Serve the fish after removing the layer of salt. One can serve the fish accompanied with a mayonnaise based sauce or with a vinaigrette sauce, and is particularly savory served with a variety of stewed vegetables, such as green beans, potatoes, and carrots.

Manuel comments, “It is easy and healthy.”

Almond cheese (provided by María Jesús Martín, administrative assistant at EI in Salamanca)

Ingredients:

½ kg. Ground almonds

½ kg. Sugar (you do not have to use so much if you don’t want it really sweet)

6 egg yolks

lemon rind, very fine

butter

cinnamon

Instructions:

Separate the whites and yolks of the eggs. Beat the yolks until they are frothy. Mix into the eggs sugar, ground almonds, and lemon rind. Form and mass the batter until it is homogenous throughout. When it is well mixed, and completely smooth, pour into a baking pan. As the name of the dessert indicates, you should use a small round dish if possible, giving it the same form as a (Spanish) cheese. First be sure to grease the pan with a light layer of butter, and then add a light layer of cinnamon. When the tin is ready, add the batter. Be sure to continue pressing the batter, to assure that there are no holes. As this dessert does not need any heating or cooling, simply wait a few hours for the dough to set. Later, remove the “cheese” from the baking dish and serve.

Now enjoy a sweet and delicious dessert over Christmas and discover new flavors that come from the province of Cáceres, in the Extremadura region of Spain.

María Jesús says, “I know this recipe because my parents come from this place (Caceres), and even though I am from Salamanca, I carry it in my heart.”

The following two recipes come from the EI team in Málaga:

Rosca de reyes

Ingredients:

30 grams, yeast

11/2 kg flour

8 eggs

1 tablespoon salt

3 tablespoons orange flower water

11/2 cups milk

300 grams sugar

300 grams butter

250 grams candied fruits

1 small plastic or porcelain doll

Directions:

With your hands or with a fork, mix well the yeast with ½ kilo flour, adding slowly ½ cup of milk (room temperature). When all ingredients have been mixed well, remove a section of the dough, shape it into the form of a ball, and allow the dough to grow to about double its original size.

With the remaining kilo of flour, make a hollowed out mound on the baking sheet. In the center, put all of the remaining ingredients. Slowly mix flour in with the other ingredients, until all of the flour has been well incorporated into the mix.

When the dough containing the yeast has doubled in size, mix it in with the other dough, until they are completely united (you must get all off of your hands as well). With a spatula, removethe dough that is stuck to the baking sheet and mix it in as well. Place the dough into a greased baking pan, and cover with a piece of cloth, waiting until again, it doubles in size. Keep in mind that the dough will take approximately two hours to double in size, and it is necessary that you must do this three separate times before putting it in the oven to bake.

When the dough has doubled in size for the second time, put in on the baking sheet and rotate it. Place the doll or other object of your choosing somewhere in the middle of the dough. Make a long strip with the dough and make and attach both ends to make a circle. Place in a pan that has been both greased and dusted with flour. Give form to the circle by leaving plenty of space between it and the edge of the pan, as it will again double its size. Pre-heat the oven while the dough leavens once more.

When the dough has doubled its size once more, you may decorate the top with the candied fruits, lightly cover the top with beaten egg to give it a shiny finish it off by sprinkling the sugar on top. Place in the oven for 20 minutes and let it cool off.

Recommendations: If you prefer, you may substitute toasted almonds for the candied fruits for a less sweet flavor.

Spanish Christmas salad

Ingredients:

1 white cabbage

3 cans of pineapple in syrup

¼ kg. Small raisins

1 cup vinaigre

6 teaspoons of mayonnaise

3 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons of leveled salt

1 cup almonds

other nuts (if desired)

red and green cherries

Homemade mayonnaise

2 eggs, room temperature

juice of 1 lemon

1 dash salt

1 dash mustard

vegetable oil

Directions:

Mix together 1 egg in a bowl with the lemon juice, salt, and mustard, and beat with an electric beater. Add in little by little the vegetable oil, until it has a thick consistency (you may only keep the mayonaise for 6 days in the refrigerator after it has been prepared).

Cut cabbage into fine strips, and cut the pineapple into small cubes.

In a saucepan, boil water, and steam the cabbage for 5 minutes. Remove cabbage from the pot and drain.

In a large salad bowl, mix the cabbage, pineapple, raisins, almonds, and season with the vinaigre, salt, sugar, and mayonaise. Mix well.

Store in the refrigerator.

Serve cold with the nuts and cherries on top.

Note: When adding the salt, be sure to try it so that you do not add too much, as this salad is served sweet.

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