Tapa Thursdays: Where’s Cat?

December 6, 2012 by · 4 Comments

Studying abroad in Valladolid changed many things about me, from the way I spoke Spanish to the direction my life way to take. It also made me appreciated wine. Sitting just south of the Ribera del Duero region, Pucela, as it’s called locally, had vineyards producing some of Spain’s most famous brands. Dinner was often paired with a robust vino tinto, turning me into a wine aficionado at the tender age of 19. Hey, when in Rome…

Today is not about tapas, it’s about wine because I’m visiting Spain’s foremost wine region today for the first time. Tucked into the smallest autonomous community is acre upon acre of vineyards producing tempranillo and garnacha grape, home to Marques de Riscal and Campo Viejo brands, crumbling castle and monasteries, and a pintxos culture second to none.

Last weekend, my girlfriends and I did a cata de vino at a small wine shop in the center of Seville, Flor de Sal. With each of us busy with our lives, partners and jobs, our monthly dates are often full of chatter and wine, so having Andre explain his handpicked choices from lesser-known bodegas brought out the best in us wine-loving guiris. If it was any indication as to what lies ahead this weekend for me and my friends, we’re in trouble!

Have you been to La Rioja? Have any recommendations for me, particularly food and wine? What’s your favorite DO in Spain?

Filed Under: A Few of My Favorite Things, Featured, Flor de Sal Sevilla, gastronomy, La Rioja, Rural Tourism, Tapas Thursday, the north, tourism, Wine · Tagged: , ,

Tapas Thursdays: Ensaladilla Rusa

November 29, 2012 by · 14 Comments

My first meal in Spain was less than memorable: Aurora muttered something as she schlepped a large bowl of something in front of us.

“Cat, quick! tell her I’m allergic to seafood! I think that’s tuna and I don’t know how to say it in Spanish!” Emily hissed from across the table.

My jet lagged brain, tired after eight hours and lugging a suitcase halfway across Valladolid, barely got out the word fish while still searching for seafood. My señora stopped right then and there, threw her arms up in exasperation and chided us for not being as open-minded as the Japanese girls who had lived with her before we had arrived.

I tried to simply was what it was called, hoping that would lead to a run-down of the ingredients. It did, alright, and it seemed that my host mother had folded in every. single. thing. she had in her kitchen into the cubed potato and mayonnaise mix.

We used a “break for air and exploring” as an excuse to pick up sandwiches from a bar around the corner as I explained to Emily exactly what we had eaten:

The Spanish version of a kitchen sink, ensaladilla rusa. Literally, Little Russian Salad.

source

What it is: A cold, cubed potato salad made with mayonnaise, peas, carrots, red peppers and often hardboiled eggs and canned tuna, accompanied with freshly chopped parsley. The dish often comes with picos.

Where it’s from: As far as I can tell, this popular tapa fría is served in just about every region of Spain, though it varies in its ingredients slightly, or even in its presentation – I’ve seen it atop bread in the Basque Country!

Where to find it in Seville: I’m not a big ensaladilla person because it combines the two foods that make me turn green: mayonnaise and canned tuna. Still, if the mayo isn’t too heavily dolloped into the recipe, I can stomach a bit. I recommend both La Alicantina in Plaza de Salvador (Pza. del Salvador, 2, on the northeast corner), who makes their mayo from scratch and was willing to give it to me on the side, just in case. Their tapa has also garnered quite a bit of fame in city polls. Also, La Cigala de Oro near Santa Justa train station had a fresh tapa that’s light on mayonnaise (Jose Laguillo, 23).

Goes great with: Ensaladilla is typically eaten as bar grub or the starter to a meal because it’s cold and scooped directly onto a plate when you order it. I myself need a few big gulps of Cruzcampo to really like it!

Love tapas? Want to see a specific one featured Thursday? Leave me a comment, or post a picture of you eating your favorite tapas to my Facebook page!

Filed Under: Featured, food, gastronomy, Sevilla Center, Tapas, Tapas Bars, Tapas Thursday · Tagged: , , , , ,

Tapa Thursdays: Mantecados de Estepa and the Despensa de Palacio

November 22, 2012 by · 11 Comments

“¡Pero si los mantecados no engordan! Put a few more in your purse already!” Javi stole a glance at the four estepeñas attending to the Sunday morning crowd as he loaded a few barquillos and polvorones in my purse, swearing they didn’t fatten anyone up. A sly smile crept across my face as I accepted them. Claro, no way these would make me fat.

Mantecados, the Christmastime favorite of Spaniards, was on our agenda one bright weekend morning. Ask any español to name the Ciudad del Mantecado – a crumbly cookie made of pig lard, flour, sugar and cinnamon – and, ten-to-one, they can. At just an hour’s drive from Seville, Estepa, the Mantecado City, was a tasty stop in one of the many pueblos blancos in the area.

After visiting the factory and museum at La Estepeña, the city’s most famous brand, Javi directed onto the streets of the city named after the cookie’s principle ingredients and into La Despensa de Palacio. The sprawling factory and adjacent museum are a charming homage to the city’s artisan claim to fame. The albero-colored façade had just a modest blue-and-white azulejo announcing it as a factory.

What sets La Despensa apart from the rest, aside from its celebrity clientele, is that traditional baking methods and packing are still used, and the assembly line and industrial machines used at other brands are suhnned. Ninety-five percent of the work force is women who work overtime during Christmas to knead the lard, let the flour dry, add in the sugar and cinnamon, cut the dough into rounds and later package them in wax paper with ruffled edges. What’s more, the mantecados are cooked in a traditional oven.

The quality is matched by the higher price for La Despensa’s products, which also encompasses jellies, cookies and other lard staples like polvorones and alfajores.

The store was, like any Sunday, a zoo. Old ladies elbowed their way up to the front of the line, grabbing the hardbound book of available items and pointing out what they wanted, how many kilos, and bickering with their friends about whether last year’s packaging design was better than this year’s. Their grandchildren eyed the bowl of samples on the counter as they stood on their toes to try to reach the prize. I smiled to myself while watching these Spaniards start acting as if it were an auction, eager to get their hands on the freshest surtidos.

Just then, one of the employees came through with a batch of cooled treats, topped with sesame seeds.

I couldn’t help myself from one and let the cake break apart in my fingers as I sniffed out the cinnamon that gets kneaded into the dough. Just two bites of a mantecado leave you needing a drink, so we hopped in the car and drove to Anís Bravío for a few sips of distilled anisette, the Spanish abuelo’s drink of choice.

At the end of the day, Caitlin and I were back to La Despensa with the tail end of the Sunday crowd, narrowly missing a tourism bus that had made a stop in Mantecadolandia for their fill. Taking a small plastic card with a number imprinted on it, we waited for our turn to be served.

¿Quién va?

Author’s Note: My visit to Estepa and tour of various mantecados factories was kindly offered by Violeta, Javi and their team at Heart of Andalusia. All opinions are, of course, my own.

Filed Under: Andalucia, Andalusia Tourism, Estepa, Featured, food, gastronomy, ham, Navidades, photo post, Places with Encanto, Rural Tourism, Seville Province, Spain, Tapas, Tapas Thursday · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Tapa Thursdays: The Gambas Blancas of Huelva

November 8, 2012 by · 3 Comments

When people ask me where my favorite spot in Seville is, I can give an answer quicker than I can name the president of the Spanish parliament: La Grande. You could say that I fell in love with Spain, with the Novio and with langoustines here, all things that have made my life over the past five years what they have been.

For the price of 1,10€ at La Grande, you can get a beer and three boiled shrimp, as long as your middle finger, littered with coarse sea salt and picos. These gambas blancas were part of my Christmas meal and have made their way into my diet at least once a week.

…and this for a Midwestern girl who used to hate seafood!

What it is: The parapenaeus longirostris is a common prawn. At its most simple, they are boiled and sprinkled with sea salt, though it’s common to see shrimp in dishes such as paellas and pastas, and like potatoes to Anglos, can be served in many styles: boiled, fried, in garlic, in tempura, etc.

Where it’s from: These crustaceans are captured off of the Atlantic Coast of Huelva and Morocco, making their arrival to Seville quite quick.

Where to eat it: While I love gambas just the way they are from La Grande (Lopez de Gomara, 18), you can get them just about anywhere. Try a marisquería for many varieties, or a local frieduría for gambas rebozadas, which are battered and fried in olive oil. I also had a friend try tortilla de camarones, which is a smaller shrimp fried in batter. She would have liked it, had she not seen their faces.

HOW to eat it: I once told my friend Alfonso to come meet me at La Grande and bring his mujer gamba. Oops. Female shrimp is to Spaniards what Buttherface is to Americans. To really master peeling a shrimp, you have to have practice, and maybe a beer or two first.

First, rip the head off by placing your index finger and thumb at the base of the skull. My friends say that the brains are the best part, but I can’t get myself to suck it! Then, pull the tail off. Discard both shells. Carefully remove the outer casing of the body by pulling off its legs and peeling off the upper case. The shrimp should look more or less like your curled pinky finger.

If you like tapas, why not tell me which ones you’d like to see featured on Sunshine and Siestas? Alternately, there are more pictures on Sunshine and Siestas’s Facebook page.

 

Filed Under: food, gastronomy, Huelva, money, Seville, Seville Shots, Tapas, Tapas Bars, Tapas Thursday, typical Spanish · Tagged: , ,

Tapa Thursdays: Huesos de Santos

November 1, 2012 by · 13 Comments

As a self-confessed Halloweenie, I love things spooky, from cemeteries to haunted houses. Lucky for me, Spain celebrates a national holiday, Día de Todos los Santos, or All Saint’s Day, so I can celebrate my Anglo holiday with a day off.

Todos Los Santos is celebrated in the Catholic world on November 1st, where family members of the deceased visit their final resting places. Many cities around Spain have their own traditional fiesta. In a country that loves its reliquía, there could be no other dessert on All Saint’s Day served but huesos de santos. These marzipan pastries are rolled to look like bones and stuffed with egg yolk cream, called  yema, or fig, yogurt or chocolate. It’s kind of like a Spanish type of cannoli, made in a similar way.

What it is: An almond pastry typically eaten during the All Saint’s Day feasts.

Where it’s from: The origins of this sweet are still unknown, but it’s believed they were first made in Madird. Still, their popularity is widespread, making it the de facto treat for the holiday.

Where to get it in Seville: Practically any pastry shop will have huesos de santos between the week leading up to Todos Los Santos and up to a fortnight afterwards. I bought a half-dozen at Cafetería Ochoa (locations on Sierpes, Repúblic Argentina and Eduardo Dato) for 36€/kilo.

Goes perfectly with: a hot coffee with milk. Sevillanos have their afternoon coffee often accompanied by something sweet.

If you like tapas, why not tell me which ones you’d like to see featured on Sunshine and Siestas? Alternately, there are more pictures on Sunshine and Siestas’s Facebook page.

Filed Under: Churches, culture shock, Featured, food, gastronomy, holidays, Spain, Tapas, Tapas Thursday, typical Spanish · Tagged: , , ,

Sampling Spanish Food: Five Must-Try Tapas

October 18, 2012 by · 19 Comments

As Seville competes for the World Capital of Tapas, a nod which would give the city another UNESCO World Heritage mention, restaurants and tapas bars around the city are adapting to an eating culture that is evolving towards gastrobar-meets-down home atmosphere. Seville’s tapas culture is a major city attraction.

Many stories about its origins exist, but the practice is universal: bar patrons hop from one bar to another, sampling small plates of food. These can encompass hot dishes or cold, and can be meat, fish, vegetables or anything in between. While Spanish cuisine is considered important, Basque and Catalàn tend to be the heavy hitters in this category.

What sets Seville apart is the participation, making every day special enough to eat out. Tapas can take on so many different forms, making it impossible to get a real taste for Spanish food in a quick trip. Here are five-star dishes that will give you a starter tutorial in Spanish gastronomy:

Pulpo a la Feira

What it is: Boiled octopus served over boiled potatoes, with drizzled olive oil and sweet paprika.

Where it’s from: Typically eaten in the northern region of Galicia, popular varieties include al horno (baked) or a la plancha (grilled).

Where to get it in Seville: Casa Miró is perhaps one of the most famous Galician style restaurants in Seville, but try the pulpo at La Azotea (C/Jesús del Gran Poder, 31), served over mashed potatoes with a mozarabe sauce.

Goes perfectly with: pimientos del padrón, a sometimes-spicy-sometimes-not flash-seared green pepper.

Salmorejo

What it is: A thick, cold soup made with tomatoes, bread, olive oil, garlic and vinegar. Often served with chopped bits of ham and boiled egg.

Where it’s from: This dish is one of the most typical in Córdoba and is a thicker, sweeter version of gazpacho.

Where to get it in Seville: Salmorejo is a staple in most well-established bars in Seville, though not all of it is homemade. It’s pretty good at Bodegas la Pitarra, especially when dipped in even more bread!

Goes perfectly with: Fried eggplant, a ham and cheese mini-sandwich, Córdoba’s other famous dish, the flamenquín.

Paella

What it is: A rice dish that’s often made with seafood, meat and vegetables.

Where it’s from: Believed to have been created in the Albufera region of Valencia, paella is a common dish on the Mediterranean Coast and at barbeques (I mean it!). Rice is a common crop is Spain, and the availability of cheap flights to this region, like from Belfast to Alicante, make it an easy weekend trip.

Where to get it in Seville: On Sundays, La Cocina del Dr. x (Evangelista, 36, Triana) serves rice or paella. If you’re willing to go a bit further out, the duo from L’Albufera in Los Bermejales (Avda. de Europa, 19) cooks their rice to perfection and even serves it to you from the flat, cast-iron dish. Paella takes a while to make and is ordered by the person, so allot enough time or call ahead .

Goes great with: itself. Since paella is a dish that encompasses the major food groups, just keep digging in.

El Serranito

Pepito de Berenjena and fried cheese

What it is: a hearty sandwich stacked high with a pork sirloin or chicken breast, tomato, a slice of ham and a fried green pepper between two hunks of bread.

Where it’s from: This is the Andalusian of fast food. It’s especially common in Seville (I only wish my host mom in Valladolid packed these for me instead of mortadella sandwiches!).

Where to get it in Seville: I’ve found that the biggest and best Serranitos come from the roadside bars in small towns. Many bars in the city serve mini versions of the sandwich for a taste.

Goes perfectly with: A cold beer. It’s hearty, so you’ll need something to wash it down!

Tortilla de Patatas

What it is: This list would not be complete without perhaps the most Spanish dish of them all – the venerable Potato Omelette. As simple as eggs, potatoes and onions, the dish can be tricky to master (especialy when you have to flip it and cook the other side!).

Where it’s from: This is perhaps the only Spanish dish common throughout the entire country.

Where to get it in Seville: Some like it cooked, some like the eggs runny, but I love the tortilla from Bodeguita A. Romero, served with mayonnaise (Calle Gamazo, 16).

Goes perfectly with: Just about anything. It’s actually eaten for breakfast in Madrid!

In homage to a city where the tapeo culture trumps even bullfighting and flamenco (read: it’s accessible and likeable to everyone), I’m starting a weekly Tapas Thursday section that will feature different small plates and where to find them in Seville. Hungry? Read on…

[this post was also selected as a part of the Best World Food posts on The Nomadic Family. More yummy scoop here.]

What’s your favorite Spanish dish? What tapas would you like to see promoted on Sunshine and Siestas? Feel free to upload pictures of dishes to Sunshine and Siestas’s Facebook page!

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Filed Under: food, gastronomy, Seville, Spain, Tapas, Tapas Bars, Things to do in Sevilla, typical Spanish, UNESCO World Heritage · Tagged: , , ,
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