Moorish Spain Part 1

So, about time I recount my Spanish holiday before it is all forgotten!

Having booked our cooking course, we decided to travel around a bit.

First we picked up our car and headed for the small city of Cordoba.

The city was very important in medieval times as a centre for Islamic learning when the Moors ruled Spain.

We decided to hire apartments in Spain, through airbnb.com. Here was our traditional apartment in Cordoba

 

The entrance was from a pretty courtyard, meaning that it was quiet from all the street noise. 

Alas we arrived on a rainy Sunday evening.

 

The place was pretty deserted.

 

 Apart from a few people hurrying to evening mass.

Us hardy Brits weren't to be stopped: we had a nice little wander of the town. 

We then ducked into a restaurant recommended by our host. I feasted on olives, and tuna.

The next day dawned much brighter, and we grabbed huge croissant and coffee in the local cafe.

But what was this strange breakfast ingredient in the jar?

 

Cordoba is full of little alleys and streets which were fun to explore.

But our real aim was to visit the Mezquita: the old mosque. The old courtyard and belltower still remain.

 

Inside the Mezquita there is a magnificent prayer hall, full of columns and arches. 

The mihrab: where Muslims face Mecca to pray.

 

Alas, since the time of the inquisition the Catholic Church took it for their own a slapped a big church in the centre of it.

  

The point where mosque becomes cathedral.

Thankfully they chose not to destroy it. However, the catholic church has clung to the building ever since, and barely recognise its history at all.

A real pity in a city once known for its religious freedoms and acceptance.

All this history made us peckish for some lunch. We feasted on tapas  nearby.

After lunch we wandered the historic streets some more, did some tourist shopping and admired the orange trees.

That evening we found a traditional wine cellar for Spanish feast of white gazpacho, eggs and fish stew.

Day 3

What? Rain again?! This is supposed to be Southern Spain.

Time to leave Cordoba for our cooking course, but we took a detour to the old city of Medina Azahara.

It was built just outside Cordoba as the new capital, but alas lasted less than 100 years. 

The rain got a bit much for even us hardy Scottish dwellers, so we headed for our next stop, and for cooking!

In March I have been............

So this is a bit of a late one - ooops!

..................baking....................

or cooking - see Spanish cooking post for more!


----------reading.............

more Game of Thrones,
The saga goes on, and doesn't grow old.

Gatty's tale.
Hmmmm - not convinced somehow. Read because it felt appropriate with going to Spain to read a book about Christianity v. Islam at time of Crusades. But bit fluffy and lacking in substance.

The 100 old man who jumped out of the window and disappeared.........

I adored this book. And that's all I'm prepared to say.


.............watching..................

The Hunger Games

The usual 'not as good as the book'

Exotic Marigold Hotel

Enjoyable

Breakfast at Tiffanys

Should have watched this years ago.


.................living................

catching up over some Middle Eastern food in London with a dear friend.

Had great fun dressing up as Audrey Hepburn for my friend's hen night.

Heading off for a week in Andalucia......

And finishing it all off with some good beer...........

whilst praying for Spring to arrive!

A spot of cooking

Sometimes on holiday you just have to try something new: be it hot-air ballooning, kayaking or different food.

This year we decided that our shared love of food would make a cookery course a no-brainer.

Zoom forward 2 months, and there we were, amidst the olive groves of Spain, frying up some tasty tapas!

We stayed at this great place we found, called Las Encinas, where a British couple have set up a cooking school/B&B in the wilds of Spain. 

Day one's food offering looked something like this

So we learnt lots of great skills, like how to gut a fish, and to make creme caramel in a bain-marie 

Turns out, I'm a regular fish wife! Must ask my grandmother if any ancestors of mine worked in Billingsgate...

The finished results were spectacular. Although I kinda think that it was down to our lovely chef Clive, given how much wine we got through that night!

Starter was asparagus with almond sauce. Fresh, crunchy and delicious. Have had to rethink asparagus.

Next up was seabass with olives, lemon and tomato. Heaven on a plate if you ask me!

We finished with the creme cararmel painstaking prepared above. They turned out perfectly, but did not last long enough to capture!

What a great way to finish.





Day Two

Tapas day. Amazingly, this managed to top the previous nights, as did our appetites!
Just imagine coming into the kitchen with all these scrummy raw ingredients in front of you.

Let's talk through it.....

1) Patatas bravas: the classic.
But this time it's angrier! A serious amount of chili went into this one

2) Lettuce with garlic and anchovies: the shock outsider.
The crunch of the lettuce, the salty punch of the anchovies, and garlic - how can that be wrong?!

3) Clams: the boozy one

Spanish take on French Mussels in wine, this was with Fino sherry (which was surprisingly tasty in a glass by itself)


4) Salt cod stuffed peppers: the sweet one. My second favourite. Softened salt cod within sweet peppers. Mild yet so tasty.

5) Aubergine: the wow one
I've always loved aubergines, but having a part in them tasting this good was a revelation! This is getting made again, a lot!

Plus a whole load of this.....naturally

Pudding rounded things off: poached meringues.

I honestly couldn't recommend this highly enough. A few days enjoying a country's amazing cuisine, talking to locals plus picking up great new cooking tips. Would do it again in an instant.

The end result? Dishes scraped clean.