Our first visit to Northern Spain in August 2000. We arrived too early to check in at our hotel in Santillana del Mar in Cantabria and we felt lost. Where was the “Alegria” we were used to from our visits to Andalucia? After this initial shock and having persuaded Valerie not to leave on the next train, we eventually got the hang of the place. I guess the locals were oppressed by the sheer weight of tourism in this beautiful village and that made them seem a bit miserable to us. The discovery of a bar serving “tapas” helped us acclimatise. I remember the chorizo al sidra that they served in particular. From then on we were able to enjoy the exhibition of clog dancing and visits to the beautiful beach at Comillas.
We normally make this with chorizo fresco. This was a Waitrose “cook’s ingredient” (from Catalunya?) and looked more cured than expected.
I use caramelised onions, pimentòn dulce and red wine. No added garlic!
