Eating Anchovies in a Hacienda
I am still on Cloud 9 from the experience and have Spain on the brain.
We stayed in an historic Hacienda with hundreds of lush acres of olive & almond trees......used olive oil from the estate and cooked everything local.
We took day trips ot Seville and Jerez de la Frontera for sherry tastings, museums and market shopping.
We had a wonderful chef, Giocanda Scott, who is a native to Andalusia. She was patient and kind and one of the best cooking instructors I have ever had the privilege of working with.
We also had the best group of people from all over the US join us. We made some new friends, and traveled with old friends who I've traveled with before.......
We ate the BEST food (move over Paris). We cooked with the freshest fish and pork daily, and picked our own vegetables from the garden which we cooked over coals outdoors on fire and learned so much about this beautiful region of Spain........
I fell in love.
Everyday, I indulged in anchovies. The Cantabrian kind, and Boquerones (the white anchovies, marinated), not the salty, hairy variety that everyone seems to despise.
Silky, elegant, mild and delicious. I couldn't get enough.
I ate the them canned, fresh, fried, you name it.
Since I've been home, I have been cooking everything using ingredients brought back from Espana.
Here, I made a butter bean puree, with roasted red peppers and those gorgeous tinned fish.
It's the perfect hot weather food with a nice glass of Albarino!
I cooked some good quality butter beans in garlic and Spanish olive oil, then pureed then with pimenton (smoked Spanish paprika), sea salt & pepper.
Roasted some red bell peppers on the gas flame and topped them over the beans with some fishies on top and chopped parsley.
It was the perfect week.
Life is short. Take the trip.
xo
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