SPECTACULARLY SPECKLED AND TOTALLY DELICIOUS

These lovely little quail eggs come from our local organic garden run by Jantien Henriet. She delivers to the finca and to clients staying in our other houses. What a treat, every Thursday we get a fresh supply of vegetables havested that morning as well as herbs, jams and preserves, hens eggs and now these little beauties. I am inventing new recipes to make the best of them but in fact I just love looking at the incredible speckle patterns, each egg a little miracle.

See this link for more information about Jantien and her project;

http://latierraverde2012.blogspot.com 

http://finca-al-manzil.blogspot.com.es/2013/02/green.html 

COOKING HOLIDAY AT THE PALACIO, TRUJILLO, EXTREMADURA

Another fab cooking and art week at the Palacio de Piedras Albas in Trujillo.
Lots of fun, lots going on. We went to a few concerts at the classical music fiesta and Corpus Christi was celebrated on Sunday, we had the best view of the procession from the loggia of the palacio.
For more details of our cooking holidays in Trujillo and Finca al-manzil
www.cooking-extremadura.blogspot.com

A WEEK IN OCTOBER: COOKING AND ART AT THE WONDERFUL PALACIO DE PIEDRAS ALBAS IN TRUJILLO

We moved into the palacio one day early to set up the kitchen and Noelle's art supplies; many boxes and crates later we had a chance to explore our domain for the week.

The original building is from the middle of the 16th century, one of the fine palacios built beyond the medieval/ moorish walls of the old town with riches brought back from the new world.
The rough and desparate men who had set off from Trujillo became the notorious conquistadors of Mexico, Peru and Colombia, some survived and returned with unimaginable wealth and a desire to display their new found status, there was a rapid expansion and development of the area which would become the plaza that we know today dominated by a statue of the arch-conquistador Francisco Pizarro riding a snorting war horse, the Incas must have been terrified out of their wits, never having seen a horse before the advent of the Spanish.

Not surprisingly the palacio has gone through many changes over 480 years. It was so interesting to explore the building and try to work out the progress of the architectural changes. The main entrance door is under the arcades of the plaza which were built some time after the palacio, the emblematic porch was added to the front of the house on top of the new arcades, hard to imagine the house without the enthralling addition of the Florentine style porche, a far more austere affair.

 The main door would have been for horse access to the inner courtyard and the main stone stairs leading to the upper floor, the equivalent of the piano noble in an Italian palacio. It's a shame the balconies around the courtyard have been made into inner corridors with doors and windows painted in the ubiquitous brown gloss paint, circa 1940, it all adds historical interest and the unpretentious feel of the house, it feels like a family house that has evolved not a 16th century style fantasy.

Many rooms on the ground floor are vast empty spaces of little interest except that they lead into the magical gardens at the back with a swimming pool built into what was once the stable yard, the massive stone mangers still exist in the stable, now a cool whitewashed space for outside dining.

 

 

Unfortunately the original kitchens and sculleries were moved to a modern extention on the first floor with no access to the gardens, we certainly had plenty of exercise running up and down the stone spiral stairs many times a day. One can see the tall tower which contains the spiral at the side of the palacio with a domed roof and many small windows, it is mirrored by another tower on the other side, they both have access to upper floors, the so called "prohibited areas" which became rather a theme for games of supposition and fantasy during our stay.

The first floor has many bedrooms tucked into the building in a fairly eccentric fashion,  a flow of reception rooms with beautiful coffred wooden ceilings, an eclectic collection of furniture, many Spanish colonial paintings of virgins and saints; dining room, drawing room and another reception room that leads to the wonderful porche with stunning views of the plaza and  ancient town climbing up towards the castle; towers, pinnacles, spires and gardens cascading over high walls.

A delight from dawn to dusk and into the starlit night, a perfect people watching viewpoint. One evening we saw the pilgrims to Guadalupe ride into the plaza, an echo of what the plaza looked like in past times before motor power, full of horse traffic congregating around the central fountain.

Noelle and I were lucky enough to have some charming guests, all from the U.S.A. We had a week of cooking and sketching and exploring other historical towns, Montanchez (famous for jamon), Merida and Caceres, plus a visit to  the Wolf Vostell museum near Caceres, all experienced with interest and then back to the palacio for another great dinner on the porche.

 

Our last dinner was the "Conquistador Feast", we decorated the beautiful dining room with flowers and candles for this special occasion.

It took all day to  prepare with much stirring of chocolate mole, grinding of spices, pressing of tortillas, roasting of peppers and baking of delectable cakes and pastries............a triumph, all made with the foods brought back to Europe, and specifically Extremadura, at the beginning of the 16th century tomatoes, potatoes, yams, maize, avocados, sunflowers, squash, quinoa, turkey, peppers, cacao, beans  ( we ignored the guinea pigs) and some foods introduced to the new world by the conquistadors such as citrus fruits, cheeses, jamon and wheat, chicken, pork, beef, mutton  and goat. Here follows our menu.

Braised Chicken with Oaxacan Chocolate Mole and chile pepper sauce
Yuquitas Rellenas (croquetes made with Yuca (cassava) and stuffed with goat cheese and jamon)
Quesadillas -Tortillas made with masa harina corn flour and cheese
Roasted vegetables- squash, tomatoes, fennel, sunflower seeds, potatoes and yams.
Lima beans with spices and herbs and choriço
Guacamole with cashew nuts
Quinoa and rice with garlic and herb salsa
Prawns in a tomatillo salsa verde
Chocolate cakes with a pimenton sauce
Orange and almond cake with chocolate
Lots of coffee and Tequilla

NEW!! CREATIVE COOKING HOLIDAY AT THE CORTIJO OF THE FINCA

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 DAY 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 and a visit to stunning Trujillo with dinner at a typical restaurant..

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 either at the finca or in restaurant. OR The four day 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

ONE WEEK €1050 PER PERSON

FOUR DAYS €600 PER PERSON