Release Date: July 2, 2009

Garden CafÉ Espana Recipes by JosÉ Andrés

Empanada de Pollos Ensapados
Chicken empanada with bacon, caramelized onion, raisins, and lemon
Serves 6

Ingredients:
3 chicken legs (thighs and drumsticks), about 2 pounds
1/3 cup (5 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
12 slices bacon
1/2 cup raisins
2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 lemons
1 package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
1 large egg
3 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Put chicken pieces in a roasting pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Lay half a slice of bacon on top of each chicken thigh. Roast chicken in the oven until golden brown and meat reaches 165 degrees on a meat thermometer, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Once the chicken thighs are cool enough to handle, peel off skin with bacon and finely chop. Remove the meat from the bones and shred with your fingers. Set meat and skin aside and discard remaining solids.

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Put the raisins in a small bowl and pour in just enough hot water to cover the raisins. Set aside to allow the raisins to plump. Meanwhile, remove the zest from the lemons and finely chop. Juice the lemons into a small bowl and discard the remaining fruit.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions, bay leaf, thyme and rosemary and season with salt. Sauté the onions until golden brown, about 20 minutes. (Note: if the onions begin to brown too much, stir in a few tablespoons of water). Continue to cook the onions slowly until they reach a deep brown color, about 20 minutes more. Add the raisins and continue to cook until any water has evaporated. Add the lemon juice and cook until the liquid evaporates. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl and set aside.

Add the reserved chopped chicken to the onions. Stir in the lemon zest until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and refrigerate until the mixture is cool.

To make the empanada: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly-floured work surface, roll each sheet of puff pastry into an 11 x 9-inch rectangle. Lightly brush a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and carefully transfer one sheet of the puff pastry to a baking sheet. Lay 5 slices of bacon across the pastry, leaving a 1” border around the edges. Spoon the cooled chicken-onion filling across the bacon, evenly spreading out the filling. Lay the remaining 5 slices of bacon across the filling. Beat the egg in a small bowl with a little water and brush the egg wash along the edge of the dough. Carefully place the second rectangle of puff pastry on top of the filling. Fold the dough over and, using your fingers or the tines of a fork, crimp the edges of the dough to seal. Brush the top of the pastry with the remaining egg wash and prick with a fork or sharp knife to allow steam to escape. Sprinkle with sugar and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Allow empanada to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Adapted by Chef José Andrés from Arte de Cocina by Francisco Martínez Montiño, Chef of Philip II, first published in 1611.

Gazpacho al estilo de Algeciras
Algeciras-style gazpacho
Serves 4

2 pounds ripe tomatoes (about 10 plum tomatoes)
1/2 pound cucumber (about 1 cucumber)
3 ounces green bell pepper (about 1/2 bell pepper)
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3/4 cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons salt

Garnish
Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
1 small cucumber
8–12 grape tomatoes
wooden skewers

Cut out and discard core at top of plum tomatoes, chop tomatoes into quarters, and place in a blender. Peel cucumber, cut into chunks, and add to the blender. Cut bell pepper in half, removing core and seeds, then chop into large pieces and place in the blender. Add garlic, sherry vinegar, and 1/2 cup of water. Blend until the mixture becomes a thick liquid. The red tomatoes will turn a wonderful shade of pink. Taste for acidity (this will vary with the sweetness of the tomatoes). If it is not balanced, add a little vinegar. Add olive oil and salt. Blend again. Then pour gazpacho through a strainer into a pitcher. Place in the refrigerator to cool for at least 30 minutes.

While gazpacho is chilling, prepare garnish. Peel cucumber and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Wash grape tomatoes. Assemble skewers, alternating grape tomatoes with slices of cucumber. Place skewer on side of bowl, then drizzle soup with Spanish extra-virgin olive oil and serve.

Adapted from José Andrés, Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen (New York, 2008).

Flan al estilo de mi madre
Spanish flan in my mother’s style
Serves 6

1 cup plus 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split
1 strip lemon zest
1 cinnamon stick
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks

Heat oven to 275 degrees.

To prepare caramel, put 1 cup of sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. After 5 or 6 minutes, sugar will start to brown lightly. Continue heating for another 7 or 8 minutes, until sugar becomes dark brown, stirring constantly to avoid burning.

Remove pan from heat and carefully add 1/3 cup of warm water. The caramel will sputter and release steam as it hardens. Return pan to low heat and continue cooking about 5 minutes, until caramel is thick and syrupy. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Coat interiors of four small ramekins — bottoms and sides — with the caramel, using a spatula. Set ramekins aside.

Combine half-and-half with heavy cream in a medium-size saucepan. Add vanilla bean and seeds, along with lemon zest, cinnamon stick, and remaining 3/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, removing pan just as contents reach a boil.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and additional egg yolks. Pour hot cream gently into the eggs, whisking vigorously. Strain mixture into another bowl and fill the ramekins.

Set ramekins in a deep baking pan and fill pan with enough hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins, taking care not to drip water into the custards. Place pan in oven and bake for 45 minutes. Take from oven and remove ramekins from baking pan to let flan cool. Flan can be kept wrapped in plastic for 3–4 days in the refrigerator. Serve cold.

Adapted from José Andrés, Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America (New York, 2005).

Albondigas con ciruelas
Meatballs with plums
Serves 4

For the meatballs
1/2 ounce (about 1/2 slice) stale white bread
2 tablespoons whole milk
3/4 pound ground beef (coarsely ground)
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons very finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon beaten egg
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil

For the sauce and fruit
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ripe medium-sized black plums, halved, pitted, and sliced into 12 segments
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3/4 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup veal stock
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

To prepare meatballs, place bread in a small bowl and pour just enough milk over it to soften the bread. Let soak for 1 minute. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, milk-soaked bread, garlic, parsley, and egg. Mix ingredients together using a spoon. Add salt and continue mixing. Place flour on a plate. Form twelve 1-inch meatballs and roll them in flour, shaking off any excess, then set meatballs aside. Heat olive oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. When oil reaches 350 degrees (measured with a candy thermometer), add meatballs in small batches. Pan fry each batch about 4 minutes until brown all over. Set meatballs on paper towels to drain.

To make the sauce, place a large sauté pan over low heat and add sugar, cooking until golden, about 2 minutes. Stir butter into the sugar and allow it to melt. Then add plum segments and sauté about 2 minutes until they are brown on all sides. Remove plums and set aside. Add vinegar and cook about 1 minute, until reduced by half. Add chicken and veal stock and the cinnamon stick. Cook about 3 minutes until sauce begins to thicken.

Add the meatballs to the sauce and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, moving the pan constantly to ensure that meatballs cook evenly. The sauce should become thick and syrupy. Return plum segments to the mixture to heat through. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Adapted from José Andrés, Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America (New York, 2005).

Garden Café España

Inspired by the exhibitions Luis Meléndez: Master of the Spanish Still Life (May 17–August 23, 2009) and The Art of Power: Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain (June 28–November 1, 2009), award-winning Washington-based Chef José Andrés, executive chef of Jaleo and star of the PBS television series Made in Spain, has created a menu of signature Spanish dishes for Garden Café España at the National Gallery of Art, to be served through September 17, 2009.

Located in the West Building near the 6th Street and Constitution Avenue entrance, the Garden Café is open for lunch Monday–Saturday, 11:30 am–3:00 p.m., and Sunday, noon–4:00 p.m. For more information or to make reservations for groups, please call (202) 712-7454 or visit www.nga.gov/dining.

Garden Café España is presented in partnership with Restaurant Associates and Executive Chef David Rogers at the National Gallery of Art.

Luis Meléndez: Master of the Spanish Still Life was organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and sponsored by The Exhibition Circle of the National Gallery of Art.

The Art of Power: Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain was organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington; the State Corporation for Spanish Cultural Action Abroad (SEACEX); and the Patrimonio Nacional of Spain. It was organized in association with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and the Ministry of Culture, with the assistance of the Embassy of Spain in Washington, DC.

Both exhibitions are supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

In-kind promotional support for these exhibitions has been provided by Chef José Andrés of Jaleo and THINKfoodGROUP.

General Information

The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are at all times free to the public. They are located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, and are open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1. For information call (202) 737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (202) 842-6176, or visit the Gallery's Web site at www.nga.gov. The Gallery is now on Facebook—become a fan at www.facebook.com/NationalGalleryofArt.

Visitors will be asked to present all carried items for inspection upon entering the East and West Buildings. Checkrooms are free of charge and located at each entrance. Luggage and other oversized bags must be presented at the 4th Street entrances to the East or West Building to permit x-ray screening and must be deposited in the checkrooms at those entrances. For the safety of visitors and the works of art, nothing may be carried into the Gallery on a visitor's back. Any bag or other items that cannot be carried reasonably and safely in some other manner must be left in the checkrooms. Items larger than 17 x 26 inches cannot be accepted by the Gallery or its checkrooms.

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phone: (202) 842-6353 e-mail: pressinfo@nga.gov

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