A Taste of Spain.

I may be very British in my ways, I love tea, a Sunday roast and proper beer, none of that Euro lager. But I haven't forgotten my roots. My parents are from North West Spain, Galicia. Not a very popular destination for British tourists. It's known as green Spain because, from October to April, it rains constantly. On a cold wet winter's night, the last thing you'll want is paella, you'll want something warm and hearty. Growing up in England my parents still cooked up many traditional meals, meals that until recent years have been know as pauper's food, cooked in large quantities that would feed the family for a few days. Recipes can change for one family to another or from what you have available. With that in mind and knowing my view on recipes, I would like to share my version of 'Caldo', a stew with cabbage, ham and chorizo. So this is what you'll need.

• 1 Large marrow
• A handful of potatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 1 stock cube
• 1 litre of water
• 1 cabbage
• 1 chorizo ring
• 1 pack of ham trimmings

1. Peel, core and dice the marrow. Peel and dice the onion and half the potatoes.
2. Put them all in a large pad with the water and stock cube then boil until soft.
3. Blitz it all in a blender or use a hand blender.
4. Peel and dice the rest of the potatoes, cut the cabbage, chorizo and ham (if the ham trimmings are too big). Put them all in the pan until the cabbage and potatoes are soft.
5. Serve with some crusty bread.

The first part of this recipe, steps 1 to 3, is my marrow soup I posted last year. I did mention at the time that it was a bit bland, so I've been using it as a basis for soups and throwing in what ever I had at hand. The leftovers from a Sunday roast has gone well with it.

I know this isn't an authentic Spanish recipe, I don't think they would have used marrow for a start, it should have a ham joint, a pork joint and some black eyed beans/peas, but going back to what I said about using what you have available, it does taste like my Mama used to make. Till next time and thanks for reading.