Ajopollo Almeriense

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy stone or glazed earthenware mortar, at least 15cm wide
• •Sturdy pestle
• •Small frying pan, 18 to 20cm
• •Slotted spoon
• •Digital kitchen scale
• •Heatproof measuring cup

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oil

   Set an 18 to 20cm frying pan over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Heat it to about 150°C. Without a thermometer, drop in a crumb of bread: it should fizz steadily and turn gold in about 30 seconds, not darken at once. Keep a slotted spoon and three separate plates beside the pan.

2. 2

   Fry each separately

   Fry the garlic first for 2 to 3 minutes, turning it, until pale gold and soft through the centre. Lift it out. Add the almonds and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until evenly golden and nutty-smelling. Lift those out too. Fry the bread for 45 to 60 seconds per side until crisp and deep gold. Pour the remaining oil into a heatproof cup and measure out 30ml for the paste.

   Don't crowd all three ingredients into the pan together. The bread would burn while the garlic was still raw. Anything chestnut-dark or black goes out, not into the mortar.

   Strain any oil left after reserving the 30ml. Keep it refrigerated and use it within three days for frying potatoes, onions or another savory dish.
3. 3

   Wake the saffron

   Wipe the frying pan dry and return it to very low heat. Add the saffron threads and warm them for 10 to 15 seconds, moving the pan, just until fragrant and slightly brittle. Tip them out before their color darkens. Saffron needs waking, not scorching; burnt saffron is expensive bitterness.

4. 4

   Pound the majao

   Put the salt, warm garlic and saffron in the mortar. Pound for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth. Add the almonds in three batches and pound each addition before adding the next, working for 4 to 5 minutes in all, until only a fine grain remains. Tear in the fried bread and pound for another 2 to 3 minutes. Work in the reserved 30ml frying oil until the majao is cohesive and glossy. Pound, don't merely stir: the crushed almonds release their oil and the bread becomes the binder that will thicken the broth.

   No mortar? Pulse the ingredients in a small food processor, stopping often to scrape the bowl. Keep a little grain in the paste. A long blend makes it smoother and more emulsified than the Almerían mortar version.
5. 5

   Loosen and use

   Add the 100ml hot water or cooking liquid about 15ml at a time, pounding after each addition. The finished ajopollo should mound softly on a spoon rather than run. If ordinary almonds or very dry bread leave it stiff, add up to 30ml more liquid. For a 1.25 to 1.5 litre potato or fish guiso, stir in the whole batch and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, until the broth lightly coats a spoon. Add delicate fish late enough that it finishes without breaking apart.

Chef Tips

• •Buy fresh, raw sweet almonds with a clean, milky smell. Marcona almonds give a softer, oilier paste, but ordinary blanched almonds work well and are the sensible substitute abroad. Never use bitter almonds.
• •Use a plain, lean loaf with a firm crumb. A strongly sour bread changes the flavor, while soft packaged bread drinks too much oil and turns pasty. A day-old baguette works, though it may need another 15ml of liquid.
• •Use whole saffron threads that smell of hay and honey when warmed. Powdered yellow coloring gives color and nothing else, and turmeric makes this taste of another kitchen.
• •Ajopollo is a cooking base, not a cold table sauce. Stir it into potato, white-bean or fish guisos near the end and give it 8 to 10 minutes at a gentle simmer so the bread swells and the raw edge of the paste disappears.
• •The mortar gives the best texture, slightly coarse and able to cling to the broth. If yours is small, pound the almonds and bread in batches, then combine everything before adding the liquid.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the ajopollo up to three days ahead. Cool it promptly, cover it tightly and refrigerate at 4°C or colder. Its garlic and oil mean it must not be stored at room temperature.
• •For batch cooking, freeze 150g portions in small covered containers for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and pound or stir in a spoonful of hot cooking liquid before adding it to the guiso.
• •The garlic, almonds and bread can be fried earlier the same day. Keep them separately covered, then toast the saffron and pound everything shortly before use.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 60g)