As some of you may have seen on the news we have been somewhat flooded out here. Thankfully the farm is on its own little hill with good walls holding up the terraces of lime trees, so nothing wandered off. One of my neighbours did lose some of his oranges trees to the torrent. The internet and phone were lost for a few days though, so I am catching up now.

The cuisine of a country is like its language, if it stays the same, then it stagnates. The classic tapas of Spain are fantastic, but now with foreign influences and a move away from the heavier dishes that an agricultural society needed, young chefs are experimenting with new flavours and presenting us with some alternatives to the traditional dishes. Here are some of the dishes we tried in Bar La Plaza situated in the Plaza Merced, a couple of doors up from where Picasso was born.

Aubergine Caviar

This was a creamy puree of roasted aubergine mixed with chopped almonds, and flavoured with garlic, oregano, olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. The aubergine can be roasted in the oven or microwaved which is quicker. To microwave you must prick the aubergine all over with a fork to prevent explosions, then cook a couple of minutes on the top heat. Turn and cook again. Keep doing this until the aubergine is cooked and soft. Let cool before removing the flesh and mashing to make the puree.

The crisps that it was served with were interesting. I think that they were made from flatbread that was cut into bite sized pieces that were then dusted with the flavourful smoked sweet paprika  from Jarandilla La Vera, and then quickly deep fried until crisp. A perfect spicy foil to the creamy aubergine paste.

Sweet & Spicy Ribs

Although not photogenic, these little ribs cooked in a sweet and spicy sauce were very tasty. The sauce was made with soy sauce, tomato puree, orange juice and white wine vinegar and flavoured with garlic, ginger, five spice powder, and brown sugar.

Lamb Tagine & Cous Cous

The classic Moroccan dish in miniature. Little cubes of lamb slow cooked with onions, garlic, cumin and coriander, a little chilli and raisins. Served with cous cous and a yogurt, mint and cucumber relish.

Seared Salmon with Anis Sauce

A perfectly rare cooked miniature salmon steak served with a creamy sauce flavoured with Anis Dulce de Chinchon, Spains answer to the Pastis of France and garnished with fennel fronds.

Salmorejo – Similar to the famous cold soup Gazpacho Andaluz but left thick enough to spread onto or dip your bread into. It is traditionally made by pounding the ingredients in a pestle and mortar, but is much more easily made in a food processor.

Soak some stale bread in water until soft and then squeeze out most of the water.

Roughly chop some good tasty tomatoes and turn them to pulp in the food processor. Put through a mouli with a fine disc or through a sieve to filter out the seeds and skins.

Whizz together in the food processor a clove of garlic, the tomato juice and a generous amount of good fruity olive oil. Season well and thicken with the bread pulp until you achieve a thick spreading consistency.

To serve decorate with chopped raw ham and boiled egg.

Pepper Salad – red peppers roasted or seared over a flame to remove the skins. Sliced and dressed with olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper and chopped parsley.

Boquerones al Limon – Smelts de-headed and de-boned, steeped in fresh lemon juice for half an hour then dried and dipped into thin batter and deep fried until crisp.

Ensalada Malaguena – Boiled potatoes, Salt Cod soaked overnight to remove salt and then poached until tender, sliced onions, chopped orange flesh, a few strips of red pepper for colour, all dressed with olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Berenjenas con Miel de Cana – This dish epitomises Malaga for me. In the tropical climate of the area sugar cane is grown and its bitter sweet syrup is used in many dishes of the region. The aubergines are sliced very thinly, dipped in a light batter and fried until crisp and golden brown. We were served them on this occasion with the sugar cane syrup in a little bowl for dipping, but more frequently it is drizzled over the aubergines.

Salpicon de Mariscos – A salad of a mixture of shellfish, prawns, mussels, poached squid or octopus chopped small, finely chopped onions, red and green peppers and tomatoes in an olive oil and white wine vinegar dressing.