Along the Alameda Principal in Málaga, there is a bar called Antigua Casa de Guardia that has been open for 150 years. It is lined with huge old casks filled with a wonderful selection of Málaga wines. One of these is moscatel, a sweet but complex wine made from the moscatel grape. We marinate strawberries in this amber nectar, and serve them with “mantecados”, Moorish cinnamon sandcakes.
Serves 8
strawberries 800g, washed, drained and stalks removed
moscatel Málaga wine 560ml or moscatel sherry
icing sugar 1 dsp
For the mantecados (makes about 20)
plain flour 140g
whole blanched almonds 40g
unsalted butter 90g
caster sugar 60g
ground cinnamon 1 tsp
Mix the strawberries with the moscatel and icing sugar to taste, and marinate in the fridge for a few hours.
Preheat the oven to 170C fan/gas mark 5.
Brown the flour in a tray on the top shelf of the preheated oven for about 20 minutes until beige in colour. Roast the almonds until light brown, then grind as fine as possible. Beat the butter and sugar together until soft, pale and fluffy, then add the flour, almonds and cinnamon. Pack the mixture together on a flat surface so it is about 1.5cm thick, and with a sherry glass or round pastry cutter about 3cm in diameter cut out little rounds. Place these on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, and bake for 30-45 minutes on the middle shelf of the preheated oven until golden. Remove and cool completely.
Serve the strawberries in a bowl with the moscatel syrup and the mantecados on the side.
From Moro The Cookbook by Samantha Clark & Samuel Clark (Ebury Publishing, £25)
