A Gastronomic Journey Through Andalusia

2023 Author: Amber Richards | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-22 00:24

MALAGA

Where there is? This is a city by the sea, so order fish! Keywords: pescaíto frito (fried fish with a crispy crust), adobo (marinated in wine and then fried fish), chanquetes (small fish) and grilled sardines. The local sauce is called ajo blanco and is a mixture of almonds, garlic and olive oil. The main gastronomic street of the city is Paseo Marítimo.

• Bodeg - Bar El Pimpi (68 Calle Granada, tel. 34 95 222 8990) - an establishment with a luxurious selection of wines, where King Juan Carlos eats.

• LPosadde Antonio (33 Calle Granada, tel. 34 95 260 2123) is owned by Antonio Banderas, who hails from Malaga. Mainly meat is cooked here.

• Restaurante Adolfo (12 Paseo Marítimo de Pablo Picasso, tel. 34 95 260 1914) is a renowned establishment with uncomplicated but impeccable food and service at the highest level.

• El Chinitas (4–6 Calle de Moreno Monroy) - Traditional restaurant serving sopvin (fish soup with sherry) and solomillo al vino de Malaga steak.

SHOPPING. Be sure to visit the market (mercadillo), which sells farm products and antiques. Wednesday and Saturday at AvenidJuan XXIII, Sunday next to Rosaleda Stadium.

Big Holidays

• December 28th - Los Santos Inocentes, something like ours on April 1st, there will be performances in the penas (flamenco places).

• 5-6 January - Adoration of the Magi. Don't miss Mass at the main cathedral, followed by a coffee at the old art deco establishment on Cathedral Square.

Top attractions For

flamenco timetables, visit malagaenflamenco.com, dpm-cultura.org, flamencoenmalaga.es. The Pablo Picasso Museum (8 Calle de San Augustin, tel. 34 95 260 2731), who was born in Malaga, has a huge (probably the best in the world) collection. For bullfighting in Malaga there is a huge arena, but this pleasure is available from the third week of August.

SIERRA NEVADA

Skiing There is a lot of snow (this is a very high resort), it lies from the end of November to April, from the upper slopes you can see Morocco on the other side of Gibraltar. In total, there are 102 km of tracks. The best ones start at the top of Mount Velet (3398 m) - red, long, uncomplicated, perfectly ironed and with magical views. The lower station of the resort is the village of Pradollano at an altitude of 2100 m.

In addition to skiing, the Sierra Nevada Mountains are one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and you can ride in a rental car at Malaga airport or on horseback along the roads laid by the Romans. Local products such as honey, cheese, wine are sold in villages and tents along the roads. The most beautiful villages are Monachil, Cenes de lVega, Pinos Genil, Guejar Sierr and the snow-white Trevelez. If you are traveling with people who fish, their paradise is at the Pantano de Canales reservoir. In the town of Cadiar there is a 10th century Arab castle, and in Cenes de lVeg (5 km from Granada) there is an ancient Moorish cemetery.

Where to live In Pradollano, as close to the ski lift as possible. The ideal place is the MeliSol y Nieve hotel with a huge (2500 m2) spa, in which the stars can be seen from the pool with hydromassage zones through the glass roof. Breakfast and dinner in his restaurant is more like a gastronomic fair - the chefs prepare all the existing Andalusian specialties, cut jamon and fry churros. Opposite the hotel is a strategically important wine bar.

The trip can be booked through the tour operator "Natalie Tours", www.natalie-tours.ru

Granada

Where to drink? On Calle Elvir at the beginning of the Albacin district, where the Moors lived after Ferdinand and Isabella conquered Granada. Calle Elvir is all made up of tapas bars and doors behind which Granada's nightlife takes place. During the day, everything is here, as with the teetotal Moors - halal shops, organic restaurants and coffee shops with hookahs and carpets. Find yourself in Albacin an hour before sunset (in winter the sun sets at about 5:00 pm) to reach PlazMirador de San Nicolas through a maze of white streets, where there is a bar and restaurant (an important place in the city's social life), from where you can enjoy a magical view of the Alhambra …

Where there is? The best restaurant in town is Rutdel Velet (136 Carreterdel Sierra, tel. 95 848 6134), where actor Andy Garcia goes. Traditional Galician food is magically prepared at Meson Gallego Noemi (8 Calle Trinidad), and if you want to eat with locals where no tourist has gone before, go to Patio Andaluz (10 Escudo del Carmen).

Where to walk? In the Alhambra, this is the main reason why one should go to Granada. A huge palace-fortress of the Nasrid sultans (they really were called that) with lace vaults, a magical park like in "Alice in Wonderland", roses, cypresses, Camino de las Cascadas (a staircase with water flowing along the balustrade). Please note that you are not the only one who wants to get there, and there is a very small quota for the entrance. Therefore, it is imperative to book (at least a couple of days) tickets (to the Alhambr and Generalife, the "summer cottage" part of the Alhambra) by phone. 90 222 4460 or www.alhambratickets.com. Opening hours in winter 8: 30-18: 00. In the city itself, do not miss the golden royal tomb of CapillReal, where, in addition to the famous altar grille, there are paintings by Botticelli and Van der Weyden.

Flamenco. These either gypsy or Jewish songs and dances were born in Andalusia, so the most logical thing to hear and see is here, and not in Barcelona or Madrid. Tourists are taken to the caves on the Sacromonte mountain, but the performances there are far from art. Look for festival-level flamenco at the LChumbrera Theater.

SPA. Be sure to check out the Moorish Baths El Banuelo (31 Carrerdel Darro, tel. 34 95 802 7800), an 11th century monument where the vault is supported by columns from Roman and Visigoth ruins and the sky is visible through vents. This is a museum, it is open from 10:00 to 14:00, and a real bath ritual with mint tea is organized for you from 10:00 to midnight at Banos Arabes on the other side of the river (16 Calle SantAna, tel. 34 95 822 9978).

Market. Sundays around the post office and the Granadc casino 9:00 to 15:00. All the establishments around the market are ideal places to taste wines, sherry, sherry and tapas.

Basque tortilla

You will need:

6-8 pieces 600 g onions
1.2 kg potatoes
6 eggs (lightly beaten)
olive oil
salt
pepper

Chop the onion into thin rings and fry in olive oil until golden brown. Then, after taking out the onion, fry the potatoes cut into 5 mm slices in the same pan. When soft, place in a bowl, add onions, cover with lightly beaten eggs, salt and pepper and stir. Put the mixture in a preheated pan and fry on both sides to make a flat cake. And so 6-8 times - depending on the size of the dishes.

Baked Reef Bass

For 6-8 servings:

1.6 kg snapper fillet (reef bass)
80 ml olive oil
juice of one lemon (plus a couple of circles for serving)

For the sauce:

2 tbsp. tablespoons of olive oil
60 g pitted olives
2 tbsp. spoons of capers
8 slices of anchovy fillet
500 g halved cherry tomatoes
sprig of rosemary

Grease the pieces of fish with oil, pour over with lemon juice, salt and pepper, place on a baking sheet, previously lined with baking paper, and cook in the oven (temperature 200 ° C). The fish will be ready in 8-10 minutes. Use this time to prepare the sauce. To do this, fry all the ingredients, except for rosemary, in olive oil. After waiting for the anchovies to turn into porridge and the sauce thickens, remove from heat and add the rosemary.

Turkey rolls in jamon and cognac

You will need:

3 kg turkey
10 sprigs of thyme or thyme
20 slices of jamon
200 ml Martell VSOP cognac

Cut the turkey carcass in half lengthwise, beat off each part (without removing the bones), marinate in Martell VSOP cognac for two hours. Sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper, roll up and secure with skewers. Place 10 slices of jamon on a baking sheet, top with the first turkey roll. Wrap it in jamon like a towel, secure it again with skewers. Do the same with the other half of the bird. Bake in an oven preheated to 100 ° C for 1-1.5 hours. Ready-made rolls for the entertainment of guests can be flamed - pour cognac on the dining table and set on fire.

Pepper with sweet onions

For 6-8 servings:

10 sweet peppers
2 tbsp. tablespoons of sweet red wine vinegar
4 tbsp. tablespoons of olive oil
250 g red onion

Bake the peppers in an oven preheated to 220 ° C for 20-25 minutes. Then put them in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and after 15 minutes, peel them. Then drizzle with vinegar and oil. Season with salt, pepper and sprinkle with onion rings.

Asparagus with manchego cheese

For 6-8 servings:

20 asparagus stalks
1 tbsp. spoon of olive oil
juice of half a lemon
100 g sheep's manchego cheese (can be substituted with parmesan)
2 egg yolks

Steam the asparagus in a tall saucepan. Then place in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt, pepper, sprinkle with cheese slices, garnish with raw yolks.

Catalana creams

For 10 servings:

1 liter of milk
vanilla pod
5 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
150 g icing sugar

For caramel:

250 g icing sugar
60 ml water
60 ml orange juice

To prepare caramel, add powdered sugar to a saucepan, pour in water and put on low heat. When the sugar has a nice golden brown color, remove the saucepan from the heat, add the orange juice and stir until smooth. Pour the finished caramel into 10 molds (125 ml) and let it set at room temperature. Place the vanilla pod in the milk and heat over medium heat until high, but not until boiling. Then remove from heat and remove vanilla. In a separate bowl, grind eggs, egg yolks and powdered sugar to white. Gradually pour the milk into the egg mixture, strain and pour into molds. Line a deep baking sheet with a towel, place the molds in it, add water to create a steam bath, and place in the oven preheated to 200 ° C for 20-25 minutes.