Ingredients
Units:
Instructions
- Cut the endive and separate, soaking it in water so that it is fluffy.
- Desalt the “salaó” (anchovies, tuna, cod), until they are salted to taste.
- The “picada”: put the garlic in a mortar without the hearts so they aren’t too strong, along with the almonds. Add a pinch of salt and toasted bread softened with a little vinegar. Add the ñora pepper and half a serving of anchovies per person and emulsify it with the olive oil.
- Put the endive in a bowl and add the other ingredients.
- Add the sauce with your (clean) hands and mix.
- If you want, you can add cayenne pepper.
Contributor: Josep Maria Matas, 75
Place: Sitges, Spain
Personal Background:
Gastronomist, journalist and restaurateur. He is a restaurant owner and a teacher at the School of Hospitality in Sitges. He considers himself a “gastromaniac”, everything he knows or learNs he passes it down to the next generations.
Recipe’s Personal Background | How did you learn this recipe? | We always made it at my parents home. |
Is there some memory/historical event connected to this recipe? | The “xatonada” (ritual meat eaten in the regions south of Barcelona during Lent) | |
Personal reference to tradition transmitted by relatives (preparing together, sharing, eating together etc.)? | Eaten at popular meals with the whole town, “xatonada”. | |
Mediterranean Background | Any tradition this receipe is connected to? If yes, which one? Can you describe it? | The “xatonada”. It is a very important event, after trout cakes would be eated along with the salad. To finish the festival, a beef stew would be eaten. And dessert was usually an orange to “lighten” the meal. Many people have it with Malvasia and “coca de llardons”. |
Any Festivity this recipe is connected to? If yes, which one? Can you describe it? | Fat Thursday and the week of carnaval. | |
Is your recipe connected to the territory you live in? Is it strictly linked to the specificity of the agricultural environment? | Undoubtedly, there are two related environments with the xato: the sea and the garden. It’s a great dish and has a great significance for our land and our people. | |
Season (season this food is linked to) | During the week of Carnival and Lent. |
Ingredient | Nutritional Importance | Health Benefits |
Anchovies | This small oily fish contains a large portion of iron, iodine, good quality fat and animal protein. It is a very salty product, and contains calcium, phosphorus and vit. D. | Fish help to prevent iodine and iron deficiency. Eating fish on a weekly basis, more than meat, helps to follow the MD. Smaller sized fish are healthier. |
Tuna | This large oily fish also has a large portion of iron, iodine, protein and medium-low quantity of fat. Larger sized fish can contain “heavy” minerals accumulated from small fish that can be a health problem. | Fish help to prevent iodine and iron deficiency. Eating fish on a weekly basis, more than meat, helps to follow the MD. Larger sized fish that eat smaller fish are less healthy due to the accumulation of mercury and other minerals. |
Endive | This vegetable contains mostly water. Consumed raw has small quantities of a variety of minerals and vitamins. | Eating vegetables daily is highly recommended, one of the servings must be raw. Following this concept, MD health benefits are attainable. |
Almonds | Almonds, like all nuts, contain a large amount of minerals, are rich in fibre and contain a similar fat profile to olive oil. | Its fat profile is considered as healthy as the monounsaturated fats of olive oil to prevent heart diseases. Its consumption must be moderate to prevent energy imbalance. |
Olives | Olives are a very energetic fruit, with a very low amount of carbohydrates but high in monounsaturated fats, like olive oil. | As it is an important part of the MD pyramid, its daily consumption benefits our organism with the MD advantages. |
Olive oil | Excellent vegetal fat. It has a good amount of monounsaturated fats, without cholesterol. It is consider as the best fat for cooking and dressing/seasoning. As a fat it contains a lot of calories. | Very well-known and associated with the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. It is very stable and resists high cooking temperatures, it is a great fat to cook with. Its consumption must be moderate because it is a fat, and is a highly energetic food. |
Vinegar | This liquid gives an acid flavour to dishes thanks to the micronutrients it contains. | It is used as a natural method to increase food safety. |
Toasted bread | Rich in carbohydrates, wholegrain bread has a larger amount of fibre. It also has a significant amount of vegetal protein and minerals such as sodium, potassium and a small amount of phosphorous. | Bread is the most used cereal ingredient in the MD. A great source of energy since carbohydrates helps us reach the recommended 50% of energy coming from cereals. Preferably wholegrain bread rich in fibre. |
Cayenne pepper | This little spicy pepper is similar in nutrients to other peppers, but its flavour is completely different. | The amount consumed is minimal. Some people cannot eat them because they are too hot. In some people eating spicy products on a daily basis can produce to their digestive system. |
Cod | Fish low in fat that contains a high proportion of salt. Good source of animal protein. | Salting fish guaranteese a healthy food to be preserved for a while. Careful not to abuse of salty product to prevent hypertension. |
Additional information | |
Is it suggested to eat this meal if you suffer from some disease? If yes, for which one? | No |
What is the primary base with which your food is prepared? Is this a derivative of oil or another base? | – |
What nutrition related illnesses or deficiencies are common in your area? Are there holistic or nutrition based remedies connected to these aliments? | No, there is no treatment based on this recipe. |