Ok, so I could be posting about the delicious ribs in barbecue sauce I cooked today, inspired by Greg´s recipe over at Rufus´Food and Spirits Guide, but more of that another day. They were superb though!
Have been down amongst the chickens and olives again and little brown (well, she´s more honey coloured) hen was quite happy for me to have a little cuddle with our new chickie whilst she had a well earned snack.
S/he (I´m not quite sure) is grey (like his/her daddy, the big grey cockerel) and honey coloured, totally gorgeous. I read that Japan is the most advanced country in the world for training “Chicken Sexers”. My, that would be a career! It seems you have to look at the one day old chicks´ nether regions (and it has to be a pretty good look). If you see a little “button” it´s a cockerel, if not it´s a hen. Did try this once, but as I´m the kind of woman who often misses motorway junctions and road signs, it wasn´t something I excelled at…
Chicken number two, who is an agressive little thing, has her first chick hatching out as we speak. She still has another three eggs, so hopefuly between now and tomorrow, there will be more.
Sitting and waiting.....
Ok, enough chicken speak, but you can all go “aaaaah” now!
No, not hen parties and weddings, but the real thing!
We currently have three broody hens sitting on eggs. One of them was a hen that we couldn´t find for ages. I suspected the worst. The one day we saw her popping out from under the water deposit – she had made herself her own little nest! I was convinced they weren´t going to hatch as we weren´t sure if they were fertilised eggs, and even how fresh they were.
I went down this morning to check on the ladies and look what I found!
Mother to be in her nest under the water tank
One chick at least is hatching.
What a struggle it must be!
She´s sitting on 4 or 5 eggs, I can´t be sure.
A first glimpse of the world...
She´s a very calm hen and let me look at what was happening. The eggs went straight back under her, don´t worry!
We have more due on Saturday and then another batch later next week. Will keep you posted!
We´re very lucky here to be able to get hold of the freshest, free range goat and lamb. I know that most lamb is free range anyway as it needs to graze, but I guess we can never be too sure if there have been chemical sprayed on what they eat or if they are getting food supplements. When I first arrived in Spain my only experience of eating goat was in a plate of curried goat at an ethnic restaurant in London. It was alright, I suppose, but apart from a delicious sauce, the meat was rather tough and greasy.
I read somewhere that more goat is consumed per person in the world than lamb, and I guess it makes sense. They are hardy creatures, can survive in very rough terrain and can climb to what we would consider inaccessible heights to reach their food. Once I had tasted good kid (or young goat) out here, I realised that taste wise, it´s very, very similar to young milk fed lamb.
When you see the flocks of goats going past your house daily, you know they´re well fed and looked after. We buy direct from the goatherd who slaughters for you and then you have to prepare it for the freezer. I´m sorry if this all sounds a bit gruesome to anyone who either doesn´t eat meat or is a bit squeamish, but it´s what has to happen if you choose to eat meat. And I do, and luckily I am able to eat the freshest most organic, free range meat possible. Whew! Hope that didn´t sound like I was on my little soap box.
Anyway, one of the cuts of meat you get is neck of kid -and I know that in the UK at least, you can buy neck of lamb. It used to be one of those cheap cuts, but has now become trendy. It´s cooked in the oven simply and then depending on the weather I serve with salad or vegetables and plenty of crusty bread to mop up the juices. It´s best picked up and eaten with your fingers!
It´s an incredibly quick and simple dish to prepare if the meat is young and tender and lamb can be substituted for goat. If it´s a little older, just add more liquid and cook for about 30 minutes longer. You´ll need the following:
Neck of lamb for 2 people (I think mine was about 800g)
6 cloves of garlic
A large spring of rosemary
Coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
A glass of white wine
A glass of water
Half a lemon
Rub the lamb with seasoning and roughly chop the rosemary and mix it in with the lamb. Peel and half the garlic cloves and add them in. Pour over the wine and if you have time to leave it for a couple of hours, so much the better.
Leave for a while if you can
Put into an oven dish where it will fit quite snugly and put into a high oven for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium, cover with foil and cook for a further 45 minutes approximately. After about 20 minutes check the liquid – you don´t want to casserole it but you want some at the bottom of the bowl to cause a slight steam effect under the tent of foil. If necessary add more water.
When it´s done (you can check by prodding with a skewer to see if the juice run clear), remove and leave it to sit for 10 minutes still under the foil. Squeeze over a little lemon juice, then serve and enjoy!
PS. Sorry for blurry photos, they were taken with my old camera which was on its last legs!
Fish Man came up trumps the other day with a whole hake in the back of his little van. It was rather large, too much for just Big Man and me, so as it was fresh it went into the freezer.
A few days later friends were coming over for lunch, and the sun promised to shine, so I decided to barbecue it. A quick visit to the garden to gather mint and lemons, and out into the olive grove for the tops of the wild fennel which is everywhere, and I was set.
I had to gut and clean the fish, but if you´re buying from a fishmonger, I´m sure it will be cleaned for you. It´s not that tricky (wear kitchen gloves though, or you´ll smell like a hake for the rest of the day!) but not for the squeamish.
Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper and salt the inside slightly. Stuff it with bunches of herbs and thin slices of lemons, then sprinkle the outside with coarse sea salt. No oil needed, but the salt will protect the fish and you´ll end up with lovely charred skin which I personally love to eat, but I know some people don´t.
Then it´s on to the barbecue for your hake. We cooked it on a low heat and the lid on for about 15 minutes in total. If you do use hake, but you could do this with pretty much any fish, it´s firm, so easy to turn when it´s half done. Check it´s cooked by peeking inside – the flesh will be white when it´s ready.
Ready to eat!
I served this with a delicious salad which was so beautifully coloured, it didn´t matter that the sun went in and a big cloud hovered over us all through lunch! I used chopped new boiled potatoes, cooked beetroot, oranges, thin slices of raw carrot and chopped chives. I made a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, mustard powder, a clove of garlic, salt and pepper.
With so much colour, it can´t not be good for you...
This one is so quick and simple, it doesn´t even need a recipe! Perhaps just a quick explanation, though. This is served in Andalucía as a pre meal appetiser in the summer or when unexpected guests pop round and it´s drink time. Add a plate of slice Spanish cheese, some jamon or salchichon (salami), a cool drink of your choice and you´ve served a super speedy tapas selection without even really trying!
Wash and cut a lettuce heart into eighths, open a tin of anchovies (in olive oil if possible) and lay an anchovy over each slice, pour the oil from the tin over, add a squeeze of lemon or white wine vinegar and serve. These are picked up with the fingers, or little cocktail forks if you´re feeling refined, then just munched and crunched.
If you can´t stomach anchovies, replace with a strip of roasted red pepper.
Big Man and I are trying to shed a few kilos. He´s not my Big Man for nothing you know! He has a very big heart, which is good, the waistlines (his and mine) could do with a little streamlining though. In Spain, if you go on a diet at this time of year, they call it “Plan Bikini”. The thought of either us in anything other than a large, stout bathing costume or trunks would be enough to scare anyone, but we´re trying to be sensible.
Being sensible doesn´t have to mean dull though, and I cooked up this delicious (no fat) sauce to go with some grilled fish. It would taste just as good though with grilled meat or vegetables. Probably not so good with grilled bananas though! I like my sauce quite spicy, but you can make it as hot (or not) as you like.
Two cups of peeled, chopped tomatoes (or used tinned)
A teaspoon of salt
A good few grinds of black pepper
One tablespoon of brown sugar
Two tablespoons of white wine vinegar
A teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Hot chili powder to taste (I used 2 teaspoons of hit, smoked pimentón)
Dried chili flakes to taste (I used two birds eye chilies, crumbled)
Put everything into a saucepan, bring to the boil them simmer for 5 minutes and that´s it. Serve hot or cold.
Makes enough for several meals and will keep in the fridge for a week, or you can freeze. Bet it doesn´t last long enough though!
A visit to Málaga a few days ago to sort out some paperwork also led us through the backstreets to the old market, which has been beautifully restored. Sadly, I didn´t have my camera with me to show you the stalls beautifully laid out with fruit, vegetables, fish and meat.
Sadly too, some of the fruit, when we got home, was not as lovely as it had promised to be. I think the best stuff was “up front” and the bags of non regular shoppers were filled with the less than top quality produce from the back.
Hey ho, squashed and not so fruity tasting fruit lends itself to jam making, and making it in small quantities is also fun. It´s quick, you don´t feel obliged to give away most of what you made to friends and family, and you get to have a wide selection of different flavoured jams in the despensa (that´s the larder to you and me)!
After tasting a few apricots and deciding that they weren´t up to that much, I stoned the rest and chopped them roughly and was left with 500g of fruit in weight. I added 300g of sugar and the juice of one lemon and put into a deep pan.
Start the jam off at a low temperature until the sugar has dissolved. The turn the heat up and get it bubbling, but making sure that it doesn´t boil over. Cleaning cold, set jam off your cooker is no fun at all.
Bubbling Away
Keep it bubbling away for about 10 minutes. Don´t get distracted or walk away! If you have a jam thermometer, do use it, it saves having to reboil the jam later if it doesn´t set. Otherwise you can drop a spoonful of jam onto a saucer which you have previously placed in the freezer. When the jam cools on the saucer you push it slightly – if it wrinkles, it´s at setting point. If not, boil a little longer then repeat.
Sometimes you can just go with instinct, and even if it doesn´t set, runny jam tastes just as good.
Now you need to leave the jam to cool down a little for 5-10 minutes so that when you pour it into still warm, sterilized jars (I run mine through the dishwasher to do this), the fruit will not float to the top.
Seal the jars while they are still hot and this will keep (although I doubt you´ll be able to resist!) for at least a year. Now, where´s that loaf of bread?
I was very happy and surprised to find the other day that Olga over at Self Expression http://olgaselfexpression.wordpress.com/ had awarded me the Versatile Blogger Award. Now, before I go any further I have to apologise as I have an enormous problem inserting links. I have learnt how to do it now, but for some strange reason my laptop won´t let me do it in a “pretty”way. Sorry folks, I´m clearly not as versatile as I should be.
Anyway, back to business. Olga comes from Ekaterinburg in Russia and teaches English. I enjoy her blog mainly because it´s so different from many of the others that I read. She is interested in psychology and many of her posts reflect this. Olga also includes guests blogs and it´s good to read about things which make me sit back and reflect for a while. I thoroughly recommend that you pop over there and pay her a visit. Thank you Olga for the award, am feeling happy and humble!
So, it seems that I am asked to tell my readers seven things about myself that they may not be aware of. Presumably something which they will also find interesting…hmmm, that´s a tricky one.
I am left handed. Perhaps not so fascinating for most people, but any lefties out there will understand the daily struggle with ordinary things like knives and scissors that we face.
I want to learn to play the guitar. I have a guitar, I have the books, I even have a little plastic picky thing called a plectrum. I just can´t seem to settle down and get to it.
I am interested in tracing the history of my family. I got as far back as a 7 times great grandfather who was a humble farm labourer in Gloucestershire in 1787 but have hit a wall. It´s interesting to look at conditions in the times of our ancestors and to imagine the lives they led and the hardships they, undoubtedbly, endured. And then to feel grateful for all that we have now.
I have “done” the Sydney Harbour Bridge Walk. When my best friend and I turned 40, we went round the world for three months. What a trip! A few days after my birthday we treated each other as a gift, to the bridge walk. We were at the top as the sun went down over the city and the group we were with sang Happy Birthday to us. One of those amazing, once in a lifetime moments. I was very lucky. Apart from the awful grey boiler suit I had to wear and the lamp strapped to head. I looked like a large illuminated sewer pipe.
If you look really, really closely you´ll see a group at the top doing the walk!
I am easily distracted, although I like to think of it as being very good at multitasking. Since starting to write this post I have done a machine load of washing, emptied the dishwasher, made jam, sorted out my car insurance, fed the dogs, and dug out some material I want to turn into a tablecloth. My life is like this -I love to have several projects on the go at once and am already planning the next before I have finished the one I am working on.
I confess that I don´t really like Flamenco singing. “What a heathen” my new Spanish family and friends think. I have tried and tried, and whilst I enjoy the clapping and stamping and dancing, I just can´t learn to love the wailing and sobbing that goes with a “good” fandago. Sorry, I guess that´s the Brit in me coming out.
Our beautiful niece Fátima (r) and her friend, also Fátima, ready to dance!
My favourite book of all time, and which I have read over and over again is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I studied it at the age of 16, fell in love with it, and the passion has endured. Sigh!
With this award, also comes the pleasure of passing it on to others. Now, I haven´t been blogging for that long, so haven´t yet had the chance of building up a good collection of “Virtual Blogging Pals”. Also, my dodgy laptop won´t let me be too creative in naming them, but I´ll do my best. Some of the blogs I love to read have already, understandably been given this award (in some case several times) previously – so an honorouble mention for Greg at Rufus´Food and Spirits Giude http://rufusguide.wordpress.com/ He writes with passion and humour, and damn fine photos, about food and drink. I think I have already put on a few kilos trying out some of his delicious recipes.
So, awards are passed on to
Florence over at Florence and Freddie http://florenceandfreddie.wordpress.com/ Florence has a wonderful craft blog and can seem to turn even the most everyday object into a work of beauty. She takes much of her influence from the Andalucían countryside where she, like me, lives. I can understand her inspiration, I wish I had her creative talents.
Mandy over at The Complete Cook Book http://thecompletecookbook.wordpress.com/ Mandy has done exactly what her blog says and compiled an amazing collection of recipes from her home country (South Africa) and blended with with recipes, hints and tips from other countries and cultures. Thanks for making it all look so easy and do-able Mandy.
Trevor over at Wartime Gardening http://wartimegardening.wordpress.com/ Trevor´s blog is a wonderful mixture of gardening tips from a book issued during the second world war to inspire the people of Britain to “Dig for Victory”. He also shows us how he does it himself in his beautiful garden in France and throws in some delicious recipes, using his own or local produce. This is such a fun blog with loads of inspiration for cooks and gardeners alike.
JamieAnne at A Dash of Domestic http://adashofdomestic.wordpress.com/ She posts great recipes, money saving tips and she´s the kind of person whose blogs always make you smile. Thanks too JamieAnne for all your lovely comments!
Apparently recipients can do as they wish with the award i.e. accept, ignore, tell us more about themselves..as they wish! I do need to tell them though that they have been awarded it, otherwise this wouldn´t make very much sense.
So, that´s it for now. Thanks again Olga and now back to the kitchen for me. Or should I go and do some gardening, or read a book, or make that tablecloth????!
As promised, another version of the famed Andalucían gazpachos. This one originates from the beautiful city of Córdoba, and is my favourite version of all. It is different in that it uses very few ingredients but can be served three ways – very thick as a dip with small breadsticks (known as Picos), medium thick garnished with chopped hard boiled egg and jamon or tuna as a chilled soup starter, or diluted with water as a refreshing drink. So…three dishes in one!
Ingredients for this are few and it will serve from 6 (as tapas) to 2 (as a soup) approximately:
2-3 slices of stale bread without the crust (should be a fairly dense bread rather than sliced white from the supermarket)
About 500g of tomato, cored and peeled (I had one HUGE tomato as you can see in the photo) but usually the volume of the tomato once in the jug is a little more than the volume of the breadcrumbs
A chunk of red pepper (optional)
Half a clove of garlic (don´t recommend you use more or it will overpower the taste the taste of the salmorejo)
Vinegar
Water
Olive oil
Salt
Once again, the holy trinity of water, salt and vinegar appear but we´ll use very little water this time.
Dribble a very little amount of water onto the bread which you will have put into a mixing jug, and leave for a minute or two to absorb it.
Start with bread and water
Add the tomato and pepper if you are using it. The truly authentic recipe doesn´t use red pepper, but after wondering why my salmorejo never looked as red or tasted as sweet as anyone else´s, I was let into the secret of the locals round here – red pepper!
Tomato and Red Pepper
Add your garlic, a teaspoon of salt, a tablespoon of vinegar and at least two tablespoons of olive oil and start to blend with the hand blender.
Add Vinegar and Salt
You need to get this really smooth, almost like a purée. The more oil you add, the smoother the mixture will be, although I tend to go easy on it just for the sake of my waistline! Taste every so often and adjust the salt and vinegar to your liking. Again, it should be “alegre” or lively in flavour.
Start to blend
When you´re done, leave to chill in the fridge for about an hour.
Get it smooth and thick
Traditionally it´s served in a deep earthenware bowl (to maintain the freshness) with chopped hard-boiled egg and jamon on top. Some people substitute the jamon for tinned tuna but I guess chopped bacon would also be nice.
It´s also great as a dip or sauce served with little breadsticks (like very short grissini) or croutons.
So, are you ready for this?! You may know that in Spain, especially the south, the pig is a highly prized beastie. We start at the top with the aristocratic pig that is the “Pata Negra” (which translates as the Black Hoof) who is fed on acorns and snuffles round in a life of luxury until he is turned into the most expensive Jamon in the world. At the other end of the scale, after the regular jamones and normal cuts of meat have been consumed and enjoyed, we´re left with all the other bits that most people think would be best consigned to the bin.
Well, not so here, and in many other countries and cultures too. If they could turn the “oink” of a pig into a soup in Spain, I´m sure there would be a recipe for it. Pig´s trotters are pretty common place in butchers and supermarkets here. No need to place a special order as they are often put into stocks and soups, or boiled up with chick peas for their dish “Puchero”. Sometimes though, they have a starring role all to themselves and this recipe is one which comes from Big Man´s mum, to one of his sisters and on to me.
I was told that this, like many other Andalucían dishes, was the poor folks´ food. When the Matanza (pig killing) was carried out in the autumn, the “extras” such as the tripe, trotters, tail and ears were given to those who had helped out in payment for their services. Because there was so little (or no) meat on them, the cooks had to get creative to add flavour and use long, slow cooking to tenderise the food.
I have to confess, I´m not a big fan, but I love the sauce from this dish. Pig´s trotters, when cooked, are rather gelatinous and involve a lot of chewing and then spitting out of all the little bones. It doesn´t bother me, but Big Man loves them so much that I make a pot for him every so often to enjoy all to himself whilst I tuck into something like aubergines or curry – which do nothing at all for him.
It´s a slightly long winded, but not complicated process to make this dish as you need to plan several days ahead. Give it 5 to be on the safe side. Here´s how to do it if you´re feeling adventurous.
For two people as a main course
8 pigs trotters split into halves or quarters (they usually come like this or ask your friendly butcher to help you out)
Salt about 6 tablespoons
2 bay leaves
About 12 peppercorns
6 cloves of garlic
2-4 small dried chilies
For the sauce
3 cloves of garlic peeled and cut in half lengthways
1 large slice of stale bread
A few strands of saffron soaked in water (or use a heaped teaspoon of paella spice mix)
Half a teaspoon of hot chili powder (pimentón)
Olive oil
About 12 peeled almonds
Salt to season
On the first day salt the trotters, put into the fridge for 24 hours
Salting the trotters
On the next day and for 48 hours, de salt them by submerging in a pot of fresh water which will need to be changed about 3 times per day
The day before you want to eat them you need to put them into a large pan with a lid, cover with water and add the garlic, bay leaves, chilies and peppercorns. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 2 hours or until really tender. The trotters will start to fall apart and you need to end up with half the liquid you started with. You may need to top up the water during cooking.
For the sauce you need to fry the garlic, almonds and bread in a small amount of olive oil until browned and then put into a jug with the saffron and it´s water plus about 2 ladles full of the water from the trotters. You add the pimentón and then blend with a stick blender until you have a thick purée.
Pour this into the pot with the trotters and simmer again for about half an hour. Add salt to taste and then cool and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
In the fridge the gelatine will cause the whole thing to solidify. When you warm it up to eat it, it will all return to a liquid state and you´ll have sauce again. This isn´t typically served with anything as you have to eat it with your fingers which get incredibly sticky! I love the sauce though and serve it with plain boiled rice.
This is not a dish that will be to everyone´s liking, but for those of you willing to try it, it has a wonderful flavour. Do let me know if you´re brave enough to give it a go!
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 