Las Dalias hippie market, Ibiza

Ses Salines salt flats, Ibiza

Playa Ses Salines, Ibiza

Zebra art & grill, Ibiza

Delicious lunch in Ibiza - took us nearly forever to find a place that served non-British food, but it was well worth the search.

Tomates asados con mozzarella di buffala - roasted tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella

Very cool clear balsamic vinegar from Barcelona

Galtas de cerdo - pork cheeks (really!)

Tallerines frutti di mari - seafood noodles

Tarta de queso - cheese cake

Pera al vino tinto - pear poached in red wine

Little kitten that sat near us while we ate

fruit and vegetable market, Ibiza

Bar Patio, Ibiza

Slightly British, but still good, meal at Bar Patio in Ibiza - pork chop, sausage, egg, fries, and salad. Liked everything but the sausage.

Delicious discovery - cured duck! (Madrid)

We found this at Degusto gourmet store one day while shopping - it's incredibly flavorful, rich and perfectly salted. A great find and a beautiful addition to our tapas dinner below:

Olives and cocktail pickles skewers, croquetas, smokey cheese spread, tortilla, bread and breadsticks, mixed cheeses and cured meats, and zesty salads with feta.

Cupcakes from Cosmen & Keiless, Madrid

After a particularly bad meal out, we decided to redeem the day by stopping by Cosmen & Keiless for some cupcakes. Both are vanilla and delicious!

buy canned tomatoes, get new shoes?

We were grocery shopping in Corte Inglés last week and saw this deal: buy a few cans of tomate frito (tomato sauce) and get a pair of flip flops - FREE! Only in Spain...

Museo Sorolla

Nat & I have been to Madrid twice since we lived here, and never went to the house of the artist Sorolla, even though it was very close to our hostparents' piso. We finally got there today and it was fantastic! I didn't take any photos of his work, but here are some images from his house (this is for you, Dad!).

Very interesting window

Alcove on the lower level

Fountain in the garden

Tile detail

Garden view

Embassy, Madrid

In the median on the Paseo de la Castellana, this bar terraza serves up drinks in HUGE Beefeater glasses. Beefeater & tonic on the left, Jameson & ginger ale on the right.

Wagaboo, Madrid

tartare de langostas (prawns with avocado) and a selection of dim sum (not pictured)

Japan noodles Tsuyo no moto

Tagine Casablanca

Texas pecan pie & Bomba de chocolate (as suggested by our waiter)

tapas at the piso

Tapas on Monday night... bread, chorizo, salchichón (cured sausage), goat cheese, lomo (cured pork loin), queso tierno, breadsticks, la salsita deliciosa de José, tortilla, stuffed olives, cherry tomatoes, pickles and cocktail skewers, fried peppers, tuna and marinated sardines. And of course, Sweppes Orange Spirit.

tree blossoms on the street

Cumbres Ecuatorianos, Madrid

This is very near the piso we are staying in... The food is delicious and the people there are very sweet! Definitely worth your time and money. Here's what we had...

Ensalada de la casa - house salad

Seco de chivo - goat in an amazing sauce

Pollo asado con menestra y ensalada - roasted chicken with a bean stew and salad

Tarta de queso & tarta de whiskey y helado - cheesecake and whiskey cake with ice cream (in the back)

Gino's, Madrid

Salad with smoked salmon.

Maccheroni al forno in the front & bolognese in the back.

tapas with Kay & José

Dinner last Friday with Kay & José, our favorite madrileños... From the back of the table, left to right, marinated sardines, mussels with a delicious sauce, empanadas, potato salad, croquetas (ham), ham & cheese, tortilla, fried peppers, stuffed olives, AMAZING sautéed chicken with mushrooms, croquetas (cod), ham, delicious sauce that went on the mussels, and breadsticks. Delicious!!!

adventures in Ukrainian cuisine :: aventuras de la cocina ucraniana

When I studied last year in Madrid, I lived with a Ukrainian/Long Island girl. Since Nat and I lived with a family, we weren't able to cook our own food. Therefore, I heard a lot about Ukrainian food, but wasn't able to taste a bite! Over winter break, we headed back to Spain for a few weeks. Since we were flying out of JFK, I spent a few days at her house on either of the trip. These few days were my introduction to (and the source of a budding obsession with) Ukrainian food.

While I was staying at my roommate's house, I enjoyed muliple bowls of borscht, delicious sauteed mushrooms in a silky sour cream sauce, and many servings of "Russian" salad (or Ukrainian salad, if you prefer).

The week after we returned from Spain, I embarked on my own adventures, creating pot after pot of borscht (although my version is quite a bit darker than that of Nat's mom), and numerous bowls of Russian salad. My biggest obsession, however, is the mushroom dish. I cannot get enough of them!

***

Cuando estudié en Madrid el año pasado, viví con una chica ucraniana que vive en Long Island, en Nueva York. A causa de que vivimos con una familia española, no pudimos cocinarnos ningún tipo de comida. Por eso, supe mucho de comida ucraniana, pero no pude saborear ni un bocadito. Pero... durante las vacaciones de Navidad, nos fuimos otra vez a España para pasar un par de semanas. Esta vez, como viajamos por el aeropuerto JFK en Nueva York, pude pasar un par de días en la casa de mi compañera, ambos antes y después de estar en España. Durante esos días me introducieron a (y fueron la obsesión con) comida ucraniana.

Cuando estuve en su casa, tomé muchos boles de borscht (una sopa famosa de Ucrania y Rusia), un plato delicioso de champiñones (salteados y con una salsa suave de crema agria) y muchos bocados de ensaladilla rusia (o ensaladilla ucraniana, si se quiera).

Durante la semana despues de regresando, empecé con mis propias aventuras en la cocina, cocinando ollas y ollas de borscht (aunque mi versión parece más oscura que la de la madre de Nat) y haciendo boles innumerables de ensaladilla ucraniana. Sin embargo, mi obsesión principal son los champiñones. Parece que no puedo tomar bastante. =)


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Nat's mom's amazing borscht :: Bol de borscht de la madre de Nat















My own borscht :: Mi propia receta de borscht















My own Russian salad :: Mi propia ensaladilla rusia

Cosmen & Keiless' New Location!

Madrid-based bakery and bread shop Cosmen & Keiless recently opened the doors of their second location (c/ Príncipe de Vergara, 15).

Here are some shots from the new shop:













































Check out their flagship store here in English, or here in Spanish.

Pizzería Cervantes (Madrid)

Located on Calle de León, 8, Pizzería Cervantes serves up a delicious selection of salads, pastas, risottos, meats, savory crepes, and of course, pizza pies! Almost all of the items cost less than 10,00€.

In the foreground, my Pizza Rúcola (tomato, arugula, parmesan and olive oil) and in the background, Nat's Pizza Cervantes (tomato, mozzarella, anchovies, roasted red peppers, ham, olives, and oregano -- but Nat got it sin anchoas).