Recipe of the week: Cochifrito

This weeks recipe is COCHIFRITO from my cookbook "Jewish Traditions Cookbook". The background to the recipe is interesting: the name of the dish means "fried pork". The punishment for eating Jewish food in Spain during the dark days of the inquisition was severe, so this dish was probably called pork as a protection act.  It can be cooked with lamb or pork. 

Ingredients:

• 800g (1 3/4 lb) tender lamb, cubed or strips
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 garlic, finely chopped (or grated)
• 1 teaspoon paprika*
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

* I used 3 tablespoons of paprika which I thought improved it no end. 

   I also added 1 red capsicum (sliced) at the same time as the onions.

Method:

Season lamb with salt and paper. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the meat in handfuls followed by the onion, pushing the meat around the pan to brown all over. All more meat to the pan as each batch is sealed. Add the chopped garlic and a little more oil if necessary.

When the meat is golden and the onions soft, sprinkle with paprika and lemon juice. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Check for seasoning and add the parsley. 

We had ours with streamed rice, broccolini and green peas.  

Rating: ★★★★

My comments about this recipe: it was very tangy with the juice of 2 lemons so I added a dash of cooking cream to cut down some of that tang, I also increased the paprika to 3 tablespoons that I personally thought improved it no end. It was very nice and I would make it again perhaps adding some more vegetables to it.