LEAVING THE DRUMS BEHIND - BARCELONA

This weekend was the weekend when we play the drums in San Sebastián, when the children participate in the big parade, of course playing the drums.

But I didn´t play the drums this time, we decided to go to Barcelona and visit my aunt and my cousins. God, I was really looking forward to it!!.

And we just wanted to talk and talk and talk and well, eat and eat and eat, and practically that´s what we´ve done during the whole weekend. One of my cousins, runs an old´s people residence in a paradise spot. The name is "The sea´s garden" and I´m going to put some pictures.

At this moment, the residence is full and the place is quiet and awesome.
My cousin´s studio was obviously closed that day. 

The back yard with a pool, for the ones who can swim.

My cousin loves her job in here.

Ah, and look at the view just opposite the building, awesome.

A clean beach, almost wild and looking at the Mediterranean everyday from your work.

I loved the visit.

We had the chance to take a walk tour around the city on Sunday morning. The weather was unpredictable but we were lucky it didn´t rain at all. We started in Plaza de Cataluña, towards the Ramblas, and to the Gotic neighbourhood and into the Cathedral, everything in just one morning.

I´d say Barcelona is quite European city, very cosmopolitan.

Barcelona Cathedral is the city´s gothic Cathedral.

Last time I came to Barcelona, the Cathedral´s front was being restored.

Batlló´s house is a renowned building located in the heart of Barcelona, and is one of Gaudi´s masterpieces.

La Pedrera is an historic building also designed by Gaudí. Was declared a world heritage site.

We ended that morning with a huge lunch in a Peruvian restaurante in Calle Córcega, we ate a selection of ceviches and fried yuca, more information in here

The best dessert was at my aunt´s, one of the most delicious strawberry and cream cakes, my aunt made, I´ve ever tried. Apparently we needed to "fill" our empty spaces inside the stomach. This was mouthwatering!. In our family, my mom and my aunts taught us how to cook.

I can still hear the drums playing in the distance while I´m writing this post.

DONE!

ROAST BEEF AND MORE

I have to confess I haven´t had the guts to make roast beef before. Actually, during the past holidays finally I´ve made two, one at Christmas Eve and the other one on the 6th Jan, which is the Three Kings day, for us in Spain the children´s day.  I´m going to write the way I made both, I´m sorry about the pictures, carving is not compatible with taking pictures. I was very happy with the result.

The cut of beef for roasting is of great importance. Beef on the bone is great as the bone acts as a conductor of heat and gives the roast extra flavour. My piece of rib eye weighted 4kg.800gr. I was having many people for dinner and lunch both days.

I asked my butcher if he could remove the ribs, but tie them together with the meat, so I could manipulate it better afterwards.

ROAST BEEF
Pre heat the oven to 250º
Rub the piece with salt.

Place the joint in a roasting tin. Give it 20 minutes cooking at 250º, after that turn the heat down to 190º and cook it for 10 minutes to 500grams, this will give you rare beef. When it is cooked, remove it from the oven, and allow it to stand for up to half an hour, loosely covered with foil, before carving. This is basically done so all the precious juices that have bubbled up to the surface seep back into the flesh. Also, as the meat relaxes it will be easier to carve. 

The finishing touch is to serve the succulent beef with Yorkshire pudding, gravy, and potatoes pure.

For the Yorkies, you´ll need this mold.

YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS

INGREDIENTS  - SERVES 12

Vegetable oil to pour inside the molds

4 large free-range eggs

200g plain flour

200ml milk

Salt and pepper to season

METHOD

Add a splash of oil into each of the 12 compartments of the mold. Pop into the oven for 10 minutes, you can do this while the meat is resting outside the oven. The mold has to get very very hot.

Mix all the ingredients together with an electric mixer or a food processor.

Remove the tray from the oven, pour the batter evenly into the compartments.

Cook for 15 minutes, and there you go, you´ll get perfect Yorkies.

Then when you carve the beef and serve, you put a couple of slices of the beef, a yorkshire pudding, the gravy and some potatoes puré. This is delish!!!. 

There weren´t leftovers really.

Now I want to show you the dessert I made for Christmas day. Well I made it a week before that, I saw Jamie Oliver making it and I had to try it. He used Vin Santo, but I didn´t want to add alcohol to this dessert.

You´ll need a bowl, ice cream, strawberry jam, a panettone or a brioche and a handfull of pistachios. I´ve used whole cream ice-cream.

Line a pudding bowl with 3 layers of cling film. Use a knife to slice the panettone, then cut them in half. You´ll need some panettone left over, so keep this for another time. Arrange six of the slices in a single layer around the bowl and push them down if they overlap. Use the back of a spoon to smear the jam over the sponge. Add the ice-cream and sprinkle in the pistachios.

Put the rest of the panettone slices on top of the ice cream, then cover the bowl tightly with cling film. Press a plate down on top to press everything down, then freeze overnight or longer.
This is how it looked.

Once you cut it, it looks like this.

DONE!

MUSHROOM, WALNUT AND CHESTNUT SOUP

You´re probably thinking: "There she goes, with another soup", but what can I do, I can´t help it!!, I´m crazy about soups and creams, and at the end of summer I saw this recipe in one magazine and thought I had to make it, but when I read there were chesnuts in this recipe, I inmediately thought about Christmas or well, winter to be more exact.  This soup is comforting, warming and great for packing in the healthy nuts. 

MUSHROOM, WALNUT AND CHESTNUT SOUP

INGREDIENTS

2tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

400g chestnut mushrooms, roughly sliced

200gr chesnuts, pack whole cooked vacuum-packed, chopped (if not, you´ll have to boil them first)

50gr walnuts

1 litre vegetable stock

Handful of parsley, finely chopped (optional)

METHOD

If the chestnuts aren´t cooked, you´ll have to boil them first. Cut the edge with a knife and cook them in a pressure cook for 5 minutes. Peel them.

Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion for 1omin or until it has softened.

While the onion is cooking, peel the walnuts.

Slice the mushrooms too.

Turn up the heat and add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for about 5min, stirring frequently, or until any liquid given off by the mushrooms has evaporated.

Add the chestnuts and the walnuts too.

Add the stock and some seasoning. Bring up to the boil and simmer for 15min. Carefully blend until completely smooth, then return to the pan and check the seasoning. Divide among four soup bowls. Top each with a drizzle of oil and some parsley if using. 

DONE!