Fresh Yeast for Baking Bread

Today the bread machine has been well used making one Olive Bread, a chocolate fudge cake and Hot Cross Bun dough. I have always bought my yeast at Iceland in Fuengirola but have been searching for the traditional Spanish ingredient.

The Spanish for yeast appears to be LEVADURA , but the packets found next to the flour are packets of baking powder which are not suitable for bread making. I have now found the fresh Levadura which in Mercadona is found next to the margarine's in the fridge section. Two packets of 25grams cost 34 cents and according to the instructions 25grams is suitable for 500grams of flour.

I have found that using some of the liquid quantity from the recipe and warming a small amount of water and dissolving the yeast and leaving it for 10 mins has had the best results.

Do Not use the delay function when using fresh yeast

Watch the use by date and keep in the fridge.

This is the recipe for olive bread

250ml  water  ( remember some of this is used for the yeast)

30 ml Olive Oil

450g Strong flour

1 1/2 tablespoon Dried milk powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2       teaspoons sugar

2. 1/2 ml yeast  ( or 1/2 teaspoon dried yeast)

50g Drained pitted and chopped black olives

Add the water, oil, flour, milk powder, salt, sugar and yeast to the bread pan and place on the setting for bread. After 10 mins add the olives. ( my machine bleeps when items need to be added)

Cooking from scratch- cheaper and no additives

When my son was 2 years old I popped back to the UK for a quick visit. I was astounded as I watched  young mothers filling up thier trollies with jars of baby food. It was evident that the meals for the week had been sorted with one quick shop. Jars of baby food in Spain were fairly expensive and I used them as a back up if I was out for the day. It was considered the norm to prepare and freeze baby food in the home and I found the Spanish health service were fairly good at providing information on what foods baby could eat at which age group.

There are now a number of books and web pages that have wonderful simple recipes that you can cook for and with your children. I am not a good cook by any means but I love cooking with my children and together we learn and have quite a few laughs. My daughter loves her Barbie cook book which again encourages her to follow basic instructions, while her dolls are arranged along the kitchen table all ready to help.

My sister in law is a wonderful cook and in true tradition she has passed on her recipes to her siblings and their wives and now their children. This is one of my favourites- Puchero. Obviously there are many variation to this recepie but this one works for me.

In Mercadona, we can find pre-prepared pack of bones or bones plus meat called "preparado para cocido", however, most butchers or meat counters will have these ingredients in some form or another. I think Supersol have them in trays behind the butcher and they are usualy very helpful. Mercadona and Lidls do a "preparado para cocido" mixed vegetable pack as well.

Ingredients
Chickpeas ( Gabanzos)
Bones and fats
Meats - various but usually include a leg of chicken and a small piece of  pork.A special treat would be jamon
Vegetables - ie 3/4 carrots, a turnip, pasnip, celery.
Fresh mint - (Hierba buena)
Rice or noodles ( Fideos)

Instructions
The night before soak three handfuls of chickpeas in plain water. Try and change this water every so often.
Heating a large saucepan ( pressure cooker size).
Wash the bones and fats to get rid of some of the salt and pop them in the heated water.
Take the skin and any fatty bits off the meat and put them in the pan.
As the water comes to boil skim off the fats ( brown/beige foam that forms at the top of the pan).
Peel and add the vegetables. You can add more vegetables if you wish but it is hard to freeze with potatoes in and I have never used onions or potatoes in mine
Add the spearmint and leave to simmer for at least an hour. It is a gorgeous smell and I I often leave mine on a slow heat throughout the morning.

Before serving take a separate pan of the "stock" liquid and use to boil rice or fine noodles.

The Spanish usually serve the rice or noodles with a couple of spoons of liquid and after cut pieces of meat along with the fat which they call Pringà as a separate course. I find the fats too much for me and cut the meat rice and stock in one plate, but then I am British.

Without the Rice or noodles this can be frozen and the liquid used for stock. Meats can also be used in croquetas

Preparing Olives

EEk. I forgot my sister in law's birthday- a big no no, however I was forgiven and the typical family gathering took place and as usual the children took centre stage- wonderful.

As we left I was asked if I had enjoyed the last batch of olives as they had prepared them themselves. Looking very interested I was rushed off to the kitchen to look at the next batch in preparation. The green olives had been collected from trees near by and then one by one smashed between two rocks. Not smashed to a pulp but enough to split them. Apparently you can now buy a small device for 30-40€ which will split them. I imagine this is similar to a nut cracker or garlic crusher type rather than electric machine. The rocks worked well in the past and appear to still work.

Next the olives were placed in cold water for a week changing the water daily and then every other day.

At this point a lot of rules were thrown at me so as far as I can list...

Do not put them in a metal container ,plastic ( such as seen in the markets with a lid ) or glass.

Do not touch with your hands as this will contaminate and ruin the whole batch.

Do not mix olive types.

Do not tend to a batch if it is your time of the month ( this was very serious).

After 5-7 days the water was drained and four fingers of water added to the plastic bucket and then salt added.
A uncooked egg was also added which dropped to the bottom, when enough salt had been added the egg rose to the top.
The egg was removed and a head of garlic, laurel and rosemary were added ( other herbs and spices can also be used but these were the ingredients at hand at the time. )
The lid was replaced and the solution was left for another three days. After this taste tests would tell when the olives were ready but remember still not to touch with hands or a metal spoon.