Honestly, I have gone back and forth on the idea of starting a food blog for awhile now. On one hand, I love connecting with people over food and a blog would help me do that on a larger scale. On the other hand, I would have to put myself out there on the internet in a way I have never done before, and that is terrifying… Yet here I am, so let’s see how this goes. I will put…
After living here for a couple years, I miss a good American BBQ. Don’t get me wrong, I love Spanish chorizo, butifarra, and other grilled meats (usually pork). Lately, though, I miss a good slow-cooked brisket or pastrami and good pulled pork. Over the past few months I have started trying to replicate those tastes of home, albeit without a smoker or grill, with varying degrees of success. One of the big challenges I have had is finding the right…
I first heard about torrijas last year from a Spanish friend, who when asked what I needed to try during Semana Santa replied with only, “Torrijas.” I asked what they were, and he explained that they were “fried bread covered in sugar.” Although I love fried things, bread, and sugar, his description didn’t stick in my mind enough for me to actually try them at that time, and I soon forgot them. Fast forward to this year when I finally…
Here is my wife’s dill bread recipe, which she got from her mom (who modified it from some community cookbook). 1 pkg. yeast 1/4 c warm water 1 c creamed cottage cheese 2 Tbsp sugar 1 Tbsp butter 1 Tbsp instant onion 2 tsp dill weed 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp baking soda 1 egg 2 – 2 1/2 c flour Dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. Heat cottage cheese to lukewarm, remove from heat, and stir in…
One of my wife’s favorite breads is “Dilly Casserole Bread.” It’s a yeasted bread with cottage cheese, dill seed, and onion flakes and tastes amazing warm with cream cheese (I’ve posted my wife’s variation of the recipe here). We’ve made it before since moving to Barcelona, but have a hard time finding cottage cheese here. I decided to modify it based on our lack of cottage cheese and love of sourdough bread. For my test, I halved the full sourdough…
I’ve been baking bread regularly as a hobby for the past 8 or so years. I started with Jim Lahey’s No Knead Bread recipe; it was so easy and tasty! After I got the hang of that I started exploring other types of bread. One thing led to another, and soon I was starting my own sourdough starter on the counter of my little basement apartment. I struggled to figure out how to make sourdough bread “right” for awhile. At…
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted (and I wasn’t posting that much to begin with). I’ve debated whether to just shut the blog down, but every time I go to do so I can’t go through with it. But at the same time I’ve had a hard time writing anything, so here we are. After giving it some thought, I’ve decided to keep going, but to try a different format. I hope this format keeps me more engaged and adds…
As far as bakeries go, it’s hard to beat Yellow Bakery in the Gothic Quarter. Maybe I’m biased, but I think that sourdough bread is the best kind of bread, and Yellow Bakery are masters of sourdough. Yellow Bakery was actually founded by an Australian, so it’s not your typical “Spanish” bakery. But hey, good bread is good bread, right? Yellow Bakery is tucked away in one of the Gothic Quarters’ many winding streets. It’s a cozy little shop that…
Since moving here, I have been overwhelmed by the bread. There are bakeries everywhere! And not only are there tons of bakeries, but they offer so many different types of bread. Some bakeries specialize in certain things like traditional loaves, pastries, donuts, sourdough, etc., while other bakeries are general community bakeries. After trying so many bakeries, I’ve started compiling a list of my favorite bakeries. Some of these are bakeries that I’ll stop by if I’m in the neighborhood, while…