CREATIVE COOKING AT FINCA AL-MANZIL ITINERARY- 2012

                                    COOKING IN THE COUNTRYSIDE HOLIDAY

Create and enjoy sumptuous Moroccan, Middle Eastern and Iberic feasts at the cortijo of

Finca al-manzil     http://www.finca-al-manzil.com/
One week each month March – June and September –December according to availability. Cooking, mountain trekking , well-being, cultural visits, country life.

ALSO A SHORT BREAK FOUR NIGHT HOLIDAY WITH THE 3 COOKING DAYS IN A ROW.
N.B. This holiday can be run for 1 - 6 people

There has been much acclaim for the dinners prepared at the finca so we have decided to share our secrets and run a creative cooking course several times a year. The cortijo kitchen is spacious with all the special equipment and implements needed to create delicious Moroccan, Middle Eastern, Spanish and Portuguese dishes using natural fresh local vegetables, meat, fish, fruit and herbs; the spices are imported regularly from Morocco.

Our aim and pleasure is to inspire enjoyment of the food in the well designed and decorated surroundings of the finca. Dinner will be the highlight of every day. Starting tapas which we have had fun inventing served on the terrace we eat dinner around the huge dining table or maybe outside if the evening is warm. Possibly dinner will have been cooked in the traditional clay oven or over a charcoal grill. We serve Extremeña wines and maybe with coffee a special liqueur from the Jerte valley or some aguadente made from the medroño or wild strawberry bush.

The accommodation is at Finca al-manzil cortijo or barn and a neighbouring house all in beautiful, peaceful situations with splendid views of countryside and up to the peaks of the mountains. The rooms have en-suite bathrooms; there is a choice of single occupancy or shared twin room or renting a whole house for your own use. The sitting room has a wood burning fire for chilly nights and there are two terraces for gazing at the stars.

The classes are open for a maximum of 6 people and minimum of 2 people. Discounts are available if you are able to arrange your own group of 4 friends or more. Our holidays are designed on a weekly basis and integrate an interesting programme of cooking, nature and culturally based activities, visits to Merida, Caceres and Montanchez.

                                 

THE HOLIDAY INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING -7 nights stay at Finca al-manzil or neighbouring house with the following daily programmes, 3 days of cooking and eating the preparation for dinner, 4 days of alternative activities with dinner at the finca OR The five night holiday which follows the itinerary for the 3 cooking days.

DAY 1 ARRIVAL AT FINCA Time to get to know your surroundings, meet the other guests and relax after your journey. Dinner prepared by Pippa

DAY 2 COOKING DAY - MOROCCAN

Breakfast

10.00 – 14.00 - Moroccan Cooking tuition, preparation and cooking of a selection of Moroccan dishes using typical ingredients and spices. Lunch is a healthy light salad with local cheese or jamon, fresh bread and maybe a juice, smoothie or spritzer . Time to relax, a siesta, a swim, some reading or photography perhaps

17.00 – 18.00 or 19.00 for longer walks - An optional afternoon walk in the sierra. We see the rich bird life and wild flowers of the sierra and the local agricultural activities, olive and fig groves, sheep and the iberic pigs nurtured on acorns in the woods. There are also mountain bikes if you prefer a ride on the quiet lanes around the finca.

Depending on the time of the year we participate in olive harvest (Dec/Jan) grape and fig harvest (September) Wild Asparagus picking in Spring. Visit to WOMAD in Caceres (May) Medieval Fair in Caceres (November) Usually every month has a local fiesta going on which we can visit.

A pause for another swim or preparing yourselves for the evening, we believe in making a special evening every evening, the table will be looking very pretty and the food is going to be stupendous.We are on Spanish time so tapas and drinks at 20.30 and dinner at 21 ish. Now the rest of the evening is up to you, you have had an interesting, active day so now relax, enjoy and converse.

DAY 3

Breakfast. Visit to our local villages to stock up on delicious ingredients which will include a visit to a cheese making farm and a tour of the jamon curing in Montanchez. Lunch in a local bodega. Back to the finca. Afternoon as day 2. Dinner is prepared for you by Pippa but you can join in with preparation of creative tapas before dinner.

DAY 4 -COOKING DAY -IBERIAN As day 2 using some of the ingredients that we bought yesterday for preparation of Spanish and Portuguese dishes for dinner.

Afternoon as day

DAY 5

Breakfast. Trip to Merida to explore the largest collection of Roman ruins besides Rome. Walk over the 2000 year old Roman bridge into the town where we will visit the impressive theatre and superb museum of Roman art.Time for some shopping or a break in the attractive plaza.Lunch in a traditional bodega with great collection of bull fighting memorabilia on the walls.Back to finca for relaxing afternoon. Dinner prepared by Pippa , observers welcome.

DAY 6 -COOKING DAY – MIDDLE EASTERN

Breakfast.

Preparation and cooking with typical Middle Eastern ingredients and spices. Various dishes including an array of mezes for lunch and more substantial dishes for dinner.

Afternoon as day 2.

DAY 7

Breakfast.

An optional walk up the garganta de molinos, the watermill gorge, over the mountain to Montanchez and back down to the finca. A wonderful walk, takes 3 hours in total, lunch in Montanchez or back at the finca. Relaxing afternoon at the finca. Late afternoon trip to Trujillo an ancient and very beautiful town which we explore, taking a leisurely walk up to the castle and around the narrow lanes. Dinner in the plaza at one of the excellent restaurants.

DAY 8 DEPARTURE

WHEN DO WE OPERATE?

The holidays are run all year except for July and August the hottest months which limit time for the more active part of the holidays. The climate is excellent in the sierra; Spring and Autumn, February – June, September - October are delightfully warm and sunny. Winter, Nov. Dec. and January are less warm but usually sunny and bright with of course more rain. It rarely rains for more than a few hours. We have a wood burning stoves and a cosy atmosphere for the chillier days.

PRICES
INCLUDE 7 NIGHTS STAY AT FINCA AL-MANZIL. ALL DINNERS AND LUNCHES AND COOKING TUITION ON COOKING DAYS.  BUT NOT FOOD AND BEVERAGES ON EXCURSIONS

Double room for single occupancy (ensuite bathroom) €1050 pp ~

no single supplement, 15% DISCOUNT on two PEOPLE sharing a room.

FOUR NIGHT HOLIDAY- €600 PER PERSON

Discounts are available if you are able to arrange your own group of 6 friends.  
Non-cooking partners and friends are welcome. They can arrange some hours of creative cooking or cultural tours with Pippa, or simply enjoy the wonderful location, food and wine. Prices on request.

CONQUISTADOR FEAST HOLIDAY- ITINERARY

THE CONQUISTADOR FEAST HOLIDAY AT PALACIO DE PIEDRAS ALBAS, TRUJILLO, EXTREMADURA

A journey of discovery through delicious food, historical towns and beautiful countryside.

Imagine staying in one of the most precious towns of Spain, beautifully preserved with a glowing atmosphere; a Moorish castle, medieval streets and amazing conquistador palaces………this is Trujillo in Extremadura. Our base is one of the most beautiful buildings on the Plaza Mayor, Palacio de Piedras Albas, a perfect 16^th century palacio with a stunning portico overlooking the vibrant plaza.

Cooking and enjoying the imaginative recipes are the principle activities of our holiday. There are 4 mornings of cooking at the palacio.  Besides the creative cooking on these mornings Pippa will prepare wonderful dinners on other evenings. Our cuisine is based on gorgeous recipes from Latin America acclaiming the conquistadors of the 16th century ; exotic Moroccan dishes as a celebration of the Moorish history of Trujillo; Extremeno cuisine which is full of surprises and wonderful ingredients such as the famous Iberic jamon and pork, wild asparagus, local cheese, wines and sumptuous fruit. The latin American recipes use the ingredients brought back from the New World by the conquistadors; chocolate, peppers, tomatoes and maize. What could be more appropriate than to use these foods in Extremadura where they were first introduced to the Old World and particularly Trujillo where many of the most famous conquistadors were raised, they returned from the New World with fabulous wealth to build a perfect renaissance town.

 The superb nature and countryside of Extremadura can be enjoyed whilst on our way to visiting  Caceres and Merida where there will be  guided cultural walks.

Accommodation at Palacio de Piedras Albas

The Palacio is in the heart of Trujillo, right on the main plaza but behind the impressive entrance is the tranquil atmosphere of a traditional family house with inner courtyard and a wide staircase leading to the first floor reception rooms and bedrooms. The stunning Florentine portico leads off the main salon, it is the perfect place to relax and watch life down on the beautiful plaza, if you need less distraction and more tranquillity there is a spacious garden filled with flowers and a lovely swimming pool in a sheltered corner. Some of the preparation will take place in a covered area originally stables right next to the pool.

Cooking will take place in the kitchen on the 1^st floor next to the splendid dining room which is next to the two salons, one leading out to the beautiful portico overlooking the plaza where we will have a drink before dinner, the hour of the paseo, a splendid "people watching" experience.

 Pippa will take you on a first guided tour of Trujillo, an introduction to your own wanderings through the atmospheric lanes and enjoyment of the vast panoramas from the castle walls. A simple but wonderful pleasure is to enjoy a drink at one of the open air terraces on the plaza, as the sun goes down the ancient buildings glow in a golden light.  

THE EXCURSIONS

CACERES - A fascinating UNESCO world heritage town with a medieval centre and  renaissance palaces of the conquistador era. A walk around the nearby Barruecos, an amazing area of huge granite boulders home to a huge stork colony. This area fascinated the Fluxus artist Wolf Vostell, we visit the wonderful 18^th century wool washing complex where he made his home and studio, it is now an enthralling permanent collection of his work and other famous Fluxus artists.

MERIDA- We explore the largest collection of Roman ruins besides Rome. Walk over the 2000 year old Roman bridge into the town where we will visit the impressive theatre and superb museum of Roman art.

Time for some shopping or a break in the attractive plaza.

Vistit  to the traditional covered market for fresh produce.

Lunch in a traditional bodega with great collection of bull fighting memorabilia from the last 100 years.

PRICES

Twin bedoom (shared bathroom) £980 pp ~

Master double bedroom (ensuite bathroom) £1080 pp ~

no single supplement, REDUCTION OF  15% on two PEOPLE sharing a room

Discounts are available if you are able to arrange your own group of 6 friends.  
Non-cooking partners and friends are welcome. They can arrange art classes with Noelle or cultural tours or single cooking mornings with Pippa, or simply enjoy the wonderful location, food and wine.

WHEN DO WE OPERATE?

The holidays are run in late April depending on Easter, May, June,  September and October.

 Spring  is from February – May, the most beautiful season with millions of wild flowers, lovely sunny warm weather and some rain showers.  June is starting to get hot but better to enjoy the pool and a taste of summer without the intense heat.

Autumn starts in late September - October usually delightfully warm and sunny with some rainy days but never continuous.

DATES 

The dates for 2012 are as follows:

Saturday 19 - Saturday 26 May

Saturday 23 - Saturday 30 June

Saturday 15 - Saturday 22 September

Saturday 13 - Saturday 20 October

WHAT DOES THE HOLIDAY INCLUDE?

 Accommodation and breakfast at Palacio de Piedras Albas for 7 nights,  4 days with 2 -4 hours of cooking tuition. Dinner every evening at the palacio. Lunch on 4 days, 2 days of alternative activities and excursions.

 All ingredients, equipment and travel included. (Excluding arrival and departure travel to and from Trujillo)

Food and beverages and entrance fees whilst on excursions are not included.

BOOKING POLICY

A deposit of 30% of the total price for all persons to be paid to secure the reservation .

The remaining balance to be paid 8 weeks before the date of arrival.

We accept payment by bank transfer OR through paypal  http://www.paypal.com/

Which is reliable and safe method of international payment.

A typical holiday will consist of the following programe

1^st DAY Saturday

ARRIVAL AT THE PALACIO

Time to get to know your surroundings, meet the other guests and relax after your journey.

Dinner prepared by Pippa

2^nd DAY Sunday

1st cooking day- Introduction to Moroccan cuisine and ingredients. Preparation of a typically Moroccan dinner including tagine, cous cous and spicy side dishes.

Breakfast

10.30 -14.00  Preparation of dishes for dinner.

Lunch- A light salad with local cheeses and jamon. A refreshing spritz made with local wine.

17.00 – 18.30  A guided walk around Trujillo with Pippa, through atmospheric lanes lined with secret gardens, jasmine and orange trees glimpsed over high stone walls, conquistador palacios with exquisite facades and beautiful interiors, sublime churches endowed with impressive works of art.

The walk starts in the magnificent Plaza Mayor, an almost theatrical space surrounded by a collection of interesting buildings, each with a story in the long history of Trujillo.

Time for another swim or preparation for the evening, we believe in making a special atmosphere every evening, the table will be looking very pretty and the food is going to be stupendous.

We are on Spanish time so tapas and drinks at 20.30 and dinner at 21ish.

Now the rest of the evening is up to you, you have had an interesting, active day so now relax, enjoy and converse.

3^rd DAY Monday

2^nd cooking day –Introduction to New World cuisine. Some interesting dishes using ingredients introduced to Europe in the 16^th century and also dishes with an ancient Inca or Aztec history.

Breakfast

10.30 – 14.00  Preparation and cooking of a selection of Latin American dishes using typical ingredients and spices, e.g. quails in rose petal sauce and pimentos nogada

Lunch at the palacio will be part of our morning’s preparation, usually we

Time to relax, a siesta, a swim, some reading or photography perhaps.

21.00 Dinner

4^rd DAY Tuesday

Breakfast

Visit to Merida

A cultural tour of this amazing Roman city.

 Time for some shopping or a break in the attractive plaza.

Vistit  to the traditional covered market for fresh produce.

Lunch in a traditional bodega with great collection of bull fighting memorabilia from the last 100 years.

Back to the palacio for relaxing afternoon.

21.00 Dinner prepared by Pippa

5^th DAY  Wednesday 3rd cooking day- Extremeno

Breakfast
Preparation and cooking of typical dishes from Extremadura using some of the local products bought at Merida market and using typical Extremeno spices and herbs such as pimenton, mint and coriander, also sampling some of the wonderful local cheeses and of course jamon.
Lunch with some of the prepared dishes.
Free afternoon

 21.00  Extremeno Dinner

6^th DAY Thursday

Breakfast.

Visit to Caceres

A walk around the Barruecas lake and park with a visit to the quirkyWolf Vostell museum. A guided walk within the Moorish walls, through the medieval town visiting the museum and Moorish algibe. Lunch in typical bodega.

Back to the palacio.
Free afternoon.

21.00 Dinner prepared by Pippa.

7^th DAY Friday  4^th Cooking day-Conquistador feast

 Breakfast.

 10.30 -14.00 - Preparing for the last evening, some very special dishes featuring ingredients brought back from the new world and lots of chocolate .

Free afternoon for a last walk around Trujillo or just relaxing by the pool.

21.00 Special farewell dinner.

DAY 8

Departure 11.00

COOKING AT THE FINCA IN MARCH

The weather is warm and sunny but the lack of rain is a worry, apparently next week we shall have some rainy days which will freshen up the land and bring a new crop of asparagus.
We have just had a  four day creative cooking holiday at Finca al-manzil.  Check itinerary for this here  http://cooking-extremadura.blogspot.com/search/label/Creative%20cooking%20at%20Finca%20al-manzil

Here's what we did for the Moroccan evening after a lovely day out and about in Merida.

PATERIA DE SOUSA - THE ETHICAL FOIE GRAS FROM EXTREMADURA

Eduardo Sousa has brought back to life a tradition of goose rearing that was almost extinct in his native Extremadura. His magnificent, ethically-produced Spanish foie gras is fetching top prices in the world’s finest food emporia – and ruffling a few French feathers in the process. Paul Richardson reports.

It’s easy to be complacent about the excellence of a local product. Sometimes it takes a comment from an outsider to remind us just how excellent it is.

Eduardo Sousa and his goose foie gras provide a perfect example of this maxim. The story goes as follows: for generations the Sousa family, natives of Fuente de Cantos in southern Extremadura (also birthplace of the painter Zurbarán, but that’s another story) made a modest living from the sale of patés made from ibérico pork liver, according to recipes handed down through the family. Like many owners of large fincas in the region the Sousas also kept geese, potting the fat livers as presents or as a special treat for the family. The product, though delicious beyond imagining, had no presence in the marketplace either locally or nationally - to say nothing of internationally. What’s more, the idea of a foie gras made in Spain was an anomaly that no-one in their right mind would contemplate: the real McCoy was French, and nothing else would do.

The turning-point came in 2006. Briefly, Eduardo took his Spanish foie gras to SIAL, the leading food fair in France – talk about bringing coals to Newcastle! - and against all the odds, won the fair’s Coup de Coeur prize for innovation. It is no exaggeration to say that the prize has transformed Sousa’s life, bringing fame (if not fortune) to this small-town company and revolutionising the suspicious and hermetic foie gras trade. La Patería de Sousa’s foie gras has been discovered by the global gastronomic community, fêted and fought-over by chefs like Dan Barber of the restaurant Blue Hill in Manhattan, who once served it to Barack Obama and describes it as ‘the culinary experience of a lifetime’. Ironically enough, one of the countries that holds Sousa’s product in highest regard is France, heartland of traditional foie gras production.

Natural feeding

In order to understand the uniqueness of this product, it helps to know something about the way most French foie gras is produced – namely by the ‘gavage’ method by which the birds are force-fed, massively boosting the growth of the liver by artificial means. The revolutionary aspect of Sousa’s foie gras is its entirely natural process, which relies on the birds’ natural instinct to gorge on acorns and grass in the weeks leading up to their winter migration. The result is a product that ticks all the boxes for superb flavour and texture, organic status, and immaculate ethical credentials.

In many ways La Patería de Sousa seems an exemplary small business: family-run, based on a sustainable product derived from local and traditional sources. The company is essentially Eduardo Sousa and his wife Jacinta, four permanent employees, and his son and daughter of 9 and 13, who are already keen on the idea of taking over when the time comes.

We meet at Sousa’s HQ in Fuente de Cantos (Badajoz), where a small shop on the ground floor sells the tinned patés which are the company’s daily bread. Based on locally-sourced ibérico pork liver and fat, these are fine examples of the genre and, astonishingly, contain not a single preservative, colouring or any other artificial additive. (The range includes Pedro Ximénez and raisins, orange, three pepper, herbs, and ‘D.O.de bellota’. My only criticism would be that the timid use of these flavours makes the patés less distinctive than they might be.)

Historical background

Leaving Fuente de Cantos we visit the farm, which lies some 20km to the south outside the hamlet of Pallares, among rolling hills of dehesa (holm-oak wood). As we drive Eduardo gives me the historical background on goose production in this part of Extremadura, rare in Spain but common at one time in this region thanks to fincas owned by wealthy members of the clergy, who were notoriously fond of the pleasures of the table. Charles the Fifth’s favourite dish, Eduardo tells me, was goose-liver pie. The Duchess of Abrantes’ recipe book, pillaged by the French from Alcántara during the War of Independence (1808/1814), contained recipes for goose liver pie and mi cuit. Yet curiously, goose in any form has almost zero presence in contemporary Spanish culinary practice. ‘In the old days there were producers of goose meat and eggs, but the liver itself wasn’t valued, it was melted down for oil.’

It is midday and the geese are either resting or pottering quietly in the shade of the oaks. As we cautiously approach one small group the birds become restive, honking in alarm. Just over the stone wall of the Sousa estate, the neighbour’s ibérico pigs rootle contentedly under the trees. Sousa’s geese and these pigs have a lot in common: both are raised in a semi-wild state, both spend the winter months ingesting large quantities of acorns (in the case of Sousa’s geese, up to a kilo per day, plus another kilo of windfall figs and olives, insects, grass, and whatever else they can find) and both are highly valued for the superlative quality of their respective fats.

Free-range geese

It seems such a perfect set-up, such a splendid use of an extensive terrain, and such a highly sought-after finished product, that it is surprising to me that no-one has followed the Sousas into goose production. Evidently it is not an easy proposition. The care of these peculiar livestock requires a degree of sensitivity. Free-range geese need a great deal of space, and as wild creatures, must be disturbed as little as possible. Slaughtering is an especially delicate operation since the birds are extremely prone to stress, which spoils the liver: CO2 is used to put them to sleep. Eduardo loses around 20% of his birds annually to attacks by foxes and other predators (including poachers). All in all, insists Eduardo, foie gras is hardly a money-spinner, despite the high retail price of the finished product (as much as US$150 for a 250g jar). Even so, a few of his neighbours in Pallares have expressed serious interest in taking up the challenge. ‘Our objective is to rescue this tradition, so that the whole of the county goes back to goose production, just like in the Middle Ages’, he declares.

For the moment, he certainly has his hands full. Interest in the product is greater than ever – indeed, the quality of this foie gras, plus the media chatter around the world following the Paris award and Dan Barber’s personal seal of approval, has created a demand which Sousa is unable to satisfy. On the day I visited, a major Swiss distributor had just been to visit, begging for 2500 kilos. Sousa’s total production of foie gras barely reaches 500 kilos from 1000 geese, but, remarkably, he refuses to increase the flock, believing that this would only compromise the welfare of the geese and their environment.

Ethical production

He remains deeply committed to the idea of ethical standards in food production – a long-standing concern of consumers in Nordic countries, but as yet little-discussed in Spain. For years gourmets have fretted about the cruelty of the ‘gavage’ process. Now their qualms are resolved, and they can feast with a clear conscience on Sousa’s ethically-produced foie gras. ADDA, the Spanish campaigner against cruelty to animals, whole-heartedly approves of his initiative. La Patería de Sousa is also a founder member of the newly-formed National Association of Ethical Food Producers (ANPAE), whose quality seal, ALIMENTICO, guarantees that the product in question contains no dubious additives and that its manufacturer respects the environment and treats animals humanely.

It goes without saying that in the world of traditional foie gras this unusual extremeño version is not well regarded. Both the French industry body, the Comité Professionnel Français de Producteurs de Foie Gras, and their Spanish equivalent, the Asociación Interprofesional de las Palmípedas Grasas, have criticised Sousa and his product in the harshest possible terms, accusing him of everything from lacking an export licence to passing off a product that does not meet the true definition of foie gras (which is, that the livers must derive from animals force-fed artificially).

For his part, Eduardo shrugs off the controversy. ‘It is normal that they are angry about this, because they’re afraid’, he says simply.

Totemic in France, ignored in Spain

He then tells me two stories. One is a paradox: in Paris, in the temple to the most totemic of all French gourmet foods, le véritable foie gras espagnol is the star product, even at twice the price of the local sort. A second anecdote illustrates the vagaries of fashion. In the days before the Coup de Coeur award, Eduardo sent a few pots of his foie gras to the gourmet department of a well-known Spanish department store. The next time he was there in person, months later, he asked after the pots, and was told they were still in the storeroom. A foie gras from Extremadura? It was inferior, no good, it wouldn’t sell. No one was interested; what the discerning customer wanted was proper French foie gras.

How completely the situation has changed: the foie from Extremadura is now the one that truly discerning customers want and fine food retailers all over the world are desperate to get their hands on. But revenge is a dish best served cold – preferably on hot toast, with a glass of chilled muscatel. And as hard as you may look, you still won’t find Sousa’s foie gras in the gourmet department of that well-known Spanish department store…

CV of author

Paul Richardson lives on a farm in northern Extremadura. A freelance travel and food writer, he is the author of A Late Dinner which of course we have a copy of at Finca al-manzil together with many more interesting books about glorious food.

ONE OLD FAVOURITE AND AN EXCITING NEW VENTURE IN TRUJILLO

We are now in our 3rd year of "Creative cooking at Finca al-manzil" 
http://www.finca-al-manzil.com/
The cooking weeks have grown in popularity not only with new clients coming specifically for the cooking week but also with holiday guests at the finca who welcome a morning or two of learning new cooking skills whilst on holiday, the other members of their party certainly enjoy the resultant feast.

mint tea on the dining room terrace at Finca al-manzil

The recipes keep expanding so no two cooking weeks are the same but still follow the pattern of Iberic, Moroccan and Middle Eastern cuisine. While we prepare and cook we can ponder on the historical and cultural threads that link these three styles of cooking. 
The full itinerary for this cooking week follows below
CREATIVE COOKING AT FINCA AL-MANZIL 2012

fond memories of marrakech souk, we import our spices from this shop

NOW FOR THE LATEST NEWS - A new venture for 2012. There are four seperate weeks between May and October of cooking at the stupendous Palacio de Piedras Albas in the Plaza Mayor of Trujillo.We feel tremendously lucky to have arranged such a magical setting for our cooking holidays, a complete contrast to Finca al-manzil with gorgeous country atmosphere to Trujillo, a charming town with the best view of one of the most entrancing plazas in the whole of Spain.

portico

medieval fair in the plaza

 It's a 16th century palacio with a most beautiful façade and secret gardens hidden behind high walls, the rooms are in the original format of a grand family home with a warm atmosphere. We will be preparing food and eating lunch in a spacious outdoor covered area which was originally the stables, now a perfect place for preparation right next to the courtyard where the pool is situated. The kitchen inside the palacio is situated next to the atmospheric dining room on the 1st floor where we shall be enjoying some wonderful dinners. The most exquisite detail of the palacio is the integral Florentine portico overlooking the plaza, this will certainly be a gathering place for a drink and chat whilst looking down into the plaza and up to the Moorish castle, an unforgettable experience.

The cooking will be no less interesting, we will explore the foods and recipes brought back by the conquistadors from the new world in the 16th century, very relevant in Trujillo where some of the most famous conquistadors were born and returned to build their extravagant palacios with plundered loot and Inca slaves. Think.... choclolate, peppers, maize, potatoes, avocados, tomatoes, first introduced to Spain at the beginning of the 16th century. Moroccan food is also celebrated as a memory of Trujillo's Moorish past.
Naturally we shall also be creating  plenty of local Extremeno dishes as well using the wonderful local ingredients.


Noelle sketching in the plaza with Piedras Albas in background

 An interesting aspect of this holiday is that we will be sharing the palacio with a friend, Noelle Griffiths, an artist who will be conducting interesting art holidays with her group, taking advantage of the wonderful inspiration that Trujillo affords the imaginative spirit.
See Noelle's painting holidays here 
www.art-paintingholidays-spainwales.co.uk 

 What could be better than food and art in the same beautiful place? Although we are running seperate courses we will all meet for meals to share impressions and enjoy food and wine in a most convivial atmosphere.

swimming pool at Palacio de Piedras Albas with our cooking area in background

The itinerary for the "Conquistador Feasts" holiday at Palacio de Piedras Albas is below.

OLIVE RECIPES

Fougasse/Hogaza

In ancient Rome, panis focacius was a flat bread baked in the ashes of the hearth (focus in Latin). This became a diverse range of breads that include “focaccia” in Italian cuisine, “hogaza” in Spain, “fogassa” in Catalonia, “fugassa” in Ligurian, “pogača” in the Balkans, “fougasse” in Provence, “fouaisse” or “foisse” in Burgundy. The French versions are more likely to have additions in the form of olives, cheese, anchovies etc, which may be regarded as a  form of pizza without the tomato. There is also in Portugal the “fogaça“, a sweet bread.

Fougasse was traditionally used to assess the temperature of a wood fired oven. The time it would take to bake gives an idea of the oven temperature and whether the rest of the bread can be loaded.

Fougasse bread with olives

It is always better to make bread by hand to achieve a lighter loaf.

Give time to the dough. The quicker you make it, the quicker it will go stale.

Be accurate about your quantities. I weigh everything, including my water.

Use a good strong white flour. Fresh yeast is best. If you use dried, only use half of what is recommended as it is often too strong.

Bake at the hottest oven temperature possible and straight onto a baking stone, ideally made from granite or terracotta, never marble.

To get a really good crust, where all the flavour is, preheat the oven and spray water very finely inside with 15-20 squirts to create steam. Then load the oven and finish with five more squirts and close the door. Bake the last three to four minutes with the oven door open a fraction to give a crisper crust.

Essential tool: a plastic scraper – an "extension of my hands" – which you cut, scrape and do everything with.

INGREDIENTS

500g (1lb 2oz) strong bread flour

350ml (12 fl oz) water

10g (1 heaped tsp) yeast (fresh if possible)
or 5g (½ level tsp) dry

10g (1 level tsp) sea salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

Makes 4

• Preheat oven to its highest level.

• Rub the yeast into the flour (or mix in if using dried yeast). Add the remaining ingredients and the water. Mix for a couple of minutes until the dough starts to form.

• Transfer the dough onto your working surface. Continue to mix the ingredients by stretching out the dough and folding it over onto itself.

• Keep working the dough until it comes cleanly away from the work surface and is not sticky.

• Lightly flour the work surface, place the dough on the flour and form the dough into a ball.

• Place the dough into a mixing bowl and cover with a tea towel.

• Rest the dough for a minimum of an hour. Turn out gently onto a well-floured surface. Be careful not to deflate it but expect it to spread out to cover a square of your work surface. Generously flour the top of the dough, cover with a clean tea towel and rest for five minutes.

• Using a plastic scraper (or a thin wooden spatula), divide the dough into two oblongs then cut each piece again into three roughly triangular strips.

• Make 1 large diagonal cut in each piece of dough, making sure you cut right through to the work surface but not through to the corners.

• Make 3 smaller diagonal cuts on each side of the central one. Gently open out the holes with your fingers and shake off the excess flour.

• Lift onto a lightly floured baking tray and slide onto the hot baking stone or tray in your oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.

• Variations – before leaving the dough to rest, add halved olives, roasted peppers or onions or press rosemary or thyme leaves into each one before baking.

FOGASSE WITH TAPENADE FILLING

Ingredients

For the tapenade

• 100 g pitted black olives
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 20 ml olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, peeled

For the fougasse

• 500 g plain flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 25 g fresh yeast
• 40 ml olive oil
• 280 ml water, approximate quantity

Method

1. For the tapenade, place all the ingredients in an electric blender and process until smooth.

2. To make the fougasse, mix 200g of the flour with the yeast and 180ml of the water. Beat this mixture for 3 minutes, until the yeast dissolves completely and leave to rise for 3 hours.

3. Add the remaining flour, salt, oil and enough water to make a smooth dough. Knead until springy - about 5 minutes. Leave to rise again for another 30 minutes.

4. Divide the dough into two balls and roll each into a circle, about 1cm thick. Place one circle onto a greaseproof paper-lined baking tray or bread stone, and spread with the tapenade. Top with the remaining circle.

5. With a sharp knife, cut slashes across the bread. Brush with olive oil and leave to rise for a final 30 minutes.

7. Preheat the oven to 210C/Gas 7

Brush on olive oil and sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

Lift onto a lightly floured baking tray and slide onto the hot baking stone or tray oven,

bake for 25 minutes, until risen and golden. Serve warm,

 Note. If you are adding herbs/spices eg. rosemary or thyme leaves on top, add them just before baking.

SYRIAN OLIVE CAKE

Serves 6-8

 1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup plain yoghurt

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 roasted red pepper, chopped

2 cups black olives, pitted and chopped

6 sundried tomatoes, chopped

2 1/2 cups plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 180C and grease and line an oven dish or cake tin (30cm diameter is ideal).

Cook the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until soft, then set aside to cool slightly.

Beat the eggs, oil and yoghurt together in a large bowl.

Stir in the cooked onion and garlic, red pepper flakes, roasted red pepper, olives and sundried tomatoes.

Sift the flour and baking powder over the top and gently combine.

Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 40-50 minutes.

Cool to room temperature before cutting into wedges.

Serve with salad for a delicious spring lunch.

 

 MANZANILLA TAPENADE

The French love their tapenade made from lusty black Nicoise olives. The Italians choose rich Gaeta olives for theirs. The Spanish Manzanilla olives offer a fruitier-tasting version. These olives are small, slightly sweeter green olives. Blended with extra virgin Spanish olive oil, which has a smooth, sweet flavor reminiscent of fruit and almonds, the bite of the tapenade is mellowed and then brightened with the addition of lemon juice and cilantro. Spread on large croutons, brushed with oil and toasted, and serve with a Fino sherry for a perfect tapa together with salted toasted almonds.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups pitted Spanish Manzanilla olives

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp capers, drained

1/4 cup extra virgin Spanish olive oil

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsps fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

METHOD:

In a food processor, combine olives, garlic and capers. Process until just smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the oil and lemon juice through the feed tube and process until well combined. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and fold in the cilantro and pepper. Let rest at room temperature for 1 hour for the flavors to come out.