Tapas in Cadiz

We set off yesterday on a round tour of western Andalusia heading down through Marbella, Algeciras (bypassing Gibraltar), over even more mountain roads (Los Barrios) and up the coast arriving in Cadiz just in time for lunch. Cadiz is an amazing old city port, one of the oldest cities in Europe actually, resting at the edge of a thin peninsular with a lot of character and very friendly locals. Cadizians, if you can call them that, descend from an amazing mixture of previous folk including the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Visigoths, the Romans, the Moors as well as the current Andalusian Spanish. The city may be old but it is also very clean unlike some new cities I have visited recently!! We were blown away by the old harbour walls built in the 15th century. The cut stones contained fossils of a previous era which were truly amazing.

We had lunch at La Cepa Gallega, one of the most famous tapas wine bars in Cadiz if not the modern world! It has been labeled a wine museum and a ship's stores but one thing is certain, Félix Fernández Verdejo and his son give you a right warm welcome on arrival and recommend some great wines, hams, fishes and cheeses to the hungry and curious visitor. We settled for the Coto de Imaz 2007 which was delightful particularly with the Manchego Cheese served simply on paper. There are no pretension here simply great food and wine served simply and with pleasure! Lunch for two was only 12 euros! Sadly we had to take our leave after lunch but we both agreed we would be back in Cadiz soon to explore this beautiful city in much more detail. We headed off up the coast towards Jerez de la Frontera (the home of sherry - another visit pending) and on to Rhonda (another amazing historical city built on top of a mountain ridge!) and finally over snow clad mountains (Sierra de la Nieves) and home to Fuengirola for a cold pint!!!

Almond trees blossom in Andalusia

With the cooking school closed until the spring we find ourselves exploring the beautiful countryside and mountain villages of Andalusia again. The almond trees are already in blossom which proves that this year has started off much warmer than last year. Today we took a trip deep into the hinterland behind Marbella through the Rio Grande valley and up to the ruins of a 6th century Arab castle at Cartama. From the top of the castle mount you can see why the Moors chose this spot to monitor and control all movement north and south of their empire.

Today the plains are white with almond blossoms against a green carpet of lush rich grass and tiny rustic fincas. Flocks of parrots and herds of red goats are to be seen but otherwise the locals are all enjoying their siestas. We came across a simple bar earlier in the day though which was lively enough to attract our attention. The tapas on offer included a delicious Jamón serrano (literally mountain ham; a type of jamón (dry-cured Spanish ham), which is generally served raw in thin slices with fresh baked bread and olives and goes very well with a nice glass of rioja.

January - time to detox

January is the time when we review our health and try to reduce the intake of sugar, coffee, fats, alcohol and toxins. It is also a time to review exercise routines and diets. Being mid winter it is not a good time to restrict essential warm foods or to starve the body. However most people in the west eat far too much so I do recommend a review and if you have been guilty of over indulgence over the festive season here is a simple detox diet for an average healthy person to follow for three days:

Upon rising

• 1/2 lemon squeezed into a glass of warm water

• 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds in a glass of water

Breakfast

• breakfast smoothie made with pear, rice milk and rice protein powder

Snacks

• apple juice diluted with water

• water

• vegetable broth

• celery sticks and hummus

Lunch

• chunky vegetable soup made with vegetable stock and your choice of vegetables

• steamed broccoli with sesame seeds and beets sprinkled with lemon juice on brown rice

• apple sauce

Snacks

• carrot sticks with hummus dip

• water

Dinner

• curried lentils on quinoa

• salad with mixed greens, red peppers, artichokes and sprouts drizzled with salad dressing of garlic, lemon juice and olive oil

• vegetable broth

Before bed

• 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds in a glass of water

Don't forget to drink at least 2 litres of water and enjoy 30 minutes of active exercise every day!

New Year's Eve Dinner Menu

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with great food and wine amongst family and friends. We celebrated on the night of the 24th with a classic Danish menu starting with gravlax, a home cured salmon from the medieval tradition of burying the salmon in dillweed under the sand for 7 tides to cross!;the main course included roast duck with caramel potatoes and red cabbage. The dessert was a "duvet cooked" rice in vanilla & cream! Christmas Day dinner was simply guail & grapes in a morel & mushroom port sauce simply delicious.

We are now busy preparing dinner for tomorrow night and the menu is as follows:


Starters

Plater of Cancale Oysters and Prawns
***
Warm smoked salmon with carrot & horseradish salad
***
Scallops in puff pastry with a curry Sauternes sauce
***

Granitee of mulled wine

Main Course

Mushroom stuffed chicken with salsify
***
Selection of cheeses
***
Dessert

Panna cotta on an bed of orange salad

I have planned to include a few surprises in between these dishes and one will be a brussel sprout dish as I have just collected my first crop from the garden and intend to use them! I found a nice recipe from an old cook book which once belonged to the Danish Prime Minister's chef back in 1932. It is for a "rose cabbage soup" and is nicely typed up on government headed paper so that will be interesting and bound to go down a storm when it is served to party revelers at around 0200 hours on New year's day! Have a great party everyone.

An old Christmas Punch from Denmark

Julianes Gløgg
Here is an ancient recipe I was given by an old Lady from Ebeltoft, Denmark when I had my restaurant. It is from 1934 and is a Christmas favourite of ours:

Gløgg means " will warm you up" and believe me this will.

I always make a double portion as it will keep, but you will be surprise to see how quickly it goes!
and here it is.

Julianes Gløgg = "Heat me up at Christmas"


4 Bottles of full bodied red-wine
2 Bottles of Port
1 Bottle of Cognac
1 Bottle of Vodka


4 Cinnamon sticks
40 whole cloves
400 gram of sugar
1/2 a liter of water

200 gram of raisins marinated in port
100 gram of almonds flakes

Slowly boil water , sugar, cloves and cinnamon sticks for 10 minutes.
Add it to all the wine and alcohol and let it rest for a day.

Only heat up what you will need and DON'T let it boil

Serve it in a pre-heated glass with some raisins and almonds, put a spoon in the glass as you add the Gløgg and serve it right away.

One glass is lovely, -two is dangerous and don't drive after one glass

A very Merry Christmas to you all from Niall & Poul.

Cooking at Kerrouet House - Film

Langoustines & Turbot with Alex Jones