Apollo Olive Oil

From Albert Bevia:
TIPS & TRICKS to make this Recipe: To make the authentic gazpacho, you want to use roma tomatoes. But you can use any tomatoes you can find. Just make sure they are as ripe as possible. I also used sherry vinegar here, but you can substitute for red wine vinegar. Make sure to let your gazpacho sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours. You want to serve it as cold as possible.

In the authentic gazpacho, onions are not added into the soup. However, you can garnish with some diced onions as I did, and as many places do in Andalucia. This adds a beautiful crunch to the soup.

To see Albert making this recipe go to: https://www.spainonafork.com/authentic-spanish-gazpacho-recipe/

Authentic Spanish Gazpacho Recipe

Ingredients

• 10 roma tomatoes (1 kg / 2 lbs)
• 1 small green bell pepper
• 1 small cucumber
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 1 tsp sherry vinegar 5 ml
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 60 ml
• 3/4 cup cold water 180 ml
• pinch sea salt

EXTRAS

• finely diced green bell peppers
• finely diced onions
• extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Begin by washing & patting dry the tomatoes, bell pepper and cucumber
2. Cut each tomato into 8 evenly sized pieces and add into a blender
3. Cut the green bell pepper into large chunks and add to the blender with the tomatoes
4. Peel the cucumber, cut it into 1-inch thick pieces and add to the blender with the rest of the ingredients
5. Also add in 1 large clove of garlic that´s been cut into 4 pieces
6. Using a large wooden spoon, push down on all the ingredients and compact them together, this will make it easier on the blender to bring all the ingredients together
7. Add in a generous teaspoon of sherry vinegar, a 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, a generous 3/4 cup of extra cold water and a generous pinch of fine sea salt
8. Run the blender on a low speed for about 5 minutes
9. Transfer the gazpacho into a glass pitcher, cover with saran wrap and add to the fridge for at least 2 hours
10. To serve the gazpacho, make sure you mix it in the pitcher before you serve it, pour into bowls and garnish with diced green bell peppers, diced onions and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, enjoy!

Marinated Garlic Mushrooms | Champiñones a la Jerez Recipe

From Albert Bevia:
TIPS & TRICKS to make this Recipe: Instead of adding the garlic into the marinade, I cooked them for about 15 to 20 seconds with the mushrooms. This makes them aromatic and takes the dish to another level. Also make sure to cook your mushrooms on a medium heat not a medium-high heat. That way the flavor of the olive oil goes into each mushroom.

For those of you that follow Spain on a Fork, you know I´ve been making a ton of bread recipes during this lockdown. There is just something so rewarding about making homemade bread.

Watch Albert preparing this recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVNuwq3dlzM&t=11s

Ingredients

• 12 button mushrooms
• 2 tbsp finely diced onion 6.50 grams
• 1 roasted red bell pepper
• 4 cloves garlic finely minced
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 60 ml
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar 30 ml
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley 3.80 grams
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme .45 grams
• pinch sea salt
• dash freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. Begin by making the marinade, add 2 tbsp finely chopped onions into a bowl, pat down 1 jarred roasted red bell pepper and roughly chop, add into the bowl with the onions, pour in 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp sherry vinegar, 1 tbsp freshy chopped parsley and 1/2 tsp dried thyme, mix everything until well combined and set aside
2. Wash and pat dry 12 button mushrooms, making sure to remove the stems as you clean them
3. Heat a large fry pan with a medium heat and add in 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, after 3 minutes add in the mushrooms hole side up, after 2 1/2 to 3 minutes flip the mushrooms to cook the other side, after another 2 1/2 to 3 minutes add in 4 cloves garlic finely minced and mix everything together, after 15 to 20 seconds remove the pan from the heat and add the mushrooms and garlic into the bowl with the marinade, mix until well combined and cover with saran wrap, set aside at room temperature
4. After letting the mushrooms sit in the marinade for at least 15 minutes, transfer the mushrooms into a serving dish using a slotted spoon, making sure to top them off with the vegetables in the bowl, serve at room temperature or cold, enjoy!

The recipe for this month was gracoiusly donated by Tania T., one of our happy customers.

Nut-free pesto

To a blender or vita-mix, add:

1/2 c. Apollo olive oil (I love Miller’s Favorite Organic)
1 clove garlic, broken in half

Start blender and add:

8 oz.fresh washed and dried fresh basil leaves, a handful at a time (adding more oil as needed to make a smooth green basil paste)
1/2-3/4 t. salt (to taste)

Once the mixture has blended into a paste, add:

2-3 T cream cheese (I use Nature Valley Organic Cream Cheese)

Blend until creamy and fluffy.

If you want to go beyond the predictable use on our favorite pasta, try smothering a baked sweet potato or yam in pesto. There is something about the sweet of the potato with the pungent, garlicky, salty, basil taste.

From Albert Bevia:
TIPS & TRICKS to make this Recipe: I used the bake + broil option when I baked this bread. If your oven can´t do both functions at the same time, just bake it for the same time I baked mine, then add to the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. Or, if you have the bake option with fan, just use that setting with the same baking time. Maybe a 1 or 2 minute difference, since every oven heat´s differently.

Cheesy Garlic PULL-APART Bread

For those of you that follow Spain on a Fork, you know I´ve been making a ton of bread recipes during this lockdown. There is just something so rewarding about making homemade bread.

Watch Albert preparing this recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_lk54M-Vmg&t=297s

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup water
• 7 oz block mild Manchego cheese
• 4 cloves garlic

Instructions

1. Cut 24 cubes that are 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch from a block of Manchego cheese, then shred a generous 2 cups, set aside
2. Add 3 cups all-purpose flour into a large bowl, along with 3 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp sea salt and 1 tbsp dried oregano, mix the dry ingredients together, then add in 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 1 cup water, mix all the ingredients together, once they start forming a dough get in there with your hands and continue to mix, once you end up with a compact dough, knead inside the bowl for 1 to 2 minutes, shape into a ball
3. Sprinkle some all-purpose flour on a clean flat surface, add the ball of dough on top, cut it into 3 evenly sized pieces, shape each one into a ball, cut each ball of dough into 8 evenly sized pieces, to end up with 24 pieces of dough
4. Grab a cube of the cheese and add into a piece of dough, seal the dough well over the cheese and shape into a ball, do this until you end up with 24 stuffed pieces of dough
5. Line an 8-inch round baking pan with parchment paper, add the balls of dough, making sure they´re all tightly compacted together
6. Add a generous tbsp of extra virgin olive oil into a bowl, shred in 4 cloves of garlic and add in 1/2 tbsp dried oregano, mix until well combined, pour the mixture over the pieces of dough and brush all over until it´s evenly divided
7. 
   Add the baking pan into a preheated oven, bake + broil option 210 C – 425 F, after 15 minutes open the oven and slide the pan out, sprinkle the shredded cheese all over the bread and add back into the oven, after 5 minutes remove from the oven, transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and serve at once, enjoy!

From Albert Bevia:
TIPS & TRICKS to make this Recipe: Since this is a quick bread, make sure you knead the dough for at least 1 minute. This helps develop some of the gluten strands in the dough. Which gives the bread a great flavor and texture. I cooked my breads between 60 to 75 seconds per side on a medium heat. This was enough to cook the dough fully through and made the cheese perfectly melted.

No-Yeast No-Bake Homemade Bread Stuffed with Cheese & Herbs

Watch Albert preparing this recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4tikrNkpQo&t=3s

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 slices white cheese
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp dried parsley

Instructions

1. Add 2 cups all-purpose flour into a large bowl, also add in 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon sea salt, mix the dry ingredients together, then add in 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 2/3 cups water, mix together until you form a dough, then get in there with your hands and knead the dough inside of the bowl for 1 to 2 minutes, then shape into a ball
2. Sprinkle some all-purpose flour on a cleaned flat surface, add the ball of dough on top and cut into 8 evenly sized pieces, shape each piece of dough into a ball
3. Using your hands or a roller, shape each piece of dough into a circular design that is about 1/8 of an inch in thickness
4. To assemble each bread, add 1 slice of white cheese on top of one of the doughs, then sprinkle some dried oregano, dried thyme and dried parsley over the cheese, grab another dough and place on top, fold the bottom dough over the top dough through the outer edges, then use your hands or a roller to make sure it is well sealed, do this until all 4 breads are assembled, then brush a kiss of extra virgin olive oil on top of each one
5. Heat a grilling pan or nonstick fry pan with a medium heat, after 2 to 3 minutes and the pan is hot, add in one of the doughs, oil side down, brush another kiss of extra virgin olive oil over the top dough, after 60 to 75 seconds flip to cook the other side, after another 60 to 75 seconds remove the bread from the pan and transfer to a dish, continue to do this until they´re all cooked, serve immediately, enjoy!