Food Alley

Visit to Murcia

Last weekend we went to Murcia in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. The city is divided into the old town and the new. The Cathedral of Murcia was built between 1394 and 1465 in the Castilian Gothic style. Its tower was completed in 1792 and shows a blend of architectural styles.

 The first two stories were built in the Renaissance style (1521–1546), while the third is Baroque. The bell pavilion exhibits both Rococo and Neoclassical influences. The main façade (1736–1754) is considered a masterpiece of the Spanish Baroque style. Pedestrian areas cover most of the old town of the city, which is centred around Platería and Trapería Streets. 

Trapería goes from the Cathedral to the Plaza de Santo Domingo, formerly a bustling market square. Located in Trapería is the Casino, a social club erected in 1847, with a sumptuous interior that includes a Moorish-style patio inspired by the royal chambers of the Alhambra near Granada.

 

. The name Plateria refers to plata (silver), as this street was the historical focus for the commerce of rare metals by Murcia's Jewish community. The other street, Traperia, refers to trapos, or cloths, as this was once the focus for the Jewish community's garment trade. 

Fine dining is possible in the old town center.

We traveled back to Alicante, not on the motorway, but in the mainland, the backyard of Spain, a wonderful countryside who still amazes. From old watermills to in-land seas, Golden sunshine on a land that lays restless with long plains and bushy quarters. There is semblance with the inland Morocco, next to the sandy mill you will find farmers growing cabbage, celery and olives. What a combination.

 Driving all the way to Santa Pola, the landscape changes into a sea side resort with one of the left places, wild in nature, that em brasses the sea and little creeks. In summertime the place to be for campers, and tourists who love the country side with a sniff of the salty sea. Little wooden houses on the beach in this tile of the year are empty, the beach restaurants are gone. Every summer season they construct whole little villages with refreshments, food and tapas bars.

Medieval Market San Miguel

Since the 18th century, there was always a market in Altea. This was to honour San Miguel. Artisan from all around came to town to exhibit there art and performances. It stopped during First World War and never after. Some of the local shops tried in mid-thirties to organise a similar market but it did not worked out properly. Finale the local authorities wanted to boost shops and tried to set up again a medieval market in the main high street. From September 27 until 29 a large choice of craftsman’s come to Altea. You can find a diversity of fine food, handmade leather bracelets, purses, silk Moorish clothing, etc….

A trio who played typical instruments from the area gave us some nice music background. With their costumes and nicely decorated stallers it gave an expression of what it was in the ancient times.

Look for the photoset by following the link.

Medieval Market Photoset

Antiques markets and fine villages

Pego is lying just inland from the northern Costa Blanca resort of Dénia, the town of Pego sits in a depression, surrounded by mountains. A part of the Marina Alta comarca of Alicante. It is a little town with a nice main place and many small restaurants. In plaza de la font, you will found typical tapas restaurants. Casa Nova is one of those little beauties. They serve mouth-watering dishes for competitive prices.

 Worth visiting in Pego are the Arciprestal Church of Our Lady of the Assumption (16th century) built in the Renaissance style, built on the ruins of an earlier church, the Chapel of Ecce Homo (18th century) in the Baroque style and designed by the Valencian architect Fray Francisco Cabezas, the Church of the Sagrada Família, the hermitage of San José (19th century), the hermitage of San Miguel (17th century), the Castillo de Ambra (Castle Ambra) thought to originate from the early 13th century and the Parque Natural de la Marjal de Pego-Oliva (Natural Park of the Pego-Oliva Marshes)

Then we headed for the Rastro market in Javea, every Saturday you will find a large choice of antiques, bric-a-brac, and even new stuff. Amongst the antiques stallers you will find the local produce, oranges, avocados, tomatoes. There is a special staller with all kinds of dried seeds and fruits. It is well worth a visit. There are approx. 350 different stallers. Many foreign tourists are regular visitors. Always looking for a bargain.

Yamato Japanese restaurant

I travelled a lot in my life and it always amazes me, the best encounters you make around food. Being a foodie myself I always try to find the most eloquent places to have dinner. I try to talk to chefs and waiters to know about the local cuisine, try to avoid ex-pat restaurants and pubs. Look up local food, you will be surprised what you can find and at affordable prices.

Last evening I went to Albir, a little town near Benidorm with hug lots of restaurants and dinners. Japanese restaurant, Yamato, named after a Japanese battleship during world war2. The dining was a mixture of eastern artefacts nicely displayed in glaze cabinets all around.  The system is original; you receive a menu, a list, and a pencil. Make your choice as much as you like in the nice presented dishes with the Japanese names and English translation. Great choice of nigiri sushi, maki’s, teppanyaki, sashimi a vegetarian dishes.  Everything freshly made to order. The gentle waiter gave us an explanation what it was all about.

Great was the surprise when we start talking to one of the waiters. The whole staff is Chinese, they live in Spain for nine years and they speak fluently Spanish, English and some German.

At the link below you can see it for yourself in a virtual tour.

Yamato Restaurant

6 Foods in Your Kitchen That Could Kill Your Dog

 

Everyone likes to slip their pooch a tidbit or two of human food every now and again; we're all guilty of loving our pups just a bit too much sometimes! Some foods are so dangerous, though, so they should never be considered as treats

 

Alcoholic Beverages

While not technically a food, alcoholic beverages are common enough and potent enough to deserve a mention. Your dog should never be given or allowed access to any drink containing alcohol. Alcohol causes identical damage in animals that it does in humans. In dogs, though, the effects are greatly magnified because they're so much smaller than the average human. Additionally, the canine body does not metabolize alcohol and the toxin builds up far quicker and with far more dire results. Even minute amounts of alcohol can cause vomiting, seizures and damage to your dog's liver and brain.

Raisins

Raisins may be one of the most toxic human foods a dog can eat. A very small number of raisins can easily kill a dog, and the smaller the dog, the more dire the threat. Merck Veterinary Manual states that .18 ounces of raisins per pound of body weight is a lethal dose. A lunchbox size pack of raisins is 2 ounces, and would be enough to kill a 10 to 12 pound dog. No one is sure what the toxic compound in raisins actually is. While there's been a lot of research conducted, no conclusion has been reached. What is known, though, is that raisins cause very quick kidney failure. Progression typically happens within one to three days, and early symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and seizures. If your dog has been exposed to raisins, take him to the vet immediately.

Macadamia Nuts

It's hard to resist the rich, meaty, delicate flavor of a macadamia nut whether you walk on two legs or four. It's very important, though, to keep your macadamia nuts and anything containing them to yourself. For your dog, ingesting these nuts can cause vomiting, weakness, tremors and hyperthermia. The symptoms usually resolve within 48 hours and typically aren't lethal, but it can be quite unpleasant for your dog. Just to be safe, your dog should be taken to the vet for monitoring if he's helped himself to something containing macadamia nuts.

Caffeine

Caffeine in any form can be quite dangerous for your pup. Just like in humans, it overstimulates the central nervous and circulatory systems. It can overtax the heart and, depending on the amount your dog consumed, can cause death. Tremors, rapid heart beat and unsteadiness are signs of caffeine consumption.

Onions

Onions can cause anemia in your dog when they're ingested over a period of time or in large amounts. While anemia may not sound all that serious, it quickly becomes so when you consider the fact that anemic cells cannot carry oxygen all that well and your highly-active pup may collapse without warning while exercising, walking or simply being. If your dog eats onions, take him to the vet; he'll likely need stabilizing treatment, up to and possibly including a blood transfusion.

Chocolate

While it takes a huge amount of chocolate to be lethal, smaller amounts can make your dog quite sick. Vomiting, diarrhea, panting, abnormal heart rhythm, tremors, seizures and hyperactivity are signs that your pup has helped themselves to chocolate. Severity of the symptoms varies with the amount of chocolate your dog has eaten. White chocolate is the least dangerous and dark baking chocolate is the most dangerous, due to the amount of toxins they contain.

source ;  Kea Grace, Demand Media

Friday Fish Pie

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 800 g skinless fillets of fish such assalmon, cod, whiting, hake or haddock
• 150 ml white wine
• 1 lemon, juice only
• 125 g butter, diced
• salt and freshly groundblack pepper
• 150 g mushrooms, sliced
• 225 ml double cream
• 1 heaped tbsp Dijon mustard
• 4 tbsp finely chopped mixedherbs
• 1 kg mashed potatoes

How does this work?

It's simple.

With just one click, all these ingredients will be put into a basket on mySupermarket.co.uk.
You can select the products you need, compare prices and choose the retailer you wish to buy them from. Or you can leave them in your basket and come back later to buy items from other recipes.
One thing is for sure though, you are guaranteed to find the best value.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.

2. Place the onion in the bottom of a large saucepan and lay the fish on top in an even layer. Pour in the wine add the lemon juice scatter with 100g of the butter and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and simmer on a low heat for 15–20 minutes or until the fish is cooked.

3. In the meantime, melt the remaining butter in a small frying pan and sauté the mushrooms on a gentle heat for 5–6 minutes or until softened. Season well with salt and pepper.

4. Once cooked and using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the fish from the saucepan (leaving the onions and cooking liquid in the pan) to a 22cm square ovenproof dish.

5. Add the cream to the onions and cooking liquid in the pan and continue to simmer, with the lid off, for 10–15 minutes or until the sauce is reduced and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the mustard, herbs and sautéed mushrooms and check the seasoning.

5. Pour the sauce over the fish in the dish and spoon over the mashed potato, spreading with the back of a spoon or fork. Alternatively, pipe the mash over the fish with a piping bag and nozzle for a more professional-looking finish. The fish pie can be prepared to this stage, left to cool and then placed in the fridge overnight until ready to bake.

6 Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until bubbling and golden on top. If cooking from chilled then bake for about 40 minutes instead. Serve immediately.