Showing posts with label Spanish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spanish. Show all posts

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Grilled Prosciutto and Mozzarella Sandwhich

Last Sunday (4/29) I successfully made a tortilla EspaƱola for dinner. Normally I destroy the tortilla when I flip it, it comes out burnt, or the flavor is just bland. This time I made sure to really salt it, cooked it on low, and didn't bother to flip it. Instead, I put a lid on the pan and cooked it for 20 minutes. Perfecto.

By Monday I was craving more Spanish-style comida (food). More specifically, I was craving a bocadillo de jamon y queso (Serrano ham and cheese sandwich), but was lacking the authentic Serrano ham and Manchego cheese.


I discovered the next best thing: A grilled Mozzarella sandwhich with Red Hen bread, basil, tomato, and prosciutto! It was amazing, and so much better than the American grilled cheeses.

Fun fact: Growing up we knew grilled cheese sandwiches as "Toasted cheese sandwiches". My mom broiled them in the oven, toasting them, rather than grilling or frying.



Anyway, to make this sandwich it is quite simple:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Butter two sides of really good bread (I used Red-Hen)
  3. Lay 1-2 pieces of prosciutto on each un-buttered side of the bread.
  4. Lay slices of fresh Mozzarella on top of the prosciutto
  5. Cover the cheese with fresh basil leaves.
  6. Put the two halves of the sandwich together, making sure the butter is facing outward.


  1. Heat olive oil in a small frying pan on medium-low heat. Place sandwich in pan and cook for 3 minutes, until crispy and slightly toasted. Flip and repeat for other side.
  2. Place sandwich onto pan and bake in the oven for 3-5 minutes, until cheese is melted. 
  3. Remove from oven (careful - it's hot!). Open sandwich and place slices of tomatoes between layers of basil leaves.

Apparently my Spanish-styled food cravings did not end last week. This Tuesday I was whipping up some Valencia-styled paella. I wonder what the next dish will be!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Adventures in Malaga, Day 2: Picasso, Beach, and Croquetas

This is the last post of our trip to Spain-recap. You can check out the other posts by using the tab above labeled "Explore the World"

We woke up early and went for a run along the beach on June 15th. It was only around 8:00 am, but it was already super hot and foggy. We found our way to a run-down party hall along the beach. I can imagine that it used to be quite the happening place some years ago, but it certainly needed a little help now.

After the run we had a delicious breakfast at the hotel. The breakfast made our rooms a few Euros pricier per day, but it was so worth it. Fresh juice, fruit, bread and pastries, cheese and cured meats, yogurt and delicious granola. A super start to the day. An American breakfast, Spanish style.

Outside of one of the cathedrals
Once our belly's were full we headed into the city. First stop: The Picasso Museum. Tom loved this place. It was fairly new, and millions of Euros had been put into the construction of it. What was fascinating to see was the Roman ruins that were in the "basement" of the museum. The entire building had been built over the ruins. Of course, it was also neat to see how Picasso's styles changed over the years in all of his paintings. 


Someone in my group *coughtomcough* may have snagged this photo without  permission....
Love the ceilings
Courtyard in the Picasso Museum
 We strolled around the city after the museum, looking at shops and the cathedrals before heading to the Alcazaba (near the Castillo de Gibralfaro). The Alcazaba was built in the 11th century by the Moors and was used as a military fortress. It sits on a hill, but had its own elevator, so we didn't get a workout like we did the day before.

Foggy Malaga












My over excitement of the view caused me to momentarily lose a sandal
We spent the remaining afternoon hours at the BEACH! It was amazing to sit there and do NOTHING! Tom finished reading Born to Run, and I finished Life of Pi. We did a lot of people watching. Men with coolers kept coming by to try to sell us beverages, but we had stopped at the supermercado to pick up water and jamon (ham) chips before the trip down. 

That night we went back into the city for some dinner. As always, it took us a while to figure out where we would end up eating. We needed an English menu and wanted to sit outside. We landed ourselves at the perfect restaurant and were finally on Spanish time! I do believe that we ate around 8:30 or 9:00. (Please notice how light it is in the photos below)



We ordered croquetas to start. And good thing! These were THE BEST croquetas of our trip, and the best I had ever eaten up to that point. Tom had some a white fish for dinner and I had chicken kebabs. 


It was pretty amazing to watch the sun go down. It didn't get dark until after 10:00pm! I was not ready to head back to the hotel, especially knowing that when we woke up in the morning we would have to head to the airport. 

So we didn't go to the hotel. We went for gelato. 

Yes. You can get gelato at 10:30pm in Spain. Or 12:30am. Doesn't matter! It's there for you!



On our way back we walked by a construction site that was the home to a lot of cats! They made us a little excited to be heading home, only because we would be seeing The Will (Wilson) again.


We went up to the roof of the hotel one final time when we got back and found something strange: An orange moon! There was a lunar eclipse and we hadn't heard anything about it! By the time we went to bed the eclipse was ending, but it was pretty neat (and spooky) to be seeing it in Spain

A very blurry photo of the lunar eclipse in Malaga
This is the end of our Spanish Adventure recap. We had an awesome time in Spain: great memories, new tans, and a more restful body and mind. Hopefully that isn't the only time we go, but who knows where our next adventure will take us.


Heading home. Adios Espana!

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Adventures in Malaga: Day 1 - The Beach and Paella

You can't get a good beach nor good paella in Vermont. We don't have an ocean, and chefs just can't seem to produce authentic paella. Guess I need to go to Malaga when I'm craving either of them.

After our visit to the Gibralfaro we went back to the beach to check it out. It was around 5pm and it felt as though people were just starting to leave the beach. And yes, beaches in Spain are tops-optional.




At around 8pm we headed out in search of good paella. We had asked the clerk at the hotel's desk if she could recommend a particular restaurant, but she wasn't of much help. After about a half-hour walk we were in the heart of the city and were able to find a restaurant with outdoor seating and paella on the menu. Gosh, even writing about this is making my mouth water again. 


I really wanted to finish this whole plate.... but my belly is only so big. 


Dinner was delicious. We tried a Spanish custard dish for dessert, but it wasn't the best that I had ever had. Oh well! I really couldn't complain because it had been years since I had so much Spain in one meal. 

The most wonderful thing about being in Granada is how long the days were. It didn't get complete dark until well after 10pm! 

On our way home we took the beach route instead of the street route. The moon was full, lighting up our way along the sand. 





Day one in Malaga was a success. I had never been there before so Tom and I were truly exploring a new city together. The only thing we needed to make the day better was ....

Some aloe....

Us Vermonters weren't used to so much sun! It's too bad we hadn't busted off a piece of the aloe plant that attacked Tom in Granada

Need to catch up on our June 2011 vacation?

Friday, February 17, 2012

Adventures in Malaga: Day 1: El Castillo Gibralfaro

It was hard to choose where to start our site-seeing adventure in Malaga. It was an incredibly warm day and sunglasses were a must. We headed westward from our hotel, toward the center of Malaga city. What separated our hotel from the city (besides distance) was the Castilla de Gibralfaro and the Alcazaba - both built hundreds of years ago.

Our curiosity led us to a hill with a winding road and great views of the city. Along the way we frequently stopped to catch a new vista of the city, including the port and the bull ring. There were flowers along the way and areas to take a breather. This hill was steep and we worked up quite the sweat. Fortunately, people were well aware of this problem and we were able to catch a refreshing Fanta and cerveza before exploring the castillo. 




Fanta: A much needed refreshment after the hike up the hill

It makes sense that a king would build his fortress on a hill top. We had a clear view of the entire city as we made our way around the walls of the castle. It was fun to explore the different areas and to imagine that I was one of the guards hundreds of years ago. This castle was build by a ruler of Granada in the 1300s. Quite amazing!







Quite the view of the city

The journey down the mountain was much easier than the trip up. I spent a lot of time admiring the beautiful flowers along the path. Their smells were intoxicating!



At the bottom of the hill we decided to get a little closer to the port. There wasn't much to do there, but we did check out a temporary museum exhibit for a little while. On our way back to the hotel we stopped at City Hall and I had to smell the flowers by there too! They're the purple things bordering the steps in the photo below. 

Malaga's town hall: more extravagant than Montpelier's

DAYYY LILIES!!!
In between town hall and the sea were two paseos, or roads, with a park in between. Few people were within the park and it seemed quite peaceful. They were loaded with Day Lilies and benches to sit at. 

Tom put on a show in the outdoor theater

I was the only one in his audience

There were a lot of these trees in Malaga. They looked as though someone had painted a camouflage pattern on them, only that's how they actually grew!


The bullring of Granada. We had just barely missed a bull fight
Although we were finished with the historical component of our day, we still had plenty of daylight left and more city to explore. My next goal: get me some paella!

Need to catch up on our June 2011 vacation?