Posted by David Lebovitz - 08 Oct 2013
Spain isn’t quite known for its
breads. It’s probably because bread is more used as a vehicle for eating other
foods – like pan con tomate
(toasted bread with olive oil, then rubbed with fresh tomato and a bit of salt)
or as a resting place for marinated sardines, or another tapas, rather than
enjoyed on its own.
To make a little confession; when I
came to Spain, I brought a little loaf of bread from France with me to have for
breakfast. Because as much as I like pan
con tomate (which is often eaten for breakfast), I didn’t think I
would have the time, or the inclination, to gather all the ingredients and
prepare them in the kitchen of my apartment. And I’m a creature of habit and
the morning isn’t exactly the time of day when I’m looking forward to any
surprises.
So I was excited the first day when
I met Juan Gomez,
the owner of La Azotea, and he
invited me to come along the following morning to visit the baker who makes the
bread for his restaurants. What I wasn’t so excited about was waking up at
6:15am, so I would be all set to go (ie: already coffee’d up) when he would
ring me up to meet.
Fortunately Spaniards seem to be
pretty laid back in the morning and Juan took me to La Campana for my 47th
café cortado
in twenty-four hours and some pastries, including a tasty flat, crisp bread
known as torta de aceite,
a local specialty made with lots of olive oil, sesame, and usually a touch of
anise – although I did have one version with candied Seville (sour) oranges
that blew my calcetínes
off*.
Continue Reading Masa Bambini
Bread Bakery, in Seville...
No comments:
Post a Comment