Top Spanish Tapas...

In rural parts of Andalucia the quality of the soil does not suit many fruits and vegetables. We have been experimenting with some garden essentials over the past few years and have found something that thrives - Pumpkin.

We planted some seeds in mid June and just added water...



3 months later and it looks like there will be plenty of soup for Halloween, the pumpkin is a good 40cm in diameter, by no means a giant but big enough. Our local green grocer also grows his own for re-sale on his stall in the village, you can even buy it by the segment. Very popular roasted here in Andalucia.



During the summer we also started to build some terraces to accommodate more veg and the odd fruit tree for next year. The plant itself began to take over - even growing through the composter. There are also 6 more pumpkins which appear to have "taken" quite well. Our 6 year old little boy shows great interest on the approach to Halloween night..



Roasted pumpkin recipe and pumpkin soup coming soon!

Coming up soon: Something special for beef rib.. and some simple hot tapas.

Some readers may have noticed we have been producing slide shows on YouTube. One of the most recent is of our local village Orce packed full of colour and tapas dishes along with some photographs of August fiestas.

Gayle and I made this one with some photos taken over the past of couple of years in and around the village and local hamlets. There are a few shots of the common cave dwellings around the area, some of the castle, scenery, flamenco etc etc. Hope you enjoy it.



Watch out for more slide shows on the way, yesterday we purchased a new serrano ham for photography and will be detailing the carving of that step by step in the coming weeks.

Next up: Liver and onions with paprika.... Nice!!

Its always very strange at the end of August when almost overnight everyone who has come from all over Spain for their holidays return home. The fiestas in the village come to an end and September looms taking us into the Autumn.



As usual and in fine style our neighbours held one big fiesta in their cave for the locals and as is what happens every year we prepare a little something just for them the day before they leave. This time Gayle (as always) excelled in the kitchen by preparing an enormous lasagne. Tapas consisted of foie gras with a muscadet white wine and piquillo peppers with pitted manzanilla olives.



A good night was had by all, looking forward to the next time in the winter where it will be card games, cognac. and what our neighbours call "the hell" - our woodburner which kicks out quite a bit of heat!



Coming in September:

A Catalan recipe from Barcelona to feed an army
A very red paella from Seville
A mountain of tapas
...and Sangria.

To finish, a slide show of tapas dishes. What a great August it has been.

Many of our customers have often asked "Is it true you live in a cave?" Yes! we do in fact live underground. I think it is the word itself "cave" that initially tends to throw ones mind into all manner of dark places with bats and water running down the walls etc.



Thankfully the caves in Andalucia are far from that stereotype. Many have fallen into a state of dis-repair but can easily be renovated with a little research. Below is a picture of what we call the "breakfast bar" or rather a cosy seating area to have your Tostada and look at the view in the morning!



Inside we have 10 rooms, a log burner, electricity, internet, mains water....just like a conventional home. (no bats :)



A bit like a bungalow with no windows at the back. Living underground has distinct advantages too - it is very economical, with 2 meter thick walls the cave remains insulated throughout the year (warm in the winter/cool in the summer) so we use much less energy.



In the winter the wood burner is used to cook thus saving gas in the kitchen. That Roast lamb on a cold night is fantastic!

Next up: Pinchitos and a look at the cave kitchen.

August in Andalucia in fiesta time! Orce village is no exception with the first two weeks of the month jam packed with all kinds of events - many are geared towards the children with recently released films being shown on a big screen within the castle grounds and many other types of parties.



Orce village is also home to many cave dwellings which are rented out for the holiday season, with so many people you certainly know its holiday time! With this you get your typical "street scene" with tables and chairs spilling out onto the roads. Tapas are served with cold beers and the atmosphere becomes more and more lively towards evening time..



One typical dish served up in the sunshine is tomato and pepper salad:

Ingredients:

8-10 vine tomatoes
1 jar pequillo peppers
Extra virgin olive oil
Alioli (garlic mayonnaise)
Chives
Queen olives

A very simple salad but with a twist - after arranging the tomatoes on the outside of the dish with the peppers in the middle add some olive oil to the alioli and thin the mayonnaise down so it becomes a dressing. Add the olives and sprinkle with chives.

A fresh local salad to serve around 6 persons.

There is nothing like a Spanish paella for entertaining guests! The paella is a very good alternative to the traditional barbeque and much more filling.

Here we have (in Spanish) a traditional paella being made... music's not too bad either! Recipes below..



Homemade seafood paella (stage by stage photos)

Homemade serrano ham paella

Homemade rabbit & pork paella (made and photographed outdoors)

More to follow...