CULINARY ARTS BEHIND MONASTERY WALLS

They were not short of time or money and apart from having to fast in Lent the monks of Extremadura liked to eat well. Living in seclusion, comfort, and relative safety, the servants of the Lord could dedicate themselves energetically to the art of cooking. As far back as the 15th century, the San Benito monastery in the village of Alcántara made a name for itself as the centre of the mounted order of chivalry of the same name. The Church’s warriors did great service to the crown in the struggle against the Moors and were rewarded with estates and wide-ranging privileges. High-ranking nobles, and even kings, broke their journeys in the monastery.

Thus the Benedictines were able not only to strengthen their relations with the ruling class of Christian Spain, but also to develop the culinary arts to the very highest level. The collection of recipes from the Alcántara monks is legendary and was taken back to France by Napoleon’s troops. Alcántara -style poultry dishes can still be found in French cook books today. No less famous is the monastery of Guadalupe, a place of pilgrimage for devotees of the Black Virgin, the patron saint of Extremadura and the national saint of Mexico.

Many Spanish conquistadores, including Christopher Columbus, made the pilgrimage to Guadalupe to thank the Virgin for the success of their enterprises. Richly endowed by illustrious visitors, the monastery developed into a cultural centre of the highest rank and raised cooking to an art form.

The monks invented the omelette, under the name tortilla caraujana (little Carthusian cake), and they are the fathers of the consumo or consumado, a simple but tasty broth. French soldiers are supposed to have stolen the recipe from the monastery during the Napoleonic wars. The French authority on cooking, Escoffier is reputed to have said later, about the fine broth: “This was the best trophy and the only advantageous prize which France gained from this war.”

The dish from Extremadura later left France as consommé to make a triumphal progress all round the world. Background: The omelette was invented centuries ago behind the walls of the monastery of Guadalupe.

LENTEN FARE

The practice of temporarily fasting is known to all the great religions. The Spanish word for Lent, cuaresma, can be traced back to the Latin term quadragerimam diem (the fortieth day), and recalls the forty days which Jesus spent in the wilderness, fasting and meditating. The fast period laid down by the Catholic Church begins the night before Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday.

In the Middle Ages in particular, Lent was a favourite theme for Spanish chroniclers and popular story-tellers, since the abstemiousness required by the church was often seen as bitterly ironic by the poor people. Recurrent famines and the chronic poverty of large segments of the population made any order from on high to abstain from eating somewhat meaningless. In the Libra del Buen Amar, the great religious work by a senior cleric from Hita, written in the 14th century, the narrator displays some biting irony: “He fasted for two days a week, and if he had nothing to eat, the poor sinner explained that he was on a starvation diet.” On the other hand, anyone who had money could make Lent a little easier to bear through a Bula de In Santa Cruzuda. If a small sum of money was paid, the Papal crusade bull permitted the eating of meat on certain specified days during Lent.

But in general the church’s rules on fasting were almost always obeyed in Catholic Spain. From Ash Wednesday to Easter, in the monastery and convents it was usually watery stews and soups made from legumes, corn, and vegetables which simmered in the cauldrons.

Dishes made from bread, milk and eggs were also permitted, such as tortillas or sweet dishes. Since fresh fish from the coast was at that time a rarity inland, people also ate salted freshwater fish. Snails and frogs’ legs were eaten occasionally for a change. They were considered to be “neutral” foods and were not covered by the fasting restrictions.

When the trade in stockfish (bacalao) began around 1700, this became a Lenten symbol. The guiso de Werner Santo, a “Good Friday stew” which is almost forgotten today, consisted of stockfish, cauliflower, artichokes, and split hard-cooked eggs. These were all rolled in flour and deep-fried together, then served in a sauce.

The famous sopo de cuaresma (Lenten soup) is still prepared today. Its ingredients are stockfish, spinach, and chickpeas. Anyone who took the injunction to abstinence particularly seriously consumed nothing more during a fast period except water to drink and caldo de vigilia, which was essentially a light broth containing fish and various different kinds of vegetables.

BACALAO MONACAL - Monastery style stockfish (bacalao)

2 firm pieces of stockfsh, 10 oz/300 g each
Generous 1 lb/500 g spinach leaves
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup/125 ml olive oil
Salt and pepper
Generous 1 lb/500 g potatoes, thinly sliced
Flour for coating
1 cup/250 ml stock
8 3/4 oz/250 grams fresh sheep cheese

Soak the stockfish for 24 hours, changing the water twice. Remove from the water and leave to drain thoroughly. Sort the leaf spinach and wash thoroughly. Cook the onion and garlic in 1 tbsp of olive oil until translucent. Add the wet spinach and blanch briefly Season with salt and pepper and remove from the stovetop.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a deep pan and fry the potatoes. Remove the sliced potatoes and place in a heat-resistant mould. Add spinach on top. Coat the fish in flour and fry briefly in the oil on both sides. Place on top of the spinach and pour the stock over the mixture. Divide the fresh cheese and the fish into portions and cook everything together in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 430 °F/220 °C.

CALDO DE VIGILIA – Lenten soup

3 onions
3 cloves of garlic
2 bunches herbs and vegetables for making soup
1 bay leaf
3 cloves
2 bunches of thme
7 black peppercorns
Salt
Scant 1 ½ lbs/750 g of filleted fish cut into bite-size morsels
Pepper
1—2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Cover the onions, garlic, soup herbs and vegetables, and all seasonings with 8 cups/2 litres of water. Bring to a boil and leave to simmer for about 1 hour. Remove from the stovetop and leave to cool. Then strain the stock and bring to a boil again. Add the pieces of fish and simmer in the stock for 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and vinegar, and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
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