The Spanish Way
We made Cortijo El Esparragal our home for the week.
Located close to Gerena, a small town nested twenty five kilometers near Sevilla, this hacienda is a wonderfully kept Spanish secret. Remember it if you ever venture in the area....
Every wall and corner, every arch and stone were the quintessences of authentic Spanish flair.
Red and pink flowers were arranged in baskets neatly hung on the white-painted walls; heavy entry doors were painted in deep ocean blue like those from Case Vecchie. When Marta and I pulled in front of the main house, I remember noticing the terra cotta color of the soil, which immediately reminded me of a trip I took to the Grand Canyon many years before. Its warmth enveloped us.
To introduce basic camera and styling tips and techniques, we started with a first exercise where students were asked to style tartines. This one, obviously not Spanish, but undeniably connected to my French roots.
In Sevilla, we visited Metropol Parasol food market. After wandering through the narrow streets of the city, we indulged in Andalusian fried fish (typical of the area), tapas style, for lunch. I instantly fell under the charm of Sevilla and its every day scene: from an old man sitting with his head buried behind a newspaper to the café's barista; from flamboyant flamenco dresses to colorful Moroccan-inspired mosaics.
During our picnic session, a display of jamón Ibérico and Serrano, chorizo, artisan sheep-milk cheese, gazpacho, tortilla de patatas, limonada, cured olives, tartlets, vegetables and fruit resulted in a colorful tableau that spoke like a beautiful summer day.
Paella was a must.
I could not imagine coming to Spain without the taste of one. Using traditional bomba rice, saffron, clams, fish, tomatoes, razor clams, beans, our group styled and cooked two variants of this heartwarming dish, typical of the region of Valencia.
Needless to say that during my stay in Spain, I made sure to enjoy gazpacho a number of times. I'm thinking that you'd have loved it as much as I did.
Marta shared her recipe with me, and I am also including the recipe I wrote for the Boston Globe last summer.
Not forgetting rice pudding.
I mean, how could I not fall in love with a country with a heartfelt attachment to rice pudding?
Gazpacho Recipe
For the soup:- Generous 2 pounds red or yellow tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper, corred, seeded, and diced
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- In a blender, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, shallot, and garlic. Work the mixture until it forms a puree.
- Transfer to a large bowl. Add the hot sauce, vinegar, olive oil, salt and black pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 1 day.
- 1/4 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
- 1 pint red or yellow cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 4 small cooked shrimp, coarsely chopped
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 4 ice cubes, crushed
- Olive oil (for sprinkling)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- Black pepper, to taste
- In a bowl, combine the cucumber, cherry tomatoes, shrimp, and scallions. Toss gently.
- Ladle the soup into 4 bowls. Into each, stir in the equivalent of 1 crushed ice cube. Top each with some garnish, sprinkle with olive oil, chives, and black pepper.
Marta's Gazpacho Recipe
You need:- 1/4 onion, chopped
- 1/2 clave garlic
- 1/2 red pepper, seeded and diced
- 1/2 green pepper, seeded and diced
- Half cucumber, diced
- 2 pounds 3 ounces (1 kilo) red tomatoes
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 cup water
- Sea salt and pepper
- Place all ingredients in a food processor and purée finely.
- Ladle in bowls and top with diced cucumber, diced fried pieces of bread, diced red pepper, diced green pepper, and diced onion.
Every Day Rice Pudding Recipe
- 2/3 cup Arborio or pudding rice
- 4 cups milk (2% or whole)
- 2 vanilla beans, split open lengthwise and seeds scraped out
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 tablespoons heaped crème fraiche
- Ground cinnamon, to serve
- About 1/2 cup blond cane sugar (to taste)
- Ground cinnamon, to serve (optional)
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the rice and cook for 4 minutes. Strain.
- Heat the milk with the vanilla beans and seeds, and cinnamon stick. When it reaches boiling point, add the rice.
- Simmer the rice uncovered until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is soft--between 20 to 30 minutes.
- Discard the vanilla beans and cinnamon stick, and stir in the sugar.
- Stir in the crème fraiche. Serve lukewarm, and decorate with ground cinnamon, if you like.
57 Comments
M massimo ·
M Monica ·
M Monica ·
G Gaia ·
E Ena ·
N nadia ·
N nadia ·
K Karina ·
J Juvee @ShikenanAfricanShop ·
L Liria ·
J Jillian@TheHumbleGourmet ·
B Babs ·
A Aneesa ·
S Sebioslaw ·
O Oona ·
S Sabrina ·
W Webbyrå ·
M Molly {Dreams in HD} ·
R Raffaella ·
T Tuscan olive grove girl ·
P Patricia ·
S Sini ·
J Joanne ·
M Morgane ·
J Jax ·
J Jax ·
M Mimi ·
M Marta ·
A Agr8song ·
S Sarah ·
E Eva ·
K kim ·
T The Saffron Girl ·
A anna may ·
D Denise ·
E Emer ·
M Mglòria ·
T thecitygourmand ·
A Anna ·
M Marisa Bergamasco ·
L Letizia-Friarielli & sound ·
C christelle is flabbergasting ·
L Loraine Gregory ·
R Rose D. Frenchtown, NJ ·
M Marisol MadrigaldelaVera ·
C Catherine ·
V Valeriesh ·
L Liria ·
M Maria Jose ·
L louisevdp ·
E Estelle Sp. ·
R Rachel ·
D Danielle ·
C Cristina Jones ·
A Alexandra ·
S Shelby ·
S Shelby ·