Dearest friend, 😀. Here are some recipes just for you

Since we last wrote to you we have travelled through Spain, Portugal and Italy! One important part of travelling to these amazing countries is what you’re able to taste there… so we thought for this edition we’d share some of the delicious dishes we’ve enjoyed and taken piccies of, and share recipes for each dish. The recipes included are a combination of a few sources - info provided by people we’ve chatted to, online sources for which some links have been included and inspo from trying a variation of the dish ourselves! :) Let us know if you give any of them a go!

Also, Milla has uploaded pictures of our travels to the countries in new albums. If you wanna see, visit this link!

‘Pan con tomate y anchoas’ in Girona

First stop after traversing the Atlantic was Girona in Spain, just a quick train ride from Barcelona - and known as the euro mecca of cycling! We arrived in the late arvo, and after checking into our Airbnb we headed down to the local plaza for a nibble. The nibble was unexpectedly mind-blowing - we ordered anchovies, tomato and bread and the most delicious confit artichokes. The anchovy dish was called anchovies ‘two-ways’ as they were a mix of white anchovies which are cured in vinegar as well as darker anchovies cured with salt. This dish is really found all over Spain, and when we were in Barcelona staying with friends Daniel & Ali, they made us pan con tomate, so this recipe is also inspired by them!

Recipe for Spanish ‘Pan con tomate’:

• extra virgin olive oil

• 2 cloves of garlic peeled

• salt

• crusty yummy bread sliced with 3cm thick slices

• 4 ripe tomatoes like heirloom tomatoes

• some variations also add finely chopped parsley for some extra flav

Method: Slice the stem of the tomato off and use a box grater to grate the tomato discarding the peels. Season this puree with the salt. Then, brush olive oil over the bread pieces and toast bread under oven grill or in toaster until golden brown. Once the bread is toasted, rub the garlic cloves over the bread and spread over the tomato puree.

Serve with the two types of anchovies!

Pintxos and Vermouth in Barcelona

After a couple of days whizzing around Girona on two wheels we headed down to Barcelona by train where we got to hang out with some wonderful friends of ours - Ella & Tom (who hosted us, thank you<3), Mim & Ol and Dan & Ali (who hosted us while we were in Barca too!! <3 thank you!). The vibe of Barcelona was warm, quirky and fun and we absolutely loved seeing how our friends have made Barca their home.

Ideas for pinxtos: grab a fresh baguette, slice pieces ~2cm thick and top each slice with…
…tomato, camembert and sundried tomato
…manchego or camembert drizzled with honey
…salami, pimento peppers and olives
…a slice of frittata and some manchego

We ate our pinxtos with Spanish vermouth which was served as it is with ice, a slice of orange and a couple of green olives! Refreshing as.

‘Pastel de Nata’ in Porto

After spending time in Barcelona we flew across to Matosinhos which is right next to Porto in Portugal where Kristie and Brenton now live! It is a historical fishing village with beautifully maintained colourful tiled buildings, a tram(!!) and a long surf beach. While there we were lucky to go to Primavera sound music festival and I reckon everyday we ate pastel de nata aka Portuguese tarts.

No recipe here - just a recommendation to visit ‘Casa Nata’ on high street in Thornbury if you haven’t before to eat some of these. The pastels there in our opinion are on par with those found in Portugal; crispy flaky pastry with a smooth, creamy egg filling. Best eaten fresh out of the oven. So warming. So delicious.

Percebes in Nazare

With Brenny and Kristie we head south down the coast of Portugal on a week-long road trip to the Algave coast. We stayed in towns along the way including Nazare, home of the worlds biggest waves. Unfortunately, the ocean was flat, but this made the job easier for the fishing crews bringing in Percebes from nearby rocks! Percebes are also known as gooseneck barnacles and they look like dragon’s claws and were delicious!

Recipe for cooking percebes:

• 2 liters of water

• 250 grams of salt

• 500 grams of gooseneck barnacles

Cooking Instructions
1. Carefully separate the gooseneck barnacles from any rocks and rinse them well.
2. Bring the water to a boil, then mix in the salt until it's completely dissolved.
3. Add the gooseneck barnacles to the boiling water and cook for 2–3 minutes, or until they become tender.
4. Drain the barnacles and present them with lemon wedges for serving.

Eating Instructions
Hold the barnacle by the claw-like part at the end.
Gently twist and pull to separate the flesh from the leathery skin and the claw.
Discard the skin and the claw.
Squeeze a bit of lemon juice on the exposed flesh.
Enjoy the tender, flavorful meat.

Bolo de Delicia in Vila Nova de Milfontes

One of the towns we stayed in was called Villa del Milfonte. It’s a small village situated along an estuary with pristine but ice cold water. There happened to be a festival on whilst we were there and advertising their Bed and Breakfast at a stall were a lovely elderly couple. Drawn in to check out the stall by the look of the delicious moist chocolate cake which we had been told was a Portuguese special, we were offered tasters of lots of Portuguese treats even some vino and port! The couple were too generous and clearly ecstatic that Kristie and Brenny were conversing in Portuguese!

My goodness the chocolate cake was absolutely delicious and they offered for us to pick up a copy of the recipe the next day. Very sweet! We didn’t take a photo of the cake so you’ll have to take our word for how delicious it is…

Espinacas con Garbanzos in Seville

After we said our goodbyes to Kristie and Brenny in Lagos, we travelled by bus across to Seville in Spain where we’d scored some cheap flights across to Italy. Being able to see another city of Spain was a bonus and neither of us had ever been to this region before. Along it’s cobbled streets after the heat of the day had lifted, we sat and tried a region specialty - Espinacas con Garbanzos (spinach and chickpeas). We ate it with some crispy bread and a side of salty, fatty and yummy jamón ibérico (a type of cured pork).

Our letter is getting long, so for this one I’m (Tom typing now lol) making it so we’re using some short codes for ingredients:

• 4 tbsp EVOO

• 1 head garlic, chopped (G)

• 3 tbsp paprika (P)

• 8 cups spinach, chopped (S)

• ½ cup water (W)

• 3 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (C)

• Salt to taste (S)

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar (V)

• 1 tsp ground cumin (CU)

• 1 slice stale bread, cubed (B)

• 1/4 cup tomato sauce (T)

Instructions
1. Fry B: Heat 2 tbsp EVOO, fry B till golden. Set aside.
2. Cook G: Add 2 tbsp EVOO, cook G till golden.
3. Add S: Add P, S, W. Cook 5 mins.
4. Combine: Add C, T, CU, V. Simmer 5-7 mins.
5. Finish: Stir in B, adj. salt. Serve hot.

‘Orecchiette al Braciole Ragu’ in Polignano a Mare, Puglia

We then landed in Bari. While Puglia, Italy wasn’t on our initial itinerary, Nance and Pete had raved about it when they went recently so we thought we’d better go... We hired a car and stayed in a few different spots including Polignano a Mare, Nardo and Laterza. Tom was the driver (making up for the 8 years of being passenger until he got his license last year hehe) and far out he’s made up the 8 years in those 8 days - the driving was not easy!! Narrow streets, no merge lanes on freeways, wieldy drivers and wieldy pedestrians. 

In Polignano a Mare we ate super delicious orecchiette with ragu…

Arguably this is the best pasta (because gnocchi isn’t pasta, it’s potatoes) and sauce to exist. Ever. We had this at a little place in Polignano a Mare. The way they cooked the meat reminded me of mum’s osso bucco…pieces of meat were skewered into small meatball sized bits and were tender, juicy and slow cooked in the ragu sauce. 

Recipe for Orechiette with Braciole ragu:

• 400 g fresh orecchiette or a packet

• 10 slices veal (or beef, or pork)

• 250 g ham lard or butter (optional)

• 60 g extra virgin olive oil

• 100 g fresh grated or flaked pecorino (or parmesan)

• Parsley - ¼ bunch of leaves roughly chopped

• Basil - fistful of leaves chopped well

• 1 glass dry white wine

• 2 cloves garlic

• Chili pepper to taste

• 1 onion

• 500 g sugo - a recipe for sugo here

• Salt to taste

• Pepper as needed

Method:

1. Clean veal slices (or pork, horse, beef), lay them out, tenderize, and fill with chopped garlic, parsley, cheese flakes, chili pepper, chopped lard, salt, and pepper.

2. Roll slices into roulades, secure with toothpicks or thread.

3. In a pan (preferably clay), brown roulades with oil, chopped onion, and remaining lard.

4. Add remaining cheese, mix, then pour in white wine and let it evaporate over moderate heat.

5. Add tomato sauce, chili pepper, chopped basil, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 2 hours, adding salted water if sauce thickens too much.

6. Season orecchiette with the sauce. Serve braciole as a second course.

Tip: Add grated lemon peel to the braciole filling for a lighter, more digestible dish. Serve with red wine and fresh bread.

‘Cozze gratinate’ in Taranto, Puglia

Our favourite beach spots in Puglia were definitely on the west coast, at places called Santa Marina al Bagno and Gallipoli. There were Italian tourists, amazing food and pretty spectacular sunsets and beaches. Whilst there, we learnt that the Apuglia region is a D.O.P region for foccacia, altamura soughough bread and buffalo mozzarella. D.O.P stands for Denominazione di Origine Protetta or “Protected Designation of Origin” and in Italy, this label recognises the traditional production and processing methods used to make certain foods in a region.

Whilst driving through Taranto, a small port town known for seafood, we tried a pretty incredible mussel dish - cozze gratinate! Cozze gratinate (baked mussels) are found in Puglia as a seafood appetizer where mussels are cleaned, halved, and filled with a tasty mixture of stale bread, parsley, garlic, grated parmesan cheese, then baked until golden and crispy. They were delish so we had to share the recipe with you!

Ingredients:

• 1 kg mussels

• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

• 1 clove garlic

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 fresh chili pepper

• 1 liter dry white wine

For the ‘gratinate’ topping:

• 150 g stale bread crumbs

• 60 g grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 tbsp parsley

• 1 clove garlic

• Ground black pepper to taste

• Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Preparation:

Clean the mussels by removing barnacles and beards. Halve the garlic, remove chili seeds, and chop the parsley. In a large pot, cook the mussels with garlic, olive oil, parsley, and chili on high heat. Add white wine, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook until the mussels open. Discard any closed mussels and save the cooking liquid.

Mix the coarsely chopped bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, and parsley in a bowl. Add minced garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Moisten with a small amount of the mussel cooking liquid, ensuring the mixture is moist but not soggy.

Discard empty shells, keeping only those with mussels. Fill with the bread mixture and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 250°C (or grill) for 10-15 minutes until golden.

Tip: Save the remaining mussel cooking liquid to flavor pasta or risotto. You can freeze it in ice cube trays for later use.

Limoncello tiramisu in Naples

Naples was grungy and we loved it. Graffiti, narrow streets with no apparent road rules, old beat up vespas and a local indifference to it’s rough edges and dirty streets. You can tell though, that in Naples they do care deeply about the quality of their food - which lead us to lots of delicious meals. Highlights being the simplest of pizzas, homemade pasta with ragu, fresh salads, Aperol Spritz’s and the most memorable thing we ate was a Tiramisu without the coffee, but using Napoli’s famous lemons and limoncello instead!

Ingredients for Lemoncello Tiramisu

• Tiramisu:

  • 4 large egg yolks, cold

  • ¼ cup heavy cream, cold

  • ½ cup granulated sugar

  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

  • 16 ounces mascarpone, cold

  • 1/3 cup lemon curd

  • 1/2 cup limoncello

  • 1/4 cup water

  • 24 ladyfingers (from a 7-ounce package)

• Lemon Topping:

  • 1/3 cup lemon curd

  • 1/4 lemon, thinly sliced (for garnish)

Method

1. Mascarpone Mixture:

   • Beat egg yolks, heavy cream, sugar, salt, and mascarpone together for 2 minutes. Fold in 1/3 cup lemon curd. Set aside.

2. Syrup:

   • Mix limoncello and water in a shallow dish.

3. Assembly:

   • Quickly dip ladyfingers in limoncello mixture. Arrange in an 8x8 baking dish.

   • Spread half the mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers.

   • Repeat layers with remaining ladyfingers and mascarpone mixture.

   • Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, ideally overnight.

4. Garnish:

   • Spread 1/3 cup lemon curd on top. Garnish with lemon slices. Serve.

Love and miss you all,
Milla & Tom xoxoxox

P.S. For more photos from our travels, visit this link.