Gastroanthropology

Summer's End in San Sebastian

It's been just over a year since we've made London our home-base. And what a year it has been. Certainly in the book of my life, this past year will be an interesting chapter. We've managed to visit nearly every place in Europe we've ever wanted to go, and made a commitment to do today, before we've even turned 30, what most say they might do when they retire. 

Summer has managed to slip through our fingers and its that time of year when days get shorter and I find myself pulling a sweater over my head as soon as I wake. Rather than totally succumb to fall we managed to squeeze in one last summer trip where beaches and food took center stage.

Angulas - Baby Eels 

Basque country in Spain is situated on the Bay of Biscay, borders France to the east, and sits just above La Rioja. Our time in Basque country was spent in San Sebastian. Mornings were spent exploring the town and hiking around, afternoons dedicated to wave surfing and sunning at the beach, and evenings were dedicated to Rioja and pintxos.

Pintxos are San Sebastian's answer to tapas. Most are littered along the bar and you pick what you like. Locals wash them down with cider, but we found we much preferred Rioja with our pintxos.

 

Others are chosen from a menu and cooked to order - like this calamari...

Or this squid, stuffed with meat and a whole shrimp!

The most memorable though may have been this Tarta de Queso from a pintxos bar in Old Town called La Viña.

Light, smooth and deliciously caramelized edges - we couldn't get enough.

We had multiple slices, every single day we were there. Nate even told me to take smaller bites and to slowly savor each bite. We've contemplated going back to San Sebastian just for the cheesecake. 

Rumor has it that the recipe includes goat cheese curd and yogurt. Now on a mission to recreate.

Barcelona + Bubo + Comerç, 24

When you are visiting a city as a tourist you often run the risk of making tourist mistakes. Wasting a meal on a crap restaurant or getting ripped off by a taxi driver are two things that come to mind. So it is always great when you visit a foreign city that has a friend who lives there. Continuing our hyper-Euro-tourism we spent last weekend in Barcelona, complete with local guide. Not born and bred in Barcelona, but a fellow pastry chef who is also exploring what Europe has to offer and currently stationed at Bubo in Barcelona. 

More like an edible art gallery than pastry shop, Bubo is a feast for the eyes. 

And every flavor of marshmallow you could ever want to eat...

Barcelona is probably best known for its Gaudi architecture, its location along the Mediterranean Sea, and its Catalan cuisine. Among the foodie world its no secret that Spain has not only a rich food history, but also leads in food trends and innovation. The likes of Ferran Adria and Oriol Balaguer all strut their stuff near Barcelona.

As Barcelona is right along the water and as the summer heat leaves you in a daze its clear why dinner is eaten super late and seafood tapas are king. One of our favorite Mediterranean treats - Grilled Cuttlefish.

And a our new favorite tapa...sauteed spinach with spanish bacon and chickpeas.

Two of our best meals, recommended by our local guide, came from Carles Abellan's two ventures. Chef Abellan trained under Ferran Adria for nearly a decade and we had dinner at each of his restaurants. One was informal, rustic, and just plain good. Here was the menu at TAPAS, 24 the day we were there...

And then, the following evening we had dinner at comerç, 24. I wish I could tantalize your tastebuds with pictures but I've never been successful at taking pictures of food at dimly lit restaurants. And trying to use flash never makes anything look appetizing, which is a real shame. So, I'll just share with you my meal titled the Festival Menu by the Chef. I jotted everything we ate so not to forget one bit. Most courses came with multiple different tastes.

Enjoy.

Course 1: Gold dusted macadamias. Green Olives. Vichyssoise with summer truffle. Parmesan-lemon mousse cannelloni.

Course 2: Monkfish with black sesame + squid ink paste. Tuna tartare on egg yolk with salmon caviar.

Course 3: Sardines with blood orange + microgreens + fresh wasabi + crunched caramelized nuts. Consomme with spherified egg + cheese + truffle.

Course 4: Cod with pinenut foam + sherry. Artichoke ice cream with warm cod foam + sherry reduction + toasted pinenuts.

Course 5: Duck + foie rice with crunchy corn. Black rice with cuttlefish.

Course 6: Seabass with potato, vinegar foam, caramelized onion, and garlic flowers. 

Course 7: Chicken with prawn and cauliflower puree.

Just when you thought it was done...dessert.

Course 8: Oreo cookie of black sesame cookie and whipped cream. Pineapple sable with flambeed meringue. Greek yogurt foam with puffed rice + mango + raspberry. Passionfruit and mandarin foam over mint tea puree. Chocolate mousse with sea salt + olive oil + tuile. Nougat espuma coated in chocolate with marcona almonds + coffee gelee. 

Jealous? =)

Bienvenido a Andalucia

View from the Puente San Miguel, Ronda

To ease the blow of returning to gloom, snowy London after a few weeks home in sunny California, Nate and I took a four day road trip through Andalucia, Spain.

We flew into Malaga and drove along the coast of the Mediterranean for an hour or so and then headed north into the mountains toward Granada - home of the Alhambra. 

Hungry upon arrival we went in search of some tapas and found a place with lots of jamon serrano - dry cured mountain ham from the "original" Sierra Nevada - that is served raw and super-thin.

We also had chorizo - cured pork sausage a bit smokey and spicy from the smoked red peppers that are used to flavor the pork and a mild Manchego cheese made from the whole milk of the Manchega sheep.

Anxious to get out into the countryside we left Granada the next afternoon and drove west zipping through the mountains covered in olive orchards.

I thought the trees would be bare as olives are usually harvested in the fall but these trees were full of deep purple empeltre olives.

Taking our time to enjoy the scenery we made it to Ronda in the early evening. We explored the town famous for the Puente San Miguel - an old Roman bridge that spans across a 500 foot gorge. 

We stopped for our second evening of tapas and tried cana de lomo iberica - Iberian air-dried pork loin, which was absolutely delicious. It is made from Iberico ham or black-hoofed ham which has a longer curing process than the serrano ham, typically for at least two years. Because it is the loin of pork it is a bit more meaty, deeper in color, and less fatty than serrano ham. Unfortunately, the dark tapas bar prohibited any great pictures of the cana de lomo iberica - but a must to try if you get the chance. These juicy pork meatballs - albondigas - were absolutely delicious as well.

After tapas and riojas wine we went to dinner and had a juicy roast chicken, tortilla, and more serrano ham - this time sliced table-side!

In the morning we were greeted with a little Spanish rain so decided to get back on the road and head to Sevilla. Quickly we went past the clouds and came across more orchards - this time not of olives but solar panels! With thousands of hours of sunlight Spain is a leader in the use of this renewable energy!

Our last stop for this trip to Spain ended in Sevilla, where the streets are lined with fragrant orange trees.

If your wondering why these ripe oranges haven't been picked and eaten by locals and tourists its because these Sevilla oranges are bitter oranges - the type used for bitter orange marmalade and very popular in the United Kingdom.

More important than Christmas in Spain is Reyes celebrated on January 6, when the Three Kings came to visit the baby Jesus, baring gifts. Nativity scenes are in every church and in nearly every courtyard in Sevilla. The day is celebrated with the exchange of gifts (rather than on Christmas day) and with Rosco de Reyes - Three Kings Cake. This yeasted cake is formed into a ring and baked with candied citrus and other brightly colored fruits. Some are sliced and layered with different flavors of cream.

Inside the cake is often a hidden plastic Jesus, candy, bean, or almond. The finder is considered blessed, but also responsible for a number of things like paying for the cake or hosting Dia de la Candelaria or the Purification of the Blessed Virgin on February 2.  

We couldn't leave Spain without spending our last night in a tapas bar and this time decided to go for seafood as we hadn't had any yet. Our favorite was small and tender - grilled cuttlefish.