Hello! I’ve spent nearly two weeks blissfully away from my computer, so this is one of those postcards that arrives after the traveler returns.
Thanks to jet lag, my brain is still mush, so here are some photos and passing thoughts about my trip to Spain.
I will return next week with a new recipe!
The first night in Granada involved lots of cheese.
And jamón.
We stayed in a beautiful old house in the 1,000-year-old neighborhood known as the Albaicin. To return to the house from downtown involved a 15-minute walk up steep cobblestone streets that were either pedestrian-only or so narrow that you’d have to press yourself against a wall if a car came by to avoid having smashed toes. This was fine in the evenings, but after sweating through one trip up during the heat of the afternoon, I opted for taxis.
The flowers tho.
And the fruit trees.
We ate razor clams as often as we could.
All of the eggs had these fiery-looking yolks.
Itty bitty octopus.
After a few days in Granada, we flew to Mallorca to stay in a house with friends along the Balearic sea. The steps from the house led right down to the water, where you could jump into 15-feet of water.
This was my favorite reading nook at the house. I loved the indoor/outdoor lifestyle. (Though I was very grateful for the air conditioning in the bedrooms because nights were warm and humid.)
The nearby grocery store had an incredible fish selection, including these local catches. The prices are per kilo, so incredibly inexpensive!
We opted for lupina (a sea bass) and dorado to grill as well as some squid and some of the smaller local mackerel.
My friend (and literary agent) managed the charcoal grill each time we cooked. (Thank you Jonah!)
As you can probably see, most of the food we ate at restaurants or cooked at home were incredibly simple, with little more than salt, olive oil, lemon, and maybe garlic as seasoning. One night, we hired a chef to cook paella — one of Spain’s more complex dishes — at the house. Worth it!
The local Mallorcan pastry known as ensaïmada is as flaky as a croissant but pillowy and light. Its texture is apparently thanks to using lard as the fat in the dough. Bakeries serve them plain, with a dusting of sugar, or filled with chocolate or cream.