the birthday celebrations continue...

I think Mr GluttonousGoat has been well spoilt this birthday. Not only did he get a specially made tiramisu cake, he also gets to eat his heart out in Spain. I booked us a weekend away in Madrid as consolation for not being able to make it to Lapland this year.

I think Madrid made for a pretty fine consolation. We both love to eat and Spanish is also one of our favourites. I put it down to the jamón ibérico. I can eat kilos of the stuff and not get sick of it. I can see why its easily one of the most consumed products by the Spaniards at around 21 million kilograms per year!

We wanted to try as many tapas as possible, so we figured the best way to do so was to head to a mercado de alimentos (or food market). Mercado San Miguel is arguable the most popular food market in Madrid for both locals and tourists alike. We got there around 11am on a Saturday morning and there were already a few people eating and drinking (I don't usually agree with alcohol before noon, but hey, when in Spain...).

Here are a sample of some of the yummy foods we ate that morning. We later went back in the afternoon for a quick snack before dinner and the place was jammed pack - making the flit from one stand to another rather difficult.

If you're planning to visit this mercado, make sure you go early in the morning, before the crowds descend!

good morning: espresso & custard tart

morning snack: jamon, chorizo/cheese, pimientos stuffed
with tuna - all on toasted bread

morning snack: marinated galician octopus &
anchovies on mini toasts

afternoon snack: veal, iberico pork and beef
tapas

afternoon snack: iberico pork scratchings

afternoon snack: more mini toasts with cured salmon and
tuna belly with anchovy

afternoon snack: what a way to end the afternoon with a
plate of jamon iberico

Although I do not work, I tend to start my mornings around 8am each day. I hate sleeping in as it means I'm more tired later in the afternoons. Weird I know, but more sleep for me equals increased tiredness later in the day. I do like a bit of a lie in on Sundays however and Sunday in Madrid was no different. 

Many shops are closed on Sundays in Spain so we saw no need to rush around and head out as soon as the sun came out. We decided to visit another mercado that Sunday morning for our final tapas fix before we bid adios to Madrid. This time in the Chueca district - famed for its gay community and lively street cafes and boutique shops. Mercado San Anton is smaller than Mercado San Miguel, less well known and therefore much quieter than lunch on day one. Where San Miguel was spread over one level, San Anton is spread over four with a supermarket in the basement and a roof bar/restaurant on the top. Level one was predominantly to buy and take home and level two was where the food action was at. There were only a small handful of stalls on this floor. A bar, a seafood stand, a sweets/cakes stand, a sushi stand, a cured fish stand (think anchovies, salted cod) and a mixed tapas stand.

We didn't eat too much that Sunday afternoon. After an entire day of walking and shopping the day before and a rather late night, all we wanted to do was fuel our bodies and head straight for the park to absorb whatever rays of sun was left for the weekend.

percebes: dinosaur looking feet with calamari-like sweet flesh

tastes a lot better than it looks

grilled squid on a bed of blacken rice

gambas de palamos risotto

mercado san miguel
plaza san miguel, 1 madrid
http://www.mercadodesanmiguel.es/ 

mercado san anton
calle de augusto figueroa 24, madrid
http://www.mercadosananton.com/ 

another year older...

It's Mr GluttonousGoat's birthday today. To celebrate, I made him his favourite dessert - tiramisu. I've also dressed it up slightly so it looks pretty and cakeshop ready. I'm quite chuffed with what I produced, and it's also dead easy to prepare. Most of the components come pre-made, it's only the assembly that requires a little effort.

My Sicilian friend from Oz gave me this recipe and it's such a breeze. I'm not sure why a lot of the varieties I have tried were laden with whipped cream (yuck!) or perhaps it's just that whipped cream is a cheaper alternative to mascarpone - resulting in increased profits for the greedy shop keepers who think we can't distinguish the difference!

the necessary ingredients

pavesini biscuits - available at any good italian deli

this is the consistency your mascarpone should look like

start layering - pavesini followed by mascarpone. repeat

keep piling the layers until it reaches the top of the tin

the finished product

This dessert is best prepared 24 hours before you are ready to consume so that the biscuits can soften and the flavours of the espresso and liqueur can be infused into the cake.


tiramisu
created: 14 March 2012


[ingredients]:

• 100ml             double cream 
• 750g               mascarpone
• 9                    egg yolks
• 12 tbsp           castor sugar
• 2 packets        pavesini
• 1 cup              espresso
• 1 cup              coffee liqueur (tia maria, kahlua etc)
•                      cocoa powder for dusting

[method]:

• prepare 1 cup of espresso and allow to cool.
• to the espresso, add the coffee liqueur and stir to mix.
• in a mixer, add the egg yolks and whisk on medium to high speed for about 15 seconds until eggs are mixed. slowly add the sugar and continue mixing until the mixture looks light and fluffy.
• reduce the speed on the mixer to low and gradually add the mascarpone - 1 large scoop at a time. the mascarpone should be smooth and creamy without any lumps (if lumpy, you cannot use the mixture and must discard and start again), set aside until you're ready to assemble the cake.
• using a 20cm round cake tin about 10cm high with a loose bottom for easy dislodgement (or you can use martini glasses if you want to make individual portions), dip one biscuit in the espresso/liqueur mixture and place in tin. ensure that the entire base is covered with the dipped biscuits (refer to the pictures). You only need to lightly dip the biscuit in the liquid as the biscuit will absorb the liquid and expand, otherwise if you over soak the biscuits, the cake will end up too soggy and watery.
• then once the base is covered with biscuits, layer the mascarpone over the biscuits, ensuring all the biscuits are covered and the edges are sealed.
• alternate the layers of biscuits and mascarpone until you reach the top of the cake tin.
• allow to set overnight.
• you can dust cocoa powder over the top prior to serving or decorate with wafer rolls as shown.

serves: 8-10

what a porker!

I must admit I have been a bit of a slacker lately. It's been 3 weeks since my last post, and the timing of this was probably due to me commencing the Dukan diet around the same time. I'm trying to shed a few pounds in time for my trip back home in early April where I know I will be eating tirelessly and no doubt adding more pounds than I would like.

One of the key success factor of the Dukan diet is the intake of protein - and lots of it. It's hard trying to figure out what to eat day in, day out when you're limited to proteins only and seafood is scarce and expensive in this city.

I've also increased my viewing of the Food Channel - it's amazing the amount of ideas you can get from simply watching a few episodes a week.
One of the dishes I experimented with during the diet phase was good old Char Siu (or Chinese BBQ pork). My mum makes really yummy char siu, but I was too lazy to call her for the recipe. No doubt she will talk my ear off about everything else under the sun when all I really want is her recipe. So on this occasion the Internet served its purpose.

This is a quick and easy recipe and can even be prepared a couple days in advance for maximum flavour.

marinate the pork pieces overnight for maximum flavour

chargrilled to perfection

ready for consumption

char siu (chinese bbq pork)
created: 8 February 2012


[ingredients]:

• 500g               pork fillet (you can also substitute with pork belly)
• 3                    cloves garlic (finely minced)
• 1 1/2 tbsp        vegetable oil

for the marinade:

• 1 tbsp            shao xing wine
• 1 1/2 tbsp       soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp       hoisin sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp       maltose (you can buy this at any korean grocers)
• 1 1/2 tbsp       honey
• 1/2 tsp           chinese five spice powder
• 1/2 tsp           sesame oil
• 1 tsp              white pepper powder

[method]: 

• cut the pork up into 4 equal pieces.
• in a saucepan, add all the ingredients for the marinade and stir on a medium to high heat until the sauce thickens. Transfer into a bowl and allow to cool.
• add the pork along with the garlic and 2/3 of the sauce in a bowl and allow to marinade in the fridge overnight.
• add the vegetable oil to the remaining 1/3 marinade and refrigerate overnight.
• when you are ready to cook the pork, take it out of the fridge and bring up to room temperature prior to cooking.
• preheat the oven to 190 degrees celsius and then roast the pork for around 15 minutes. 
• take the pork out and crank up the heat to around 240 degrees celsius with the grill/oven setting.
• baste the pork with 1/2 of the remaining sauce and roast until the pork is cooked or until the edges are evenly charred.
• slice the pork and drizzle with the remaining sauce, serve immediately with some boiled rice.

serves: 2