Holiday Gastro, Eno & Steeped in The Arts Destinations ..

[Alexandria Profile]

Here a few suggestions for an unforgettable
holiday ..

Have a lovely Easter holiday.

[Alexandria Profile]

Saturday.

Continuation of Galicia Tour.

Tui, San Miguel de Tabagón, O´Rosal, La Guardia & Valença, Portugal ..

Firstly, our first stop this morning was Tui, an amazingly extraordinary
small ancient Gothic & Celtic City, for a tour of the
uncountable monuments and our local Guide
provided an incredible historical background
on the city and its surrounding region.

The Parador Hotel, another Mansion,
800 km. from the centre,
was our destination for lunch.
Exceptionally outstanding and
memorable.

Lunch:

Appetisers of the zone, from
the sea ..

A Papillote of San Pedro ( John Dory fish )
with fresh clams
salt flor, black pepper, leek, Evoo, carrot
ribbons (peeled ribbon lengths ) & fresh
local vegetables ..

Lovely and had a touch of fresh herbs.

The dessert was fresh fruits of the región
and local artisanal cheeses.

The White wine hails from a boutique
Winery, called: Santiago Ruiz, from
The Designation O´Rosal, in Rias
Baixas, located in between the Atlantic
Ocean and the Miño River.
It is a multi varietal, 70% Albariño,
Loureiro and Treixadura, all indigenious
White grape varieties of southern
Rias Baixas.

The winery, which we just left, after
visiting, is located in a XVII wine estate,
and a true testimony of traditional white wine
making.

www.bodegasantiagoruiz.com

Now, we are enroute to the Parador
Tui where we shall spend the night
and head to Valença, Portugal & La Guardia,
on Sunday prior to our trip back to Barcelona,
and meet our local Guide.

Have a lovely evening & Easter Weekend.
for a tapas crawl ..

[Renee Profile]

What a wonderful time you are all having Member 461. I love to hear about your travels and to learn a little more about Spain.

[WWordsworth Profile]

Yes, I am quite envious of all the wonderful seafood.

[Alexandria Profile]

Renée,

Thank you for visiting ..

It was Gil´s suggestion that
I could créate a thread for
my gastro travel adventures.

So I have begun it with today´s
desinations.

Pleased to hear that you have
enjoyed the read !!

Have a lovely Easter weekend.

[Alexandria Profile]

W. Wordworth,

Galicia is an
enchantment of
some of the world´s
best octopus, shellfish,
mollusks, finned fish,
prawns, crabs, goose
neck barnacles and
razor shells.

Having been a travel
agent for quite sometime,
Galicia is one of my favorite
"Circuit Group Tours" and
I travel to both Portugal
and Galicia quite often
between April and October.

I highly recommend if you love fresh
shellfish, seafood and finned fish, a future trip
off season:
to Santiago de Compostela, The Coast of Finisterre,
Pontevedra, Baiona, Tui and the interior of
Ourense ( Nogueira de Ramuín, 33 km.
northeast of Oursense ).

Have a wonderful weekend.

[Alexandria Profile]

Valença Do Minho, Portugal.

Valença is the furtherest northern point of Portugal
just over the Bridge which separates Galicia, Spain
from Portugal.

It was a very histórical focal point,
for defense along the Banks of The
Minho River.

It is well known to Spaniards for their
amazing flea markets & shops which sell Portuguese
made clothing and textiles.

Fun retail therapy !

Lunch was at the Fortaleza, which is in the
fortress amongst its multi layered battlements
and bastions encompassing the views from the
entire town.

The cuisine is classic Portuguese.

Our lunch was veered towards pescatarian
fresly caught specials of the day.

We had a Portuguese Rice with fresh
shellfish, similar to a Paella, however, with
several nuances. The Mozambique Prawns
and fresh mussels were delectable.

The appetisers included several unique
hors d´oeuvres of clams and oysters.

Dessert: Heaven on earth, Portuguese
Cheeses and Fresh Figs, from the Duoro
of Portugal on the border of Salamanca,
Spain ..

Home approx 20 minutes in Barcelona ..

Have a Happy Easter.

[Renee Profile]

I loved my visit to Portugal with family several years ago now. We stayed in a magnificent villa with beautiful gardens. I brought some lovely dishes back to use in my kitchen. Because there were three children we didn't eat out very often and had barbecues at the villa which the children loved.

[Alexandria Profile]

Renée,

I am very fond of Portugal ..

We do several tourist trips during the summer
quite frequently from Lisbon City, Sintra,
Caçais and The Algarve Coast.

We collaborate with The Pousada
Hotel Network which is similar in some
ways to The Spanish Parador Network.
Castles and Palaces converted into
Hotels with wonderful restaurants.

Thank you for sharing your
memories.

Have a lovely evening.

[Alexandria Profile]

Monday Evening ..

The Aiguablava Parador
Giorna on the Coast of Aiguablaca,
near Bejur ..
www.parador.es

My dear surprised me with a
lovely 3 day, 2 night escape
to coast Mother´s Day gift.

Our lovely terrace dinner
overlooking the Mediterranean
Sea was simply bespoken enchantment.

I had the Terrace Menu and my dear
had the Spring Menu ..

The Terrace Carte started with a
Cava Brut Reserve, Castell de Perelada.
The appetiser paired was Red Prawns Tempura
with an Alioli prepared with Ñora dried red chili pepper.

The starter was Langoustine filled ravioli which were out
of this world heavenly ..

My main was wild sea bass.

I did not have a dessert, however opted for
a cordial instead, a lovely Jerez Emilio Lustau
Amontillado Aged Brandy from Jerez de La
Frontera.

My dear had the Spring Menu which was also
amazingly extraordinary.

Artichokes prepared with an ecological egg and
foie gras de canard ..

His starter was Monkfish Tempura with Romesco.

His main was Tataki of Baby Basque Angus Blue Rare Beef on
flame ..

He had the renowned Catalan Dalí dessert, of Goat Cheese Ricotta, Fresh Rasberries
and honey ..

And a brandy as well ..

We took a nice stroll on the grounds of the Hotel and now
we are relaxing with our sea views ..

Have a lovely week ahead and Happy Mother´s Day.

[Renee Profile]

What an amazing meal you had and what a wonderfully thoughtful husband you have Member 461! The Monkfish Tempura sounds delightful!

[Stokey Sue Profile]

My parents used to go to Aiguablava

The only food pictures I remember my father taking were of the Chou pastry swans for deser on Mum’s birthday

[Badger's Mate Profile]

The Turkish baker that opened up at the top of my road in Edmonton used to do choux pastry swans. First time I'd ever seen them.

[Alexandria Profile]

Renée,

Yes, we always travel for a 3 day 2 night escape for
Mother´s Day.

I do not care much for clothing / jewelery gifts !
I could open up a store !

We prefer to spend our time together doing
what we love most, "travelling and tasting" ..

Yes, both the Monkfish and the Prawn Tempura were
absolutely extraordinary !

Have a lovely day Dear.

[Alexandria Profile]

Sue,

Very lovely coastal región of
The Costa Brava.

I would have to ask
my Mom or Grandmother
about the "swan shaped pastry"
that you have mentioned ..

Probably quite traditional
and maybe even seasonal ..

A very famous Dutch Pâtissier
known for his Swans, is
a Dutch Michelin Starred
Chocolatier & Pâtissier named
Franck Haasnoot. He just published
a 2nd book and his 1st book includes
a Swan Shaped Dessert. Very
elegant ..

Have a nice day.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Swan shaped choux are not uncommon in traditional patisserie, the sort of thing you might find in a classic patisserie shop or smart hotel dining room anywhere in Europe

But if I remember rightly these were the signature dessert of the kitchen at the time, I think they had a special filling rather than the usual crème lėgère, and dad may have dropped a hint that they would be more appreciated than birthday cake

They might have turned up anyway as the date was August 15, a festival day

[Joanbunting Profile]

Feast of the Assumption Sue. Swan choux pastries were one of the desserts DD used to request most years for his birthday She liked creme pat in hers. If you know how to make choux and can handle a piping bag they are an absolute doddle but look very impressive.

[Alexandria Profile]

Oh yes, The Gràcia Festival which runs from
August 15th - 21st in the Gràcia Uptown
Neighborhood of Barcelona.

I do not eat cream (From Cow´s Milk)
so I have never
actually had one, but yes, very
lovely looking pastries.

Each región of Spain has its own
versión of this week of Saints and
Celebrations, and Public Local
Holidays. In Madrid Capital it is
The Feast of Saint Paloma.

I am never in Barcelona during the
summer as I am working outside
of the Catalan 4 Autonomous Regions.

[Pampy Profile]

I used to make meringue swans - they always looked quite impressive but were a doddle to make.

[Alexandria Profile]

Sunday is Mother´s Day in Spain.

So we shall be leaving Aiguablava,
on Friday morning for Cadaqués,
Approx. 45 minutes to one hour north
depending on Traffic,
to spend the long weekend with
our parents and the whole
family.

Have a lovely evening.