If there is a recipe that represents the kitchen of use, at least on the island of Mallorca, that is the
Majorcan frit
(Mallorcan fried).
It was devised so as not to waste the entrails of the pig during the traditional slaughter, and consists of a mixture of seasonal vegetables with liver and other organs, although it can also be made with the blood of the pig.
Besides the frito de matanzas, which would be the one I have just described, there is also the
frit de freixura
or fried asadura, which is prepared with the entrails of the lamb.
For the most apprehensive and enemies of the liver and other entrails, there is a friendlier but no less delicious version, the
frit mariner
(fried sailor) made with cuttlefish and other delicacies from the sea.
Although nowadays you can find it in any tapas bar or Mallorcan restaurant, fried is, originally, a winter dish.
Whatever the version, all of them have a base of French fries and other vegetables, such as red peppers, cauliflower, artichokes, peas or spring onion, as well as herbs such as fennel, depending on who prepares the recipe.
And the thing is that the Mallorcan fried recipe, like all the traditional ones, belongs to no one and belongs to everyone.
Gossiping a book I have at Antoni Tugores's house on Mallorcan cuisine entitled
Memòria de la Cuina Mallorquina.
Receptes antigues de tots els pobles
(Ediciones Documenta Balear, 2005), I came across this recipe for fried carrots and butifarrón.
Butifarrón is a typical sausage from the Balearic Islands, perhaps less well known than sobrasada, but equally delicious.
It is made by stuffing the entrails of the pig into the gut, together with salt and spices and then cooking it, which does not require curing.
If you can't get yourself with butifarrón, try making this recipe with a bit of blood sausage, butifarra or fresh sausage from the butcher shop.
You can also make it without butifarrón, of course, or substitute it with chicken or smoked tofu.
Difficulty
You don't have to be born in Inca.
Ingredients
For 4 people
700 g carrots
2 onions
2 butifarrones
400 g cauliflower
100 g of peas, thawed
5 cloves of garlic
1 bay leaf
1 chilli
2-3 sprigs of parsley (if you get fennel, much better)
5 tablespoons olive oil
½ dessert spoon of sweet paprika
Salt
Ground black pepper to taste
Preparation
Peel and chop the carrots into cubes about 1 cm thick.
Peel onions and cut them in julliene.
Rinse the cauliflower and cut it into small trees.
Chop the butifarrones into pieces of approximately 1 cm.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or in a clay pot.
Add the butifarrón, sauté for a few minutes and remove to a plate with absorbent kitchen paper.
Add the crushed garlic and chilli to the pan and fry over low heat for a couple of minutes.
Add the onion and cook over medium heat until soft.
Add the carrots, cauliflower, bay leaf, sweet pepper and salt to taste.
Cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When the vegetables start to be tender, add the peas, the butifarrón and cook for several more minutes.
Add the chopped parsley (or fennel) and a pinch of ground black pepper.
Mix well and serve.
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