Spain On This Day

Pinchos morunos are commonly served as a tapa in Spain, skewered small kebabs of delicious marinated pork which are inspired by Spain’s Moorish heritage. They may be referred to as ‘pinchitos’ in some areas. Some butchers will sell the marinated raw meat ready for you to cook at home, and may also have a chicken version for sale.

It’s then just a question of threading the meat onto skewers and cooking the pinchos on the barbecue or the griddle. If the skewers are wooden, as the Spanish tend to use, which can be bought in most supermarkets, you must soak them in water so they are less likely to burn before adding the meat.
Or you can easily prepare the mixture yourself.

You will need to buy ‘magro’ for pork, or, for chicken breast, ‘pechuga de pollo’. Ask for it ready cubed if you prefer – ‘en trozos’.

Pinchitos - Photo - www.cocinandoencasa-kharmen.blogspot.com

The easiest option, if you can find them, is to use the sachets of spices which are on sale in some supermarkets and local shops which are labelled ‘especias morunas’. Spice stalls at the local street market may also have the mixture for sale.
You will need one tablespoon of especias morunas for one kilo of meat. Mix up the spices with around six tablespoons of olive oil, two of lemon juice, a good handful of chopped parsley and around four cloves of crushed garlic. Add some salt and a touch of cayenne pepper if you wish. Put the meat into the marinade in a glass or ceramic dish and leave it covered in the fridge for between 6-12 hours, turning the meat every now and again.
If you are unable to find the spice mix, make it up with one teaspoon each of ground cumin, paprika, turmeric, chopped thyme and ground pepper.

Another marinated meat you may find on sale at a Spanish butcher’s is ‘Filetillos’ – small fillets, which is also a delicious tapa served on bread. Again, these are usually pork but chicken may also be available. Cook them quickly on a hot griddle and serve them with a salad and some crusty bread.
If you want to marinate them yourself, ask for ‘filetes de jamón de cerdo’ for pork, or ‘filetes de pollo’ – chicken breast fillet. The marinade is simple, just garlic, lemon juice, chopped parsley and some olive oil. It’s best, if you can, to crush it all up together (apart from the parsley) with a pestle and mortar until it forms a thick-ish paste - and don’t be too shy with the garlic! Leave the fillets to marinade for at least two hours before cooking.