Beet and Syrah Risotto with Gorgonzola and Parsley-Walnut Pesto AND Chocolate Mousse

Yeah. Pretty solid dinner tonight. We have a cookbook which is geared toward cooking with wine and also pairing wines with the recipes themselves to enjoy alongside. Well... this one didn't disappoint. Don't be fooled by the yuletide color scheme. There is a fair bit of red and green going on, but the taste was magnificent. The pesto and and gorgonzola round out the dish amazingly.

Dessert was a Gordon Ramsay chocolate mousse with some Crunchie bars running through it. WOW. It was rich, but chocolate-y delicious. You'll want a glass of milk or something after.


The Risotto
PARSLEY-WALNUT PESTO
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted
1¼ cups loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 tablespoon roasted garlic
¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 red beets, scrubbed
2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup chopped leek, rinsed
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1 large shallot, minced
1 ½ cups Arborio rice
1 cup Syrah or other dry red wine
4 ½ cups vegetable or chicken stock, heated
¾ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
Diced yellow tomato or yellow bell pepper,for garnish

TO MAKE THE PESTO, In a food processor, combine the walnuts, parsley, and roasted garlic and process until smooth. With the machine running, gradually drizzle in the oil to make an emulsified sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat the beets with 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil and place in a roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until tender when pierced wirh a knife, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Peel, dice, and set aside. In a large sa lite pan or skillet, melt the butter with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the leek, onions, and shallot and saute until they begin to soften, 7 to 8 minutes.

Add the rice to the leek mixture and saute until opaque. Add the wine and simmer, stirring constantly, until all the liquid is completely absorbed. Add 2 cups of the heated stock and simmer until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding the stock in 1/2-cup increments and stirring until each addition is absorbed and the rice is al dente (firm but cooked through). Stir in the Gorgonzola and beets and heat through. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide the risotto among warmed pasta or shallow soup bowls. Dollop pesto on top or around the rims. Garnish with diced tomatoes or bell pepper. Serve at once.


The Mousse
150 g dark chocolate, in pieces, plus an extra 25g for grating
2 chocolate-coated honeycomb bars (Crunchie bars)
100 g caster sugar
1 teaspoon liquid glucose
2 tablespoons water
2 large egg whites
100 ml creme fraiche
1-2 tablespoon Kahlua or other coffee liqueur (optional)

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Meanwhile, put the honeycomb bars into the freezer for 10 minutes. When the chocolate as melted, remove from the heat and set aside.

For the meringue, put the sugar, liquid glucose and water into a saucepan and place over a low heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring a couple of times. Increase the heat and boil the syrup until it registers 120C on a candy thermometer; (i.e., the 'hard ball stage', when a little drop of the hot syrup dropped into a glass of water hardens to form a clear ball).

Meanwhile, beat the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl to stiff peaks. With the beaters working, slowly trickle the hot syrup onto the egg whites. Continue to whisk until the egg whites are smooth, glossy and have tripled in volume. The sides of the bowl should no longer feel hot.

Add the creme fraiche to the melted chocolate and whisk to combine. Fold the chocolate into the meringue, followed by the coffee liqueur, if using.

Remove the wrapper from one of the chilled honeycomb bars and wrap in a clean tea towel. Place on a board and lightly bash with a rolling pin to crush the honeycomb. Open up the tea towel and tip the crushed honeycomb into the mousse, then gently fold through with a spatula.

Spoon the mousse into small serving dishes set on a tray. Grate over a layer of chocolate-coated honeycomb, followed by a layer of chocolate. Chill for a few hours before serving.

Yellow Chicken Curry

I didn't have time to 'sex-up' the plate before taking this low-light photo, but don't be put off! We have been really going after the spicy, Asian food since coming back from Spain. Here's a another one which combines the sweetness of tamarind and a bit of sugar with a little chili heat. We were pleased with this overall and happy to have another 2 portions left in the fridge! We served it over some basmati rice.

300 ml chicken stock
30 ml thick tamarind juice, made by mixing tamarind paste with warm water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
200 ml coconut milk
1 green papaya, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
250 g skinless boneless chicken breast portions, diced
juice of 1 lime
lime slices, to garnish
FOR THE CURRY PASTE
1 fresh red chilli, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves. coarsely chopped
3 shallots, coarsely chopped
2 lemon grass stalks, sliced
2 inch piece fresh turmeric, coarsely chopped, or 1 tsp ground turmeric
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
1 teaspoon salt

Make the yellow curry paste. Put the red chilli, garlic, shallots, lemongrass and turmeric in a mortar or food processor. Add the shrimp paste and salt. Pound or process to a paste, adding a little water if necessary.

Pour the stock into a wok or medium pan and bring it to the boil. Stir in the curry paste. Bring back to the boil and add the tamarind juice, sugar and coconut milk. Add the papaya and chicken and cook over a medium to high heat for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked.

Stir in the lime juice, check and adjust the seasoning. Then transfer to a warm dish and serve immediately, garnished with lime slices.

Japanese Udon Noodle Soup

Hey, I'll admit... this isn't the fanciest thing I have ever come up with, but it is one which used up all of the leftover ingredients I had from 'Japanese Dinner' a few nights ago. In that respect, it was a triumph - to use the same ingredient set in a different way. The wasabi adds a nice flavor dimension to the broth without making it spicy, which was nice. Next time, I think I'll do the noodles separately in heavily salted boiling water, and then ad them to the broth, as the noodles had some trouble picking up the flavor of the broth in such a short cooking time. The broth was really good, though. I'll probably make this again as we always have udon noodles laying around.

4 cups basic sea stock (dashi)
3 tablespoons miso paste
2 teaspoons wasabi paste
2 teaspoons sake
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon mirin
pinch salt
3 packages udon noodles
1 scallion, very thinly sliced
½ package firm tofu, drained and sliced

Heat the stock over medium-high heat. When hot, but not boiling, add the miso, wasabi, sake, soy sauce, mirin and salt. Stir to dissolve the pastes completely. When dissolved, add the noodles and stir to separate, cooking for about 2 minutes. Lastly add the tofu and the scallions. Cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Taste the broth, check the noodles for doneness and check for seasoning. Serve hot.

Gazpacho - The Best

Inspired by our trip to Spain (and also to be reminded of what it was like to eat food in warm, summer weather) we whipped up a batch of this gazpacho. I'll tell you, of the gazpachos I have had (and there have been a few) this one is my favorite. The key is to play around with the amount of sherry vinegar that goes in. How much you need will depend on the ripeness and acidity of your tomatoes.

One TIP: I blended and strained the batch, which left behind quite a bit of solids in the strainer. I took those solids and reblended them with just a bit of the soup to make that smooth. There was A LOT of flavor packed into those solids. Make sure you blend down and use as much of it as possible in the finished soup. Also, chill this overnight, if possible.

ALSO: I skipped some of the garnishes. It was still great.

FOR THE GAZPACHO
2 lbs. ripe tomatoes (about 10 plum tomatoes)
½ lb. cucumber (about 1 cucumber)
3 ounces green bell pepper (about 1/2 bell pepper)
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
¾ cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
FOR THE GARNISH
3 tablespoons Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
1 slice rustic white bread
8 plum tomatoes, with the seeds prepared as "fillets" (see page 40)
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 pearl onions, quartered and pulled apart into segments
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Sea salt to taste
4 chives, cut into 1-inch-long pieces

Cut out and discard the core at the top of the tomatoes, and chop the tomatoes roughly into quarters. Place in a blender. Peel the cucumber and cut it into chunks. Add them to the blender. Cut the bell pepper in half, and remove and discard the core and the seeds. Chop the pepper into large pieces and place them in the blender. Add the garlic, sherry vinegar, and 1/2 cup of water, and blend until the mixture becomes a thick liquid. The red tomatoes will have turned a wonderful pink color.

Taste for acidity (this will vary with the sweetness of the tomatoes). If it's not balanced enough, add a little more vinegar. Add the olive oil and salt. Reblend.

Then pour the gazpacho through a strainer into a pitcher. Place it in the fridge to cool for at least 30 minutes.

While the gazpacho is chilling, prepare the croutons: Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small pan over a medium-high flame and fry the bread until golden on both sides, about 2 minutes. Break the bread into small pieces to form 16 croutons, and set aside.

When you are ready to serve the gazpacho, place 4 croutons, 2 "fillets" of tomato seeds, 6 cherry tomato halves, 3 cucumber cubes, and 3 onion segments in each bowl. Add a few drops of the remaining olive oil to each onion segment, and drizzle a little more oil around the bowl. Add a few drops of vinegar to each cucumber cube, and drizzle a little more around the bowl. Sprinkle sea salt on the tomatoes, and sprinkle the chives over all. Pour the chilled gazpacho over the garnish, at the table.

Japanese Dinner

This was my first real try at Japanese cooking. Sure, I've thrown together some sushi in my time, but this was the first real COOKING I've tried. I think it turned out OK fr the most part, but I'll say I have a newfound respect for Japanese cuisine. It does employ a lot of subtlety to get it right. The flavors aren't 'in your face'. That said, I'd like to give it a go again soon.

The miso soup and the ice cream turned out pretty well. There are some things I'd like to try differently next time with the fish dish. Either way, they were tasty and represent REAL Japanese cuisine. That alone makes it worth the effort.

Starter: Miso Soup with Enoki Mushrooms

First make the stock (you will need some of this for the main dish, too, so make a double batch)
15-20 square inches kombu (page 42)
4 ¼ cups cold water, preferably filtered or spring water
½ cup loosely packed katsuo-bushi (page 18)

Place the kombu in a pot with the water. To draw out maximum flavor, let soak for 10 to 15 minutes before placing the pot over medium heat-this will further infuse the water with the
flavor-enhancing properties and nutrients of the kelp.

Remove the pot from the heat as soon as small bubbles begin to break on the surface and at the edge of the pot. Add the katsuo-bushi, scattering the flakes across the surface of the
water. After several minutes, the fish flakes will begin to sink. The larger the flakes, the longer they will take to sink.

To keep the stock from tasting fishy, pour it through a sarashi cloth (page 77) or coffee-filter-lined strainer within 3 or 4 minutes of adding the fish flakes. Reserve the kombu (see notes) and discard the remaining solids.

The Soup
1 package enoki mushrooms, about 3 ounces, trimmed
4 mitsuba stalks (page 26), 2 watercress sprigs, or 2 scallions
3 ½ cups Basic Sea Stock (page 92)
½ block firm tofu, drained and pressed (page 77), then cut into a '/4-inch dice
3 tablespoons miso

Cut the trimmed mushrooms into thirds. Place the pieces with the caps directly into individual soup bowls and the remaining stem portions into a pot.

Trim the mitsuba or watercress, removing roots and tough stems, then chop the leaves and tender stems coarsely. If using scallions, trim away the root and cut both the white bottoms
and the green tops into thin circular slices. Divide the garnish among the bowls.

Add the stock to the pot holding the mushroom stems and bring to a boil over high heat. When the stock begins to boil. skim away any froth and reduce the heat to maintain a steady
but not vigorous simmer. Add the tofu and cook for 1 minute.

Just before serving, place the miso in a miso koshi (page 77) and stir directly into the soup. Or place the miso in a bowl, ladle in some of the hot stock from the pot, stir to mix it, and
add to the pot.

Ladle the soup into the bowls holding the enoki caps and garnish, dividing it evenly, and serve immediately.


Main: Cloud-Steamed Bass
CLOUD TOPPING
2-inch chunk daikon or rutabaga, about 4 ounces
1 small potato, preferably red- or white-skinned new potato, or small piece lotus root, about 2 ounces
½ egg white from large egg
Pinch of salt
4 slices sea bass fillet, with skin intact, or bass steaks
4 dried bamboo leaves (optional)
4 pieces kombu (page 42), preferably Rausu kombu, Rishiri kombu, or rna kombu, each the same dimension as a single portion of fish
SAUCE
⅓ cup Basic Sea Stock (page 92)
1 teaspoon light-colored soy sauce
2 teaspoons sake
1 teaspoon mirin
½ teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1/2 teaspoon water to make a thin paste
1 teaspoon wasabi paste

To make the cloud topping, peel and grate the daikon and potato, combine them, and then drain off excess moisture as directed for daikon on page 59. You should have about 1/2 cup.
In a bowl, combine the egg white and salt and beat with a whisk or several pairs of chopsticks until soft peaks form. Add the grated vegetable and fold in gently but thoroughly.

Ideally, the bass pieces are wrapped in bamboo leaves, but you can use cooking parchment if you don't have the leaves. I do not recommend the use of aluminum foil, because it often
imparts a metallic aftertaste.

If using dried bamboo leaves, lay the leaves speckled side down and shiny side up on a flat work surface and clean as directed on page 84. Place a piece of kombu, aligning it horizontally, at the center of each leaf to prevent the fish from sticking to it and to lend a pleasant seashore aroma to the finished dish. Put a piece of fish, skin side down if using fillet, on each piece of kombu. Top each piece of fish with one-fourth of the cloud mixture. Starting at the broad end, fold the bamboo leaf loosely over the cloud mixture. Then fold over the narrower, slightly triangular end, to enclose the fish loosely. Pinch the sides of each packet and tuck in the edges a bit to ensure the fish is protected. Secure each bundle with its own self-tie (a thin strip of dried bamboo) or with kitchen string if necessary, taking care not to mash the cloud mixture.

If using cooking parchment, cut 4 pieces each about 8 inches square and place on a flat work surface. Place a piece of kombu, aligning it horizontally, at the center of each piece of
parchment to prevent the fish from sticking to it and to lend a pleasant seashore aroma to the finished dish. Put a piece of fish, skin side down, on each piece of kombu. Top each piece
with one-fourth of the cloud mixture, Bring the top and bottom edges of the parchment paper up to meet loosely over the cloud mixture and then fold over together several times to
secure shut. Close the right and left sides of the paper by folding them down loosely and turning them under the packet. Secure each packet with kitchen string, taking care not to
mash the cloud mixture.

Bring the water in the bottom of a steamer to a boil. Adjust the heat to maintain a steady but gentle flow of steam and place the packets on the steamer rack. Cover and steam the fish for 5 minutes, Remove the steamer from the stove, Carefully remove the lid, lifting it away from you to avoid being burned by the steam, To test for doneness, gently press or pinch the sides of the fish at the bottom of each packet with tongs or long cooking chopsticks. The fish should feel fairly firm. If it does not, replace the lid, move the steamer back onto the stove, and steam for another minute.

Remove the steamer from the stove and allow the fish to self-steam (murasu) for another 2 minutes. While the fish is self-steaming, heat shallow serving bowls in the steamer or a preheated oven set to 200F and make the sauce. In a small saucepan, combine the stock, soy sauce, sake, and mirin over high heat until bubbles appear at the edge of the pan, Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened.

Open the packets of fish, Some liquid will have been trapped in the packets; carefully drain. Using a broad spatula, carefully transfer each portion, kelp side down, to a warmed bowl. Spoon some of the thickened sauce over the cloud topping and around the fish, Garnish the top of each portion with a small dab of wasabi. Diners dissolve the wasabi in the surrounding sauce as they eat.

Serve piping hot, The kelp may be eaten along with the fish, although it will be a bit chewy.


Dessert: Green Tea Ice Cream

⅓ cup sugar
⅓ cup cold water
½ teaspoon mirin
2 teaspoons matcha (page 54)
½ cup whole milk
½ cup half-and-half

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Stir the mixture over low heat to melt the sugar and then continue to simmer for about 5 minutes, or until a bit syrupy. Add the
mirin, stir, and remove the pan from the heat.

In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the warm syrup and the matcha and stir until dissolved. Return this sweet tea concentrate to the saucepan and stir until completely blended. To retain optimal aroma and ensure an intense jade color, do not reheat the mixture. Stir in the milk and half-and-half and mix thoroughly.

If you are using an ice-cream maker, pour the tea and milk mixture into the machine and follow the manufacturer's instructions for making a soft-set ice cream. For most models, about 10 minutes of chilling and churning should suffice. Pour the semifrozen mixture into a 3-cup freezer-safe container with a snug-fitting lid. Tap the container gently on a countertop to force out any air bubbles that might be trapped below the surface. Cover and freeze for at least 2 hours, or until firm throughout.

If you are using a blender, electric mixer, or whisk and freezer trays, pour the tea-and-milk mixture into a flat, shallow freezer-safe container, filling it no more than two-thirds full (the mixture will expand). Tap the container gently on a countertop to force out any air bubbles that might be trapped below the surface. Cover and freeze for 1 1/2, hours, or until nearly firm. Transfer the semifrozen mixture to a blender and pulse in a few short spurts. Or, with a handheld electric mixer or a whisk, whip the mixture vigorously in a deep bowl. Return the mixture to the same container, re-cover, and freeze again for another 45 minutes, or until firm (but not rock-hard) throughout. Repeat the blend or whip step one more time to
achieve a silkier texture.

The final ice cream should be smooth but not too hard. When ready to serve, transfer one or two scoops to pre-chilled bowls. The jade color of the ice cream makes for a dramatic presentation against black tableware.

Spain Photos Posted!

I've uploaded all of our Spain photos to our Flickr site. You can check them out at:

www.flickr.com/photos/kbruyette/sets

Crab with Tamarind and Curry Leaves

This was a nifty little recipe. I chose not to include a photo because it simply looks like a another lightly colored curry over rice, of which there are many photos of already, and they are virtually indistinguishable from one another.

That said, the flavor was FANTASTIC. I will definitely make this again, though I'll probably not go through the bother of breaking the crabs down myself, which was EASILY the most time-consuming step. Next, time I'll go with prepped crab from the fishmonger... pretty sure I would not use canned. The coconut paste was a new ingredient for me and it brought so much more flavor than regular coconut milk. Feel free to use tamarind syrup rather than the pulp if you have to.

By the way, all of these Asian ingredients can be found at any reputable Asian grocer or food shop. Lots of rich flavors here....yum!

Crab with Tamarind and Curry Leaves
2x500 g medium crabs (preferably raw)
50 g tamarind pulp
60 milliliters vegetable oil
2 dried red chillies
8-10 curry leaves
300 g onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
100 g coconut paste or creamed coconut
2 teaspoons ground coriander
¾ teaspoons ground turmeric
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

Cut each crab into 4 or 5 pieces (unless your fishmonger has done so for you) and crack the claws; set aside. Soak the tamarind pulp in 150ml warm water for 20 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve.

Heat the oil in a saute pan, add the dried chillies and saute for a minute or two, then remove. Add the curry leaves to the pan and saute until they crackle. Add the onions and fry until softened and light brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for 3--4 minutes until it turns golden brown and the raw taste disappears. Add the coconut paste and fry for a few minutes until the oil leaves the masala. Add the ground coriander and turmeric, and saute over a low heat for 1 minute.

Add the crabs, salt and tamarind liquid. Simmer gently for 5-8 minutes until the crab pieces are cooked, then take them out. Boil the sauce to reduce slightly. Return the crab and scatter with coriander to serve.

Chicken with Petit Pois a la Francaise (sort of)

As you might imagine, I do get the itch to cook when on vacation. Well, this was a nice little 'welcome back' meal. We hadn't eaten chicken (or any poultry, really) the whole time we were in Spain. Pork is the name of the game down there, which is just fine.

Anyways, this is a Gordon Ramsay recipe and it worked out great. I have NEVER been able to find pearl onions. Ever. So this is only sort of the 'a la francaise' preparation. The dish tasted great without them, though I couldn't help but thinking those little onions would have really elevated the dish as a whole had they been included. Anyhow, enough blathering from me, give this a go!

1.7 kg chicken
3 tablespoons flour
sea salt and black pepper
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
few sprigs thyme
2 bay leaf
150 milliliters dry white wine
800-900 milliliters chicken stock
handful parsley, chopped

PETIT POIS A LA FRANCAISE
2 tablespoons olive oil
150 g small pearl onions, peeled
few sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
100 milliliters chicken stock
500 g peas, preferably young and fresh
50 g butter, cut into cubes
2 baby gem lettuce, shredded

Joint the chicken into eight pieces. Season the flour with salt and pepper and toss the chicken pieces in it to coat all over. Heat little olive oil in a wide frying pan and fry the chicken pieces, in two batches over a medium heat until golden brown on all sides. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.

Add the carrots, onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaves to the pan. Stir and cook over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes until the vegetables are beginning to soften. Pour in the white wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Return the chicken pieces to the pan, nestling them among the vegetables, and pour in enough stock to cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Skim off any scum that rises to the surface, put the lid on the pan and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is tender.

With a pair of tongs, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Strain the stock through a fine sieve, pushing with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much juice from the vegetables as possible; discard the vegetables. Return the stock to a clean, wide pan. Skim off any excess fat from the top of the liquid, then allow to bubble for 10-15 minutes until reduced and thickened.

Cook the petit pois in the meantime. Heat the olive oil in a large, shallow pan. Add the pearl onions, thyme and bay leaf and saute over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the stock, peas and some salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the butter, a few knobs at a time, to enrich and help thicken the sauce. Finally, mix through the lettuce and heat briefly until wilted

Return the chicken to the pan and reheat gently in the sauce for a few minutes. Serve with peas and a generous sprinkling of chopped parsley.

Home at Last.....Safely

Well, folks, we're home. We've not been home for 24 hours, but it was quite easy to shift modes.
When we last blogged, we were winding down our visit to Sevilla. We had a great time there! The capital of tapas did not disappoint!

We arrived in Toledo Sunday afternoon. Toledo is in central Spain and the terrain and food were quite different from what we had experienced. Founded by the Visigoths in the 6th Century, old Toledo is an old, hilly town surrounded by walls. At first, it seemed to be the slowest, not to mention most expensive, city we'd visited so far. I thought for sure we'd be bored. I'm glad I was wrong.

The drive from Sevilla to Toledo was the longest leg of our trip. It was also one of the prettiest. Having made the long drive from Texas to California, this was very similar, but much more picturesque. The canyons and the colors were gorgeous! The scenery definitely made the drive easier.

When we finally settled into our hotel, we set out for a bite to eat. At this point, I was still not 100% better, but I could at least move a little quicker. After scouting a few restaurants, we thought we were destined to spend a fortune on a meal. Compared to the rest of Spain, the restaurants in Toledo are quite a bit more expensive! Finally, we settled at a cheaper, but local restaurant. The food was okay for the time, but after that we made it a point to stay clear of that area of town for eating.

After our siesta, we walked for a couple of hours and were pleased to find a pinchos place. I still wasn't able to bring my A-game but I did sample a couple of Kevin's pinchos. Yum! A couple of hours later we found a reputable place for dinner. It was local and didn't open until nine in the evening. No catering to the tourists!

The next day we visited the Toledo cathedral. It was gorgeous! One wouldn't think that for such a small area that you could find a cathedral of this caliber. It was pretty big. There were many works from Greco, and in fact his home and museum is located in Toledo. Unfortunately, both were closed and we could not visit.

After our visit to the cathedral, we went to the Museum of Medieval Torture Devices. I can deal with the macabre, at least on a campy level, but I was pretty disturbed by what I saw. Water torture has been around since at least the Inquisition, and after reading and seeing how it was practiced then (and replicated now) I can say that it's definitley torture. Don't believe the hype! It's torture. Oh! And don't get me started on that chastity belt either!

For the final leg of our journey we drove to Zaragoza. I'll admit I was intrigued by the fact that my father had visited about 40 + years before and wanted to be able to say that we visited the same place. When I spoke to my father though, he said he didn't remember a thing about the place.

The Water Expo is going on right now. It's advertised all over the city. However, we didn't see any sort of info of events but that was alright since we only had one day. We found a cool wine bar around the corner from our "hotel." I won't go into why I'm putting hotel in quotes because I don't want to waste space, but let's just say we at least had a place to rest our heads. Unfortunately, the pillows sucked.

After our final siesta of our holiday, we made our way to the cathedral. Toledo was hit pretty hard during the Spainsh Civil War, but the cathedral managed to escape. There was some damage but it's been maintained beautifully. We were able to take the elevator to the observation deck for a view of the city. It was extremely windy, but that didn't obstruct our view. If there was one thing we noticed from our trip, it was that some of the grandest cathderals are found in the smaller towns and villages.

We walked around the town and saw the old Roman forum. Most people, myself included, have no idea of how far the Roman empire reached. In more than a few places in Spain, we saw a few of their ruins. They are impressive.

To end our night, we had one last vino tinto de verano (a wine and lemonade cocktail that's surprising good) and had some tapas. Chorizo stewed in cider is a beautiful thing. We finished at the wine bar where this time we sat at the bar and had a good conversations with two of the waitstaff. They were from Colombia and we got on very well with them.

In the morning, we finally sample the churros and chocolate. The hot chocolate is nothing like it is back home. You can practically stand the churros in the hot chocolate. It's like drinking mud, but yummy mud. After our high sugar breakfast, we made our way to the Barcelona airport.
Once again, the drive didn't disappoint. We drove through wine country and it was beautiful. Even the rain that managed to stay during our holiday didn't dampen the scenery, but I have to say that we were relieved once we reached the airport. By this point, we counldn't wait to be back in the UK.

I wish I could the flight back was pleasant but it wasn't. When I wasn't having to endure the child kicking my chair for most of the flight, the entire plane got to hear her child have screaming fits while their parents pretended not to hear. After we landed, we learned that it could've been worse. We heard that a jet burst into flames just off the runway in Madrid. All of a sudden, cranky children didn't seem so bad.

We received an urgent e-mail on Kevin's iPhone from my sister wanting to make sure we were alright. I left a message with her but I made sure to call my mom. Like most moms, my mom is a worrier multiplied by a thousand. I don't say that to make fun of her because I guess I'm the same way, but I've learned to calm down at least a little. She was worried and had pretty much spent her day glued to the news when she and her boss weren't trying to find out if Kevin and I were on the flight. I was happy to talk to her and she was just overcome with relief and happiness. After speaking to her, I couldn't help but wonder about those people whose family members had to come to terms with losing their loved ones in such a tragic way.

In any case, we'll be posting our photos within the next few days to our Flickr site. Give them a look and we hope you like them and have a great rest-of-the-summer!

Spain...Still Great!

Cehegin
Hello, Vanessa here...After a proper late night in Valencia, we traveled on to Cehegin. The was the first of the small villages we visited. In order to reach the town, we had to travel through what seemed like West Texas-flat then hilly, but dry and hot. Situated on a hilltop, the town's steeple is its dominate feature.

Cehegin was easy enough to get to, but the roads in the town! Very narrow, very windy, but perhaps it being a Sunday, somewhat deserted. After finally reaching the BnB, I settled in for almost entire day. What I didn't mention was how sick I was and how I seemed to feel worse by the minute.

For those that don't know me, I hate being sick. If I can, I will go about my business (in some cases I'll continue exercising). Being sick is the worse thing that can happen to me, but I can be somewhat of a baby, but a nice, sweet, sick baby. I felt horrible for Kevin so I begged him to get out into the town and at least have lunch. Before and after he returned, Kevin took care of me and after about two or so hours, I had an appetite back.

I'm so glad I was able to eat at least a little something. We had, at least up until that point, the best polpo de Gallega. Literally, it means octopus Gallegan style. If you've ever tried octopus before, you know that the texture can be firm, but this is not the case with polpo de Gallega. By far, this was the most tender octopus either of us had ever had. After being steamed, it's drizzled with olive oil followed with a sprinkle of paprika. In addition, we also had the pan con tomate (toasted bread with tomatoes and olive oil) and it was amazing. The ingredients were extremely fresh. Finally, not wanting to overdo it, we shared a fruit platter for dessert. Boring you think? Not when the fruits are fresh!

Benamocarra - Torre del Mar - Malaga


Our drive to Benamocarra was deceptively long. Looking at the map, we didn't think it was too far away from Cehegin, but we didn't count on having to drive through the mountains. Not too treacherous, but we were of course relieved to make it to our destination.
We arrived close to three in the afternoon and it was extremely hot. After finding the Good BnB, the wonderful hosts briefed us about the layout of the area as well as one place that was probably still serving lunch (most of Spain, especially small towns, close between two and three). First of all, this was the best BnB we've ever stayed at (sorry for the pun). Adrian and Janet were nothing short of incredible. In case we've never told you before, our goal is to make Spain our home after the Navy. They shared their story with us as well as offered valuable information. They really seemed happy and that they really loved what they were doing. They, along with their two cats Stevie and Tobey made us feel more than welcome. Oh, and in addition to being fabulous hosts, their home was fabulous as well.

I would have to say that the best gazpacho (at least in my opinion) so far was at the small restaurant nearby. After a late lunch (my appetite was still not 100%), we took the obligatory siesta. Not sure what to do for the evening, Janet and Adrian recommended the nearby beach town of Torre del Mar. It was close by and we were very lucky to find parking as quickly as we did.

Torre del Mar is a great little beach community that was just bit away from the B&B. It has a nice little boardwalk and loads of beach bars (called 'chiringuitos') and other places to eat. The name of the game in this part of Spain is, naturally, seafood. We didn't let up on the seafood the whole time.

The next day we got into Malaga, which was just a 30 minute drive or so to the west. Malaga has a great old part of the city which has lots of cathderals and old architecture. We ended up at a tapas bar (Bar Pimpi) which has remnants of famous folks having eaten there. It was HOT, though, with temps topping the 100's that day.

We had a good little walk around Benamocarra that night after our obligatory nap and really got to liking the place. Dare I say it has shot to the top of the list of places we may want to end up living in the future.

Vejer del la Frontera and Jerez de la Frontera


What an amazing stop this was! First of all, the town we stayed in (and the hotel itself) was incredibly charming and unique. It is a classic hilltop 'white town' (all the buildings are painted white) with some heavy Moorish accents to the architecture and food. If you ever get the chance to stay in La Casa de la Califa, do it. We stayed in a little cave-like room with a great view of the city and the valley below. The restuarant and bar were great, with obvious North African influences to Spanish cuisine. The town was a great little walk around - lots of windy narrow streets, local restaurants and the like. The town was preparing for their annual fiesta on the 15th of August and was in a festive mood. Our hotel was right on the main square (shown above) which was the sight of the festivities which went well on until the morning with music and dancing. At one point, an impromtu band formed of fabulously dressed musicians, who played music through the streets of the town, much to the chagrin of some of the local dogs.

The next day we spent the day in nearby Jerez, which is the capital of worldwide sherry production. We went to the Sandeman bodega and took the tour and tasted some sherries and ultiamtely ended up buying some and sending it home. After that a bit more walking around and we spent another great evening back in Vejer.

That's it for now... next post will have the rest of our trip and after we get home, we'l post all of the photos (there are SO MANY more) to our Flickr site. Hope you are all well!

Hello from Spain

Well, I splurged the 15 Euro and got our internet connection going for the next 24 hours in the hotel. We are in Valencia and, as you might have guessed, it is hot and sunny and awesome. It has been an adventure in food and sightseeing so far and we have been doing very well with the language and what-not.

Barcelona was great, albeit overrun with tourists. We managed to find a few places off the beaten path which has made it fun. Being able to articulate the types of places we want to go to cab drivers has been helpful. Here's a few photos:

Southern Home-Cookin'

Here's a quick one before we set off for Spain later this afternoon. We had some friends around for what I would consider some good 'ol Southern cooking. Mind you, it's not the food I grew up with so I may have been way off. However, I did pluck the recipes from a book about Southern cooking, so I guess that's a start.

Here's something else, I was not able to take photos because THE ANTICIPATION WAS TOO MUCH when this baby came out of its 6-hour journey from raw meat to juicy, literally falling-off- the-bone wonderfulness. We will definitely see this one again. The coleslaw, while not the feature component of dinner, was a nice, cool counterpoint to the pork. And the ice cream - just the right amount of lavender. The guests went away happy and yours will too.

Coleslaw
3 lb. napa or green cabbage
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup mixed capers and cornichons, drained
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
zest and juice of 1 lemon
salt & pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Cut the cabbage in half with a sharp knife and cut out the dense wedge of core. Slice each half into quaners and slice each quarter into very thin ribbons, about 1/8 inch thick, with a knife or a mandoline. You should have about 10 cups.

Whisk together the mayonnaise, relish, mustard, cayenne and lemon juice and zest. (KEVIN'S NOTE: I stuck it all into a little blender and it worked out nicely)

Place the cabbage in a large bowl, pour the dressing over it, and toss to coat evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss again.

Cover the coleslaw with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 4 hours. Toss it every 30 minutes to make certain the flavors meld evenly, and toss once again before serving.

Oven-BBQ'd Picnic Shoulder
2 cans whole tomatoes. lightly crushed. with juice (14 oz. cans)
2 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika (pimenton) or 2 chipotles in adobo plus more to taste
2 tablespoons sorghum molasses, cane syrup or honey, plus more to taste
½ cup white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, or cider vinegar, plus more to taste
6-8 lbs. pork picnic shoulder (or Boston butt if you prefer), one or two pieces, rind off, but a good layer of fat left on
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
½ tablespoons canola oil
4 large plum tomatoes, cored
1 medium yellow onion, trimmed, peeled and quartered

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F degrees.

In a 6-quart enameled cast-iron stockpot or Dutch oven, bring the canned tomatoes, paprika, sorghum molasses (or honey), and 6 tablespoons vinegar to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Set the pork skin side up on your work surface. With a sharp knife, slice the skin from the
shoulder with a gentle sawing motion. working back from the point diagonally across from the leg end where the skin forms a corner (asking your burcher to do this for you will save time). Leave a thin layer of fat on the shoulder. Season the pork with the salt and black pepper.

Pour the oil into a 12-inch skillet or saute pan and heat over high hear. When the oil shimmers and just begins to smoke. place the pork in the pan. skinned side down. and sear until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Place the pork skinned side down in the pot with the tomato braising liquid.

Add the plum tomatoes and onion to the skillet and cook. rurning every few minutes. until
the skin of the tomatoes blisters and blackens and the onion is caramelized on all sides. Tuck the vegetables around the pork in the pot. Pour off the fat and add rhe remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar to the skillet and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any caramelized pork, tomato, and onion bits from the bottom. Pour over the pork.

Cover the pot, transfer to the oven, and cook for 30 minutes. Baste the pork, then turn the heat down to 150C/300F degrees and continue to cook, basting-every 30 minutes, until the pork is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.

Remove the pork from the oven, transfer to a cutting board with a gutter, and let rest 10 minutes before carving. Season the sauce with molasses, vinegar, salt, pepper. and smoked paprika to taste.

KEVIN'S VARIATION: You can cook this a LOT longer for a superior effect. After the initial 30 minutes at higher heat in the oven, drop the heat down to 110C/230F (and even a little lower if using a fan-assisted oven). Baste the pork every 30-45 minutes for up to six hours.

When done, put the pork aside in a roasting pan or something that will hold it all. With a hand blender (or in a real blender) whiz up the liquid left behind in the pot. Bring this mixture to the boil and let it reduce down some to thicken it up a little, for about 10 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, with two forks, pull the pork off of the bone (it will FALL right off). Using the forks, shred the pork into a nice pulled pork consistency. When you have done that and have pulled any egregiously fatty parts out, take the sauce off of the heat and pour it onto the meat. Give it a good stir and check the seasoning. Either keep it warm in a low oven or slap it on a toasted bun and go to town.

Lavender Tea Ice Cream
280 milliliters single cream
500 milliliters whipping cream
220 milliliters milk
1 heaped tablespoon dried lavender tea, or any other loose tea
6 egg yolks
150 g sugar

Combine the creams and milk and a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. When simmering, stir in the tea and take off the heat. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes to infuse the flavor.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale and it has a ribbon consistency.

After the 30 minutes are up, pour some of the warm cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture and whisk through the bring the temperature up. Put the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the cream mixture and bring to a simmer over medium heat. DO NOT LET IT BOIL. Wen just simmering, drop the heat down to low and let the custard cook for about 10 minutes or so, to thicken it.

When it has reached a sauce consistency (coats the back of a spoon), take off the heat and strain. It is now ready to be put into an ice cream maker and churned.

Porcini Mushroom Pizza with Ribblesdale Cheese and Tarragon

We're setting off for Spain in a few days and didn't want to go crazy buying groceries and stuff in the run-up to the trip. So we've been trying to eat with what we have laying around. We still had a pizza dough base (the last one!) and some dried porcini mushrooms along with the rest of the tarragon. Sounds like a pizza to me.

We grabbed some cheese (Ribblesdale - creamy and a bit smoky. You could just as easily use mozzarella here, too) from the local deli and away we went. One kind of cool thing I learned here is brushing the pizza base all over with olive oil prior to putting anything on top. This is probably my best baked crust yet because of this important application.

The dried mushrooms were soaked for 30 minutes or so, then sauteed off in a little olive oil, then some white wine, which I cooked down until it was all evaporated/soaked up by the mushrooms. Nothing fancy here, but it was a great pizza.

Free-Form Lasagne with Porcini Mushrooms in a Marsala and Cognac Sauce

We had a bit of fresh pasta in the freezer and decided to put it to use with some dried porcini mushrooms, which are great. The mushroom soaking liquid is LOADED with mushroom flavor and is, in effect, a mushroom stock which should be put to use here. The boozes and tarragon set the sauce off nicely and the butter pulls it all together. This serves two people and is yummy. This took virtually no time to out together and really delivered in the flavor department.

2 handfuls dried porcini mushrooms
4 sheets lasagne pasta, preferably fresh, each about 16 inches long
olive oil
1 large banana shallot, or 2 regular shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
splash Marsala
splash Cognac
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
3 tablespoons tarragon, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan, freshly grated

Put the dried porcini mushrooms in a bowl, and cover with 2-3 cups of water. Place something (such as another bowl) on top of the mushrooms to weight them down and keep them submerged in the water. Soak the mushrooms for at least 30 minutes to soften them. Meanwhile, start heating a pot of water for the pasta.

Get the olive oil into a pan and heat it over medium-high heat. When hot, add the shallots and a pich each of salt and pepper. Saute them around until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so, stirring.

Drain the mushrooms and reserve the liquid. Add the drained mushrooms and cook them down until good and soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the Marsala and Cognac and deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Add the stock and crank the heat up to high. Let the liquid reduce down rapidly; you want it to thicken somewhat. Mash the butter and flour together so it binds and add it to the pan, stirring to incorporate fully. This should help it thicken up at the end.

Meanwhile, add a good handful of salt to the water and put the pasta in and cook it according to package directions, or if it's fresh, just cook for 2 minutes until al dente. Remove and drain.

Add the tarragon to the sauce and stir through briefly. Check seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as necessary.

Assemble by placing the pasta sheet flat on a plate, with one end of the sheet n the middle of the plate. Spoon a bit of the mushroom mixture onto the pasta, then fold it back over on itself, adding a bit more mixture as you go until you've made a neat stack with filling in layers. Top with remaining sauce and some grated Parmesan. Serve hot.