San Fermines Bull Running Recipes

A reveller falls next to a steer during the first bull run of the famous running of the bulls. REUTERS/Eloy Alonso

 Every  6 July the Txupinazo a (fire rocket ) it is the signal of beginning for nine days of party  without end in Pamplona where every morning their street will have a frenetic and always dangerous bull run.
Far away are the days that San Fermin was the days of the patron saint of the city, one of the last  martyr death that  the roman empire make in the last attempt to stop the expansion of the Christians and also seem to  be far away the days of Ernest Hemingway visited the city and wrote the novel The Sun Also Rises and also begins to disappear the days where the Spanish families booked a restaurant for have a traditional meal with seafood,  meat from the running bulls and perhaps some  lobster, today the restaurant prefer to serve cheap food to the tourist and the local families  go away from the city for avoid the 9 days of 24 hours of noise and drunkest for those that think that are following the step of the magnificent Ernest Hemingway.
However going to Pamplona still a real culinary experience where seafood, good quality meat  and excellent vegetables dishes with very good Navarra wines still worth pay a visit at any time of the year to this proud city of the north of Spain.

Navarra Beef Stew style.

Frying beef stew

Running bulls Navarra beef stew

1kg of stewing meat (ideally steer meat)
3 onions (chopped) and 5 Garlic cloves (chopped)
3 carrots (diced). 2 hot red peppers (chopped)
2 bay leaves – 2 cloves - 1tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp. flour – 2 tbsp. chopped parsley
200 ml olive oil – 250 ml red wine - 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar.
800 ml organic beef stock.

1.    If your butcher hasn’t done already cut the meat in bite-size chunks
2.    Heat the olive in a large heavy pan and fry the meat in a medium high flame. Brown all sides.
3.    Lower the heat to medium-low and add the onions and garlic and fry for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the 2 tbsp. of flour.  Stir everything.
4.    Now put in the carrots and vinegar; add the bay leaves, cloves and peppers, plus the wine. Simmer for 2 minutes and add the stock.
5.    Bring to boil, cover and simmer in a low heat for 2 hours. Stirring time to time.
6.    Before serve sprinkle with cinnamon and fresh chopped parsley.

Pan fry Navarra Trout Style.

1 fresh trout per serve (cleaned and gutted)
4 slices of Serrano ham (per 2)
140g smoked bacon (diced)
2 garlic cloves (sliced)
Flour for coating.
Some wooden picks.

1. Fill the trout with the ham

2. Secure the ham with wooden sticks

3. Wrap the trout with ham 4. Coat the trout with flour

5. Fry the trout until golden brown 6.Add the bacon for 2 extra minutes.

 1.    Season the trout with salt and pepper and rest for 10 minutes.
2.    Put a slice of ham inside of each trout and pierce all together with wooden picks and then wrap with an extra (or 2) slice of Serrano ham.
3.    Coat the trout’s in flour and then shake for remove any excess.
4.    Heat 3 tbsp. of olive oil in a large pan and fry the bacon until the fat start to run, add the garlic until begins to soft. Remove from the pan and set aside.
5.    Now fry the trout for about 4 minutes each side, when the trout in golden brown in both sides and the bacon and garlic for another minute.
6.    Serve the trout on a plate and scatter over the bacon.


Top 5 delicatessen items to buy in Navarra

Wooden Fire of Pimientos del Piquillo (Jar or canned)
Jar or canned white asparagus.
Smocked duck ham.
Roncal cheese from the mountain valleys of Navarra (is sharp taste)
Navarra Rosé wine made from the process named “tear the wine” (Rosado de Lágrima).

Follow the bull running at:
San Fermin TV
RTVE

and Felices San Fermines 2011!!

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San Fermines Bull Running Recipes