The 'Matador's Cape': a venture into the Catalan Kitchen

Fresh back from my Pyrenean trip I am keen to try cooking some Catalan dishes in my kitchen. I found (and slightly adapted) this recipe for ‘Toreador’s Cape’ in Colman Andrew’s book ‘Catalan Cuisine’ (Collier, NY). It’s like a simple -  and very cheap - version of paella (I think the ingredients costs less than 7 Euro) and delicious to boot.

Ingredients (to serve 3-4).

125 g rice

Half a jar / large tin of chick peas

125 g dried salted fish (I had to cycle to an African shop to find this)

2-3 tomatoes

2-3 heads of garlic

I thread of saffron (you can improvise with turmeric if the cost feels prohibitive). 

Method

Bake the peppers (quartered) and when done remove the skins. Bring the fish to the boil, simmer for 8-10 minutes, let cool and crumble into small pieces, taking out any bones.   Cook the tomatoes and garlic and saffron (tumeric) in oil until the tomatoes are reduced.  Add the rice and fish and stir so the rice gets coated with the tomato juices. Add 3 cups of water and the chickpeas and simmer until done.   Stir as needed. Top with the quartered red peppers (the ‘Toreador’s cape’) and let cool.  

Sadly I only thought to take the photo after taking my first serving. I mixed red and yellow peppers in my version (as I never live life by the book!)

En Passant 2015 day 5: St Climint's Church Tower, Taull

Constructed 1123. Not for the vertiginous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

En Passant 2015 day 5: Snow walking

Today I went back to the road head that I had got blown back from two days ago. In between times I had bought some ladies leggings to use as thermal underwear (to some amusement from the shop owner!) - but they weren't needed. I climbed from 1450 to 1750 m in 3.5 km. Chicken shit by mountaineers' standards - but for someone of 56 who lives in the flatlands it gave a sense of satisfaction (hence the rare selfie).  When I got tired I stopped and looked at the fluffy white clouds.

I can't remember when I last walked up to such a height or had to do snow walking,  not for long stretches, but sometimes on steep gradients - kick your boot in twice, lean on the pole (on the mountain's side) and repeat -it's like riding a bike really, once learnt...(but then I did do a mountain leader's course - stage 1 - twenty years ago, when I was looking at alternative career options to becoming an academic).

By the frozen lake I heard marmots, their voices amplified by the canyon and the frozen lake.

 

 

But the intended trip onto the waterfall seemed like one step too many.  The snow was deep, the gradient steep and I hadn't told anyone where I was going. And there was a church in the valley beckoning!

Gone tomorrow?

The trees are watching

 

 

And spring beckons?

En Passant 2105 Day 3 Val de Boi

 

A more auspicious start today than on Monday/Tuesday. Yesterday's rain gave way to clear blue skies and the first thing I saw when I hit the road was two golden eagles circling low above me.   Headed up the Val du Boi - a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site (on account of its nine or so 10-11th Century Romanic churches - almost untouched since that time) and also one of the gateways to the Parc Nacional de Aiguestortesi Estany di Sant Maurici.   Despite clear blue clear skies there were snowflakes in the air - being blown off the mountain tops (take a close look at the first and last photos).  It was too cold to go walking above 1400m (and into the park itself) so I opted to visit a couple of these churches and a solid four course Catalonian lunch - including locally raised lamb and locally produced yoghurt with honey.  Mm I think it will just be Tapas tonight!

 

 

 

En passant - the pyrenean trip -days 12 & 13- Llivia and environs

Llivia is a small (12 sq. km) Spanish (Catalonian?) enclave a few kilometres within French territory- the result of ambiguously worded C17th treaty that ceded the villages of northern Cerdeyna / Capcir to France, but not Llivia - as it was recognised to be a town! Seemed like an interesting place to hang out for couple of days.

Pressing the apple harvest at Err