tattum's kitchen

Sea Day In El Molar. Part 2

So for dinner I made these "Almejas a La Marinera" and  "Langostinos a la Plancha", for drink the classic  spanish summer special, (no, not Sangria) Tinto de Verano!

Almejas a La Marinera
The clams are very, very easy you only need: 4people

1kg of clams (1,5kg if like them a lot like me)
Parsley (hand full)
1 clove of garlic
400ml of white wine

in a sauce pan, fry the copped garlic and parsley don't let it burn. Add the clams and the wine. Put the lid on and after 10min all the clams will be opened and the will be ready to eat!

For the shrimps there no secret, just use your grill and sprinkle some cooking salt on top. They will be ready in 5min, they cook really fast.

and what about the Tinto de Verano?

Ice
Red Wine
Casera (or Sprite)

 

Sea Day in El Molar. Part 1

As soon as we got back from Britanny, I felt like something was missing... I had spend a relaxing and fresh week near the sea, having the most delicious plates of "Moules et Frittes", oysters and fresh fish....and now we where back home, in this hot and dry town...no sea in the horizon....oohhh...I wanna go back!!! I miss it sooo...
Well, as I was saying, as soon as we got back, we wen't to buy some fish to the "pescaderia". I must say that I had only cooked fish as sushi, (which is not cooked obviously) and once, only once many, many years ago back in Marbella. (I remembered the receipe  because it was very easy..)
So we bought this "Lubina", (Sea Bass in english, Bar in French) and we asked to the fishmonger (as a word, I do prefer poissoniere) to clean it for us...I also bought some "Almejas" (clams) and shrimps, quite big ones.
For lunch I prepared this easy dish of Lubina al Horno,

Ingredients
1 Lubina per person
2 tomatoes
1 onion
2 or 3 potatoes
salt pepper
olive oil
1 lemon
Herbs (thyme, rosemary)

I preheated to oven to 200º. In an oven pan you make a lay of sliced potatoes, (1/2cm slice) a lay of sliced tomatoes, and another lay of onions, on top of that you add the fish, with slices of lemon in the inside of the fish. you add the salt , pepper, the herbs and pour a little of olive oil on top of everything...20min the oven and you are done!!!

Bon Jour

Biere Blanche a le soire

This beer is served with a slice of lemon and has a perfumed taste. I'm soo tired, the beer is the best!

Le Magasin de la Coinche

Patricia and Daniel restored this beautiful house next to Cognac. We bought a couple of bottles of Pinaud, the apperitif de la region. We are now on the road to Rennes!

Cherac

Good morning!

Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna

This weekend we had the feeling that the autumn had arrived. We had low temperature, very windy and a little cloudy sky. The weather is being quite strange this year...so I really felt like having a nice plate of pasta would make my day. While we watched the most exiting Formula 1 races we tasted this absolutely delicious Lasagna.

I always prepare the Lasagna the same way, and this time I wanted to try something new. Looking in my cooking books I found this recipe, easy, creamy and mmmm...

Looking now to my old post, I have just realized that I cook Lasagna in autumn days...

Ingredients:

Dry pasta for Lasagna

1 1/2 kg Spinach (I use frozen spinach)

500gr Ricotta

2 onions

1 can of crushed tomato

7 or 8 dried sun tomatoes

200gr corn

100gr mushrooms

Parmesan

25gr flour

25gr butter

milk

salt and pepper

nutmeg

Chop one of the onions and fry till it's transparent.

Also chop the dry tomatoes, and when the onion is ready add them to the pan. Stir for 5 min and add the can of chopped tomatoes. Add a little sugar, salt and pepper to taste.

 

In another pan fry the other chopped onion, and once it's transparent add the spinach, the corn and the mushrooms, and the nutmeg.

Now you have both prepared, take a oven pan, maybe 5cm high...add the first layer of dry pasta. the ones we have here in Spain ( I suppose you may find the same everywhere) has to by hydrated first, we do this with the tomato sauce.

Now you can start with spinach layer, and on top of the spinach you can add the ricotta. You can also mix it previously in a bowl but this is up to you!

Now on top the another dry pasta layer, more tomato sauce on top and more spinach with ricotta. and after that the last layer with dry pasta and what you have left of the tomato sauce. Put the oven to 200º.

For the bachamel sauce. On a deep frying pan, melt the butter, once it's starting to boil, add 2 spoons of flour. Stir till you have a paste and add slowly a little of milk. Don't stop moving the spoon. Add more milk, nutmeg and salt. Add milk till you have an almost liquid sauce. Now the last thing you need to do is to add the grated Parmesan to the sauce and stir well. Add the sauce to the lasagna, and sprinkle some Parmesan on top.

enjoy!!!

Jack & Moon

look how much they've grown!!!

Jack is one year old and Moon is 8 months. They are soooo funny when they are together!

Wok

this dish is one of my favourites. It's very easy to cook and it's very, very healthy. you only need many veggies, and maybe if you want to add something else, you can try maybe shrimps, chicken breats or meat. I will give you the basic recipe, but it's up to you to add anything you like.

1 zucchini

3 or 4 carrots

1 onion

1/2 leek

1 can of bamboo roots

7 or 8 shiitake mushrooms

1 piece of sliced ginger

100gr of soy bean sprouts

transparent rice noodles

sesame oil soy sauce

lot's of cilantro

if you don't have a WOK, use a simple frying pan.

The WOK, as it has a very small base, you can cook anything with very little fire. So good for you if you have a fire kitchen. the most important thing is that you slice all the vegetables in thin long pieces. this way the vegetables will cook sooner. in the base of the wok add the sesame oil, just enough to cover the base. Once the oil is really hot, add first the onion and the leek. Wait for the onion to become transparent and then add the ginger, the carrots and the zucchini. Cook till the zucchini is nearly cooked (10min aprox) and add the bamboo and the mushrooms. Now you can add a little of soy sauce, and keep cooking for another 10 min. the last thing to add is the soy bean sprouts, as they cook really fast. in a separate pan you will cook the transparent noodles, once they are done (you only need boiling water, salt and a deep pan + 5 min) you can add them to the WOK. Add a little more soy sauce and you will be done! let it stay in the fire for 5 min more, and you can serve. add the chopped cilantro on top. As I said before this recipe can be even better with a little imagination like if you add cashew nuts, prawns... I hope you enjoy it!

Preparing for the Fall

Alvaro and I have been living in this house for 3 years now. The first tree we planted was a little apple tree that had only 3 skinny branches. For 3 years we have been waiting for the precious fruit to grow. aren't they beautiful? I haven't tried any yet. I look at them everyday, and I imagine that they must taste soo good...but I'm waiting patiently for them to grow.

I always had the dream of making an apple pie with my own apples, and at last as soon as September starts I will be able to make one! lavander at home!

We will be traveling in a week through lovely France. This time we will go to Brittany.

and there will be LIVE mobloging also!

besos!!!

Views from work

those beautiful orchids were a gift from my dear friend Marta. they have lots of sun and love, that's why they look soooo lovely. Besos!

Moon

This is Moon, our new puppy!

Jack is really happy because she arrived!!!

Jack

Max left only one week ago, each time we arrived home from work, was like hell...we where always expecting him to come running to us...

We had a really tough week, our house was made for Max, each corner  was made with him there. Every plant or tree was planted with him looking at us like saying "what are you doing, I want to know!". We couldn't look out of the window, beacause we always thought that we would see him seating in the grass, under a tree or bitting any of the hundreds of balls he had around in the garden...

To make it even worse, Alvaro's 40 birthday was on Friday,  he woke up  feeling sad and lonely... On Friday my research for a new puppy began. I called to the vet/kennel where Max was treated and from where Max's father was. I asked them if they had a puppy from Max's father, and lucky me, they did!

So on Saturday, Jack arrived home...but that is another story, and I will come back soon to tell you more about him...

The flying dog is gone...

I just can't believe you have gone so fast, in just 3 days, after only of 4 years of giving us full time happiness.
My beloved friend, my baby, my puppy, all of the things I feel now, but just won't come out...I love you, I love you so much it hurts...
I will never, ever forget you...
You passed away this morning, just 4 hours ago, you didn't even say a word, like always...Just wish I was there with you, holding you...
My baby Max, ...bye, bye

Un vin en Valbonne

A beautiful middle age village with only eight streets. Enough to fall in love with it. While the church bell rings, we taste a nice provence wine. Salute mes amies!

Cannes

Paseamos por la promenade de Cannes. Solo los mas privilegiados pueden permitirse una tumbona en el espigon, a 45€! Y me parecia caro ayer Juan les Pins...

A la plage

Juan les Pins. En la playa publica porque las privadas, aunque tres chic, son tambien tres chere. A 18€ la hamaca...

Glaces de Violete et de Rose

Nous sommes en Tourrettes, comiendo helado.

Bon Jour

After a huge breakfast with croissants, toasts, brioches, ham and cheese, 4 types of homemade jams and what was the best part, sweet figues directly taken from the tree. We are now moving to Grasse. This is a picture of the views of our room. Besos!