Iznajar & More Cooking

Saturday 3^rd March

Saturday dawned cold and clear, as we are high in the mountains, and we had a leisurely breakfast prepared by C. Afterwards, we drove into Isnajar with M to do a bit of sightseeing and to buy paella pans. We visited the Church and ornate cemetery at the highest point of the town. We then went in search of a paella pan for P who wanted to take one home, and after no success at 2 or 3 ferreteria/general purpose shops, found a shop with a huge range, and P plumped for a large 38 cm pan that serves 8 people for 4.10 €. I decided to get one too as such a bargain…!!

We then spent a lazy afternoon preparing the ingredients for Cordices en salsa de naranja (Quail with oranges) as a starter, and Asado de rape con habas, chorizo y almejas (Roast monkfish tail with broad beans, chorizo and clams), followed by a Tarta de chocolate (Chocolate truffle cake).

The afternoon preparation and cooking did not take as long as last night, and we sat down to eat about 8.30 pm, finishing in good time to see the Eclipse of the Moon @ 11.40 pm, which I guess most people watched around the world. However, as we were so high in the mountains and the air so clear, the visibility was superb, and it rounded off a wonderful couple of days.

C and P have reformed their large Finca (house) to a very high standard, with 3 double en suite rooms (the original exposed olive wood beams everywhere) in addition to their own living quarters, allowing them to run small but select cookery courses and rural bed and breakfast accommodation. Click on Finca Las Encinas for further details.