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Back from Spain and lamenting that I was unable to stuff Jamon Serrano and Pata Negra in my suitcase. I had no idea what to expect from the kitchens of Spain, especially outside big cosmopolitan centers like Barcelona. I hardly have to mention that the food was amazing in Barcelona. You don’t really need to know anything about Spanish food to find culinary delights there. We were directed to a few gems by our host, Sergi (places which were incidentally also suggested in Lonely Plant. I love Lonely Planet). These included Tapas 24 where we enjoyed rabo de toro, un buger con foi, gambas a la plancha and a bikini with black truffle. We also tried Tantarantara where we had a crazy hash of patatas, more foi and eggs- life was good with that alone but we went further and had duck. Our last night we splurged on a smaller restaurant called O’ Gracia which specialized in more traditional Catalan cuisine like arroz negro and rabbit.

My main staple through the trip remained my late morning café con leche and “Pantomaca,” bread with garlic and tomato rubbed on it and, if it was a hungry day, ham Serrano and cheese (Manchego, a cheese as common to them as Cheddar is to us).

I have returned deeply inspired by Spanish food. I love that it is rustic and simple in many ways but relies on well-crafted ingredients. I wish I had the time and contacts to learn the craft of some of these foods. For now, I will have to rely on books and experimentation in my kitchen.

Note: These great photos from Tapas 24 are by “joone!” on Flickr.

The “preservation project” has become a family endeavor. My sisters have gotten involved in canning. I am so excited. My lil sis, Amanda, is a kick a** pastry chef who creates a learning environment while we cook together. Like when I stuck her fancy candy thermometer straight in the marmalade, cover and all and she showed me how to use it properly.

Amanda recently joined me to the Maker Faire to listen to some presentations on cheese making and fermentation. This corresponds nicely with my recent acquisition of buttermilk cultures and rennets from the New England Cheese Making Company. While I have been making yogurt for the last year, I tried my hand at buttermilk last weekend. We use it alot for cooking breads, cakes and pancakes. It seems to have come out nicely and was insanely easy to make. Next on my list is mozzarella and chevre. After the aged cheese presentation, I am a bit intimidated to try any hard cheeses. I don’t own my own special caves to age my cheese in…though I started eyeing the tunnel at Lake Merritt.

Yesterday’s scene in my kitchen with my sisters was precious. We dragged a comfy chair into the kitchen and my older sister, Antoinette, took care of the baby while Amanda and I sliced, boiled and stirred. Pots of preserves slowly reducing and sweeting provided a fertile environment for conversation.

The day’s canning included boysenberry jam, orange marmalade, and brandied cherries. I also made a batch of lemon curd on request. Amanda counted 18 jars of preserves from the days effort.

We next turned to trying our hands at sauerkraut and dill pickles. The presentation we saw suggested using plastic bags full of brine to weigh down the contents. I am as much into this process for the beauty as the product so this method is not working for me too well. I will be in search of glass weights that might work. in the mean time, we have ugly baggies. I think we may used jars a tad too small. We’ll see what develops.

I am in the process of developing a recipe section to the blog. I got as far as adding a heading in the sidebar but now I have to figure out how to add pages within it. Anyone know how to do this?