Searching for the perfect Tapas; part 4

Seville, Spain
Tuesday,
November 9, 2010

I awake the next morning at 10:30 again. Jet lag seems to have taken more out of me than I thought. Ashley and I had considered taking a day bus trip to see some of the hill towns around Seville but getting started this late in the day nixes that idea. Instead, we decide to take a short bus trip to visit the Roman ruins at Italica about 6 miles northwest of Seville. The ruins are magnificent with a fairly large amphitheater and beautiful mosaic tile floors in the foundations of the Roman homes. By the time we have finished touring the ruins, we are hungry, but decide to return to Seville for a late lunch.
We choose a fish restaurant-Marisqueria Arenal Sevilla-that operates in the middle of the Arenal Market. Almost all of the stalls in the market are closed, but the restaurant is still open and we split a good meal with a salad and the fried fish platter. The salad has a slab of tuna on it and the fish platter has small sardines, a small red fish, calamari and pieces of white fish.
After our late lunch we decide to walk toward the cathedral and window shop. I decide I have to have a pair of boots of Spanish leather (thank you, Bob Dylan), but after going in about a hundred shoe stores, I come to accept that Spanish boots don't come in my European size 46. As we are walking through the shopping district, we find a bakery with lots of great looking pastries and some glaceed fruits that are beautiful. However, it starts me thinking about the trend of over-handling foods to make them look decorative. I can think of many times that I have looked at beautiful presentations but discover that the food looks better than it tastes! I pass on going in and ordering anything. Several hours and many stores later we decide to find some more Tapas. We find a clean bar-coffee shop which has tapas, more decorative pastries, and is busy. They offer menus in English as well as Spanish, but our first choice is not memorable. We call the waiter over to suggest something else and he brings over the manager who recommends the mini-lasagna and some fried rice balls with squid ink and calamari. Both are beautifully presented and very tasty. I feel that we have had the best Tapas in all of the places we have tried in Seville. We head back to the hotel to prepare for the train ride back to Madrid the next morning.

Searching for the perfect Tapas; part 3

Seville Spain
November 8, 2010




Ashley and I sleep in after our first day in Seville, waking about 10:30. I haven't slept this late since college! We go down to get breakfast in the hotel. The coffee is delicious and there is a full spread of pastries, cereals, sliced meats and cheeses, eggs (salty) and fresh and canned fruits. Afterwords we decide to walk to a tobacco shop to get a bus pass. We continue on after we get the pass, walking through the city on our way to the Cathedral and Alcazar, our two tourist stops of the day. The cathedral is magnificent, showcasing all of the gold and silver looted from the Aztecs and Incas, and the Alcazar is even more stunning. Afterwords we are hungry and seek out a tapas bar recommended by Rick Steves' guidebook near the bullring. We find that it is no longer there, so we reverse course and come upon an inviting coffee bar with pastries and food. We stop for a pick-me up. Once again, we are trying to eat when everything is shut down, but Ashley is able to get a Merangue while I get my customary beer. The Merangue is delicious. I had seen something similar in France, but never tried one. We move on trying to decide what to do before our Flamenco show. We again consult the guidebook for more Tapas and find Cerverceria Giralda recommended , a place I had noticed the day before, not far from the show. We go in and sit down to order. The place reminds me of a bar in San Francisco and we get an order of fried baby Calamari and then some Paella. The Calamari is delicious and the Paella is good-maybe just OK. Both are quite filling though and we head to the show. After the show on our way to find the bus we pass a bar that has hams hanging and curing from the ceiling of the bar with small cups to catch the fat so it doesn't drip on the customers. I think to myself: "I'm not in Kansas anymore."

Searching for the perfect Tapa-Part 2

Seville Spain
November 7
8:00 PM

Later on Sunday we head to the center of town near the Cathedral by taking the bus. Everyone is out and the Plaza is bustling. We walk past several bars on our way to buy tickets for a Flamenco show. All are serving Tapas. Some are crowded; some are empty. I don't see anything that interests me until after we have bought the tickets. We find a small bar with many Tapas listed on the sign outside and lots of people at the tables. We sit down and look at the menu. I want to get something vegetarian or fish for Ashley and she picks fried artichokes. I spot another dish of potatoes with a green sauce of parsley, garlic and olive oil. I'm thinking this will be the same dish that Elena, an Argentine who worked for me for years, used to make.
When the two dishes arrive, the artichokes are good, but the potatoes are boiled, not roasted and are loaded with salt. In fact, the more dishes I eat in Spain, I sense they have a thing going on with salt. So we are batting 50% after our second meal.

Searching for the perfect Tapas
Part 1
Seville, Spain
November 7, 2010
2:00 PM

I’m walking with my daughter Ashley down a narrow street in Seville around 2:00 in the afternoon. We have just arrived in Spain for a week long trip. Having flown overnight into Madrid and then catching the AVI bullet train down to Seville, I am ready to get out and explore and exercise my legs even though I feel pretty jet-lagged. Our hotel San Gil is beautiful and taking the guidebook with me, I am confident I will find a good place for a quick bite to eat.
Seville is the largest European city I have been in. The streets around our hotel are narrow—only about the width of a car with two narrow sidewalks on either side. The buildings arise on each side in a solid 3-story wall, which remind me of the canyons Luke Skywalker flew down on the Death Star in the first Star Wars movie. Within a block I start to feel lost, not able to see more than a block ahead or behind me because of the turns in the road. There are people walking on the street, but no shops are open because it is siesta time. We go a couple of blocks and turn a corner and there is an intersection ahead with a wide part in the sidewalk that has a few tables outside. We walk up to a bar that is behind the tables and peer in. Even though there are people at the tables, they mostly seem to be drinking. I don’t really see a menu and the bartender is ignoring us, so we decide to move on. Another couple of blocks we find another intersection with another bar and more tables. This time the bartender seems friendly and I order a beer for me and a glass of wine for Ashley. I ask if they have Tapas and they reply that no, they only have Bocadillos. This is a French baguette sliced in half with meat and cheese. Because we are getting hungry, I order one with Chorizo and cheese. I go out to the table to wait and after several minutes decide to go back in to check on the order and get another beer. I am wondering if they have forgotten about us, but the sandwich is about ready and I take it outside. Now, I am feeling guilty because I know Ashley is vegetarian, but she peels off the meat and eats the bread and cheese. The sandwich is OK, not nearly as good as the baguette sandwiches in France which are loaded with vegetables, and come with all sorts of meat or non-meat choices. So at the end of my first Spanish meal, I feel slightly let down. We move on.

Homemade Granola

OK-why bother. Well, most packaged granola has raisins that are rock hard, too much sugar and fat and taste kind of fake. This is a simple recipe that only takes moments to throw together and lasts for weeks in an airtight container. I used to make lots of granola in the 1970's (we did lots of cool things back then) but used honey which I always thought was a little sticky. I like this version with Maple syrup much better. Treat yourself and make some granola!
3 C Oats
3/4 C Sliced or slivered almonds
1/2 c Sunflower seeds
1/2 Pumpkin seeds
1/2 T Wheat Germ or ground Flax seed
1/2 T Cinnamon
1/4 t Salt
2 T Oil
1/2 C Maple syrup
1 C Dried Fruit (Craisins, Raisins, etc.)
Combine the oil and syrup and add to all of the dry ingredients except the dried fruit. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes stirring at least once during the baking. Remove and cool. The granola will become crisper as it cools.

Cookbook

I started working on my cookbook early in January. One step at a time, but after thinking about it for 10-15 years, it's nice to get started. Today I made apple coffee cakes for a breakfast on Thursday. Tomorrow I'll make the blueberry and the cinnamon puffs. All of these are going into the cookbook. At least two of those recipes came from my mom. Last weekend I made chicken strudels for a Valentines party. That's one of my favorite recipes that was created by Elena Lopez and myself years ago at the Plaza store. It's in the cookbook.

Cold Soups

Hot summer days always remind me that there is nothing better than a cold soup to refresh and reinvigorate. Truthfully, I have found that I love these soups more than my buying public does, but I can hardly wait for the fresh tomatoes & vegetables that I will use to blend up a nice batch of Gazpacho. I look for good beets to cook into a wonderful batch of Borscht, or I'll pick some crisp cucumbers to puree with Yogurt into a white Gazpacho. Those three soups are enough to satisfy my longings for cold soups throughout the summer. Each mouthful from any of those soups just shouts our "FRESH GARDEN GOODNESS".

Actually, I love to mix the red Gazpacho with a spoonful of white Gazpacho floating on the top. The white makes the red just a little richer & cuts the acidity slightly. Of course, a good slice of crusty French bread is a perfect accompaniment to go along with this summer meal.