tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109111852024-03-14T06:09:40.441+01:00zarzamorais it possible to learn how to cook simply by being married to a cook and loitering in the kitchen? ... this is the blog of my attempt ...stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-67986331002660359782014-04-13T09:13:00.000+02:002014-04-13T09:13:06.145+02:00Cutting over to New Blog
It's been a long time, I expect no-one is still receiving feeds from this blog, but if you are. I'm cutting over to a new blog: http://blancavalencia.com/blog/ ...
stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-5728283858726923162010-01-17T17:38:00.000+01:002010-01-17T17:38:11.264+01:00To Japan with LoveI haven't blogged in about 3 years... must be that Japan inspired something in me, or maybe it's true what they said all along - blogs are for geeks...
Either way, I happend to check my spam (blog) email the other day and was happy to see that "To Japan with Love" has been published... I think this is after about 4 or 5 years in preparation - that's one aspect that blogs have the stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-58451772431624376732007-02-03T12:45:00.000+01:002007-02-03T13:00:41.904+01:00Restaurant Review: Più di Prima, MadridThis Italian restaurant proclaims itself "the best in Spain"... don't know about that, our neighbourhood restaurant in London is better. - The location - 3 (central Madrid... dark, dim... the manager's foot is in a brace, perhaps he fell over a customer).- The service - 3 (the waiter specialised in looking at other tables while talking to us... where's the love??).- The menu - 4 (nice stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-38511613683007645742007-02-02T17:13:00.000+01:002007-02-02T17:25:19.745+01:00Restaurant Review: Ølsen, MadridWhy trust an Argentinian superchef in absentia, cooking Scandinavian food in central Madrid? IKEA does better meatballs.- The location - 5 (central Madrid).- The service - 2 if you're American (and 5 if you're Spanish).- The menu - 4.- The execution - 2 (overcooked, underseasoned, cheap cuts of meat..).- The cost - 3 (€30 for 2 at lunch).Total: 16/25 (a surprisingly high 64%).ØlsenTechnorati stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-84728199198157736812007-02-02T17:07:00.000+01:002007-02-02T17:11:40.740+01:00Inspired by the restaurant scene...Inspired by the restaurant scene in Spain (for better or for worse), zarzamora.blogspot has come out of its year-long hibernation. It is no longer based in Granada, but now in Madrid.Our mission is to provide simple restaurant recommendations around the world. OK, we've got quite a bit of backlog, but here we go...Our categories are:- The location - accessibility, neighbourhood etc.- The stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1147204514195085952006-05-09T21:53:00.000+02:002006-05-10T16:26:35.803+02:00A short poem about broadbeansEn Abril las habas para mi,En Mayo las habas para mi caballoTechnorati Tags: broadbeans habas foodstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1141236561374867012006-03-01T20:07:00.000+01:002006-03-01T20:45:09.816+01:00I'm Irish, but I'm not a LeprechaunIrish Soda BreadI came under a bit of flack recently for not “wearing my Irishness on my sleeve”. In an effort to redeem myself in the eyes of my compatriots I hereby bring you two pieces of my proud Irish heritage. Firstly, the unabridged and fully explained lyrics for Christy Moore´s “Lisdoonvarna”. Secondly the recipe for Irish Brown Bread (aka Irish Soda Bread), commonly eaten by American stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1139790325285888002006-02-12T06:12:00.000+01:002006-02-13T01:31:16.936+01:00I'm not kiddin it's like an orange on a toothpickWhat luck! Coming back from Suchitoto today we happened across the largest cauliflower in the world. It was returning after winning the contest that I can only assume took place somewhere in the west of El Salvador. Not only was it the largest, it was also the smartest; it was able to give us directions through San Martin in order that we could avoid a FMLN party.Suchitoto was founded by the stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1138684082769891192006-02-05T18:42:00.000+01:002006-02-06T01:42:30.813+01:00ZICO... even better than the real thingZICO takes water to a whole new levelZICO is 100% pure coconut water with natural flavor essences. With five essential electrolytes, more potassium than a banana, low acidity, no fat, no sugar added, and no cholesterol, ZICO is the natural, refreshing way to hydrate and replenish. Drink a ZICO and live it.On the way to the town of Panchimalco, in the outskirts of San Salvador, a local coconut stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1138676685587511182006-01-30T21:01:00.000+01:002006-01-31T05:41:55.626+01:00Platform 9 ¾ for the Central Food Market of San SalvadorThe other day we went for the morning to the central market of Salvador. The market is located at 6 Calle Oriente, between 23 and 27 Avenida Sur in the neighbourhood of La Mermeja. Another slightly more unfortunate (but relevant) landmark is that of the General Cemetary.Little did I realise that I was in fact going to a place that doesn´t seem to exist. It´s the Hogwarts of food markets. The stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1137796031206008692006-01-20T16:12:00.000+01:002006-01-20T23:46:12.170+01:00Green Mango... the taste of the tropicsThe minute we arrived in El Salvador Blancs started asking for Green Mango (mango verde). She called this "the taste of the tropics". Although the supermarket was sold out, we did manage to buy it from a street vendor when waiting for the traffic lights to change. It cost $1 for a bag of about 10... seemed like a bargin at the time*.The preparation is very simple, peel and slice the mango. Seasonstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1135174879957174092005-12-21T15:17:00.000+01:002005-12-21T22:18:10.410+01:00Christmas Sweets from the Convent of Las Comendadoras de SantiagoIn the twilight, the door slowly rotated until it stopped to the impression of weight and age. Blanca timidly stepped forward and said “hola?”*. Silence greeted her from the other side of the door. She knocked once on the door. Again the wood magnified the sound and seemed to mock her paltry efforts to get attention in such an auspicious place of worship. There was still no response. The stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1134827026316206612005-12-17T14:39:00.000+01:002005-12-17T20:36:53.646+01:00Pomegranate S.L.Sea bass in Pomegranate Sauce (Lubina en Salsa de Granadas)Never has so much responsibility been placed in a fruit. Pomegranate S.L. is the name of our new company and Granada (where we've moved to) is the Spanish name for the fruit. So, if this whole move to Spain goes wrong at least we’ll be able to blame some other fruit.Given all of the above, I thought it was time to cook something with stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1134332287815978222005-12-11T21:16:00.000+01:002005-12-11T22:17:06.280+01:00Homemade Pasta (not money)Homemade PastaWithin a couple of weeks of moving to Spain, I realised that the civil war is used frequently as a gauge against which time is judged. Comments such as “these windows haven’t been cleaned since the war”, “the electrical wiring in this apartment hasn’t been examined since the war” or “the company that sold you your kitchen went out of business during war” are (depressingly) stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1133865354117928272005-12-06T11:31:00.000+01:002005-12-06T11:58:51.540+01:00Nearly not a casserole blogPollo en Pepitoria (Chicken in egg, almond and sherry sauce)“This dish combines all of the ingredients most often associated with Spanish cooking – garlic, saffron, sherry, and almonds – into an unusually savoury sauce” Penelope Casas[i]Last night we went for a very typical Spanish casserole dish. It is a dish that was frequently served at the Spanish court in the 17th century…That is at least stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1130441650801794622005-11-27T20:10:00.000+01:002005-11-27T20:17:47.753+01:00Arroz Negro (Black Rice) and a new ApartmentArroz Negro (Black Rice with Calamari)27-Nov-2005 Steve: This blog was written exactly a month ago. Despite the popularity of the dish I had been unable to answer a question that had occurred during the research into Calamar. Finally, yesterday, after unpacking Blanca's cookbooks from London, we found the answer and I could complete the recipe. Read on...27-Oct-2005 Steve: It has been over a stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1131987176654733442005-11-14T17:57:00.000+01:002005-11-14T19:24:56.496+01:00Los Piononos de Santa FePiononos de Santa FeYou could easily drive through the little town of Santa Fe without realising its historical significance.- This small town of about 13 thousand (located about 11 km from Granada city) was built in 1490 by Isabel and Fernando as the base camp for their assault on Granada, the last Moorish outpost on the Iberian Peninsula. It was strategically built blocking the Río Genil and stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1129037394360681912005-10-11T15:04:00.000+02:002005-10-11T15:30:20.476+02:00It's a small world afterall...What are the chances? To be sitting in Andalucía watching a cookery / travel program... the narrator is talking about noodles. In a city of 12 million people, they happen to go into Akasaka Ramen. A ramen store opposite my old work that we would go to frequently.It's a small world afterall....Respect to:Canal ViajarAkasaka Ramen... a good noodle restaurant.stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1128706381830395682005-10-07T21:27:00.000+02:002005-10-07T21:26:35.953+02:00In Season in SpainWell, it's been a long time. Just over a month. I feel like I'm talking to an old friend that I haven't seen since school. Either way, I'm back on the blog. It's going to be a little intermittent over the next while, we have made the move to Spain, but are still waiting the arrival of our the rest of our flat from London. I managed to forget our camera so this is going to be a pictureless stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1125652276741904332005-09-05T13:25:00.000+02:002005-09-05T18:31:03.183+02:00Gone West... Looking for GoldDogs are at the kennels, cat has gone missing, the children off to the local chimney sweep to work... we're off for a week's holiday on the east coast.We've got the essentials:1. Coleman Andrews, "Everything on the Table"; Blancs has told me he is one of the best food writers. She reckons I can learn a thing or two from him (I take the subtle hints where I find them..)2. Notepad for thoughts, stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1125612067079318672005-09-02T11:17:00.000+02:002005-09-02T11:17:13.330+02:00The Kitchen's Least WantedUnreasonable taste, texture and blandnessWaitrose OrechietteKnown Aliases: Pasta, Shaped Pasta, Orecchiette, Small ear pasta, Puglian pasta Photograph taken on 1st September 2005, 23:14 BST One of Orecchiette's common disguises; being cooked with vegetables and chile sauceDescriptionWidth: approx. 3/4 inch acrossUnusual markings: slightly domed, their centers are slightly thinner than their stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1125565685484644852005-09-01T18:20:00.000+02:002005-09-01T18:36:09.346+02:00Was it Mr. Mirepoix in the Kitchen with the Soup?Catwalk title: “Summer White Bean Soup with Fresh Tomato Salsa”Steve’s title: “Spicy pasta soup”I may have reached some kind of milestone with all of this cooking. Last night, I prepared a soup from the Books for Cooks back catalogue; myself and Blancs were equally disappointed. OK, whilst this may sound like somewhat of an anticlimactic milestone, the fact that we both agreed on what was lackingstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1124717631872986552005-08-22T15:29:00.000+02:002005-08-22T15:49:14.096+02:00Sopa de TortillaSopa de TortillaIf our tomato and ginger soup could be termed a “classical European soup” (classical being the standard prefix for European food), there is perhaps no better contrast than this spicy tortilla soup from Mexico (spicy being the standard prefix for Mexican food). This is a rough and ready soup; a sieve would get the crap kicked out of it if it came within a ladle’s reach from the potstevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1124382682482372192005-08-18T18:51:00.000+02:002005-08-18T18:51:58.346+02:00Todo sobre su espuma (all about his foam)...Spanish Tortilla… deconstructed The intermediate term in the kitchen has started with a bang! Blancs and I have been playing around with some of Ferran Adría’s cooking books lately. I think that this is either Blanca’s way of improving my Spanish or scaring me out of the kitchen. Given that she did a stage before at El Bulli Hotel she has a bit of an advantage, but I have sheer bald-faced stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911185.post-1124367068889825922005-08-18T14:08:00.000+02:002005-08-18T14:12:51.103+02:00Unusual Food Photos: Name the FruitI'll be blogging the recipe later.stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13257292656315734457noreply@blogger.com3