheet of waxed cooking paper with some of the remaining icing sugar on it and then sprinkle the rest of the icing sugar on the top.

More Andalusian Cooking Ideas

Janet Mandel, American journalist, who has lived in Andalusia for very many years, has just recently had her sixth Spanish cook book published. If you are thinking of improving your local cooking knowledge and skills or perhaps want to buy a nice Andalusian cook book for a Christmas gift, take a look at andalucia.com bookstore (where you can buy her books on-line or follow her recipes at Take a Taste of Andalucía).

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