anxovada

04 Friday Jul 2025

Posted by in azahars kitchen, cooking

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Omg how did I never hear of this sauce before now?? Go and make it now, you won’t regret it. Will be up on Azahar’s Kitchen soon but for now…

  • 1 small can of anchovy fillets in olive oil (about 10 fillets, with their oil)
  • 1 small ripe tomato
  • 1 garlic clove
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • A pinch of freshly ground pepper

    1. Peel the garlic, chop it, and crush it in a mortar with a little black pepper.
    2. Add the drained anchovies (reserving the oil) and continue pounding until you have a paste.
    3. Blanch and peel the tomato, remove the seeds and water, dice it, and add it. Place it in the mortar and pound for a couple more minutes.
    4. Add a little extra virgin olive oil to the anchovy oil in the tin until you have about four tablespoons. Add it little by little, blending to emulsify.

wines of central & southern spain

03 Thursday Jul 2025

Posted by in andalucia, books, friends, wine

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Look what came today! Been looking forward to this, the companion book to my friend Sarah Jane Evans MW‘s The Wines of Norther Spain. I even get a nice mention for advising Sarah Jane (ever so slightly) about Sevilla wines, still very much unheard of, even here. Excellent timing to help with research I’m presently doing for a couple of Bitesize Sevilla articles as well as an upcoming travel piece for Decanter.

Things are hopping down here in the south. As Sarah Jane says in her book, if she had written the chapter on Andaculía ten years ago it would have been very different. Exciting times. Also nice to see so many people I’ve come to know over the years mentioned in the book. Worth taking a look.

blistering

02 Wednesday Jul 2025

Posted by in sevilla, summer, weather

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I know it looks pretty but holy fuck is it hot. Most days this past week have been from 5-9 degrees hotter than the average for this time of year. Nine degrees hotter is a lot of degrees! It’s starting to come down a bit (from 42º to 37º) but only “cools” down to about 25º overnight. Someone on Bluesky said they wondered how I live here in this heat and I said I am sensible and mostly stay home with the AC on. I like to think I’ve convinced at least a few people NOT to come here for a summer holiday. We need our water supply and electrical grid intact (and for us!). ☀️ 🔥

the bread of ángel puchi

30 Monday Jun 2025

Posted by in gastro guias, gastronomy, sevilla

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Inspiring. That’s the adjective that the Gastro Guías have agreed to give to Ángel Sánchez (aka Puchi). Last week the popular baker opened the doors of his bakery to us and has gave us a wonderful tour of his workspace, as well as sharing his experiences and memories. I first met Ángel at an Academia event last year but I already knew of him thanks to his newest location about five minutes from my house. 

Ángel is an example of perseverance. A third-generation baker, the business that was started by his grandfather in the mid-50s closed when his father retired in 2010. After the birth of his daughter Alegría in 2016 Ángel began baking bread at home for his family and a couple of years later decided to revive the family trade with his own project and the slogan Artesano con Alegría (artesan with joy). 

Using top-quality, locally sourced ingredients, he now has locations in Coria del Río and Sevilla, with restaurants and foodies from all over the region lining up to get his classic and innovative breads and pastries. We learned a lot—and that’s what we love most—during the time we spent with him. Thanks again Ángel!

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