Albóndigas

Shortly after we returned from Spain, Super G gave me a gift of Phaidon's The Book of Tapas, by Ines & Simone Ortega which delighted me to no end.  The photography is beautiful and there are lots of recipes to try out.  You can buy it here. For my first venture, I decided on meatballs or albóndigas because I thought these could also serve nicely as picnic food, to be warmed up on the barbeque.

So I pretty much did the prep at home and then took them in my fabulous picnic tiffin tin to the picnic site and then warmed them up on the barbeque in a roasting dish.  Worked a treat.  I will try this recipe again although I would probably play with the spice mixture a bit.  For me the seasoning was not adequate. That said, they were even better the second day.

Here's some shots from the preparation:

More pintxos

Here's a few shots from our last night in San Sebastian. I am really going to miss this place.

Welcome to the land of Pintxos

We have landed in San Sebastian - a food lover's paradise and one of the most beautiful places on earth with its gorgeous beaches on the Bay of Biscay. San Seb. is home of the pintxo - a basque word  for a small literally two bite meal.

And there are tons of them!

Every bar we go into has them lined up and piled high on the counter.  Jamon Iberico mini-sandwiches, foie gras on toast, scallops in béchamel sauce served in a scallop shell, goats cheese and eggplant tower, crab mayonnaise, leeks and sundried tomato on toast.

We move from place to place like roving marauders, tasting just a bite here and a bite there washed down with little half glasses of wine or Xacoli, a basque specialty, a light white wine with gas poured from a height.

Just when I think I have found my favourite taste, my favourite place, we go somewhere else and it is supplanted. If this isn't living in the moment, then I do not know what is.

I am in heaven!