A Guiri Gourmet in Spain

While you can blame me for spending way too much time on the internet, tooling around, reading news, watching clips on youtube, or perusing eBay for wild finds, you can't blame me for boasting about my new favorite site: grouprecipes.com. It's like myspace, but for food. Like goodreads.com, but for food. Like facebook, but for food. Ok, you get the idea.

Not only can you freely browse the database of thousands of recipes (many with photos), but you can dig your heels in, create a user name (free) and share some of your own recipes.

The beauty of this site is that the content is created by you and me, and the recipes are tried-and-true. The good people at grouprecipes.com make sure to allow for lots of customization, comments, and recipe alterations, and they also have handy a taste-tester of sorts that chooses recipes they think you'd like based on a short flavor questionnaire you fill in. Genius.

I invite you to visit grouprecipes.com, take a look at my recipes (all 3 of them...I know, I know) at http://www.grouprecipes.com/people/a_fuego_lento and share some of your own!!!

Yay food.

I was in the kitchen the other day, whipping up a vegetarian lasanga, all by my lonesome, but I have to be honest...I kinda like cooking alone. Does that make me an isolated introvert? A loser? Some kind of culinary loner? Im not quite sure, but I have a theory.

First, my kitchen is small. My apartment in general is small, but comfy. And the kitchen, while well equipped, reminds me of a walk-in closet. 1 person can fit comfortably, 2 is a bit of a squeeze, but if youve got confianza with your kitchen mate, it's not bad. It really starts to get cramped when you're 3. So perhaps it's simply a question of space, being able to move freely about the kitchen, reaching for a pinch of salt, a chorro of olive oil, or that bottle of rioja tucked in the corner, calling out my name.

But more importantly, and this is the real reason, I believe, I like to listen to music while I cook. And I know I'm not the only one. Since I was a kid, my fondest memories in the kitchen were always accompanied by music. Mom wasn't a fan of cooking with the TV on, but cooking with James Taylor, the Beatles, Sergio Mendez, hell, even Johnny Mathis, was a given. And now, my friends and family who I consider excellent cooks, always have some crooning going on while they cook. Think of it as an hors d'oeuvre for the ears.

In any event, I think music is not only the way to relax after a hard day's work, but also a way to change your mood, and in effect, flavor your cooking. Call me a dork, but I actually have a few playlists on my ipod (ingeniously called cooking 1, cooking 2, cooking 3. Feel free to leave recommendations for name changes in the comments box), differing slightly on how I wanna cook. A brief sample:

Cooking 1: Making anything spicy, saucy, slow-cooked, divine...

- Cassandra Wilson: I Want to Be Loved
- Taj Mahal: Lonely Avenue
- Erykah Badu: Appletree
- Etta James: That's Alright
- The Ventures: Green Onions
- Chano Dominguez: Well You Needn't
- Teri Moise: Toi...Je
- Kurt Elling: I Feel So Smoochie

Cooking 2: Prepping for a big night/day of cooking, lots of energy, full o' pep

- White Stripes: My Doorbell
- AC/DC: Back in Black
- Bebe:Como Los Olivos
- Aretha Franklin: Chain of Fools
- Basement Jaxx: Oh My Gosh
- Fiona Apple: Fast As You Can
- Credence Clearwater Revival: Down on the Corner
- Rolling Stones: Brown Sugar
- Sneaky Sound System: Pictures
- The Kooks: Oooh La

Cooking 3: Quieter, pre-brunch, easy like Sunday morning if you know what I mean...

- KT Tunstall: Other Side of the World
- La Musicalite: Brisa
- Lauryn Hill: Can't Take My Eyes Off of You
- Lisa Loeb: All Day
- Manolo García: Pajaros de Barro
- Gloria Estefan: Con Los Años Que Me Quedan
- Al Green: Let's Stay Together
- Feist: Secret Heart
- Indigo Girls: She's Saving Me
- James Taylor: Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight

Anyway, that's basically the jist - music is as important to any meal's preparation as fresh ingredients, and lots of care. Next time you're cooking, don't forget your tunes...

There are things in life that, regardless of time, place, and circumstances, will always be there for you. In my case, a few come to mind: my dog, Lily, Cune wine, Billy Holiday, reef flip flops, NPR, and of course, la famiglia. La Casa de Abuelo is one of the few restaurants in Madrid that I can say makes the list.

A well-known tavern that has been around since 1906 (you read right), La Casa de Abuelo offers flavorful, quintessential, and award-winning Spanish tapas, and cold beer, without getting too high on itself (if you want one of those bars, check out "Cervecería Santa Barbara"). The interesting thing about this place is that I stumbled upon it by chance, without any idea that it's basically a Madrid institution. Once I tried the albóndigas caseras (homemade meatballs), and the addictive pimientos de padrón (tiny pan-grilled green peppers - some are spicy, some are sweet), I knew I'd soon become a regular.

Some of the other offerings at La Casa include homemade gazpacho, huevos rotos (a steamy plate of scrambled egg, ham, and potatoes), gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp ), croquetas (ham or shrimp croquettes) and grilled asparagus with rock sea salt. Like I said before, this place is the real deal - a dependable tavern that prides itself on quality ingredients and dishes prepared on the spot (none of that pre-cut ham, frozen vegetables or canned-seafood). The beer, I might add, is cold and refreshing, and the wine, both house and specialty, is quite good as well. All this, coupled with affordable prices makes Casa de Abuelo a standby for Spaniards and foreigners alike.

There are three Casas in Madrid -
C/ Victoria, 12 <m> Sol
C/ Goya, 57 <m> Velázquez or Goya
C/ Núnez de Arce, 5 <m> Sol (around the corner from the one on C/ Victoria)

http://www.lacasadelabuelo.es/es/inicio/

La Casa de Abuelo map - Tagzania

Well,I scratch that. It means 2 things: a) it's hot as HELL in Madrid, and b) I have the excuse to whip up a fresh batch of gazpacho every 4 or 5 days. I might OD on tomatoes, but hey...there are worse addictions in this world.

So I've read about 10 different recipes from various cookbooks, websites and magazines, and the one I tend to stick to is this:

• 5 medium-sized, ripe tomatoes
• 2 medium (6") cucumbers
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 1 small-ish green bell pepper (sweet italian peppers work well too)
• 1 clove garlic
• olive oil
• red wine or sherry vinegar
• salt & pepper

Why this recipe? Well, it's easy. Self-explanatory. It doesn't include the tedious chore of blanching the tomatoes. And gazpacho, in all it's beauty, is the type of dish that you can tinker with. Love garlic? Throw in another clove. Have a hot date? Skimp on the onion, then. Have only red peppers and no green? No problemo. Also, I notice how obsessed we all are with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Every recipe in the world these days makes you use Extra Virgin. Well, guess what people. Plain 'ole olive oil, as long as it's from a good, dependable brand, ISN'T GONNA KILL YOU! I'm a fan of EVOO, don't get me wrong. But if I used EVOO in everything, I'd spend a fortune.

As for the process, well, core and roughly chop the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, and pepper, throw in a big bowl. Finely chop the garlic, throw it in. Add some salt and freshly-ground pepper. Then add about 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Blend with an immersion blender/emulsifyer. It'll be thick, but then add more olive oil, little by little, until you get the consistency you like. Personally, I don't like my gazpacho as liquid-y as water. Nor do I want it to be as thick as hummus. Somewhere in the middle. And remember this: DON'T ADD WATER! it's like adding ketchup to a homemade pot of marinara sauce. Blasphemous. Chill it before serving, and don't forget, by day 2 the gazpacho will taste even better!!

Ok, while this first post doesn't necessarily center around food, it does have to do with the title of this blog. As Chester the Cheeta (from the ever-famous "Cheetos" snack) once said, "it ain't easy bein' cheesy".

I'd like to revamp that quote: "it ain't easy bein' guiri". Sure, Spaniards will say they like foreigners, that they depend on them for tourism, that they have guiris to thank for Rambo, Titanic, McDonald's and Guiness, but when I've brought up the topic, the term unfailingly invokes laughter, or at least a few snickers.

"Look at that guiri," I hear, "with the camera around his neck, his fanny pack, and the Beckham jersey".

"Ha! How about that one?" another chimes in, "with the gigantic sunhat, the sneakers and that huge plate of paella! Who eats paella for dinner?! And who eats dinner at 8 o'clock!?"

"No, no no. That couple over there takes the cake. Look at how serious they are. They're wearing matching zip-off-at-the-knee khakis, hiking boots, and they've got 2 different maps, completely unfolded. You'd think they were off to discover the lost ark, not the plaza mayor".

Ok, ok, we guiris have our "ways". But I'd like to think that after 2 1/2 years of living here, I've become less guiri, and more española. I eat lunch around 2:30PM. Saturday night dinner often turns into Sunday morning breakfast. I don't say "hasta luego", but rather a two-syllable sibling of that word that sounds something like "sta-low". I've learned to balance a glass of wine, a slice of tortilla and a chunk of chorizo in one hand. I know the Madrid metro like the back of my hand, and I know the best place in my neighborhood to buy bread. I've even been ballsy enough to call the police at 4:30am because of my neighbor's affinity for thumping house music (or "bacalao" (trans: codfish) as it's called here). I've learned to integrate phrases like "coño", "de puta madre", and "no te jodes" into my daily conversations - things you'd never hear me say in English. So if you call me a guiri, I won't lash out, but I will prove you wrong.

To end this post, I'd like to give you non-Spaniards out there a few trends to stay away from while in Spain. This will help you "blend in" with the masses:

1. Nix the socks with sandals.
2. Nix the fanny packs.
3. Nix the t-shirts with American football teams or colleges/universities.
4. Nix the baseball caps.
5. Don't try to eat lunch before 1:30PM.
6. Don't try to eat dinner before 9:30PM.
7. Don't stare at old ladies who are dressed in their best, chatting over a beer at 11AM.
8. Do drink a lot of coffee. Don't ask for it "to go". Styrofoam doesn't exist here.
9. Don't tip. If you feel the need to, round up to the nearest euro. 15% here might as well be 115%. It's completely unexpected.
10. Do take the metro instead of a taxi. You'll save money and it's pretty hard to lose your way.
11. Do wear sunscreen. Nothing screams "guiri" like a sunburn.