La Ruta de Tapas

During most of the month of February there has been an activity in the town I work in at many restaurants. During lunch and dinner you can receive a larger tapa (small plate of food) and a drink for two euros and fifty cents. Each of the 21 participating restaurants design one tapa for this event. After you eat at the restaurant you receive a stamp and can vote on which is your favorite. There are also prizes for participants. I took this opportunity to visit some friends and enjoy good food.

I have acquired five stamps but there are still three days of the event left so there is still time for more.

All the food was really good. Spain has such a food culture, I would not expect any less.

This one was the first I tried and I licked the plate clean, well almost. I even ate the garnishes :) oh except the bread of course... no excuses for gluten.

The weather was around sixty degrees and so we enjoyed our food outdoors for the afternoon.

Now with a full stomach I am starting to prepare for my next trip. Istanbul, Turkey

Carnaval and Cooking

During the month of February many countries celebrate Carnaval. The origin of this celebration was to feast on all of the products that must be disposed of prior to Lent in the form of a giant party. To many outsiders it may seem like another Halloween but this celebration in Spain has become more satire like and involves many witty costumes and play on words regarding hot topics and politics.

There was a large parade that lasted over an hour. The people are very creative in there costumes and work together. There was one group that included every character from Shrek!!

Another group I thought was funny was the group of elderly Spanish people. You must live here to completely understand.

All the families came together and many parents were dressed with their children making there way through the parade.

Two friends came to visit for the festivities. After the parade there is a large party in the bull ring where everyone comes in costume and enjoys some live music. I dressed as a loofah and my friends were fairies.

I have also been busy trying some new recipes. Here is a chocolate red wine cake that I made with some marscapone and whipped cream topping.

A popular treat of Úbeda and Baeza are ochios. It is a bread that is either topped with pimentón which is similar to paprika or sugar. I cannot enjoy these treats since they are made of wheat flour but a friend gave me an authentic recipe and I adapted it to make it gluten free. I only made these today so I have not had a chance to try them but boy am I excited!