SusanP

Maribel, I think lots of us would like to have that recipe! Maybe you could post it here? In English, please. 😀

ekscrunchy

Thank you, Maribel. But I am afraid that my version would be so lacking....will give it some thought and see if I dare attempt once I get home. It is easy to find merluza in New York.

I don't want to deviate (but of course, I will, picking up on Mike's comment about the bocadillos).

Finally was able to sample the Lomo in Manteca, with Manteca "Colora," a name I just learned for the red lard. This afternoon was a primer on lard as eaten in this area and boy am I enmeshed in this topic after tasting my very first, ever, bocadillo de lomo in the lively bar area of VENTA PINTO, in the minuscule hamlet of LA BARCA DE VEJER, between my place and Barbate. Close your-eyes deliciousness. Slices of white pork slathered with carmine/orange lard. And that bread------I know Maribel mentioned the bakery and will look it up once I finally "arrive" at the Vejer part of this report.

I will delve into this further once we leave NOOR (time for dessert now!!).

Who knew that red lard spread on toast was a breakfast staple in these parts!?!?! Not me, but I now can understand the appeal behind that idea!!!
And I have the names of two butchers who seem to be very we'll thought of in and around Vejer....

One small anecdote from this morning: My faithful companion here for two visits now has been the little black lady cat, SOMBRA (shadow). She roams all over the house but when I visit, she likes to sleep in my room. (I'm not kidding myself that this is because of my personality; I think the small store of treats stashed in my dresser drawer might have something more to do with this closeness.) Too close, on some occasions. Like this morning when I was putting the finishing touches on a long, illustrated post about NOOR. Just as I'm about to push "Submit Reply," those furry little black paws clomp across the keyboard and POOF!!! I know it sounds like that old saw, "the dog ate my homework," but sadly, this really did happen!!!

SusanP

That's because you were paying too much attention to your typing and not enough to the cat! 😁

Maribel

OK, here goes but the English translation, I'm afraid, is a bit vague/mysterious, long, time consuming, and I don't think I'll be attempting it!:

Ingredients
Hake
Pumpkin with vanilla (1 u peanut pumpkin, 1 vanilla bean, halved and seeded)
Carrot purée (350 grams carrot)
Pumpkin soup (100 g pumpkin smoothie + 50 g carrot purée + 20 g cream + 0.4 g "xanthan gum" + salt and pepper
Pumpkin seeds (200 g dextrose + 10 g liquid glucose + 16 g fine salt
Others (pumpkin julienne + pumpkin starch + lemon zest)

Method
Hake
Clean the hake and open into 2 loins and cut them in pieces of 45 g-50 g. To serve, put the pieces in coarse salt for 2 minutes and after this time, remove the salt by washing under water and dry. With the help of "cling film" (Saran Wrap??) roll the hake into the desired shape. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Pumpkin with vanilla
Peel the pumpkin, removing the pulp and seeds, and blend. In a saucepan put the liquid with the seeds and the pods, bring to a boil and remove the pods. Scrape the pods and add the remaining seeds to the liquid
Carrot purée
Peel the carrot and cut into equal pieces. Cook in boiling water until soft. Blend in Thermomix and set aside
Pumpkin soup
Purée the pumpkin, carrot and "xanthan gum" in the Thermomix blender. Add the cream and mix with a spoon, season with salt and pepper and set aside in the fridge.
Pumpkin julienne strips
Cut the pumpkin into 4.5 cm julienne strips (3 g per plate)
Pumpkin seeds
Bring all the ingredients (except the seeds) to a boil. Add the seeds and boil to 110 degrees C. Stretch out on a "silpat" (non stick baking mat) and once cold, fry in oil at 160-170 degrees C until crispy. Set aside in a dry place.
Pumpkin almena (???)
Cut the pumpkin to 0.5 in the slicer. With the help of a pastry cutter with the shape of a battlement (??? in Spanish "un cortapastas con forma de almena") cut the battlements (???) and put aside in a Tupperware dish in the fridge (2 "battlements" per person)

To serve
Steam the hake in a steam oven at 75 degrees C for 2 minutes, remove the film and add salt. Place the hake in a bowl with the pumpkin julienne and the battlements (???) on top.
When ready, place the hake in the oven for 30 seconds to 1 minute. On the bottom of the plate, place a spoonful of hot pumpkin soup with seeds on top. On top of the soup, place the hake and finish with 2 sprouts of lemon zest.

SusanP

Thank you, Maribel! I'll look it over more carefully, may do a version of it. I'm sure it won't be exactly like the Noor's!

Maribel

My version won´t be either!

ekscrunchy

It certainly gives us even more appreciation of the efforts ion the NOOR kitchen!

But those battlements frustrate me every time!!!! If only I could get them right, the rest of the dish would be a snap....!!


Thanks for taking the time to post that, Maribel!!

SusanP

Apparently the phrase means "cookie cutter of the battlements," which are the holes at the top of castles or forts to shoot through. Rather odd, but at least you could use any shape of cookie cutter!

Maribel

That pichón dish looks amazing!

And speaking of Lomo en Manteca...it now has its own TABERNA in Vejer! Hot off the press from Cosas de Comé


I too love León-produced cecina and we both had it (not together, alas) at BODEGAS EL CAPRICHO in tiny Jiménez de Jamuz, León province!
In Madrid they sell the cecina buey premium El Capricho at the La Boulette stand inside the Mercado de la Paz, if you want to pick some up vacuum-packed.

We've also had really fine cecina in the Retiro district at Luis Paz de Dávila's little bistro, Barrio Húmedo, which is a favorite of ours on Avenida Menéndez Pelayo, facing Retiro Park. His recipes come straight from León, as he's a native.

ekscrunchy

And, as you know, LA CASTILLERIA, where I will have lunch next week, has a wonderful salad with dry and fresh fruits and Cecina de Leon!!!

A new Lomo en Manteca Taberna right here!!!!!! Be still my heart. My usual habit of breakfast plus one other meal per day is getting dashed to pieces this month!!!

More very soon!!!

ekscrunchy

Finally, we arrive at the dessert course at NOOR, which was a "Carob Tarte" in an Arabesque shape stacked in three levels. It was very pretty but not as sweet as I like my desserts and by then I was full and ready to relax. The restaurant called a taxi to take me back to the hotel, handing me a box of miniature sweets for my short journey. These were finely crafted in unusual shapes but again, not very sweet.

As anyone reading this has surely gathered, I would say that if you can afford the price, NOOR would be an essential part of a visit to Cordoba, and a good reason to stretch the visit to more than a day trip. This city deserves much more time than the usual few hours!

TARTA DE ALGARROBA (Carob Tarte), which was preceded by an orange sorbet

NOOR offers tasting menus only; there are three choices and they change every season. The current season (their 8th; seasons do not correspond exactly to current years) features the dishes of Spain's Golden Age, the 17th Century. Current pricing for the three tasting menus, without wines (these can be added to the testing menu or ordered by the bottle or the glass) is:
160e
185e
270e

I chose the middle menu, the MORISCO and had a single glass of wine with. my dinner.

Maribel

Lovely report, eks. Just a quick question, do you remember what wine you chose with your dinner or did the somm choose for you? How much per glass? I'd like to avoid the wine pairings.
Thanks again for your very detailed report of your Noor experience!

ekscrunchy

I've already recounted my final full day in Cordoba, above, which concluded with that fabulous snail experience which showed that no matter how much research you do before a trip, there are always so many surprises to uncover once you arrive and especially once you begin talking to local people. (It was the taxi driver from the train station to the hotel that enthused about the the "puestas de caracoles" that sprout up in springtime---the more you attempt to speak to people you meet, the more you learn, and. you try this even if your Spanish is rudimentary. I've said this before, but talking about food is a great ice-breaker!! If you happen to hail from one off the "legendary US cities like New York or Miami, you might find yourself deep into a conversation about your fellow conversant's trip to one of those places, and at some point the iPhone will be produced and there goes another half an hour!!! But it's oojust all so much fun, and so INTERESTING.

So Friday, 8 March, my day of departure arrived sooner than I would have liked. (Although I think that 5 days in Cordoba was a good amount of time; remember that I did nothing on the day of arrival so really had 4 full days. Leaving out the excursions to Zara and a little bit of other shopping and lots of aimless wandering and lingering at restaurants, three full days would have been good as well; it depends on your travel style. But keep in mind that I did not have time to even cross the Roman Bridge, or visit the Botanical Garden or the plant and flower market that takes places there on Sundays. I was sorry I could not visit that! And I never got to Mercado Victoria, which I think is a food market with stalls for eating on the spot. I'm sure I would have enjoyed that. I also missed the Alcazar and its legendary gardens. (Ha..I probably spent far too much time in my hotel room trying to get this tome off the ground!!!). And I always like to read a book before sleep, so the result was that I ended up falling asleep very, very late and often did not get to breakfast until 10am or even 10:30am!


So, precisely on time at 11:45am on Friday, the driver arranged by the hotel (I had compared prices with a recommended Andalucian tour agency and since both quotes were the same, I chose to have the hotel arrange the driver which meant that I could put the fare on my hotel bill with a credit card). (Most of the time I used a Citibank VISA card that is generous with travel points and charges no conversion fees; I also receive a nice check from Citi each year from their "cash back" system (I did come across the option, when paying a restaurant tab, of paying in dollars or in euros and of course I always select euros, but if you are not aware of this scammy "Dynamic Currency Conversion" practice, you should read up before your trip to make sure you do not end of paying more for the same meal, or the same purchase in a shop. When they present you will your invoice on the portable charge machine after your meal, read it carefully and make sure you select "EUR" and not "USD."

Maribel

Hi eks,
Is the name of the butcher recommended to you in Vejer perhaps Pepe Melero of Carnicería Melero at Calle Juan Relinque?

ekscrunchy

The drive from the Hospes in Cordoba to the airport outside of Jerez (the nearest airport to my next destination, outside Vejer de la Frontera and, therefore, the closest rental pick up spot) took about 2 hours 15 minutes along the route that Maribel had surmised: We traveled the very smooth, exceptionally maintained highways staying mainly on the E-5 which skirts Sevilla to the East and South, so I got no view of Sevilla itself. But now that I've taken this drive, I see how easy it would be for someone wanting to include Sevilla, to collect the car at the end of their city stay, and take that easy drive to the Costa de La Luz, which was to be my next destination for one day shy of two full weeks (!!!!!).

There are, of course, many, many options for staying in this area of Andalucia but outside Cadiz and Jerez, I think a car allows a traveler to get the most of a visit, since bus service outside the main towns (and even to and from some of these) can be infrequent and there are many points of interest that are either not reached by public transport or reached by such infrequent service that all but the most determined and hardy traveler would end up missing so many of the small delights with w which this region brims.

Just as last year during the same month, my destination was a small (6 bedrooms and a couple of self-catering accommodation within the property) rural hotel outside the dazzling white hill town of Vejer. I wonder if staying here is something like being invited to spend time at a very rich friends manor in the English countryside (I've never had the pleasure so maybe I am way off base here..). My room, the same one as last year (they've joked that they are going to mount a plaque with my name on the door!) is one roomy space with a spacious terrace facing brick-paved gardens abloom with lemon, orange and kumquat trees. Beyond this garden is, for me, a highlight of a stay here: A salt-water swimming pool kept at a temperature that allows lap swimming even if the thermometer outside reads in the 50s'F. The only days so far that I was unable to swim (the pool was kept covered) were the first two days which were drizzly and damp and windy (the Costa de la Luz is known for its often high winds coming across the strait from North Africa, and there are probably other winds, too. That's the reason that this coast is a favorite of wind surfers, whose Mecca seems to be Tarifa, under an hour's drive from here. The beaches I've seen so far in the area of Vejer, Bolonia, and Zahara de los Atunes, tend to be wide and often windswept expanses of fine white sand with waves that can range from gentle to surf-able. (Indeed the beach nearest Vejer appears to be a favored surfing spot--wet-suited young people pile out of vans pulled up at the sandy lots near the shore, and congregate in a line of casual places for snacking and lounging over beers. It looks like a very youthful scene and one I imagine might resemble California's SouthBay as depicted in countless films... I think El Palmar attracts lots of Spanish outdoor sports enthusiasts as well as those from northern European countries; some beaches along this immediate coast are 'naturist," but I've yet to come across any. But if I have time I'd like to explore Zahora, Canos de Meca and some of the other popular spots; these are mostly connected by paved roads but some roads are sandy...its an area very different than any other I've visited in Spain and sure to be interesting.



Getting way ahead of myself here, so back to my hotel:

Breakfast is always served (not buffet style) and on most (but not all) evenings Connie, the lovely cook originally from the Philippines, prepares dinner. Every morning she posts that night's menu on a blackboard and guests can decide whether to eat onsite or venture out to one of the many, many excellent restaurants both in the town of Vejer and in the surroundings towns. But dinner out means driving in there dark on small, unlit roads, some not paved. So I usually take a big lunch and skip dinner unless the day's menu appears unmissable.

By now I'm beginning my ninth day in my own little paradise. As I mentioned, days begin with breakfast, then time back in the room for catching up on e-mails, reading their newspaper online, playing around with the cat, and feverishly attempting to squeeze out more of this report!

By 1pm it's time to prepare for lunch. II always book ahead but often show up late due to getting a little lost or having to make an "essential" stop (today's essential stop will be tag a butcher highly recommended by Connie in a tiny hamlet not too far away. It looks easy to find but who knows......things are not always what they appear, right??? The reason for this stop will be to further investigate the red (colora) lard that I first tried yesterday in a sandwich at VENTA PINTO.

Who knew that lard could be considered fairly healthy???? In my very scant reading, I learned that in some ways lard has more health benefits than butter...I will be reading more later...
And it's a real culinary highlight in these parts. Imagine that I was here for 10 days last year and had heard of it only in passing and when I glanced into the vitrine at VENTA PINTO where they had lines of rustic terra cotta jars, plastic clamshell containers and glass jars filled with....red and white lard; some with slices of pork inside and some with just the lard.

I'm sure some people reading this want toga, but then, when you're traveled to northern Italy, I'd guess that many of you have sampled lardo di Colonnata in Tuscany (its home is near Carrara) or even in Venice, where I first fell in love with this delicacy, laid in gossamer sheets over toast as a starter welcoming us to AI GONDOLIERI. (I remember swooning about the taste back then and asking the waiter if I could have another taste, and he set the entire platter on our table!!!


So now I'm off, late as usual, to the butcher shop and then on to El Palmar where I have a lunch plan at the new AZOTEA.

Melnq8

I'm sure some people reading this want toga,

I read that as 'want to gag', which was my gut reaction to the words 'red lard', but hey, a foodie I'm not.

Enjoying your report just the same.

Maribel

eks,
I meant PACO Melero of the Carnicería in Vejer, not Pepe Melero of El Campero.

ekscrunchy

Maribel that's a coincidence--not just that they have similar names but all ay yesterday I kept thinking--Paco Melero, Paco Melero--I "know" this guy; he is the owner of El Campero! I had no time to look it up so thanks for the clarification: Pepe Meteor is the owner of EL CAMPERO.


I want to write this report in chronological order and I've already gotten out of order, so to speak. I'll just say that rather than drive into Vejer and look for parking near Paco Melero's new shop, I decided to stop at the carnicería recommended by the chef here--CARNICAS ALCAZAR--to further investigate the red lard, and to buy some to take home. It was a lovely and easy drive through gorgeous green hills to the tiny hamlet of La Muela,, outside Vejer (close to a well-known restaurant, PATRIA). This butcher shop is large and sparkling clean; its of interest mostly to those who have a kitchen on hand, but I did find some interesting cheeses (fresh local Payoyo) and I bought a few jars of tuna (not pork, in Manteca); I will be very interested to open those once I get home. I do have a can of it back home that I bought last year and never opened but, back then, I had no appreciation for the wonders of red (and white) lard from this area. Unfortunately, the shop no longer sells the Manteca in any form so I'lll buy some either in the new Vejer shop or in VENTA PINTO, before Ii leave Vejer.

As I said, I want to keep this in chronological order so I won't describe the rest of today, except to say that, after many phone calls and drive bye during the past week--which all resulted in frustration--I did have lunch today at AZOTEA EL PALMAR on opening day of the new branch off the now-classic Sevilla restaurant group. I'll say only that my lunch was as great as I had expected. But what neither I, nor my fellow diners, knew in advance was that a spectacle would take place on the floor of the crowded alfresco restaurant. And the star of the spectacle???
I'll leave you all hanging but I think you can imagine the answer to that one!!!! I am so tired right now (7:48pm that I skipped my swim, very unlike me, and am tucked into bed in my pjs, with SOMBRA by my side, ready to dig into MARJORIE MORNINGSTAR, of all things!!! Of course we all read this decades ago, or you did if you were a female New Yorker in your late teens...but my sister has insisted that I read it again so I will now open the first pages, duly following Cindy's instruction!

Yes, tomorrow will begin the middle part of this trip report...more or less in the order in which it occurred.

Maribel

Hi eks,
I've attached my updated dining guide for others reading this who may someday want to venture to "Cádizfornia", the Costa de la Luz, whose places you've mostly covered well, except for maybe Venta la Duquesa on the way to Medina Sidonia and Venta Melchor on the way to Chiclana, which you may want to save for your next trip.

Eagerly awaiting your experience at La Azotea in el Palmar.

ekscrunchy

Maribel thank you so much for attaching this, and so timely for me!!!

CONTINUATION OF THE COSTA DE LA LUZ (middle) Section of my Trip:

My first full day in my cozy lair outside Vejer was a Saturday and, as predicted, the weather was rainy and cool again. Since I was headed for lunch at a restaurant facing the often-windy beach outside Zahara de los Atunes (a 35-minute drive from my hotel) I wore my thin, quilted vest and white windbreaker (both inexpensive finds from Costco that have given me a lot of use in the years since I bought them). I had booked in advance at ANTONIO, one of my two favorite places to eat in this area. I wore "nice" white jeans and a long-sleeved cotton t-shirt under the vest, with my new and very comfortable SoleBliss sneakers that I've been talking up here since they arrived a couple of months ago. (I packed flip flops in case the drizzle and wind let up enough to allow a beach walk; it didd not, the day)

I'd dined at ANTONIO before and was always treated really well and the food..oh, the food!!! I never realized that this family-run restaurant (now in its third generation of ownership) was considered a spot for the rich and famous, especially when the season begins and second-home owners unshutter their summer houses nearby, and the area begins to draw weekenders from Sevilla and from as far away as Madrid, along with those living closer for example, I met a lovely young couple from San Fernando, near Cadiz, who often drive to lunch here on weekends.

(But development in Zahara looks unobtrusive to me---there is no obvious glitz and bling, just rows of handsome home along the few main streets leading into the little commercial area(s). So I was surprised when the other day, I read a comment of how this restaurant was not oriented toward "mere locals," but for seasonal residents from Spain and beyond.

I had this in mind when I parked my car on that first afternoon (the restaurant has a good-sized lot) and for fun, took a look at the cars that neatly lined the designated spaces. When I parked that first Saturday about 2pm, I counted 18 cars in the lot adjacent to the restaurant. And EVERY SINGLE one of them was a luxury vehicle: BMWs and Audis dominated with Mercedes running a distant second. One Range Rover. And not one brand of car that I would consider "modest." You all know by now that I am very curious (many say "nosy') and this observation about the car makes seemed to confirm the style of patron who frequents this restaurant. (Not that you would know that from looking at the patrons)
(Funny enough, my own car was a rented BMW, far too large for me but very nice to drive, so its presence did nothing to mar the scene.

I entered and was very warmly welcomed by a couple of the staff who I had become familiar with last March, and before that. I don't want to give any idea that this is at all a "snobby" restaurant. As I said, I wore plain jeans and a t-shirt and quilted vest and most other dinners wore some variation of the same, although one could spot telltale signs of subtle wealth in the designer handbags and understated jewelry of some of the women, and the smart sweaters worn by male diners. Good haircuts--always a subtle sign.

I don't know at all why I am getting into this. What I should say is that ANTONIO is a handsome restaurant, with a white and airy dining room behind glass walls facing the glorious, empty beach of Atlanterra. There were a couple of walkers on that day but no one in the sea. There is also a "waiting area/bar, also facing the sea, and as one enters, a main bar area with two (?) large, comfy banquettes upholstered in caramel-colored leather.

Also in the front bar area are a few Mesas Altas, high-topped tables with chairs sheathed in soft emerald velvet. VERY comfy. That area has become my favorite spot.

I felt at home from the moment I entered and was welcomed so warmly, and shown to my "usual" high-top table in the bar, where I'd sat during my lunches last year. (I've mentioned this before, but I make lunch my main meal to avoid having to drive alone after dark, for dinners).

I had lunch at ANTONIO on both weekend days after arrival, so I will condense these two lunches into one; a few of the dishes were the same, as when I find something I love, I tend to order it again and again, which makes for great eating but maybe some repetitive reporting.

Here are photos from lunches on Saturday and Sunday, the first two full days of my stay near Vejer; first, the restaurant itself: the entrance and some interior views:


Diners in main dining room, offering marvelous sea views (better during daylight)

Flowering potted plants right of main entrance to ANTONIO, outside ZAHARA DE LOS ATUNES (Zahara of the tunas)

Waiting area, where drinks are served from a replica of a boat...and again, that sea view!

View (front of restaurant) from my favorite "Mesa Alta," high-topped table facing the main bar, with remains of the outstanding complimentary starter of Papas Alinados....could this be the best potato dish ever invented? With bits of octopus and a light lemon and oil dressing.....off to a great, great start!!