As ever right now, I´m slow to post. This week has been crazy with plumbers ripping up floorboards to install the central heating, the plasterer finishing the walls and ceilings and Big Man putting his foot through the bathroom floor into the new kitchen ceiling below. Mmm…at least no one was hurt apart from a few skinned fingers (the plasterer), pride (Big Man), a huge purple bruise that looks like a large map of Australia (that´ll be Big Man again) and two bruised knees (me, rushing up the stairs to see if Big Man was ok and tripping over myself and landing on those knees).
The weekend, which is now just a distant memory, was restful though. Saturday night took us into local town, Hastings, to watch an incredible torch light procession, a massive bonfire on the beach and an incredible firework display.
Sunday morning we planned on a long walk with the pooches so set ourselves up for the day with a hearty English breakfast with the substitution of sausages with chorizo. All cooked in the oven apart from the eggs and mushrooms, it was not so naughty and oh so nice.
A wonderful walk round the grounds of the ruins of Bodiam Castle, and the dogs had fun glaring at the ducks as they had to be kept on leads and couldn´t chase them.
Cake in the tea shop was almost obligatory, so we obliged.
And then it was back to work.
Getting down and dirty with a Victorian drainage system….
No rest for the wicked, so they say. We must have been very wicked in a past life!
Lunch in our home right now doesn´t always happen at lunch time. Sometimes it doesn´t happen at all, but we do eventually eat and everything tastes even better as hunger – so they say – is the best seasoning.
Soups are perfect as they just need to be heated up and can be eaten quickly if we´re in a rush, or enjoyed with a hearty sandwich or some cold meats and cheeses if we have the luxury of a little time. This was a quick one to prepare, and was warming and tasty due to the addition of fresh ginger and smoked pimentón.
Of course, I´d recommend a soup bowl and not a coffee cup without a handle, but the choice is yours!
Ingredients (serves two to four, depending on how hungry you are)
500ml of sieved tomatoes (passata)
500ml of water or vegetable stock
1 large carrot peeled and chopped into small chunks
1 large courgette peeled and chopped into small chunks
1 large onion peeled and chopped into small chunks
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 medium parsnip peeled and chopped into small chunks
About 10 green beans cut into small pieces
A level teaspoon of smoked paprika
One heaped teaspoon of fresh grated ginger
A teaspoon of marmite (optional)
Salt & Pepper
A tablespoon of fresh olive oil
Put all the ingredients except the oil into a saucepan and simmer until all the vegetables are tender. Taste for seasoning and either serve as is with chunks of vegetables or add the olive oil and blend until smooth and creamy.
PS. The pretty napkins were made from an old sheet my best friend gave me that she found in a charity shop. She knows how I like to recycle and refashion and was sick of me commenting that I was missing sewing/knitting/crochet etc. She gave it to me and said “there you go, it´s big enough for you to make a tablecloth and six napkins by hand”. So I did!
In Spain when we want to enjoy cod, we buy it dried and salted, Bacalao. And very good it is too once it has been desalted and cooked with love. Nowadays fresh cod is starting to make its way into the Spanish markets too, but in the UK, fresh is what is available – at a price.
In our temporary adopted home of Bexhill on Sea, we have an amazing fish and chip shop very close to home, and we do indulge ourselves from time to time. However, fried food like this is a rare treat and we bought some delicious fresh cod fillets to enjoy at home, cooked in a healthier way.
Ingredients (per person)
One fresh fillet of cod
One medium potato, peeled and cut into large cubes
A quarter of a red pepper, cut into large chunks or strips
A large carrot, peeled and cut into chunks or thick strips
Half an onion, cut into about 6 pieces
2 cloves of garlic
Approx 6 cherry tomatoes or one or two small tomatoes cut into halves or quarters
About 6 spears of asparagus cut into 4 pieces
About 6 green beans cut into 4 pieces
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Lemon
Do feel free to mix up the vegetables, depending on what you have available. Make sure to cut the root vegetables into chunks approximately the same size as these will start to cook first.
In a large oven tray lined with foil, put the potatoes and carrots, pour over a little oil and salt and mix in, ensuring all the vegetables have a light coating of oil. Bake on medium/high for about 25 minutes then add the rest of the vegetables, add a little more oil and season with salt and pepper. When the vegetables start to turn brown at the edges and the potatoes and carrots are soft enough to insert the point of a knife, reduce the heat to medium.
Place the cod fillets on top of the vegetables (this would also work well with any other firm fish such as salmon) season and cover with foil. Cook for about 15 minutes more. Check that the fish is cooked through by inserting a fork gently into the fish and looking to see that the fish is no longer transparent in the centre.
Serve the cod on top of the vegetables with a drizzle of oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.
And now for a gratuitous shot of the work in progress. The kitchen´s still not looking like a kitchen, but it´s taking shape…at least it no longer has a bathroom in it!
Our time back Up the Mountain seems to be flying past so quickly, but we are managing to catch up with family and friends, but less so on rest and sleep. Oh well, it´s all about the Fiesta this week in our village and we´re making the most of things.
Tonight though we are at home. After almost a week of eating out our bodies need a rest before a little farewell party tomorrow night in a local bar. Fiesta food is heavy on the meat and protein as it´s all cooked over coals as you wait. Delicious grilled fillets of pork sprinkled with a type of salsa verde, pinchitos (little pork kebabs), jamon and cheese, braised goat and some grilled prawns. Of course, on Sunday we had the village paella.
It was time to balance things out and stock up on veggies and our little abandoned vegetable patch came up with the goods. Today I picked about 10 kgs of peppers, both green and red and a few aubergines. Most of the peppers were sliced and frozen or braised with olive oil and then frozen for the coming months. A few though were roasted and turned into a delicious, filling salad dish for a meat free supper.
While the peppers were roasting I picked my Chinese Lantern plants which have gone wild in our absence. Tomorrow I´ll pick the lanterns off the plants and use them to decorate the house later in the year. Very autumnal.
The cases are being packed (yes, I managed to get a whole jamon into one) with things to remind us of home for the next month or so. The dogs have been bathed (Luna) and clipped (Alfi) while they stay with my parents. And we have had time to recharge our batteries. Well, sort of. We are counting our blessings that that we avoided any damage from the terrible rains here in Spain and spare a thought for the less lucky ones. Life is hectic, life is full, life is good.
Ingredients (to serve 2 as a main dish or 4 as a starter or salad)
4 large peppers (green and red)
2 large aubergines
2 small tins of tuna
1 medium onion finely sliced
A large handful of fresh mint, finely chopped
About 150g of chopped olives
Olive Oil and Lemon juice
The grated rind of a lemon
Salt and Pepper
Roast the peppers and aubergines until charred, leave to cool slightly and then peel. Slice the peppers and scoop the flesh from the aubergines and cut into chunks.
Mix the vegetables with the tuna, olives, onions, mint and grated lemon and dress with olive oil and lemon juice. Taste, season, enjoy.
Yes, I mentioned the “H” word. Home! Big Man and I arrived back Up our beloved Mountain in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Only for a week mind you. This weekend is our village fiesta, and it was time to touch base with family and friends and to pick up some warmer clothes for the English autumn weather.
Our last night in very rainy Bexhill was spent pulling staples out of floorboards, hammering in nails and preparing the floor downstairs in House Number One to be sanded and varnished in our absence. Well, it was easier than trying to varnish around two excited pups (who are staying with my parents this week and creating havoc in their home). We had also spent time at House Number Two knocking down an outside loo, dealing with most of the kitchen ceiling falling in and leaving things ready for the plasterer to do his stuff while we are in Spain. Hectic times.
Before the ceiling fell in…
To get us in the mood for being home again I cooked a delicious one pot (what else) pork dish, reminiscent of Spain with the flavours of smoky pimentón, olives and peppers. I made sure to make double so that when we get back, tired and hungry (as we inevitably are after a day of travelling) we´ll have dinner sorted.
Ingredients (to serve 4)
500g of cubed pork shoulder
1 heaped teaspoon of smoked pimentón/paprika
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 fat cloves of garlic, crushed
Approx 150g olives (I used anchovy stuffed olives) sliced or halved
1 ½ cups of your favourite or home made tomato sauce (yes, I made it!)
1 tablespoon of tomato purée
A glass of red wine (optional, but of course I added!)
Water
Olive oil for shallow frying
Salt and pepper
Start by frying the pork until browned and remove from the pan. Then add the onions, garlic and pepper and cook gently until softened. Add the pork back into the pan and sprinkle over the pimentón. Now stir in the olives, the tomato sauce, the purée and the wine and season lightly. Bring to a simmer, cover (or half cover) with a lid and cook gently for about 45 minutes while you continue to pull staples out of floorboards (the stapling bit is optional).
If it starts to dry out too much, add a little water, depending on how saucy you like your dish.
When the sauce is rich and thick, and the pork tender and delicious, taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve with rice or boiled potatoes or simply crusty bread. Pour yourself a glass of wine from that bottle you opened, pull the staple out that has embedded itself in your knee and relax.
And what did we do with our first day back? Take it easy? Heck no!
We dealt with the last tomatoes in our Huerto.
We met up with a cousin of Big Man´s to pick plums.
Then we went to a wine tasting last night.
Today we planned to attack our very overgrown garden and enjoy some sunshine, but it´s not to be. The weather here is as cold and rainy as Bexhill on Sea.
Now, I know quiche isn´t remotely Spanish, but just think of it as a tortilla in a pastry case! I have introduced Big Man to quiche over the last few years and it has become a big favourite.
It´s also an easy dish for me to prepare right now with just a few pots and pans at my disposal and (yes, I confess) I used ready made pastry this time.
Remember Clara´s Pastry for my mince pies? Well, here it is again, it´s a very versatile and tasty pastry. And when I´m not being so lazy or covered in dust, I´ll make my own again!
Ingredients for the pastry
200g plain flour
Pinch of Salt
50g each of cold butter and lard
One egg, beaten
Milk
Rub the fat into the flour and salt until it resembles fine breadcrumbs or pulse in a food processor. Using a broad knife, work the egg into the flour. Start to gently bring the pastry together with your hands. You will probably need to add a very little milk but add drops rather than slugs. Do not knead or overwork the pastry.
Now wrap in plastic and leave to rest in the fridge until you are ready to use it, but bring it up to room temperature first.
Roll it out on a well floured surface and place into your tin, prick the base with a fork and then fill with baking beans or pulses placed on top of greaseproof paper. Trim off any excess and bake at 180ºC for 15 minutes, or until it just starts to brown.
For the filling
5 eggs and 100 ml of single cream beaten together
A cup of peeled cooked prawns
A cup of thinly sliced mushrooms (lightly sautéed first)
Seasoning
Mix all the ingredients together, if your tin is particularly large, add a drop more cream or milk. Pour into the pastry base and bake for about 25 minutes at 180ºC or until the centre is set.
Now that I have some semblance of normality cooking back into my cooking life, it´s fun to start enjoying foods that are not so readily available to us in Spain. Stilton cheese (that beautiful, pungent English blue cheese) for one. And bizarrely flat mushrooms – we don´t get much mushroom choice available locally Up the Mountain unless we go foraging.
To go with an amazing T-Bone steak for Big Man (what else) and a fillet steak for me, I made some delicious mushrooms stuffed with spring onion, stilton and dolcelatte. Another simple dish, but oh so good with the beautiful local beef available here in East Sussex.
Ingredients (to stuff 2-4 flat mushrooms, depending on the size of your mushrooms)
About half a cup of coarse, fresh breadcrumbs (I made mine from day old ciabatta)
The finely chopped stems of the mushrooms
About 75g of cheese (I used a mixture of stilton and dolcelatte)
2 medium spring onions finely sliced
1 fat clove of garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Start by drizzling a little olive oil into each mushroom. Mix all the other ingredients together, season to taste and divide it between the mushrooms. Press the filling down a little and then drizzle a little more oil over the top.
Bake in a hot oven for about 15 minutes until the mushrooms are soft and the stuffing starts to crisp. Delicious as a side dish or a starter.
And for anyone feeling brave..take a look at the old kitchen/bathroom in house number two. Eek!
Easy, nourishing dishes that are quick to prepare are still very much the order of the day here. To make a change from sandwiches, I decided to make fajitas this week. I did have to buy my tortillas, but for a fabulous recipe for home made ones (I can vouch for it, I made them in Spain) take a look at Tandy´s recipe.
Quantities are flexible, and use your favourite veggies or whatever you have to hand. We ate 2 tortillas each for lunch.
Ingredients
Finely chopped savoy cabbage
Finely shredded carrots, red peppers, onion
Finely Sliced Mushrooms
A handful of fresh beansprouts
Olive oil for stir frying
1 teaspoon of tamarind sauce per person (pinched from my mum´s store cupboard – thanks Mamma!)
Pinch of dried chili flakes (optional)
¼ teaspoon of ground cumin per person
Salt & Pepper
1 small log of soft goat´s cheese
Creamy Natural Yogurt
Tortillas for wrapping
Simply stir fry all the vegetables until they start to soften. Add the cumin, chili (if using) and tamarind and cover the pan. Continue to cook until the vegetables are cooked to your liking. Remove the lid if you prefer no juice.
Spoon the vegetables over warmed tortillas which you can spread with yogurt, place a few slices of creamy goat´s cheese on top, roll up and enjoy!
And finally, a totally gratuitous dog shot…at least someone can enjoy the rare bursts of sunshine this week…
Living temporarily on the south coast of England gives us access to super fresh fish, and to varieties which are not always available to us in Spain. The local fishmonger had beautiful Sea Bream the other day, we usually eat Sea Bass. The flavour is very similar but the bream is a softer, creamier fish.
Unlike Fish Man, who delivers fish to us out of the back of his refrigerated van, this is sold in a shop with all the facilities to clean and prepare the fish for its customers, so I took advantage of this and head the two bream I bought scaled, gutted, de boned and butterflied. What luxury! Also in stock was Samphire, which I had only ever eaten before in a restaurant, so I was curious to try it at home.
I came across a few recipes and discovered that it pretty much only needs warming through and can be replaced by fine asparagus (which would need to be blanched first). The taste was also reminiscent of wild asparagus with the salty tang of the sea. Very nice indeed.
Ingredients (for 2-4 depending on the size of your fish)
2 cleaned sea bream (or any other white fish)
About half a small cauliflower, cooked to your liking and then cut into small florets
About half a cup of samphire (I removed the “leaves” from the tougher middle stalk) or use a small bunch of fine asparagus cut into small pieces and blanched for a few minutes
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Lemon
Olive oil and butter for shallow frying (I used a mixture of the two)
Start by heating the oil (but don´t let it smoke), sprinkle a little salt over your fish and fry the flesh side of the fillets first. When they are nicely browned (a couple of minutes), turn them over to cook the other side. Remove to a warmed plate when ready and turn the heat up high. Quickly sauté the cauliflower for a minute or two until the edges start to turn brown, add the samphire and stir fry for another minute.
Serve the vegetables with the fish and plenty of lemon juice squeezed over. A fresh, light taste of the sea made quickly and simply.
Internet Update – I have my modem and have been promised my line will be connected before midnight. Fingers still crossed that tomorrow I´ll be surfing like before!
Cooking “Under Fire”, or in difficult conditions brings a special set of challenges. You don´t have your usual array of pots and pan available to you. You also don´t have your usual stock cupboard with its range of flavours and spices at your fingertips. But you do have a good appetite at the end of a busy day, and you have tasty ingredients available to you which are not so easy to get hold of back home in Spain. So…you adapt. You work around the “problems” and enjoy the opportunity of a challenge.
I bought a large, deep frying pan with me which can be used for deep or shallow frying, braising and boiling and searing meat at a high heat. Here in the UK there are beautiful little waxy potatoes and superb beef from my new best friend the local butcher. I have learnt to cook more than I need when I get the chance, then to use leftovers the next day in another dish to save time.
Having made a delicious Ensalada Cateta (Orange and Potato Salad) for a taste of home, I made sure to cook double the amount of potatoes. Of course, I didn´t weigh them so I can´t give you exact amounts, but you´ll know how many you can eat!
Ingredients
For the burgers
300g ground beef approx
One large red onion finely chopped
1 teaspoon of brown sugar or honey
2 cloves of crushed garlic
A little olive oil for frying
One tablespoon of very finely chopped fresh coriander
Salt and Pepper
For the “Fries”
Potatoes cooked in their skins (new, or small if possible) and peeled (or not) and quartered lengthways
About a dozen mushrooms (I used brown) thickly sliced
Half a white onion thinly sliced
2 cloves of sliced garlic
Salt & Pepper
Oil for shallow frying
One tablespoon of very finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
To make the burgers, fry the red onion very slowly until tender then add the sugar and garlic and continue cooking very slowly until the onions start to caramelise. Season lightly with salt and pepper and allow to cool. Add the onion mixture to the minced/ground beef, then the coriander, and salt and pepper to taste. Form into two large of four small burgers/patties and chill until required (but do bring them up to room temperature before cooking).
Add a little oil to a large non stick pan and add the potato pieces. At a high temperature cook the potatoes until browned (you could also use raw potatoes, but it will take a little longer). Turn the heat down and add the onions, garlic and mushrooms and cook gently until the onions start to soften and release their liquid. Now add the burgers, continuing to cook slowly to ensure they are cooked through. Turn over to cook on both sides. Just before you are ready to serve, turn the heat up and brown the burgers on both sides and to cook off any liquid in the pan. Add the chopped parsley and serve.
Not quite burger and fries as most of us know, but very delicious and a great one pot dish.
PS. Think of me tomorrow and keep everything crossed – fingers, toes and eyes. We´re hopefully having our internet connection installed and I´ll be able to start reading and commenting again – yay!
So in 2016 I turned 50. I was in Italy for my 21st, 30th and 40th. To keep this birthday tradition going I always knew I'd be in Italy for my 50! This blog starts with my 5 week adventure in Puglia but my love affair with Italy continues.....
Chica Andaluza 