As you know, a few weeks ago we launched the section Pantry. This is a section I'm especially excited about, because we've put a lot of care into selecting the products and suppliers. I think we have a great variety of ingredients that can be really useful for adding a different touch to everyday cooking or for setting aside for a special occasion.
For this reason, today I’d like to tell you about some products that can be great for Christmas celebrations. They can serve as an excellent appetizer, accompany a dish, or even make an original gift if we’re the ones invited.
Ideas for appetizers
At home we really like cheese; it’s a food that almost never fails to appear on the table. If we also serve it with a chutney specially intended to go with it, the result is excellent. We just need to prepare a few plates with several types of cheese and a small bowl with the chutney sauce to match each one. Another option is to serve little toasts with the cheese and a small teaspoon of chutney on top; the color contrast is beautiful, and the flavor is delicious!
Continuing with chutneys, another good option is to serve a beef carpaccio with a little tomato or onion chutney and some salt flakes. If you prefer to serve the carpaccio without any accompaniment, you can try adding a a splash of almond oil and a bit of grated Parmesan, you'll see what a delight!
Special chutneys to pair with cheese, and tomato and onion chutney
Another ingredient that also works very well for appetizers is peppers; they’re absolutely delicious when they’re fresh and high-quality. You can try spreading little toasts with cheese and topping them with caramelized piquillo peppers. I also recommend trying choricero pepper paste, piquillo pepper delights or those seasoned with oil and garlic.
If you’re making canapés, you can use the cheese mousses or the pepper spread as a base, or even just spread them on some good bread. By the way, if you’re making canapés, you can’t forget foie gras, a classic for this time of year!
You can also serve garfish in olive oil, delicious Galician-style octopus, or small mackerel as appetizers. In the Fish and Seafood section you’ll find several of them from Ramón Peña, a company that takes great care with the origin, quality, and process of its products.
Straight to the table: baby sardines, needlefish, mackerel, and Galician-style octopus
Another product I recommend trying is Chatka, Russian crab. A lamb’s lettuce salad with Chatka and a vinaigrette made with fig pulp, for example, is easy to present and has an excellent flavor. You can also use it to make canapés (you can chop it up with no problem and mix it with a bit of mayonnaise), or make skewers by wrapping it in some leafy greens. It’s a product that always hits the mark!
Chatka Russian crab, in a glass jar (100% crab legs, ideal for presentations with the product visible) and in a can (60% legs and 40% real Russian crab meat, ideal for dishes where it is chopped)
Main course ideas
You can also use chatka for more elaborate dishes. In this case, I encourage you to incorporate it into a salmon pie, for example—it will add a delicious flavor. Also in fish and seafood cannelloni, it will really help boost the flavor.
We also have some ingredients that can help you dress or accompany a dish, such as fruit-pulp vinegar for a salad, Parmigiano cheese cream or truffle salt for a pasta dish, or the truffle oil and grated truffle if you're making rice or risotto.
If you want to prepare a special meal for everyone at home, I also encourage you to try a little treasure from the Pantry, truffle tagliatelle. They have a spectacular flavor, so we can enjoy them simply with a good oil and a little grated Parmesan, or also add a a drizzle of truffle oil to intensify the flavor even more.
Pair the delicious truffle tagliatelle with the truffle oil
I’d also like to highlight the canned duck confit; both Serrano and Castaing are excellent. Each container has two duck legs, ready to eat. My recommendation for a simple yet delicious dish is to sear the legs in a pan to crisp the skin; meanwhile, slice some potatoes into sheets about 3 or 4mm thick and roast them in the oven with a bit of salt and some of the fat from the confit (you can take it from the same pan where you’re searing the legs); when the potatoes have about 5 minutes left, grate a fresh truffle or preserved truffle over the top. It’s hard to believe something so easy to make turns out so good!
Savor a delicious duck confit served with truffle-roasted potatoes.
If you're thinking about cooking meat or fish in a casserole dish or casserole, you know that many recipes start by browning the pieces before continuing in the oven. You can try using flavored oil to add a subtle, special touch. The almond one, for example, it goes perfectly with most meats and fish. Nor would I like to highlight some vinegars that help us in many recipes and are classics, such as sherry, tarragon, or apple, Beatriz talked about them in this post.
Other ingredients that pair very well with meat are honey mustard or a creamy pepper sauce. You can also add some peppers on the side or a bit of chutney; both work very well with meat.
Ideas for dessert or for gifting
Whether you're going as a guest or you're sure there will be after-dinner conversation, this will interest you: at the Pantry section you'll find several products that are not only absolutely delicious, but also come in formats that are perfect to place directly on the table, or to bring as a gift when we're the ones invited.
The beautiful cookie tins from the Belgian brand Jules Destrooper are ideal, the addictive Walkers cookies -perfect for pairing with tea or coffee in their 100% Scottish boxes- or the delicious panettone from the Italian brand Caffarel.
Jules Destrooper cookies in assorted varieties, Walkers assorted cookies and London Bus, Caffarel panettone and Serrano peach in syrup
Another dessert that people also love is peaches in syrup. Serrano’s is very natural, made with top-quality fruit that is absolutely delicious. Plus, the 4kg container, perfect for when there are many of us at home, is a beauty that we can later reuse for all sorts of things, don’t you think?
To finish, if you like tea, I’d encourage you to try any variety of Kusmi Tea. It’s one of my family’s favorite brands because the quality and flavor are truly exceptional. It works well year-round, and during the holidays it also makes an excellent gift that’s sure to impress.
