Thursday, 16 February 2023

It’s truffle season in Provence

A winter visit to Provence would be incomplete without a visit to the little town of Aups situated at the foothills of the Alps and just south of the Verdon national Park and the second largest gorge in the world after the Grand Canyan! 
Aups has the third largest black truffle market in France every Thursday morning so we set off early yesterday and what a wonderful day we had!

The truffle market takes place in the central market area and four stall holders were exhibiting their wares. One stall was selling truffles from Catalonia Spain but we wanted the best which are sourced in Aups itself. We soon found our man!










Unfortunately the price of truffles goes up each year and global warming has meant it is getting harder and more difficult to farm these black diamonds. A visit to the truffle museum in Aups is a must to learn about the history of this unique product and the science behind the industry. 

We left with our little cache of diamonds safely stashed away in our car and €400 poorer! 




Our dog Scoobeaudoo was also very interested with the overpowering aroma of truffles in the car as we all headed up higher into the mountains and the forests of Provence. 

Sunday, 12 February 2023

Sea Urchin Festival at Carry-le-Rouet

Today we joined hundreds of people who headed to the little port of Carry-le-Rouet to enjoy « Les Oursinades » Festival of the sea urchins! The weather was warm and sunny and just right to enjoys a glass of wine and a few of those tasty orange gonads!! The urchins are served cut in half and either spoon out the soft roe or spread on to a nice buttery slice of quality bread. The urchins are only sold two months per year  (January and February) for conservation reasons, and can be added to a pasta sauce as a gastronomic delight. 













Thanks to Karine & Christophe for their assistance in the compilation of this article. 

Saturday, 28 January 2023

Tapas in Torremolinos

Our tapas tour continues in Andalusia and today we had the great fortune to meet friends who know a very special restaurant. It is called La viña de Ale Vinoteca in Torremolinos:



Ensalada de Bacón y Pollo (bacón, pollo, queso cabra, tomate, pipas, manzana, vinagreta de miel y mostaza). 




Ensalada Burrata (Tomate y Pesto)




Pimientos, jamón, Patatas fritas y Huevos



Buen vino de Rioja




Solomillo de Cerdo con Huevos de Codorniz




2 x Croquetas Caseras de Jamón de Bellota 

2 x Croquetas Caseras de Espinacas y Piñones




Pimientos del Piquillo rellerios de queso brie con

jamón ibérico a la salsa del chef




Brownie con chocolate y vanilla helado. 




¡¡Los aprobadores de tapas!! 

Wednesday, 18 January 2023

Tapas in Marbella

It’s snowing in Kerrouet at present:


so it’s so nice that we find ourselves in the sunny Costa Del Sol! Last night we visited a taverna in Marbella famous for its wines and tapas. 



The wonderful thing about tapas is that you can order as little or as much as you wish and it’s so relaxed. We were not disappointed! Here are a selection of dishes we enjoyed: 

Pan fried artichokes with Serrano ham



Deep fried octopus 


Prawns in chili and garlic sauce


Anchovies 


Ronda sausages 


Spanish cheeses with quince, walnuts and raisins.



Serrano ham


Catalan cream cake (bread pudding)



Cheesecake 


Sherry


Brandy

Brandy





Monday, 12 December 2022

Créme Fraiche Potatoes

serves 6


Ingredients


250ml creme fraiche

2 eggs

salt and pepper

clove of garlic

half kilo of finely grated potatoes


6 foil cups



Method


Butter the foil cups well using with butter. Mix the creme fraiche, garlic and eggs together. Season with salt & pepper using more salt than normal. Bake for 30 minutes at 220 degrees. 





Sunday, 27 November 2022

Carpaccio of Scallops with a Japanese twist




This dish developed in Kerrouet is an easy East meets West dish. No cooking involved and it can be served as soon as the ingredients are brought together. It’s a wow starter and very dramatic despite being fairly simple to make. 

Ingredients

4-6 medium sized clean fresh raw scallops per person 
pickled sushi ginger
Sashimi soy sauce
Fresh lime juice
Fresh Chives
Rose pepper 
Salt and pepper



Method
Slice the scallops into 4-5 millimetres / 0,2 inches
On four plates, cover the plates with the pickled sushi ginger, and then sprinkle a little of the Sashimi soy sauce but not too much as it is very strong and will overpower the scallops.
Sprinkle some chopped fresh chives, rose pepper and a dash of salt and pepper to taste. Finally squeeze some fresh lime juice on top and serve.

Serve with a dry white wine. 

Wednesday, 23 November 2022

Peruvian Potato Cake

Occasionally one comes across a dish from another country which causes a sensation. This is one of such dishes! It was introduced to me by Martha - a cook at the Peruvian Embassy in London. 
It took a lot of persuasion to get the recipe off her but I can recommend this dish as a starter for a large group of hungry guests. It is delicious. 



Ingredients 

For the potato cake: 
1 kg of potatoes peeled and mashed. 
4 tbsp olive oil
I garlic crushed
Salt & pepper to taste
4 eggs hard boiled
Sprig of parsley
Red pepper finely chopped

Tuna Filling

300g good quality canned tuna
3 tbsp fresh mayonnaise 
4 tbsp lime juice
One small red onion finely diced 
Dash chili pepper
Half red pepper finely chopped


Avocado Filling 
2 avocados peeled and mashed
3 tbsp of fresh mayonnaise 
4 tbsp lime juice
Dash chili pepper 
Salt & pepper to taste

Method

This is a potato cake constructed in layers in a cake tin. So use a good sized tin and line with cling film. 

Make the mashed potato and let it cool. 
Strain the tuna and break it up with a fork. Add the finely cut red onion, red pepper, lime juice and mayonnaise. Mix well adding a little chili pepper as desired. Set aside. Keep cool. 

Mash up the avocados. Add the lime juice and mix in the mayonnaise and season as desired. A little chili pepper as desired. Set aside Keep cool. 

To assemble your layered cake, start by adding some mashed 
potato to the bottom of the lined cake tin. Then a layer of tuna. Then another layer of potato. Then a layer of avocado. Then a layer of potato. Continue adding alternatively until you reach the top of the cake with a layer of potato. Quarter the hard boiled eggs and decorate the top adding the remaining red pepper and some parsley as in the photograph. Cover with cling film and place in the refrigerator for at least three hours before serving. 

Keep cool to the point of serving. To serve, carefully remove  all the cling film, place the cake on a serving dish, cut into individual portions and serve.