Cooking for my Spanish host family

When I was told I was to be cooking for my Spanish host family, I did get a bit excited. Why? Because since I have been here, vegetables have been at a minimum. Aside from the standard fare of lettuce and tomato with every single meal, the vegetables are few and far between. Finally, I would get a chance to eat some delicious multicolored goodness. We were supposed to cook whatever we usually ate at home. For me, this is a stir-fry of chicken, a mix of green peppers, onions, carrots, celery or whatever other vegetables I happen to have in stock, and of course white rice. Unfortunately, I don't cook rice without my handy dandy rice cooker, which requires you to simply add water and rice, and to push one button. Instead, I went with the Spanish tradition of bread and papas fritas to fill the starch/calorie dense portion of the meal.

As for the rest of the items, I bought them at Carrefur, the Meijer/Wal-mart equivalent in Spain. I got two things: a prepackaged set of mixed vegetables and chicken breast. Hey, it is my daily meal! There really wasn't much to the preparation. Cooking the chicken, adding a variety of spices from red pepper, salt, white pepper, garlic and onion powder. The vegetables only needed to be heated. Throwing those in the same pan with the chicken did the trick. I had to ask my host mother to show me her tiger-style of making papas fritas. Now this was a surprise: You cut potatoes and heat them in olive oil and salt. Haha. I was a novice at this and almost completely ruined them. They were only extremely salty and a little burnt. Oh well.

Her reaction to my cooking was not surprising; she loved it. She told me i knew how to use a good blend of spices. She ate all of it and didn't puke once. Overall i would consider this a success.

At heart, I'm a cook...

Yessss... this past week, I had the opportunity to cook for my family! If nothing else, I'll bring home some deliciouuus Spanish recipes :) (but trust me, I will be bringing much more than that)!

Well... I decided to make a Spanish Tortilla. This is basically an omelet... except better...

Seriously... it takes the omelet, and makes it look childish. Really, though... it's like an omelet, but four steps beyond. Honestly, now... it's an omelet that kicks it up several knotches (Emeril style).

The Spanish Tortilla is a bit of a bully, too

Well, enough about how much better it is - I'll explain how it is made, now!

The Spanish Tortilla starts out small. To serve four people, we prepared the following ingredients:

-5 potatoes (peeled and diced)

-2 small onions (peeled and diced)

-1/2 red pepper (diced)

-5 eggs (beaten)

-1.5 cups of olive oil

-Salt/pepper

First, allow the 1.5 cups of olive oil to heat up - use a higher level of heat on the stove. While it heats, you may prepare the vegetables (peel/cut them, if you have not already done so). You may add the vegetables (the potatoes, onions, and red pepper) to the frying pan one by one, or throw them in together. Once they are in, you stir on occasion, allowing them to cook. Once the potatoes start to crumble, you're ready to use a drainer to take the olive oil out of the pan.

I decided to add the vegetables one by one.

They never saw it coming :(

Mmm... they are so good, together...

While the vegetables are cooking, you may beat the eggs. Here, you may add the salt and/or pepper, if desired. When the potatoes begin to crumble, you may use a drainer to drain the oil out of the pan, into a bowl, and return the vegetables to the pan. Afterwards, you may add the eggs to the mix of vegetables, and stir it (only a little bit!). Once the bottom of the Tortilla begins to solidify, you may use a large plate to cover the pan, and flip it over (be warned - this part requires a bit of experience!). Then, return the Tortilla to the pan to allow the other side to cook. This part of the preparation takes very little time. (I have pictures of the entire process, but unfortunately, I was only able to upload a few to my computer - I have been having techological issues)

After combining everything, you should have something that looks like this...

Credits go to Google images, for this one...

I served the Tortilla with a salad. Overall, it was a great experience. Despite my señora's doubts, things flowed pretty well. I was definitely happy to have a hand (my señora stayed by my side, during the cooking process) - it surely made things quicker. For example, when cutting the potatoes, I was cutting slowly, and my señora did not hesitate to lend a hand (although she may have been cutting too quicky - she cut herself... a battle scar, of sorts; did I mention the extra ingredient?... blood!!).

Also, I had trouble flipping the tortilla, so my señora took over on that part, as well. I'll be practicing, at home! Another thing worth noting is the variability of the Tortilla. The Tortilla can be made with nearly any ingredients, be it mushrooms, or tuna (both of which make pretty good Tortillas)!

I think this experience was not only fun for me, but was pleasant for my señora, as it showed our interest in culture. Hopefully, she won't be as reluctant to allow the next student to cook! Anyways, be warned that I'll be providing a Spanish dinner when I come home, mom!

Love you!

Maurice

salamanca cooking and weekend travel

My designated stool in Maria Jose's kitchen is my current favorite place in the world. Although she doesn't speak my language, and I barely understand her's, we interact in this tiny stuffy room as if we had been observing eachother for years. We meet daily at least once, usually over deep fried food with astronomical salt and carbohydrate content, to discuss the important things. Today, for instance our conversation began with her explaining a diving mishap (wait...what?) that was driving her to take painkillers (she shook the bottle in my face) and evolved into the facial hair of French men. Okay, so we're hardly discussing theology but I laugh until my stomache hurts! Last Wednesday, Maria prepared a menu for me to cook: fried chicken, fried bacon, and a baguette...who knew about these people's love for everything breaded and cooked in grease? The recipes were quite simple, but we ended up polishing off a bottle of wine (and a half) and spending an hour or two in the kitchen.

This weekend was incredible (despite my flight delays in both directions..six extra hours of waiting at the airport in total, a missed train, and an extra night in madrid that i never would've wished for...don't fly Iberia) and fast-paced; Althought I didn't spend it in Spain, my journey to the French Riviera only invigorated my love for this impermanent host country of mine. What struck me, other than the prolific beaches and peaking mountains, was the sense of comradare and communalism that I observed both in Italy and here in Spain. I met a good friend, JD in Nice--he was staying with a friend named Thomas who he met through a new program called 'couch-surfing' online. I arrived around two am Saturday morning, and JD, Thomas and his friends greeted me warmly. After a night that ended in the Mediterranean, we spent the day Saturday visiting with Thomas's family and his friends...a stranger turned into a friend within hours. We woke up at nine am Saturday, and Thomas told us "We are going to Cannes" which I associated with a film festival but now I imagine strange white trees and steep mountains. Five of us piled into a car and ended up at his mother and fathers' house which resembled a hotel. We spent the day as a group, eating pistachios, barbaqued pork, and drinking roset. Europeans know exactly how to live, not efficiently, perhaps not in a most modern way, but thorougly and wonderfully. That said, it takes about three hours to accomplish anything. We realized hunger, collectively and out loud around six pm. At that time, Thomas made a verbal list of the process that would lead us from his friend's backyard saltwater pool (beautiful) back to his parents' house for "a large barbaque."

"First, we will finish this wine. Then we will collect our things. Then we will walk, with our things, to the car. Then we will go to the grocery store..." I had to stifle laughter because innocent ol´ Thomas was saying this all with a straight face. We ate around ten pm, and how wonderful the pork and pasteries were!!! I ended the weekend with my roomate Christina and JD on the Mediterranean after a huge breakfast of crepes with ham, egg, and cheese. A series of tedious events led me back to Maria's kitchen where I sit typing this as she watches me standing at the sink over a pile of dishes, smoking her fifteenth cigarette of the hour.

Besos de españa,

Allyson

Cooking for Sagrario and Visiting Andalucia

When I found out that my assignment for this week was to cook a meal for Sagrario my first reaction was that it was unfair. Sagrario has taken such good care of me while I’ve been here and I didn’t think that she should have to eat anything that I’ve had a hand in making. As the daughter of the owner of a cooking and food preparation business (Hi Mom!) it’s slightly ironic that I have zero cooking skills. When I explained the situation to my mom over skype her first reaction was, “Oh poor Sagrario,” and then of course she emailed me some fail proof recipes. Then when I explained the assignment to Sagrario she suggested that she choose what I made so that I could learn how to cook a Spanish dish. I thought this was an excellent idea and within minutes I was cooking Tortilla Española. Tortilla Española is made by first cooking peeled potatoes and chopped onions together and then adding beaten eggs to the pan and flipping and cooking both sides until the eggs hold the onions and potatoes together like a tortilla. With Sagrario supervising, my first task was to peel the potatoes. Within seconds of attempting to peel potatoes Sagrario deemed that I was working too slowly and grabbed the peeler and potato from me saying, in Spanish of course, “No faster like this!” And within seconds Sagrario had the first potato all peeled. After the demonstration I started peeling the second one and Sagrario just started laughing and making jokes. She said that I couldn’t possibly be Irish if I couldn’t peel a potato in less than 30 seconds and how she thought that peeling potatoes was and an inherited skill to Irish people.

The rest of the cooking process was very similar to this. I would attempt something, Sagrario would laugh at me, take the utensils away from me and show me the right, faster, way to do it. However by the end, she was confident enough that I knew what to do and actually left the kitchen. I was proud that I managed not to burn anything while she was away. I was also very happy when Sagrario liked the Tortilla Española and asked for seconds.

Sagrario was satisfied or this picture is staged.

On Thursday I went on the cursos excursion to Andalucia. It was absolutely amazing. Our first stop was Sevilla and there we visited a cathedral and the old palace gardens. I believe that our tour guide said that the cathedral was the third largest in the Spain. We were able to climb up the tower to where the bells are. The view of Sevilla was pretty amazing from there. The next day we travelled two hours to Granada. Once there we visited yet another cathedral, this one had the tombs of King Carlos and Queen Isabella so that was really interesting. That night I went to a flamenco show with some friends. Since flamenco originated in Granada I was very excited to see an authentic show. I can’t even image how much the dancers feet and hands hurt after ward from stomping and clapping so much. It was a small theater so every seat was a good seat, or so we thought. We were originally jealous of the people in the first row because they were so close but then in the second half of the show, a male dancer with long hair came out. Dancing under the hot lights he got sweaty very quickly and every time he jerked or swung his head, sweat would fly on to the audience members sitting in the first row. After seeing that we were very happy we had not shown up earlier.

Later that night we went to a discoteca that overlooked the Alhambra. It was a gorgeous view because the Alhambra is illuminated at night. Most of the group stayed out all night to watch the sun rise over the Alhambra, but I was too tired was at 5 am I called it a night and took a cab home with a few other friends. Five hours later we were back at the Alhambra on a tour. The Alhambra was a definite highlight of the trip because it’s just so impressive that they were able to make such beautiful buildings with only manual labor. Unfortunately my camera died before we got there so I have no pictures to share from it.

I have been in Spain for nearly a month now and everyday I find myself surprised by all the new cultural experiences that it offers. Before I leave Salamanca, in two weeks, I plan on visiting the cathedrals and museums here in Salamanca and taking a day trip to Madrid.

Cathedral in Sevilla

View of Sevilla from the Bell Tower

Cooking for Spanish Family

Cooking for my host family was a very interesting experience because I normally never cook at home in the States. Whenever I do cook, my meals usually consist of frozen items that can easily be prepared in the oven or microwave. However, I am happy that our class was given this assignment because it was definitely very eye-opening and fun at the same time. Initially, I was very reluctant and nervous about cooking due to the following reasons: I was afraid that my host family would not like my food, I didn’t know which item to select, and lastly I was afraid that my cooking could turn into a disaster and place everyone in danger (LOL). Despite my fears, once I began cooking the food, all of these panics disappeared and the process was very smooth

In order to maximize the fun with this project, I decided that the only dish that I would cook for my host family would be a Spanish dish. An American plate is too typical and I really wanted to choose something that would pose a major challenge to me. Given this, I decided to cook “La Tortilla Española” because the recipe was not very difficult and whenever I ate it in past meals, I really enjoyed the dish. So, for this plate I simply cut up potatoes, onions, and beat a few eggs. After that step was finished, I then fried the potatoes and onions in a pot and to finish the dish, I placed the eggs on top of the potatoes and onions in the pan. The dish was extremely easy and very fun to make. Also, I prepared a vegetable salad for my host family as well, which required very little skill to make. Overall, my host family was very pleased with my meal, which enabled me to have a very comforting feeling. This project allowed me to conquer all my fears associated with cooking and make a very good meal.

After being in Spain for four weeks and sampling several foods, I will definitely be cooking many Spanish dishes when I get home. I realized that many Spanish dishes do not require much work and are very easy to prepare. Given this, I know that I can make these foods and describe the process to my mom and grandma so that they can enjoy the dishes as well. My Spanish cooking experience may have very well just signified the beginning of my cooking career. I can definitely see myself preparing foods on a regular basis now since I know that I am capable of doing so.

To capture the moment, I asked my host madre to take several photos while I cooked the food. Below, you can see the cooking process in its entirety. I wanted to make sure that I had several pictures to sum up my experiences and for many memories. Here are my photos:

In conclusion, cooking for my Spanish host family was a very enriching and fun experience. Although I initially had many doubts and was afraid to cook, the experience definitely paid off. “La Tortilla Española” will surely become a frequent dish upon arriving back to the United States, and I am sure that my family and friends will become instant fans as well. Until next time, I hope to continue to observe the preparation of Spanish food and become more familiar with the recipes so I can make them when I return home.

Miss you, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Micah, and Ashley

Saludos,

Eric

Ibizaaaaaa!

This past weekend, two of my friends and I visited the popular and beautiful stopping ground for partiers from all over the world. This tiny island houses some of the most popular clubs in the world and is well known around the world as having the best club scene ever! But more than the parties, Ibiza has the most gorgeous beaches and vistas to offer and the weather is ALWAYS perfect.

I got very little sleep but the loss of sleep was worth it, even necessary in order to take advantage of the little time we had there. Below are places to see/visit while in Ibiza and a few tips for traveling there. Enjoy! : )

Places to Visit for the Avid Party-Goer

(1) Amnesia Nightclub

-This nightclub is huge, as most are in Ibiza, and is separated into two main areas where the atmospheres are quite different. Most of the clubs in Ibiza play house music or techno so it was definitely different from what I'm used to but fun nonetheless. The entrance fee for the ladies is a whopping 45 euro, so it's quite expensive. I suggest if you are a woman, flirting with the bouncer or "casually" meeting someone in line who looks like he may just pay for you. I'm partially joking but partially serious. Definitely do what seems safe but if you can, use your looks and the fact that you're a woman to your advantage. Trust me, it works more than you think ; ).

(2) Downtown San Antonio

-I'm not really one for hardcore partying, but if you by any chance are, Downtown San Antonio, well really ALL of Ibiza, has plenty of opportunities through which to engage in MUCHAS FIESTAS!

Places to Visit for The Beach Bum

(1) Pinet Beach, San Antonio de Portmany

(2) Formentera

-Formentera is an island just 30 minutes north of Ibiza by Ferry. It's gorgeous and much more tranquil than its lively neighboring island.

(3) San Antonio Harbour

(4) Ibiza Harbour

Places to Visit for The Daredevil

(1) San Antonio Harbour

-One part of the harbor is lined with watersports companies. I went parasailing and had a BLAST! It was amazing and very well priced.

Sa Flama Restaurant

This Authentic Mexican Restaurant is a hidden gem and is absolutely amazing! And the amount of food they give you for the price is incredible! Just take a look at these fotos...

More Pictures of Ibiza:

Tips for Traveling in Ibiza

(1) Make sure you know what type of Experience you want BEFORE choosing your hotel

• Ibiza is small but not THAT small, if you want a crazy party experience, be sure to stay in a hotel closer to IBIZA TOWN. If you stay in a hotel in SAN ANTONIO, for example, you will have to take at least a 20 min. cab ride to all of the best clubs...it adds up, trust me!
• If you want a more chill experience that includes sun bathing, walking along the beach, eating at beachside restaurants, hotels away from IBIZA TOWN are a better option.
• If you want an adventurous experience, filed with activities such as watersports and/or hiking, investigate which areas in Ibiza best fit your needs.

(2) Take full advantage of your days in Ibiza

• Decide on the things you MUST do before leaving Ibiza and plan out your days accordingly.

(3) Get in good with the people that work there

• There are many people in Ibiza that have the inside scoop on how to get into the clubs for much cheaper than usual. I suggest going to bars around IBIZA TOWN or SAN ANTONIO and asking about wristbands for discounted or even free entry.
• Ask your cab drivers, people that work in the bars or in various shops around town about their favorite places to go and favorite beaches to visit. They are usually really open and glad to give you the best tips.

If You Can't Stand the Heat...

Cooking for my Spanish Family was an experience to say the least...I really don't cook at home so needless to say I was nervous. I was nervous because not only was I to cook something for people I did not know very well--thus meaning that they would not really care about my feelings if they didn't like what I prepared--but what I was to cook was going to be their meal...a.k.a they were dependent on my cooking. And ontop of that, my host dad didn't seem too fond of the idea and, although he was partially joking, he made it clear that he conveniently NOT be in attendance the night I was scheduled to cook.

After discussing with my host mom my fears about cooking, she offered some fool-proof recipes that the family was sure to like. I ended up choosing to make Carne en Salsa y Patatas Fritas (Meat in Sauce and French Fries) mainly because all of the ingredients were already in the house and the Meat in Sauce dish (really a beef stew type thing) only required that I peel and chop some veggies, cut the meat and throw everything into a pot.

Still nervous but slightly more confident, I began cooking Wednesday evening with my host mom cheering me on. She, surprisingly, let me do everything myself, even though I could tell that sometimes she was getting frustrated with how slow-moving I was and REALLY wanted to take over. I was impressed with her patience because, early on, I definitely got the impression that the kitchen is HER territory. Thus, in order to allow a novice cook to have the responsibility of making the meal required a great deal if it--patience, that is, I'm sure.

After slicing all of the veggies without hurting anyone, I began to feel much more relaxed and my host mom made the experience so much fun. We talked and joked while the stew was simmering and when it was time to check it and begin peeling and slicing the potatoes I was ready for round two!

After washing and preparing the potatoes for frying in the pan, I brought the oil to a boil and began slowly dropping the potato slices into the pan. Burning myself was inevitable, but I took it like a true champ! After both dishes were completed I felt the weight of all the nerves, apprehensions and worries lift from my shoulders immediately and I knew that I had accomplished my task.

The best part was the praise I got for cooking such a tasty meal from my family. Even my host dad had to admit that the food wasn't half bad. All in all, I'm glad I was able to prove that I can do it not only to my host family, but to myself as well! : )

*The final result...p.s. the wine is just there for decoration...none was consumed during the making of this meal.

Tapas, Torrijas, and Tom Cruise

Correction to the title: I did not cook tapas. That was a boldfaced lie that sought to substitute fact for flow. Nonfiction be damned, I love me an alliteration.




COOKING FOR MY SPANISH FAMILY
Anger, laughter, bewilderment, sweat, tears, German frustration and European liberation. Talking about the tearing down of the Berlin Wall I am not, for these words of revolution pertain solely to my fight to cook my host mom dinner; to do the impossible – cook for the woman who does not eat. Ever.

Now Marisa Alonso Sanchez is an interesting breed. Every day, she smokes about 20-30 cigarettes and drinks 1 cup of coffee in the morning, and that is all. No dinner, no breakfast, no snacks and not even a single piece of candy. How she is still alive, I haven’t the slightest clue. It seems she has more of a place in the Thriller video than in Salamanca. Obviously, she posed an incredible threat to my presentation grade; in fact, she actually went as far to dupe me out of the chance to finish my presentation on time by forcing me to eat the meal she made on the night when in fact it was supposed to be me a cook, cook, cooking away. This is where the anger part of the topic sentence came into play, yet with much meditation I thought: maybe this is a way of paying off whatever Karma debt I racked up in my last go down the trail? Entonces...

“Well how in the hell are you going to get this woman to eat, Tyler you incredulous swine?” I asked myself. The best idea I had to prepare myself for such a task was to flick on the Spanish dub of Mission Impossible.

After 2 hours of Tom Cruise goodness, I was equally as lost… perhaps more confused as I have never in my 20 years of life understood that God-forsaken movie. I am rambling. Cutting to the chase, Marisa and I went to verbal war over dinner rights. Having the upper hand, her Spanish flex was no match for my language-confused brain, and she even went to hit below the belt once or twice when talking about my cooking. Me, who thought myself proud as Napoleon, was finally forced to face my Waterloo; however, all was not lost. What I did manage to get out of the conversation was to be able to cook dinner for myself on Friday night to make up for her withholding my presentation. The method is as follows:

I chose to make a family “recipe” of sorts, if one can even append to it this title. I prefer something more on the lines of Jazz Improvisation in the Kitchen. Anyways it involved frying freshly peeled prawns with parsley and garlic in olive oil, and it is served over spaghetti, although I am sure any type of pasta will do. For desert, I made Torrijas, a sort of Spanish French toast, out of thick, hearty slices of sweet bread soaked in milk and sugar with the essence of a freshly squeezed lime and an orange. One then would proceed to fry it in a pan of olive oil; however, finding myself lacking that substance after the pasta had ran me dry (pun intended), I had to settle for sunflower. Once crisp and brown on both sides, but pudding-like in the center (like Barry White), I made one final addition and added a dollop of sweet vanilla ice cream to the top of the warm, crisp, doughy bread with a hint of citrus. I was in complete heaven.

So, cooking for my family turned out to be a complete failure as well as my desires of understanding Mission Impossible for the first time ever. What I did accomplish, however, was cooking an incredible Mediterranean dish for myself with a hint of España for desert, and let me tell you, my stomach was incredibly pleased.

Andy, I hope this makes up for my atrocious presentation on Thursday. I am in France surfing at the moment, but I will upload a video entitled Cooking with Tyler Hellner to youtube when I get back (after a swift edit on the train ride). See you all Monday.
TZA, the Tedious.
<--Me in France.

Cooking in Spain...but not for my family!

This past week, we were given an assignment to cook for our Señora and host family. It could be anything we wanted...a Spanish dish, like Tortilla, an American dish, or anything else we could think of! Unfortunetly, during the thinking and planning stage of my project I ran into a small problem (and by small, I mean HUGE!)

Image usually coming home to a table set for 4 people and then one day, coming home to a rearranged house with a table set for 15 people! My señora was in the kitchen mixing up a storm so I asked my hallmate what was going on. She told me señora had quickly told her (between setting the table and cooking up a storm in the kitchen) that her family was coming for 2 weeks from the Canary Islands! And sure enough, a few minutes later, the family started to come. And they kept coming. And coming. And coming. I thought that I was in a cartoon for a while with everyone coming in with their suitcases. I'm still not sure how everyone was able to fit into my tiny home! There ended up between 20 and 25 people, so we had to eat in two shifts!

After that experience, I told my señora that, for a project, I had to cook for her. The answer? Definitely not. I don't think she was comfortable with me cooking for her entire family plus I'm pretty sure she had already planned all the menus for two weeks and was going to cook cheaper food that was easy to prepare.

Then, the question changed from "What do I cook for my family?" to "What I am going to go about my project?" The answer: taking a cooking class through the Universidad de Salamanca! I had already signed up for the class and was excited about learning how to cook some traditional Spanish dishes, so I just planned to do my presentation on that!

And what did I cook during the class? We cooked 8 dishes, 2 a day. And here they are!

Pisto Manchego:

Think Ratatouille, but the Spanish version. It was a delicious mix of fried vegetables, including zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, and onions, with hard boiled eggs. ¡Muy rico!

Gazpacho:

A very traditional Spanish dish that's basically a salad, but blended up! It's made with tomatos, garlic, peppers, onion, and olive oil.

Patatas de Herradero:

Potato soap! It's made with potatos, onions, tomatos, garlic, and pepper and topped with freshly cooked bacon: also very good!

Torrijas de Santa Eulalia:

What to consume enough deep fried calories to last a week? Then Torrijas are for you! Bread soaked in a mix of milk, suger, lemon, orange, and cinnamon which is then deep fried and coated in sugar: at least your taste buds will thank you!

Tortilla Española:

Potatoes, onions and egg: a very simple yet amazing dish! The only hard part: flipping the tortilla without it falling to the ground!

Zorongollo:

Fried sweet peppers and tomatoes: a plesent surprise!

Sangría:

A very Spanish drink (that's also easy to make). Just mix some red wine, lemonade, Orange pop, some orange and lemon slices, and a TON of sugar and, presto!, Sandría.

Paella:

Finally, the dish almost everyone associates with Spain. A delicious mix of fried vegetables, seafood, meat, rice, and a few spices. The best part? Just cook it with whatever meats and seafood you like: it doesn't matter what you put in it!

Overall, I was sad I didn't get to cook for my family here in Spain but I am glad that I got to learn how to cook some amazing dishes (that I will hopefully be able to cook again in the States for my family!)