We made it!

We’re here, Valencia, Spain!  After six months of planning, organizing, packing, tossing, staging, selling, moving, moving again, and shoulder surgery we are finally home in Spain!   We have a terrific apartment in Valencia’s Ruzafa neighborhood and are loving our new lives in Spain.  The graphic below gives you an idea of where in the world/country/city we are.

  

The most-asked question we get about the move is “why Valencia.” Through a ton of research (and process of elimination) we found Valencia ticks off most of our wants and desires for our new lives.  Some of which are:

1. Affordability – The cost of living in Valencia is half to a third of what it was for us in Washington DC.  We had a great life in the US, good paying jobs, excellent health insurance (through work), a lovely rowhouse in the city, but it was very expensive. A huge link in our golden handcuffs was health insurance.  While we are not “old”, health insurance and access to good health care is very important to us.  It is impossible to find good, affordable coverage in the US.  In Spain, we found full coverage, no deductibles, no copays, no waiting periods for a little under 3000€ a year!  …and its really good insurance according some of our new expat friends.  That is want truly shattered the golden handcuffs and made this move possible.  In addition, I’ve found food, both in restaurants and the markets much less expensive as in the US.  On the other hand, energy (natural gas, electricity, gasoline) is more expensive.  Luckily, we adjust our consumption  of these by putting on a sweater, turning off lights, and walking.  Full disclosure, we haven’t gotten a utility bill yet, so I’ll revisit this (and probably most of the above) in future posts. 
2. Little-to-no driving required – Valencia is a vibrant, interesting city, the third largest in Spain with a population of around 800,000.  The city is very compact, very walkable, and has an extensive bus and subway system.  Being downtown at mid-day feels like a mini-Manhattan, with it’s crowded, bustling sidewalks full of shoppers and office workers.  It’s got a great, positive energy.
3. Mild climate – Valencia is on the Mediterranean and has hot summers and mild winters.  I can see palm trees from my bedroom window and there are birds-of-paradise blooming in the parks in January (that’s a big deal for a guy from Kansas.)  Valencia has beautiful beaches about 20-minutes from the city center by bus or bike. 
4. Inexpensive options for quick and easy travel to other places – Many of Europe’s economy airlines (like AirEuropa and RyanAir) connect in Valencia and offer super inexperience flights to other cities in Europe.  For example, I came across a round trip Valencia to Vienna offer for 16€.  Granted, January is hardly peak season for traveling to Vienna, but you get the idea.  Once we are settled, we want to be able to take advantage of spur-of-the-moment travel options.

Now for what’s cooking! 

I am still getting used to when stores are and aren’t open.  Many stores were on special holiday hours when we arrived, some stores regularly close in the afternoons and reopen later, very little is open at all on Sundays, etc.   In fact, last Wednesday was a holiday here, Saint Vincent’s feast day.   Most everything was closed and we had little at home for dinner.   Looking in our still woefully-under-stocked pantry I found rice and a can of sardines in tomato sauce.  …Bomba rice is said to be the best for making paella ( I haven’t tackled a paella yet, but bomba is really good rice.) In the fridge was an onion and some pork belly fat saved from some delish cured ham we bought earlier in the week.  …that makes dinner!

No real recipe… I fried the pork fat until it rendered out and was crispy.  Then I chopped onion in the fat until tender.  To that I added the rice, water, salt, a little chopped garlic and nearly a tablespoon of paprika (which actually has flavor here). Twenty minutes later, I served up some delicious red rice and topped it with sardines and their sauce.  One the side is a little spoonful of garlic mayo we use one our patatas bravas.  It was quick, easy, and delicious!

Changing course...

It's a been several years to since I've posted.  Life got busy.  The pattern of commute, work, sleep, repeat set in and a lot of inertia built up.  If inertia is to be overcome an object needs to be acted upon by another force.   For me, that other force was my husband's brilliant idea to move to Valencia, Spain.  It seemed the right thing to do the moment I heard it.  Every milestone we hit toward that goal just reinforces the "rightness" of it all. 

I plan to use this blog as a journal of sorts to document my husband and my new life as expats in Spain.  With my passion for cooking, food will be featured heavily along with observations on our travels and experiences. 

I am so excited about what is ahead.  As I've told our friends, we're not starting a new chapter in life, were are starting a whole, new book! 

¡Hasta pronto amigos!

Muscato Sangria

I know it's only March, but with our near-nonexistent winter, I am thinking of summer already! Last summer, my partner made a fabulous sangria (several times) using muscato wine and summer fruit. If you haven't had it, a muscato wine is made with muscat grapes, which naturally have a sweet, orangey flavor, which make it an excellent base for sangria.

There's not real recipe here, just a bottle of muscato (don't spend a lot, your making sangria after all) dumped in a pitcher with slices of whatever fruit is in season. Right now oranges, lemons, and limes would make an over the to citrusy sangria. In a few weeks, strawberries will add a hit of spring to it. At high-summer, peaches, plums, and nectarines make the absolute best!!

My dirty, little sangria secret is adding a half cup (ok, a whole cup) of vodka to the to the pitcher (your the only one who knows its there. For a lighter drink, do 1/2&1/2 sangria and soda water over ice. My last tip is make it a day or two ahead so the fruit marinates and gives up its flavors. Enjoy!

Cook's Note: One of my favorite dessert wines, Essensia, is made with muscat grapes.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Winter Roots Tagine

As a way to make our meals more healthful and be a little more environmentally friendly, I've been trying to cut some of the meat out of our daily meals. I'm starting to do "Meatless Sundays", "Less Meat Wednesdays", and "Sustainable Seafood Thursdays". In a few weeks, when the farmers' markets open, I am going to do "Locavore Tuesdays" too. The rest of the days of the week, I try to source my groceries as locally as possible and as organic as possible. The new Yes! Organic grocery store in our neighborhood has been a boon. (http://www.yesorganicmarket.com).

Along those lines, I made a great Winter Root Tagine with couscous last night (to offset the delicious flatiron steak we had the night before from the Springfield Butcher (http://www.springfieldbutcher.com).

In addition, my partner was in New York last week and brought home a bunch of exotic spices from Kalustyan's (http://kalustyans.com/), including a packet of Tagine spice mix.

My tagine was inspired by the Root Vegetable Tagine recipe at epicurious, but only loosely as I used my new spice mix and a 3lb bag of seasonal root vegetables from Yes! that included a couple orange and yellow carrots, parsnips, and white and red turnips. I stirred in some butter at the end for added richness, but you can leave it out if you want to go vegan.

Winter Root Tagine

Prep time: 30-minutes (its a lot of peeling and chopping)
Cook time: 45-minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
3 pounds mixed root vegetables of your choice (carrots, yams, potatoes, turnips, parsnips, etc.), peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 red pepper, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Tagine spice mix (or 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper, mixed together and ground in a spice grinder.)
3 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon course-ground black paper
1 cup vegetable
1 cup water
1 tablespoon butter

Instructions:

1. Heat half of the olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sprinkle with salt, black pepper, and spice mix and sauté until the onion softened and beginning to brown and spices are toasted and fragrant, about 7 minutes.

2. Move the onions to one side of the pan and add the remaining olive oil and half the root vegetables and red pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes without stirring, allowing the vegetable to begin to brown.

3. Stir in the remaining vegetables, garlic, ginger, broth, and water and bring to a boil.

4. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes or until all the vegetables are soft (but not disintegrated). Stir about every 15 minutes and adding more broth or water as needed. As the vegetables cook some of them will break down and thicken the sauce.

5. When done, stir in the butter and serve over couscous or rice.

Cook's Note: For added protein you can add ½ cup dry lentils or a can of chick peas at step number 3 above. If using lentils, they will absorb a lot of moisture, so be sure to check the stew doesn't get to dry while cooking, add more broth or water as needed.

Salmon in Parchment

I love salmon. It works so well with almost any type of cuisine and cooking method. Terrific in the summer on the grill with veggies or in a Cioppino stew in winter. Plain and simple or all jazzed up its a champ!
One of my favorite methods of cooking fish is in parchment. It's pretty easy, but looks impressive. Below is a recipe I adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. I substituted broccoli for the cabbage and scaled it down to two servings. Enjoy!

Salmon in Parchment

Ingredients
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
3 large carrots, julienned
1/2 head Napa cabbage, shredded
4 salmon fillets (1 1/2 pounds)

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2) In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper. Add 3 large julienned carrots and 1/2 head shredded Napa cabbage; toss to combine.
3) Set four 15-inch squares of parchment on work surface. Use a slotted spoon to mound carrot mixture on one side of each sheet; reserve liquid in bowl. Roll 4 salmon fillets (1 1/2 pounds total) in reserved liquid. Place a fillet on each pile of vegetables; season with salt and pepper.

4) Fold parchment over contents; pleat edge to seal, forming a half-moon. Bake on a baking sheet 20 minutes. To serve, cut paper with kitchen scissors to open.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Brunch at the Yellow Door: Ruffly Eggs (with Dorie)

I first read about "ruffly eggs" on Dorie Greenspan's web page at http://doriegreenspan.com/ and immediately wanted to try them. It's basically a egg poached in a little plastic wrap bag. The ringer is that you can add just about anything you want to the bag to flavor the eggs. My favorite is a big pinch of chopped herbs and a drizzle of truffle oil. I've also made them with a little salsa and shredded cheese (sort of a poached huevos rancheros) and with leftover chana masala with Sriracha sauce for added kick. They are not much more complicated then making a soft boiled egg and as Dorie puts it, they're endlessly play-aroundable.

The delicious croissant is from Le Caprice, a new French bakery, at 3460 14th Street, NW.

Ruffly Eggs with Herbs and Truffle Oil

This recipe is for one serving, but it's easy to scale up to more. Dorie says her chef friend prepares them Saturday night, puts them in the fridge, then cooks them for Sunday brunch at his restaurant.

2 large eggs

Olive oil or butter

2 teaspoons finely chopped, fresh, mixed herbs (basil, chives, parsley, rosemary, whatever you have)

1 teaspoon white or black truffle oil (more or less to taste)

Salt and pepper

Additionally you'll need plastic wrap, kitchen string, and a small bowl.

1) Put a medium size saucepan of water to boil (a 2 quart is more than enough for 2 - 4 eggs)

2) Cut two pieces of plastic wrap, each large enough to generously wrap around each egg. Very lightly coat the the top of each piece of plastic with oil or butter, and then fit one wrap into the small bowl.

3) Add one teaspoon of the herbs sprinkled evenly in the button of the bowl. Drizzle a 1/2 teaspoon of truffle oil over the herbs. Gently crack an egg and into the cup, taking care not to break the yolk. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4) Draw up the corners and sides of the plastic, getting as close as you can to the top of the egg, and twist to tighten the plastic. Tie the string around the neck of the plastic to secure it. Repeat with the other egg.

5) Lower the heat under the pan to a light simmer and gently drop in the eggs (...not fear, the plastic won’t melt). Poach the eggs for about 5 minutes, then carefully lift them out of the water with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel to briefly drain. (If the white doesn’t look set, poach a few seconds longer.)

6) The easiest way to unpack the eggs is to put them on the plate and to snip the plastic just under the string almost all the way around the bag. Gently lift the plastic wrap by the neck, coaxing the egg out a small spatula if necessary. Dorie says, it’s not a problem if it’s upside-down, it’s just that the ruffles are prettier on the top. Serve immediately.

Cook's Note: I love these for brunch with toast or a croissant, but they can be used in the same way as poached eggs; great served on a salad or as Eggs Benedict. They really are endlessly play-aroundable!

About: “I’m giving ‘er all she’s got, Captain!”

This Christmas my partner gave me what I first thought was a model of the USS Enterprise. I ooo’ed and aaa’ed in all the right places as I opened the box and saw the gleaming chrome miniature starship. But at the same time, I thought this is an odd gift; while I am big fan of Star Trek, I don’t have models and such sitting around the house. Then I took it out of the box and laughed hysterically! It’s a pizza cutter in the shape of the USS Enterprise!

From www.ThinkGeek.com, it’s the perfect gift for that special someone who is a foodie freak and a scifi geek!