Sunday, September 26, 2010

A Spectacular Meal in Córdoba!

This is one of those epic meals that you only encounter once in your life. Naturally, the CC disdains such absurdly romantic notions so he went there for lunch two days later, and experienced it twice!

The picture of tomatoes below is deceptive. A picture cannot do it justice; it was poetry on a plate.

They were "only" tomatoes, sprinkled with fleur de sel (fiori di sale), and drizzled with olive oil. However, the tomatoes had quite literally been picked minutes before from the garden. They were still warm from the heat of the sun, and smelled like TOMATOES.

When years from now, the CC has his "madeleine"-moment, these tomatoes will be it!

Salmorejo, Gazpacho

Ajo blanco (Gazpacho with almonds)

Tomatoes with fleur de sel and olive oil

Frituras de verduras (Fried vegetables)

Rabo del toro (Braised oxtail)

Flan

Espresso

6 comments:

Marcus said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Marcus said...

I don't eat tomatos from a grocery store anymore.

One advantage to living in a rural area: fresh tomatoes. They are fantastic. I like eating one like an apple right out of the garden.

ShockingSchadenfreude said...

For me, it's the farmers' market but yes, same deal.

If you believe in Ricardo (I do!) then this is just as rational!

Marcus said...

On one occasion I was traveling back from a road trip to pick up some muscadines. I stopped at a road-side dairy bar in the middle of nowhere, Arkansas to get a hamburger. I love getting a greasy burger and shake from places like that.

I went to the window and ordered a burger, she asked me if I wanted everything on it. My standard answer is "no tomato", since they usually come from some regional/national supplier.

At that point I noticed the sign that said "Our tomatoes are all from Arkansas." The reason for the sign was there had been some recent incidents of salmonella or some such thing (I don't recall exactly now) on tomatoes shipped in from wherever-they-grow-them, CA. The purpose of the sign was to let patrons know they don't have to worry about that. For me it served as a flag indicating these would be nice, ripe tomatoes (it was summer time).

I changed my answer. The only thing better than having the grease from a burger run down your arm, is having the grease be mixed with the juice from a GOOD tomato. It changed that hamburger from merely good to heavenly. I almost went back and got another!

Lunch time. Chicken and sweet potatoes...but now I wish I had a tasty burger!

Marcus said...

Another comment pertinent to your photos: I've been eyeing some ox tails at a local meat market. Never made them or had them, but I've had a hankering to try some soon...

ShockingSchadenfreude said...

They've been running out of them every single time at the farmer's market.

One of these days ... although it's way to hot to braise right now.