Chicken in a Cherry Sauce: Spain

Friday, 14 October 2011

The Last of Spain

Cactus decoration on the tables of Cafe Flamingo in Barcelona

Eeek! Yet another month has slipped by without my posting here. I can only apologise once again. Readers, I am so sorry! I have now returned to Leeds for my final year of university and time is flying.

The infamous Sagrada Familia

After four weeks of Spanish school in Barcelona, I left the city for a nearby town, Granollers, to visit my other Spanish friend whom I met in California. I then went back to Barcelona for a final few days of summer sunshine before returning to England.

Coconut and pistachio ice cream

As I promised (although a little late), I have some photos of edible treats that I sampled outside of the host family home during my time in Barcelona.

One of my favourite foodie places in Barcelona is La Boqueria, the famous food market just off of Las Ramblas. Not only is it a total indulgence for the eyes, but the market sells meat sticks for only 1 euro each! My friends were a little worried about my over-excitement with the 1 euro meat sticks, but I honestly think that they are one of the greatest finds in Barcelona. Bite-sized portions of 6 different types of meat. Perfect for a decision-struggler, such as myself. I think my excitement for these lasted for hours, they truly made my day!

The incredible 1 Euro meat sticks from La Boqueria

Marzipan friends at La Boqueria

Hanging display of chillis at La Boqueria

One bar called Cafe Flamingo's, near Las Ramblas, was discovered by one of my 'roomies' which we visited on several occasions. They served a beautiful range of free tapas with cocktails from 7-10pm. The tapas included a variety of bruschetta, sandwiches, olives, nuts and pretzel snacks. Everything was so simple yet so delicious! I found their impressive selection of bruschetta toppings to be a great inspiration for any dinner party that I may host in the future.

Caprioska cocktail at Cafe Flamingo's

Delicious free tapas with cocktails at Cafe Flamingo's

A couple next to La Fuente Mágica [The Magic Fountains]

Despite the hot and humid weather, my taste buds were crying out for a sample of chocolate caliente con churros [hot chocolate with churros], as I had walked past so many places that advertised this irresistible treat. It was a hot September afternoon when I finally got around to sampling it and, as much as I enjoyed it, I was perspiring during the entirety of it. Nonetheless, the rich, almost-custard-like hot chocolate was really something to experience. The churros were not soft or sweet, contrary to what I had anticipated. I was expecting a doughnut-like texture but they were quite hard and crunchy. I did enjoy these, but next time I would definitely eat them in winter rather than summer!

Chocolate caliente con churros

I have been experimenting in the kitchen over the past few days and hope to post about it soon. Sorry, again, for my lack of commitment to this blog. I really hope to get back into the habit of frequent posting! Thank you, again, for your kind patience.

A palm tree between the side streets of Barcelona

Flaming shots from the bar El Gato Negro

Montserrat mountain top monastery

Sunday, 28 August 2011

Hola from Spain and a taste of Argentine Cuisine

Beautiful Almunñécar at sunset

Granada from San Nicolas view point

Dear readers...

I am afraid that this post contains yet another apology. After spending three weeks at home, I am now in Spain for the rest of the summer. I stayed with a friend in the south for a few days and I am now in Barcelona attending Spanish school. The month seems to have flown by without my posting anything here, and for that I am deeply sorry! Please bear with me and my large "appetite" for life!

As I am currently living, and eating my meals with a host family, I haven't sampled much of the local Spanish cuisine in restaurants. However, my very thoughtful Argentine boyfriend surprised me by paying for a meal for myself and two friends to visit an Argentine restaurant close to where I am staying here in Barcelona. It was delicioso! I had never experienced Argentine cuisine before and I was very impressed. So, of course, here are some photos of the delicious Argentine cuisine that my friends and I enjoyed the other night...

Beef empanadas

The inside of the beef empanadas

Grilled vegetables

The empanadas were completely packed with flavour. The filling had a hint of spice, the meat was so soft and succulent and the pastry was moist but not too heavy. One of my friends decided not to eat all of the pastry as she didn't want to fill up so... I ate it, of course! The grilled vegetables were surprisingly delicious after appearing to be quite a plain dish. The fine slices had a slightly crisp texture and charred flavour.

A few glasses of Argentine red wine to accompany our meal

Entraña: Grilled Argentine Skirt Steak

Asado: Grilled Argentine Rib Steak

My boyfriend recommended that we ordered the Asado and Entraña for mains. We thought that the Asado would have had more flavour because the meat was still on the bone, however, we found the Entraña to be the more flavoursome. It was all that one could have asked for in a steak: juicy, salty, flavoursome, succulent and ever-so-slightly chewy. I felt overwhelmed with every bite. The outside of the Asado meat was oily and crispy. I enjoyed just listening to one crunch into it!

We shared the three desserts on the menu. These were chocolate cake filled with dulce de leche, Argentine alfajor and pancake with dulce de leche. I found all of these desserts to be too sweet for me. It is a fact that Argentines love sabores intensos [intense flavours] so these are very typical Argentine desserts. Also, I believe that dulce de leche was invented in Argentina, that's probably why they love to eat it with most desserts!

Chocolate cake filled with dulce de leche

I have also taken many photos which I wish to share. I hope you enjoy them. During the next few weeks, I hope to experience some Spanish cuisine outside of the house. If and when I do, I promise to share with you all!