BRAVAS!

Ever wondered how we make our smoky, with a little bit of spice and a whole lot of delicious, signature Tomato Sauce? 🤩😁

Well, wonder no more!! What better way to start our new blog, by releasing our first Peppervine recipe!!

A little background...

Patatas Bravas is a staple dish all over Spain. It is, I would say, the most common and well known tapa dish in the world. Fried potatoes, topped with a tomato sauce and garlic mayonnaise, how could you not love it? 😍 What is interesting, is no two places in Spain does Patatas Bravas the same. Some are more orangey, some are creamier, some are super spicy, and even, some touristy places, just use ketchup!!!!!! Sacrilege! 😮

We knew the pressure was on to get our Bravas Sauce right, not to mention because it acts as a base for a lot of our dishes. We also wanted to ensure our Bravas was vegan, gluten and dairy free and suitable for everyone.

We looked at endless amounts of cookbooks, online recipes and we adapted them to taste, we thought outside the box and tried things like, mixing ketchup, mayonnaise and paprika together at one point, which is nicer than you'd think lol, but none of them were 'the one'.

So Nathan started from scratch. He threw in a bit of this, and a bit of that... and BAM! The best Bravas I'd ever tasted (Okay, I'm a little bias, but c'mon, it's pretty damn good!) It was a shame that he didn't write any of the ingredients/ measurements down as he went along, DOH! So back to the kitchen he went, and tried again and again, until he remembered.

Chef's Secret...

Our measurements are estimates, especially when it comes to seasoning. Chef believes that ingredients are not always the same, even if bought from the same place every time. From the soil, the weather, the feed, the way it's handled and packaged, to how long it takes to reach the kitchen. There is just too many variables. So, taste test, everything, at every step, every time! (yes, he is still a skinny chef haha!)

PEPPERVINE'S BRAVAS SAUCE RECIPE

This recipe makes approx. 1 Litre of Sauce - Difficulty: EASY

Olive Oil (It's worth spending a little more on good quality olive oil)

1 Spanish White Onion - roughly chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper - roughly chopped

6-8 Garlic Cloves (depends on size)

4g Chilli Flakes

8g Sweet Smoked Paprika

40g Caster Sugar

60ml White Wine Vinegar

1kg Tinned Plum Tomatoes

Salt to taste

Equipment required: Large sauce pan, Large Spoon, Jug Blender

1) Generously cover the bottom of a large saucepan with Olive Oil

2) Add Onion, Pepper, Garlic, Sugar, Paprika and Chilli Flakes - Sweat on a medium heat until softened

3) Add vinegar and reduce to half- approx. 5 mins

4) Add tinned tomatoes and bring to the boil.

5) Simmer for 30 minutes. TASTE TEST. Season to taste

6) Blend in jug blender until smooth

7) Enjoy!!!