What meal or ingredient speaks of love to you and why?

‘Our Kingfish crudo and preserved tomatoes dish is literally one of my favourites things to eat since…forever!

It’s a very traditional salad from my hometown in Spain, Baños de la Encina, and not only is it a dish that tastes like home, but it’s also a dish that I have prepared and shared with family and friends many times over the years.

The dish, Ensalada de tomate en conserva con naranja y agujetas en escabeche is a “chopped wet salad” that traditionally, is prepared with crushed tinned tomatoes, orange segments, chopped spring onions, tinned escabeche garfish and is dressed with local extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar and dried oregano.
The best way to eat it is with a spoon and lots of toasted bread to soak up all the fabulous juices.

My fondest memory of enjoying this dish is my grandpa and dad toasting bread in our fireplace. On the table would be a massive bowl of this salad big enough to feed the whole family. We also enjoyed Jamon Serrano and Manchego cheese, homemade brined olives, vinegar-pickled guindillas, tinned seafood and a few more bites making a table full of different flavours. 

We would all sit down together and use the warm toasted bread to soak up all the juices from the salad. We would talk about our days and, of course, start organising the menu for tomorrow.