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From Pumpkin Salad to Oxtail Sandwiches and Rice Pudding; We Sample Some Spanish Comfort Food
Remember that Ibérica is also a retailer, so feel free to purchase any of your particular favourites at a reduced price to take home
Winter is coming and culinary thoughts are turning away from salads and chilled glasses of rosé to more comforting slow-cooked dishes. Of course Spanish winters are not quite the same as Mancunian winters, but a trip to Ibérica in Spinningfields over the colder months might almost convince you you’re in sunnier climes. Almost.
But before the deep mid-winter arrives, autumn lulls us into the comfort zone with its abundance of orchard fruits, long-simmered stews, squashes, root vegetables and aromatic spices. This savoury thinking isn’t exclusive to the UK, so Ibérica’s Executive Head Chef Nacho Manzano has created a range of new seasonal dishes which reflect the way Spain likes to get cosy.
Ibérica’s winter menu begins and ends in a similar way to their summer menu – if it isn’t broken, why fix it? Toasted Bread with Tomato is a simple and typical dish which can be found all over Spain and is the perfect way to prepare the palate for the delights to come; crispy toasted bread topped with crushed tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil, so that the bread absorbs the fresh flavours without becoming soggy.
Toasted bread with tomato
Their selection of signature tapas showcases some of the top quality cured meats they import especially from the motherland. Trio of Ibéricos is a selection of three finely hand-carved hams: Black Label 100% Ibérico de Bellota, Green Label Jamón 100% and Ibérico Cebo de Campo, all from pure-bred, acorn fed and free-range Iberian pigs. Serving it this way allows customers to compare and contrast a number of top quality Iberian hams without breaking the bank.
We also recommend ordering a half tapa of beef cecina; air-cured beef which offers a more unusual but equally delicious alternative to the ham, as well as a half tapa of cured Iberian acorn-fed ‘presa’ (lomito de bellota); a cut from the shoulder of the special native ham pigs with swirls of white marbling and a fantastic flavour.
Half tapa of air cured beef
To counteract all that meat, Coca Mediterranea is pretty much where art meets the open sandwich. It’s Ibérica’s name for the traditional escalivada – a traditional Catalan dish of smoky grilled vegetables. Of course, this being Ibérica, each vegetable ‘petal’; red pepper, aubergine and red onion has been carefully placed, so it looks as good as it tastes.
Coca Mediterranea
No autumn/winter menu is complete without a pumpkin dish and Chef Nacho has come up with a delicious salad combining roast pumpkin with dressed rocket and spinach leaves, orange zest, goat’s cheese cream and orange pumpkin puree. Toasted pine nuts provide a nutty crunch and shavings of a Spanish cheese similar to parmesan offsets the sweetness of the vegetable.
Pumpkin salad
Of course Ibérica restaurants are famous for their ham croquetas and the particularly smooth texture of theirs comes as a result of being mixed by hand for up to two hours before being left to cool, shaped, rolled in breadcrumbs and deep fried. So that’s two hours for the chefs to prepare and two minutes for us to eat and enjoy. I think we get the best out of that deal.
Ham croquetas
Ibérica’s take on fish and chips involves red gurnard with a crispy rice flour and prawn cracker coating, served with alioli and mojo verde; a famous sauce from Tenerife made from parsley, cumin, chilli, olive oil and coriander. The accompanying crispy golden fries are like the best ones you’ve enjoyed on holiday.
Fish and Chips
Fresh Baked Mackerel is a pure and healthy taste of the sea, served on vibrant seaweed and parsley purée, enrobed in a sauce made from a purée of garlic clams.
Fresh mackerel
The final new dish we tried was oxtail sandwich; a deceptively simple name for a complicated dish based around a slow-cooked stew of oxtail, vegetables and red wine. After hours of cooking, the meat becomes soft and the sauce becomes rich, thanks to a further reduction with port. It is then sandwiched between slices of Italian bread before being dressed with tartare sauce (made with pickles, capers and homemade mayonnaise) and its own rich gravy. Sat on a bed on mashed potato and garnished with chives, it’s as delicious and comforting as the best meat pie you’ve ever eaten.
Leave room for puddings, especially caramelised Spanish rice pudding which has been on the menu at all Ibérica restaurants since the beginning. It’s a glorious and comforting signature dish which, like croquetas, takes almost two hours of stirring to make it soft and luxurious. Equally comforting is torrija, a satisfying wedge of brioche which has had a soak in a bath of milk, cream, vanilla, cinnamon and egg before being lightly fried. This is caramelised on top before being served with vanilla ice cream and apricot purée.
Caramelised Spanish rice pudding
Of course, Ibérica is equally renowned for its selection of wines. If you’re feeling adventurous, put your trust in their wine list by veering off the beaten path to discover some exciting, lesser known vintages and grape varieties. We loved Viña Riquelas Gual D.O Tacoronte-Acentej, a white wine from Tenerife which recently won Gold medals in Germany and from Decanter. We also recommend Tinto Boarda Pepe Yllera D.O, a deliciously smoky red which brings out the best in the many rich and comforting flavours. Remember that Ibérica is also a retailer, so feel free to purchase any of your particular favourites at a reduced price to take home.
