Most meat destined for the barbecue will benefit enormously both in flavour and in tenderness from marinating overnight. If you have prepared skewers of vegetables and meat they too can be prepared the night before and marinated overnight.
Try mixing sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary which grow in the hills around Calasparra into your favourite marinade. A simple marinade is olive oil, lemon juice, sliced fresh garlic, freshly ground black pepper and fresh mountain herbs.
Meatball and hamburger mixes also benefit from “standing” overnight in the fridge. It helps the flavours to blend and makes the meat much more manageable at the point of forming the meatballs or burgers.
BURGERS WITH BLUE CHEESE
You will need:
450g minced meat – carne picada
1 onion – cebolla
I celery stick – apio
1 tspn fresh mountain herbs – especias frescas
1 tspn mustard – mostaza
50g crumbled blue cheese – queso azul
Freshly ground black pepper – pimienta
Method
Mix the meat with the chopped onion, celery, mountain herbs and mustard. Season well with salt and pepper and bring together to form a firm mix. (At this point I leave to stand in the fridge for at least 6 hours). Form the mixture into eight round portions and flatten four slightly. Place a little of the crumbled cheese in the centre of each round. Shape and flatten the remaining four portions and place on top. Use your hands to mould the two parts together, encasing the cheese and forming four burgers.
If you don´t fancy the cheese simply leave that part of the recipe out or use your imagination for other filling options.
Cook on a medium hot barbecue.
SPICY MEATBALLS
You will need:
115 g fresh spicy sausage – salsicha fresca
115 g minced pork/turkey – cerdo o pavo
2 small onions chopped – cebollas
2 cloves garlic chopped – ajo
75 g fresh breadcrumbs – pan rallado
1 egg – huevo
2 tspns chopped parsley – perejil
1 tspn olive oil – aceite
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco or chili sauce for serving
Method
Use fresh butchers’ sausages available in Calasparra. There are two types and both are suitable for this recipe: fresh sausage (salsicha fresca) or fresh sausage with paprika (longaniza).
Use your hands to take the meat out of the sausage skins, put the meat in a bowl and break it up with a fork. Add the minced meat (turkey or pork), chopped onions and garlic, breadcrumbs, beaten egg with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well (at this point I leave to stand overnight in the fridge) and then form 18 meatballs with your hands. Brush them with olive oil and cook on the barbecue. If you are worried they will stick or break up put on a piece of kitchen foil or in a small oven dish or pan.
Serve with a fresh tomato salsa (chop fresh tomato pulp, finely chopped onion, garlic and chili to taste. Mix well, add salt and fresh herbs of choice).
