For Canary Day, we’ve asked the Enyesque del Archipiélago restaurant in Puerto del Carmen, for one of their classic Canarian recipes. If you fancy more, just head to the Costamar Shopping Centre opposite Los Pocillos beach.
Gofio is an ancient Canarian staple, a toasted and ground cereal eaten by the original natives of the island long before the conquest. Nowadays, it’s usually made from maize, wheat or barley, and we’d recommend the La Molina brand, made here in Lanzarote in the old windmill at San Bartolomé.
This is a simple Canarian dish, usually served as an accompaniment to meat or fish dishes. Traditional stews such as pucheros often provide the meat stock for the gofio, but you can buy your own. To be really traditional, cut a red onion into quarters and use the resulting slices as “spoons”.
INGREDIENTS
• 200 g Gofio
• 250 g pork ribs
• 500 mls meat stock
• Red onion
• 100 g queso fresco (Canarian fresh cheese, available in all supermarkets)
METHOD
1. If you’ve bought salted pork ribs (the most traditional ingredient), wash the salt off and soak for 6-8 hours, changing the water two or three times.
2. Cover the ribs in water and simmer for 45-60 minutes, until the meat is soft. Remove the ribs and shred the meat.
3. Over a low heat, add the ribs to the gofio and small chopped pieces of queso fresco (leave some for garnishing) . Add the meat stock, stirring continually until you have a thick, porridge-like consistency.
4. To serve, put the gofio in a lebrillo (a typical Canarian semi-glazed earthenware bowl) and decorate with chopped red onion and chopped queso fresco.
Chef’s tip: Whip up a green mojo sauce by blending a bunch fresh coriander (cilantro), 2 cloves of garlic, 100 mls of olive oil, 2-3 tbspns of white wine vinegar and a tspn of cumin. Once ready, drizzle it on the gofio.
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