Category Archives: food & drink

the chicken sharing project

06 Friday Nov 2020

Posted by in azahars kitchen, casa azahar, food & drink, homecooking

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chicken express

Well why not? I have an oven, my friend Peter doesn’t, and so this happened. An agreement whereby every couple of weeks or so during the winter months Peter will purchase a nice free-range chicken at the market and then I will prepare it in different ways using my oven and then we’ll split the bird. Did the first one today and, well, as you can see that IT WAS AMAZING.

It’s a good idea on many levels. We both get to enjoy a well-cooked bird, which of course I could do on my own (since I have an oven) but I mean, how much chicken can one girl eat in a week? This way is win-win. I also give Peter the carcass to make a soup or stew, so that’s a bonus for him, and because he buys the bird that goes towards what I spend on electricity. Looking forward to trying all kinds of new roasted chicken recipes too – I think spatchcocking is coming up next.

gitana tapas at T

30 Wednesday Sep 2020

Posted by in food & drink, friends, gastronomy

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So, remember chef John? Well, I introduced him to Ricardo & Javi at T by ConTenedor and it looks like they are going to be a good match. This evening John presented a five-course tasting menu for the four of us and it was spectacular. Works so well in the equally spectacular space too. If you live in Sevilla look for upcoming tasting menu pop-ups by John on his @gitana.tapas and T’s @T_espacio_gastronomico Instagram accounts.

You can see the pics below…

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let’s lunch!

13 Monday Jul 2020

Posted by in amigos, food & drink, gastronomy, restaurants, tapas bars, video

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So we are just a week away from the first Amigo del Día campaign, called Let’s Lunch (Quedamos a Comer!), which I first mentioned to you all at the beginning of June. This is a non-profit initiative started by Chelsea Anton, with the aim of helping to promote independent bars and restaurants around the world as they begin to reopen after the Covid shutdown, and also while they recover.

The idea behind Let’s Lunch has evolved since its inception and is now simply a “challenge” to ask a friend to lunch at your favourite bar or restaurant, take photos and promote them on your social media using the following hashtags: #letslunch #quedamosacomer #amigodeldia. This is a global initiative and so you can take part anywhere you are. For some inspiration have a look at some of the places that have already registered for the event, which will tak place between July 20-30th.

AMIGO DEL DÍA – LET’S LUNCH

If you (or someone you know) have a bar or restaurant and would like to be featured on the Amigo del Día site, there is still time to register.  Meanwhile, who wants to meet me for lunch next week?  🙂

día mundial de la tapa

18 Thursday Jun 2020

Posted by in food & drink, friends, sevilla, tapas, tapas bars, the new now

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tapas day (3)

I didn’t even realise today was Día Mundial de la Tapa (World Tapas Day)! What a perfect moment to have my first tapa out in 97 days. And well it had to be THOSE gorgeous honey pork ribs at Eslava.

The day started off with a visit to the Alcázar Palace and Gardens, which just opened up to the public on Monday. I thought it would be nice to visit again before the marauding hordes start arriving here on Sunday. So I arranged to meet my friend Corinna at 11.30 (carefully timed so that after our palace visit it would be BEER O’CLOCK).

casaCorinna

Along the way we stopped in at a couple of bars just so I could say hello to people there. It was so lovely seeing dear friends again. Corinna and I  lucked out at Eslava and got a nice socially distanced space at the bar and had an amazing lunch. And I got to see Sixto! He runs Eslava with his wife and I’ve known him for many years. We agreed that the “reopening” in our new now is more than just about business, or even the food. It’s about the people, the ambiance, the… everything! Damn it felt good to be back.

tapas day (4)
Sixto

tapas day (1)

Baby courgette filled with bacalao
Croquetas caseras
Becquer’s cigar
Stuffed courgette flower
Cheesecake

amigo del día

01 Monday Jun 2020

Posted by in food & drink, gastronomy, restaurants, spain, welcome

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So a couple of weeks ago my friend, and fellow sherry educator, Chelsea Anthon @chelsea_anthon got in touch to tell me about her new non-profit initiative Amigo del Día. It sounded like a great idea to me, so when she asked if I wanted to help out of course I was happy to get involved. For those of you who don’t know Chelsea, she is the founder and driving force behind Sherry Week, which has helped put sherry wines on the international map.

The idea behind Amigo del Día is to help promote independent bars and restaurants as they begin to reopen after the Covid shutdown, and also while they recover. The first campaign is called Let’s Lunch and it is based on the Spanish lunchtime set menu (menu del día) which traditionally includes a starter, main course, dessert, and beverage. Restaurants can register on the website and upload their own menu del día, which they will offer to the public between July 20-30. Registration is free of charge, as is the all the promotion provided, including material that can be downloaded.

For an extra fee Amigo del Día is offering restaurants the option of a menu app that their customers can access by scanning a QR Code with their phones. This digital menu is free for Amigo del Día participants from now until August 1st.

Within a couple of weeks hungry customers will be able to start searching on the Amigo del Día website for participating restaurants in their city, see the menus and check options available (takeaway, delivery, eat-in). They will also be able contact restaurants directly to either book a table or place orders.

It’s still early days but I remember the early days of Sherry Week too and believe that this initiative has legs. I think it’s a great way of not only helping our favourite bars and restaurants get back on their feet, but also to stay with us. Because the effects of Covid are going to be with us for some time to come. And remember that this is an international affair, so you can also look up great places to eat for once we get back to travelling again. I’m so happy to be a part of this.

If you’d like to help spread the word, and help get your own favourite restaurants involved, get in touch by emailing hola@amigodeldia.org and let them know you’d like to be a part of the Amigo del Día team of global ambassadors.

Meanwhile, you can follow @amigodeldia on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.