BACK TO REALITY

Its back to normal.Back to school lunches.Back to routine.

At least that is what I am trying to do.Why does the 5 week holiday seem to very far away?

We ate ,we drank,we had fun in the heat.

World cup has also ended.

So really,we now need to find something else to focus on to cheer us all up.

Food always helps cheer one up and with this freezing cold winter we are having here in Cape town what a better way to go.

Whats in season?

I always find winter fruit a bit boring as I really am a summer girl but lets try and make the most of what is available without touching those ridiculously expensive imported fruit.

Today sees the start of a new "cookery club".A new term and some brand new recipes that should get you are wanting to get into the kitchen and be creative.

Its a sunny day here in the mother city and I thought a bit of Italian influence was necessary so we will start with a garlic and parsley bread to accompany a bit of baked pasta filled with grana padana and mozzerella cheeses and to round it off,since the fruit is a bit "boring ",some delicious spicy baked apples.

Children I think enjoy food much more if they have been an active part in preparing it.So roll up the sleeves,wash hands and put your heart and soul into a bit of bread kneading.

LAST FEW SLEEPS

We are now down to our last few sleeps in Europe.Its always sad to leave, as there are dear family and friends here but ..................

I want to go on eating all the wonderful food and visiting the markets but life has to return to normal at some stage.

Todays lunch was pigs cheeks.Now I can hear alot of you going,what is she on about but believe me,this is so delicious.

For years I have tried to buy pigs and cows cheeks back home in Cape Town but to no avail.This part of the animal is very lean and filled with gelatine.It requires slow cooking .Today the dish started off with a sofrito which is diced carrot,onion and garlic which is then fried slowly in a good amount of olive oil until it is soft.This is then removed from the pan

The cheeks are then seasoned with salt and pepper and coated in flour and seared in the same pan with olive oil.The sofrito is then returned to the pan together with a bottle of good red wine,about 25gr dark chocolate (nothing less than 70 %),bay leaf or 2 and all of this is left to simmer for at least 4 hours or until the meat is tender.Stir from time to time to prevent sticking.It is best to prepare this dish a day or 2 before so that the flavours can mingle.Served with some creamy mashed potato and you are in heaven.

I do so love the simple foods of old.They wasted nothing and every part of the animal was used.The other day at the market I even found a dried pigs head.Not sure what it would be used for but believe me ,it would be consumed in some form.

And so I will enjoy the last few days but am looking forward to returning to the most amazing city in the world,CAPE TOWN.

FROM BILBAO TO TORRES DE MEDINA

And so we spend our last week inMedina de Pomar with the other half of the family.Weather has been so typical of this region with sunshine in the morning then huge electrical storms around 6 o clock.

Medina is a small village.Lots of small farms where you can find lots of potato fields,beans ,tomatoes and onions.The amount of walnut trees is amazing.At the moment they are all green and the thought did cross my mind to make some pickled green walnuts but................

Also lots of cherries around here and at the moment the market place is filled with loads of these delicious berries.

Like I have said before ,each family has their own recipe for paella and my brother in law cooked us a delicious one.He prefers to keep it simple and not mix the flavours too much so it consisted of prawns,calamari,mussels and clams.Cooked this over a low heat together with lots of garlic then added the rice and sauteed it until all the rice grains were coated in oil.Finally fish stock was added together with saffron ,the most expensive spice in the world.It was really simple but oh so moreish.

Life is rather slow around here.Something I am not used to.However with the long days dinner is late,around 10pm and bedtime way after midnight.Going to find it quite hard to get back into the swing of things once we are home.

Visited a market yesterday morn where there were lots of cured meats,olive oils,bacalao (salted cod ) and many othere delicasies to buy.

Saturday night ofcourse was a big night here in spain with the world cup.We had some friends around and I made pizzas for all.Finding fresh yeast here is like looking for a needle in a haystack but after many stops,we finally found some.

Some of the "panaderia's" here dont make their bread anymore but instead buy in the ready prepared baguette and just pop it into their ovens unlike before where everyone used to make their own bread and you would have your favorite baker.I find this very sad as bread making is so close to my heart and I really think that it is one of the simplest and most enjoyable items of food to produce from ones kitchen.

Simple ingredients flour,yeast,salt and water is transformed into something magical.Where are all the old traditions going?

Anyway we will enjoy our last few days here before we head back down south.Will enjoy the last of the wonderful food and wine.