Category Archives: food & drink

pizza party

21 Monday Aug 2023

Posted by in casa azahar, food & drink, friends

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pizza paul (1)

The last time Paul was here we got to talking about the HOT MESS that is my website setup. I mean, it’s ridiculous really but, in my defence, when I first started building self-hosted websites I was learning as I went. But at this point anyone looking at my FTP file manager would just shake their head (as Paul did) and say “what the fuck?”. So, as this is actually his work, I asked him if he could help me with, ahem, tidying things up a bit. At first we tried this via WhatsApp but then decided it would be better to wait until he was back in Sevilla. Which is now!

We decided the best time would be on a Sunday afternoon (yesterday) when things are pretty quiet around here and, as it’s also back up to 42º, nobody really wants to be outside. To make it feel less like work for Paul I said that after we finished we could get some takeaway pizzas and he could help me with one or two of these lovely red wines from Mallorca and Valencia that have been hanging around for a couple of years. I’m more a white wine girl, so having company – the first time having someone over who wasn’t a handyman since 2019! – seemed a good time to crack these babies open.

pizza paul

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they’re back!

10 Thursday Aug 2023

Posted by in food & drink, friends, sevilla, spain, tapas, tapas bars

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ana simon sara (1)

What a surprise this was! Yesterday afternoon I was all cosy in my comfy chair reading National Dish when I get a message from Ana (aka Mrs O) saying they were heading to Lisbon from Sotogrande and decided last minute to stop off in Sevilla for dinner and spend the night. Four hours later Ana, Simon, little O and I were perched on bar stools at Cinco Jotas enjoying manzanilla and jamón and waiting for Casa Morales to open (I called ahead to Morales so when we arrived my usual table was reserved for us).

ana simon sara (2)

Their last visit was in November when they came for a weekend with Ana’s family and a family friend, and I was thinking how great it was to see them again so soon. THEN I found out that they are now living full time in Sotogrande and they’ve even started a new business down there called Collect Corner (check it out if you live in the area) and so we’re practically neighbours now. Anyhow, a lovely surprise and a lovely evening catching up with lovely friends in one of my favourite places. Really made my day!

national dish

09 Wednesday Aug 2023

Posted by in books, food & drink, sevilla

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national dish

Look what came today! This was the second book I ordered last week, along with The Book of Sherry Wines, bringing my total book purchases since downsizing in 2017 to a resounding three (the third, well, first one was The Wines of Northern Spain by my friend (and Master of Wine) Sarah Jane Evans.

National Dish is by Anya von Bremzen and looks like it’s going to be delightful. I had a teeny-tiny part in it when Anya and her partner Barry were here doing research in the spring of 2019 and we met up a couple of times, going to a few bars where I introduced her to the owners who agreed to be interviewed. It’ll be hard not to skip ahead to the chapter on Sevilla!

In this engrossing and timely journey to the crossroads of food and identity award-winning writer Anya von Bremzen explores six of the world’s most fascinating and iconic culinary cultures—France, Italy, Japan, Spain, Mexico, and Turkey—brilliantly weaving cuisine, history, and politics into a work of scintillating connoisseurship and charm.

blueberries!

03 Thursday Aug 2023

Posted by in casa azahar, food & drink, health

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blueberries

I love blueberries. In fact, they are one of the few fruits I could actually eat on a daily basis. Plus they are a “super food” when it comes to inflammation issues. Except, they are only around for a brief season. And so! Since I am embarking on this new chapter of making changes, blueberries and lemon water have become a part of my morning routine lately (before I do chair yoga!) as well as taking the fish oil capsules after lunch (those fuckers are actually hard to swallow). All of this in preparation for my appointment with the endocrinologist/nutritionist tomorrow.

But back to blueberries. As they are in abundance right now I’ve found some from Segovia that only cost 4€ for half a kilo (which I think is great, they usually cost double that out of season and come from Peru) and so I have decided to stock up while I can and freeze them. I have never frozen blueberries before. But it seems you should wash them lightly and dry them thoroughly before laying them flat in a tray to freeze for about an hour. Then you put them into plastic bags (also laid out flat) to finish freezing. We shall see.
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yes, we have some tomatoes

24 Friday Feb 2023

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tomatoes (1)

For the past week or so I’ve been hearing about the big tomato shortage of 2023 in the UK, who are laying the blame at reduced crops in Europe (and specifically Spain) due to drought conditions. Ladies and gentlemen I give you these lovely seasonal tomatoes from Almería and Málaga, bought at the Triana Market this morning. There were also tons of the usual hothouse tomatoes, but why the fuck does anyone want to eat tomatoes out of season? We’d all be better off if we stopped thinking we can get EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME when it comes to food. That’s not how nature works.

It seems the main reason the UK is experiencing fresh produce shortages is that most European transport drivers don’t want to spend up to 70 hours in a queue to deliver their products, and who can blame them? Well then, that means more for us.

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