From salmorejo to ‘bullit’, ‘Gastronomía de guerra’ tops one hundred recipes

Cherry gazpacho, chickpea curry, barbecue chicken wings, steak tartare, flaó, arròs de matances, pink Russian salad — yes, pink, that is not a typo — orelletes, guisat d’ous, mussels marinera, greixonera maxibón, fish pie, meatballs, mandarin muffins, bullit de peix, rossejat de fideos, sailor’s biscuits… and even the odd viral recipe. Plenty of traditional Pityusic dishes, but also some drawn from this writer’s own family recipe book, whose roots, while deeply Ibizan and Mediterranean, also reach into the soil of Granada. So arròs marinera and cafè caleta sit quite naturally alongside migas, papajotes, torrija and Lenten stew.

That opening list includes just some of the first one hundred recipes to have appeared in ‘Gastronomía de guerra’, the cooking section of the Diario de Ibiza Sunday supplement. A round number reached only a few weeks ago.

The tastiest page in Diario de Ibiza was born at the end of summer 2022, at a time when prices kept rising and the shopping basket, like electricity, petrol, housing and so many other expenses, was putting increasing pressure on household budgets. It was then that this writer, as fond of journalism as she is of gastronomy, came up with the idea of creating a section offering simple, affordable recipes: the same ones she prepared at home.

That philosophy has remained in place for almost four years, with the occasional exception. Although the aim is always to keep recipes as economical as possible, there are special occasions. Some dishes are linked to particular dates, while others belong to the traditional recipe books of Ibiza and Formentera and are made for feast days. These are recipes that need to be prepared not only with care, but also with quality ingredients.

In every edition, the price appears alongside the ingredients. It is the real cost, wherever the shopping was done. From the very beginning, whenever possible, products have been bought in the island’s markets and cooperatives. But, as happens in every household, family organisation sometimes means turning to large supermarkets.

More than tested recipes

All the recipes published in ‘Gastronomía de guerra’ are more than tested. This writer prepares them at home and, on some occasions, especially when they are recipes that have gone viral online, she has had to make them up to three times before they came out properly. Because some people on the internet lie a lot. And not only on dating apps. Also on amateur cooking profiles.

Everything that appears on these pages has been checked, both in preparation and in flavour. If something does not taste good, it is not published. If a recipe still does not work after several attempts, it is not published either.

The written step-by-step instructions and ingredients detailed in the pages of ‘Gastronomía de guerra’ are complemented every Sunday morning with a video showing the recipe being prepared in less than a minute. It could not be simpler.

Recently, the section has strengthened its commitment to local produce and traditional recipes. This focus on sustainability and the island’s producers will be reflected in new proposals over the coming months: red tuna, watermelon, figs, pork, affordable local fish that only grandmothers still ask for at the fishmonger’s…

That said, the section will continue to travel the world from time to time with dishes from other countries, as well as with original creations. Some are already being cooked up mentally, just as last summer one of the richest, but most troublesome recipes to perfect, began to take shape: the greixonera maxibón. This year it will not be a dessert, although its base is one of the most loved sweets in the traditional recipe book.

As part of this commitment to what is local, to roots, and to what comes from the island’s land and kitchens, several women have opened up their recipe books in recent months to share their dishes. Loreto Mayol, from Es Retorn, showed how to make proper orelletes, «with their little ear shape», while Lina Ferrer, former cook at Ca na Pepeta, explained step by step how she prepares her delicious arròs de matances.

For now, ‘Gastronomía de guerra’ has already passed one hundred recipes. And the intention is to keep adding more. Fancy cooking with us? Bon profit!