I
mentioned Woody Allen in my last post and happened to be we were in Barcelona
for a few days. We had a really good time there. Lovely spring, beautiful
walks, delicious food, good friends, Miro, Picasso and my favorites were Gaudi’s
anything.
One evening when we were going home through the narrow streets of Bari I was thinking (and I even said it out loud), that I want to watch Vicky Christina Barcelona again. A few minutes later I saw a little greengrocer and I always have to buy some fruits even when I am on holiday, specially when I can have 2 kilos of juicy, sweet strawberries for 4 euro. And there was the sign! A big picture with Woody Allen and the owner of the greengrocer just above the checkout counter. So here we are: Vicky Christina Barcelona.
One evening when we were going home through the narrow streets of Bari I was thinking (and I even said it out loud), that I want to watch Vicky Christina Barcelona again. A few minutes later I saw a little greengrocer and I always have to buy some fruits even when I am on holiday, specially when I can have 2 kilos of juicy, sweet strawberries for 4 euro. And there was the sign! A big picture with Woody Allen and the owner of the greengrocer just above the checkout counter. So here we are: Vicky Christina Barcelona.
This
movie is the perfect marriage of the American and European movie making. We have
seen lots of movies about love triangles but I do not remember any with a love
square.
The
trailer of the movie gives the essence of the story.
If you watched this, please do not forget the link at the end.
Is out
there anyone who did not dreamed or thought about sitting in an pleasant,
little restaurant somewhere in the Mediterranean and a handsome or pretty stranger come to your table and ask you
out? I certainly did but I have never thought it further. Maybe because I wouldn’t
have the courage to say yes?
On the
other hand I know very well what would I eat. No question it is always part of my
scene.
Seafood
paella
I found a very good recipe in Claudia Roden’s the Food of Spain.
I found a very good recipe in Claudia Roden’s the Food of Spain.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 large
onion, peeled and finely chopped
5 tbsp
olive oil
2 garlic
cloves, peeled and crushed
2
tomatoes (about 200g), peeled and chopped
½ tsp sugar
salt
1 tsp
pimenton dulce or sweet paprika
a good
pinch of saffron threads
4 small
squid, cleaned (ask your fishmonger), bodies sliced and tentacles left whole
400g
medium-grain Spanish rice or risotto rice
750ml
fish or chicken stock (plus more if needed)
250ml
dry white wine
12 large
king prawns in their shells
16 or more
mussels or clams cleaned
Fry the
onion in the oil in a 40cm paella pan (big frying pan) over a low heat until
soft, stirring often. Stir in the garlic, and before it begins to color add the
tomatoes. Add the sugar, salt, pimenton dulce or sweet paprika and saffron,
stir well, an cook over medium heat until a the tomatoes are reduced to a jammy
sauce and the oil sizzles. Add the squid and cook, stirring for a minute or so,
then add the rice and stir until all the grains are coated. (You can do all
this up to 2 hours in advance – no longer, because of the squid.)
Bring
the wine and the stock to the boil and pour on the rice, then add the salt (the
broth can taste a bit salty but it will not be salty when it is absorbed by the
rice). Stir well and make sure the rice is evenly distributed in the pan, then
do not stir it again. Cook the rice over a low heat for 18 to 20 minutes,
moving the paella around on the hob so that it cooks evenly. Lay the prawns on
top of the rice after 10 minutes and turn them over when they turn pink on the
bottom side. Add a little more hot stock towards the end if the rice seems too
dry and you hear crackly frying noises from the bottom of the pan before it is
done, and cover the pan with a large piece of foil. Steam the mussels in a pan
with a tight-fitting lid with a
finger depth of water. As soon as they open they are cooked. Throw away any
that have not opened and arrange the ones that have on the top of the rice.
Variations
Add 4
small, quartered artichoke hearts or bottoms, a good handful of peas or board
beans – fresh or frozen and defrosted
Parody
with Jude Law? Yes!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTIqEEo-L4g