DESERT TOAST

This very simple but delicious snack comes from the people who make Castillo de Tabernas Picual extra virgin olive oil in the desert lands of Almeria in southern Spain. The olive trees flourish here in the dry soils and hot sunny climate of the region.

Ingredients
French bread halved lenthways or slices of plain white bread
Castillo de Tabernas Picual olive oil
Runny honey

Method
Toast the bread until crispy. Pour on a good slug of oil and drizzle with honey. Eat at once.

POTATOES MALAGA STYLE
This recipe comes from the Vano family who grow olives on their estates in the Sierra Magina region of Jaen. It uses their excellent Dominus extra virgin olive oil with its herbaceously fruity tones and light bitterness.

Ingredients
2 hard-boiled eggs
2 onions
200g tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
small piece of celery
100g green de-stoned olives
Parsley
1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 small spoonful of paprika
5 tablespoons of Dominus Extra Virgin Olive Oil
300ml of water
Salt

Method:
Boil the eggs. Peel and finely chop the onions, tomatoes and garlic.
Finely chop the celery, olives and parsley.
Peel and chop the potatoes.
Heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onions and celery. When they start to brown add the tomatoes and potatoes. Fry for a few minutes and add the paprika, olives and parsley.
Add the water. Season with salt and a pinch of pepper, then cook on a very low flame for approximately one hour. Add more water if the dish shows signs of drying out.
Just before serving peel the hard-boiled eggs, chop them up and spread over the top of the dish.

FRIED BREAD AND CHEESE WITH CINNAMON

This makes an excellent snack or you could serve it as a savoury at the end of the meal. The Swiss mountain cheeses are the best choice here. Try Appenzell for a particularly intense flavour; Gruyere or Emmenthal for something a little softer.
Use a simple Spanish Arbequina oil from Catelonia for the best results.

Ingredients
4 large slices of day-old brown bread
150g Swiss mountain cheese, cut into thick slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cinnamon
3 tablespoons white wine
large knob of butter
3 tablespoons Arbequina extra virgin olive oil
4 heaped teaspoonfuls cranberry sauce
4 small sprigs of flat leaf parsley

Method:
Arrange two slices of bread in a shallow container and top with slices of Gruyere. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Place the remaining two slices of bread on top of the cheese and sprinkle with cinnamon. Pour the wine evenly over the top. Leave to stand for an hour or until required.
Heat the butter and most of the oil in a frying pan until very hot.
Transfer the two layers of bread and cheese to the frying pan. Press well down and fry on both sides until crisp and brown, adding a little more fat when you turn the slices over. This will take about five minutes in all.
Serve at once with a spoonful of cranberry sauce and a small sprig of parsley.