Spanish Country Kitchen

The British publisher Ryland, Peters & Small do a lovely job publishing cookbooks. They have great recipes and lovely pictures and they are very specific. Spanish Country Kitchen: Traditional Recipes For The Home Cook by Linda Tubby is another in their wonderful series. The book is an authentic look at Spanish food that might grace anyone's table. Is an insightful introduction to Spanish cuisine. There is a good mix of appetizers, meat and fish, vegetables and desserts.

My favorite recipe is a dessert for figs. I love figs and really, if you simply lay them on a play with a bit of cream, nothing could be better... unless maybe you deep fried them!

Fig Fritters

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus a little for dusting
1 egg
2 egg whites
a scant cup white wine
finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
3 tablespoons sugar, plus extra for dusting
8 figs with stalks
safflower oil, for deep frying

Put the flour in a bowl, make a hollow in the center, and break in the egg. Add a little of the wine and gradually whisk in the flower from the edges so it doesn’t go in all at once. Mix in the rest of the wine and lemon zest, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside for an hour.

Put the egg whites in a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Add the sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking to make a shiny meringue.

If the batter has thickened beyond the thick cream stage, stir in a drop of water to loosen it a little. Fold in the meringue.

Fill a saucepan or deep-fryer one third full with oil, or to the manufacture’s recommended level. Heat the oil to 375.

Dust the figs with a little flour and dip the\m in the batter. Add the figs to the hot oil , in batches if necessary. When the batter turns crisp and golden, remove with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels. Dust with sugar and serve while hot.

There are no known pictures of this dish because no one can resist them long enough to capture an image on film. But they are real, like Sasgquach.