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I have a dodgy internet connection here in Zahara so can’t get online much, but here are a few quick images of my weekend away. Having a great time – back in Sevilla mañana…
my zahara weekend
03 Sunday Jul 2011
Category Archives: work
all in a morning’s work..
30 Thursday Jun 2011
Posted in food & drink, sevilla, wine, work
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I was invited to an ice cream tasting this morning by my friend Eduardo who runs Different Spain, a fabulous private travel and concierge service. You may recall that a couple of months ago Edu and I went to an olive oil tasting together at the Basilippo Hacienda just outside Sevilla, and it turns out that this ice cream tasting, held at Mascarpone, was going to include three flavours made from Basilippo’s exquisite extra virgin olive oil.
Have to admit I’m not much of an ice cream person. Or maybe I’m a purist? I only eat ice cream once or twice a year and my favourite flavour has always been vanilla. But it was fun to taste a few very different flavours, such as:
- vanilla olive oil
- gazpacho topped with balsamic vinegar
- chocolate with hot chilis
- vanilla bonbon filled with wine and covered in dark chocolate
- chocolate bonbon filled with olive oil and covered in white chocolate
- mascarpone with salted sunflower & pumpkin seeds, mixed with dulce de leche
Later Eduardo and I were given some frozen fruit pops to try. They are not on the menu yet but I quite enjoyed my strawberry one, which was made from 45% fresh fruit. As for the rest, it was all very interesting and some of the flavours were quite nice, but I think I’ll stick with vanilla…
weekend plans and other stuff…
16 Thursday Jun 2011
Posted in food & drink, friends, restaurants, spain, summer, tapas, travel, trips, work
So what the heck.
Have been invited to Vejer to participate in a cooking class headed by the fabulous Annie B, and I am to stay over in the “yellow guest suite”, which sounds delightful. The next day Annie is going to drive me down to Zahara de los Atunes where we will have a delicious lunch in the village before she drops me off in Atlanterra so I can get down to work.
Said work involves taking photos and lots of notes about my Seville client’s sister restaurant in Zahara, which I already know well from my visit there two years ago. You may recall the time my friend Agustín asked me to look after their old pup Mini while they were away in Mexico. Not sure if this time I’ll be able to stay over at Agustín’s because he’s having work done on the place, but if not my client Charo says she can put me up. So why not?
And since you’re probably wondering… no, it never occurs to anyone to pay me extra for going out of town or spending days at events with them. At least, not so far. And so far I am more or less okay with that because I am trying to prove myself to them, that I really am a valuable asset. And, it must be said, a lot of the extra work is actually quite fun. But it doesn’t pay the rent.
There will be another trip to Zahara in early July – just overnight again – to make a video of a wine and food pairing evening with two of my clients. Which I think is going to be amazing. Stay tuned…
I give in!
15 Wednesday Jun 2011
It’s too darn hot…
And yes, I know it’s not nearly as hot as it’s going to get (and bear in mind that when it says it’s 36º it’s usually a good 5º hotter than that in the centre of town) but Nog and I just got back from his first “dress rehearsal” Sevilla Walk, with our twitter pals @annalibera and @jorgeguitian, and I finally put on the AIR CONDITIONING. Because I can.
And man, does it ever feel good. Even taking the inside temp down from 31 to 28 feels amazing, especially after a nice cool refreshing shower. But I mostly did this because when I got in I saw that Azar had thrown up on my bed (just “water” but all over the clean sheets I’d just changed last night) and then I found him hiding underneat the bed looking decidedly floppy. So I decided he needed a little cool down time, during this hottest part of the day.
I had hoped to hold out until July, but oh well. I shudder to think what every hour of centrally cooling down all 90 square metres of this place will cost, but I reckon that an hour at lunch time and an hour in the evening before bed should help get us through the worst of it. And I have to say that it feels so luxurious to be able to come home and be comfortable! I expect to feel just as amazed next winter when I don’t have to wear four layers and shiver in front of a space heater. Now I just have to figure out how to pay for this luxury.
To wit… the first run of Nog’s Sevilla Walk went well. Still some editing and fine tuning to do, but over-all I think Anna and Jorge enjoyed themselves. Afterwards we had some great tapas at La Giganta. Cheap too! All that food and two drinks each for just 8 euros a person…
well, it ain’t gonna pay the rent…
09 Thursday Jun 2011
… but damn this is a nice bonus!
Awhile back I suggested to Málaga wine goddess Victoria Ordoñez that she move the WordPress.com blog she’s had for over a year now to her newly re-designed website, so as to incorporate the two better. And I said I could help her do that. You can see her new blog here, which I think turned out very nice. And today I received my “payment” for the blog move… a case of Botani!
You have to understand that ever since tasting Botani up in the Málaga mountains where this beautifully fragrant, yet gorgeously dry, moscatel was born, it has become my favourite white wine. But as it costs about double the usual casa az house white (a nice verdejo from Rueda), Botani is a rare treat for me. So it really is a wonderful thing having a case to myself to enjoy over the summer. The second case is for me to use at my discretion, in my Sevilla Tapas role, to distribute to tapas bars and restaurants I feel should have this very special wine on their menu.
Another nice bonus today was running into a neighbour who ended up hiring me for a freelance gig setting up his holiday apartments online. Now that *will* help with the rent, at least this month.
And now I think I am going to enjoy a glass of my favourite wine – I’ve earned it!
casa azahar 