Let’s talk about tapas, shall we?

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Marianne under Axarquía, Recipes, Slice of Life

I’m going to be starting a new feature all about tapas soon, so let’s start by finding about what they are.

It’s thought that originally in the wine-making regions of Andalucia, a cover in the form of a small plate or lid was placed over glasses of wine to keep fruit flies away. Titbits of food were later placed on the lid to be eaten with the wine.

The word “tapar” in Spanish means “to cover”, which is where we get the word “tapas” from.

How wonderful that Spaniards thought it unacceptable that a fly ends up in your drink, but it´s fine if it lands on the accompanying snack!

Other stories suggest that tapas were invented by a bar owner in Seville, who decided to put a cover (tapa) over his guests´ glasses of wine, using a slice of bread to keep out flies. He later put a piece of ham or cheese on top, so that his customers could have a bite to eat with their drink.

Either way, the idea spread, so that nowadays the types of food served as tapas are limitless. Most Spaniards don´t drink alcohol without a tapa and many bars, especially in southern Andalucia, provide them free of charge.

The original Spanish “fast food” is usually displayed in refrigerated glass cabinets on the bar and served in small terracotta glazed dishes. Some examples of the type of tapas normally available include gambas (whole cooked prawns in their shells), boquerones (fresh anchovies in olive oil, vinegar and garlic), chorizo (spicy Spanish sausage), albondigas (meatball…often in a creamy almond sauce), queso (cheese…often manchego), habas con jamon (broad beans with ham), ensalada rusa (Russian salad) or just a few olives.

Your choice of tapas is usually accompanied by a small piece of crusty bread which helps to counteract the adverse effects of the alcohol through drinking on an empty stomach.

What a sensible idea!

In many establishments, if you stand at the bar along with the locals you will be given one tapa free with each drink you buy.

That’s right …. free food!

Should you choose to sit away from the bar, you can pay for a tapas or two (usually about one euro in this part of Spain), or opt for a larger serving known as a ración (ration) or medio ración (half ration). This is a great way to eat a variety of dishes, and a pretty sociable activity as groups generally tend to share their dishes.

The food is generally very good, even in remote villages around the Axarquia.

Where is your favourite tapas bar? Which tapa do you choose, time and time again?

Let’s FOCUS on being a little kinder to each other

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Marianne under Axarquía, Photo challenges, Slice of Life

Yesterday, I read with some surprise and sadness that Anita Mac, the travel blogger behind Travel Destination Bucketlist, had ended her own life, at the age of 43. I’d never met Anita in person, but we exchanged messages from time to time, particularly last year when she was walking the Camino, in northern Spain.

Anita’s blog is filled with wonderful photographs of her travels and, not only was she inspired to continue to travel and experience more of the world, she inspired others to do the same. Yet, despite her confident and adventurous outer facade, Anita was struggling with her own pain, as evidenced in her final post on August 22nd, “What do you do with a broken heart?”

We’ve all seen reports on TV of teenagers who have taken their own lives after being taunted by anonymous online trolls. The anonymity of the internet sometimes makes people say things that they wouldn’t (or daren’t) say to your face.

I’m not suggesting that’s what happened with Anita, but many of us have some kind of ongoing battle in life that we may or may not choose to share with others – especially somewhere as public as on the internet.

And, who knows where the tipping point lies to push any one of us over the edge?

In the past few weeks, amongst the hundreds of ordinary, everyday comments this blog, East of Málaga …. and more has received, there have also been vile ones with no back-link, and filled with bad language.

What did I do to deserve these tirades?

One person not only left a vile comment, but also took to Twitter to tell the world about my bull**** blog, because they didn’t agree with the price of one item on my recent Cost of Living in Spain list.

Another has attacked me on their own blog because they “question the way my monthly CBBH Photo Challenge works“. It seems that WordPress didn’t send a pingback for a “featured blogger” link they made, meaning that they weren’t “thanked personally” by that blogger they featured! Somehow this is meant to be my fault. Go figure!

As a result of the actions of these trolls, I’ve now switched my options so that I moderate all comments before they appear on the blog – and for that I apologise to the 99.9% of you who leave perfectly normal comments.

I’m not saying I’m above criticism – hey, if there’s something you don’t agree with – let me know. I might even change my mind and agree with you. But there are ways of saying things without making a complete jerk of yourself.

Maybe the actions of such trolls display some form of petty jealousy, envy of a lifestyle or of some kind of perceived success. Who knows?

Like most people, my life is the way it is because I have planned it that way with lifestyle and monetary choices. Some might choose to be envious – others could well be bored, but it would do us all well to focus on what we have, rather than what we don’t have.

This post is my response to this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge: FOCUS.

I’ll leave you with the following quotes:

“Always be a little kinder than necessary.” ~ J.M. Barrie

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” ~ Plato

East of Málaga: Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s Day in England?

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Marianne under Axarquía, Slice of Life

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

~ William Shakespeare ~

Most of us are familiar with at least the opening lines of Sonnet 18 by English playwright and poet, William Shakespeare, in which he compares his beloved Fair Youth to that of an English summer’s day.

I’ve ~~suffered~~ ~~endured~~ experienced many cool and rainy summer days in England over the years, when the BBQ I had planned for friends has been a total washout, or no-one could sleep at night because it was too humid, despite being only 17 Celsius.

Of course, it’s not always like that in England but, here in southern Spain, the weather, whilst retaining distinct seasons, is much more reliable.

The outdoor lifestyle was one of the main influencing factors for our move here, eight years ago.

So, what is a summer’s day in July or August like – east of Málaga?

We would typically expect the temperature to be between 30 – 35 Celcius (that’s 86 – 95 Fahrenheit) during the day, with overnight temperatures rarely dropping below 21C (70 degrees Fahrenheit). Clear blue skies are virtually guaranteed, with little or no rainfall and low humidity.

During August, the thermometer can sometimes touch 40C in the shade, so it’s vital to adapt your lifestyle accordingly.

August days often see me wandering around the house and garden in a swim suit and loose-fitting sarong, with my hair tied up, wearing no make-up. Carefree. And, because we live in the countryside a few kilometres from the coast, days often go by without seeing another soul – and that suits me just fine. Not only do many northern European tourists head down this way for their annual vacation, but the rest of the population of Spain seems to end up around these parts, too. So, we tend to stay at home, out of the way of the crowded restaurants and the lack of parking spaces, only venturing out when we need to buy groceries or if we choose to stroll along the promenade on a Saturday evening, before visiting a local chiringuito (fish restaurant).

I’m an early riser, so the first thing I do when I get out of bed is to throw all the windows and doors open, allowing the cool morning air into the house. Any chores that need doing are always completed well before 11am, by which time, the windows are closed to keep the warm air out. As the sun continues it’s journey around the house, various blinds are pulled down over the windows to stop the heat from penetrating. My days are spent writing, wandering nearby taking photographs, sipping cool drinks, trying to catch up with my list of books to be read, or simply taking a dip in the pool when I get a bit overheated.

We have several cool, shady terraces where I choose to to locate my “office” for the morning. Today’s lunch will be fillet of salmon with patatas a lo pobre, prepared earlier this morning, and made all the tastier knowing that the onions and green peppers have been grown in our vegetable patch. I’m pretty sure that we’ll have a chilled glass of wine with lunch, too. 🙂

This afternoon, there could be a siesta, another swim or time to catch up reading blogs I enjoy. I might even plan more of our next trip (to Portugal in October) or chat to friends around the world on the internet.

After sunset, the windows are once again thrown open, and it’s a delight to feel the cool evening air, as the delicious perfume of the night-scented jasmine pervades the surroundings.

One thing I love about hot, summer nights is the chance to have a swim after dark before hopping into bed. I always make sure that there are no outside lights shining from the house and, because we live in the countryside, there is virtually no light pollution. It´s quite surreal floating about in the pool on your back on an airbed watching the stars twinkling overhead. Sleep comes easily after such a carefree day, with the open window and overhead ceiling fan keeping me cool.

So, east of Málaga, shall I compare thee to a summer’s day in England? NO, I’ll just enjoy every day spent in this beautiful country I have adopted as my home, and take English summers as, and when, I choose to find them.

You might enjoy these summer related articles, too:

Phew – what a scorcher!

Flying the Blue Flags on the beaches

Hummamole Dip – perfect for a summer’s day

This year’s Tomatina Festival at Buñol, Spain

Posted on July 27, 2013 by Marianne under Fiestas and Festivals, Places

Image credit Flickr CC: agsaran

WELCOME TO THE WORLD’S LARGEST FOOD FIGHT!

If you are thinking of heading to the village of Buñol, near Valencia, for this year’s tomato-throwing La Tomatina Festival, be warned that you now need a ticket to take part!

The annual festival, which takes place each year on the last Wednesday in August, has been attracting such huge crowds that a ticketing system has had to be introduced. Only 20,000 tickets will be issued (40,000 people attended last year’s festival) at a cost of 10 euros each – creating a new “sauce” of income for the local council! 15,000 of the tickets will be made available to the general public, with the other 5,000 reserved for local residents. You can buy your tickets at this website (in English)

Happy throwing!

You might enjoy these articles, too:

A weekend away in Santiago de Compostela

How to make the perfect Spanish tortilla

The Buddhist Stupa of the eastern Costa del Sol

Spanish Omelette: Tortilla Española

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Marianne under Recipes

I haven’t posted a recipe for a while, so I’ll make up for that by giving you a classic Spanish dish, that can be found in many variations, anywhere in Spain.

The Spanish tortilla can be eaten as a main course or, because it is good served cold, it makes excellent picnic food cut into wedges and wrapped in cling-film. Here in Spain, tortilla is often served as tapas, cut into small cubes and speared with cocktail sticks – and is delicious with chilled amontillado sherry.

You might also find it lurking between chunks of crusty bread as a sandwich filling!

Ingredients:

2 medium-to-large-sized potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 medium-to-large onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

Olive oil

6 eggs – beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

(Variations: you can also add a little red or green pepper, spinach, diced ham, chorizo or mushrooms – but the classic Spanish tortilla doesn’t contain these. In fact, often no onion is added, but I think it adds flavour, along with a little red pepper for colour. I also like to add a teaspoon of dried mixed herbs or fresh coriander if I have any).

Method:

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the sliced potatoes, onion and garlic and gently fry over a moderate heat until the potatoes begin to soften. Try not to brown them. In the meantime, whisk the eggs gently in a large bowl, and season. When the potatoes have softened slightly, tip the onion and potato mixture into the bowl containing the eggs. Stir gently but thoroughly. (Don’t be tempted to just add the beaten eggs to the potato and onion mixture in the pan – it doesn’t seem to work!)

Wipe the frying pan with some kitchen roll (taking care not to burn yourself), add some clean olive oil and pour in the mixture. Cook over a low heat for approximately 10-15 minutes and then flip the tortilla over to cook the second side. You can easily do this by placing a round plate face-down on top of the pan and then, with one hand on top of the plate and the other holding the pan, invert both, leaving the tortilla upside-down on the plate. You should then carefully slide the tortilla back into the pan and continue frying gently, until the underside is browned.

Serve with salad and a squeeze of lime juice.