I was lucky to enjoy a long awaited girl’s week-end to Seville last week.

After a couple of hours flight, some sushi picked up from Yo-Sushi in Stansted and a couple of glass of  wine with birthday girl Helen we were ready to embrace Seville for 48 hours.

We left the domestic and work monotony behind and dived  in every parts of Seville where our feet and friend/guide  (also known as the Spanish Goddess) would take us.

Oh the taste, colours and  smells of Seville!  I can proudly say that in those 48 hours we walked and ate our way round Seville and it was so GOOD.

Walking through the paved streets of Barrio Santa Cruz at night was one of the many highlights.

We danced comically to Flamenco but admired those who breathed it, we were introduced to new friends who made us feel welcome and we felt so lucky to share time with Gab and catch a glimpse of her life in Seville.  I remember the many conversations that we both shared in the days when we both lived in UK, she described her food and city with so much passion and respect that it felt just right to experience the real thing with her.

Bodega Pepe Giron is a restaurant located in a village  just outside Seville where we discovered Mosto a seasonal fresh cloudy white wine only available this time of the year.  We also enjoyed the best authentic tapas with very earthy strong flavours coming in the form of stews.

*Garbanzos Bacalao Chickpeas stew

*Mosto

I came back with renewed energy and inspiration.

Full set of pictures on Seville can be seen on my  flickr page

On those colourful notes I will leave you with my  Beetroot and French mustard soup inspired by Leon

Ingredients:

3 to 4  small beetroots – lemon juice – garlic – ginger – a quarter of a swede – french mustard or horseradish

How to prepare:

Peel all the veg, cut in small cubes and softly golden fry all ingredients in a bit of olive oil, add stock of your choice, the quantity will vary depending on how thick you wish your soup to be – blitz the pan content when the vegetables are cooked and add the juice of half a lemon.

 How to serve:

You can add a bit of creme fraiche to serve or a few leaves of coriander to garnish. Voila…

The last week or so has plunged us in minus temperatures,  a true January at last with a blue sky and bitter cold air.  The views from the windows raised high expectations for photo hunting.  I took my camera along with my friends and we headed to the Broxbourne Woods for a taste of Narnia and immersed ourselves in the depths of the woods.

The sun was low and painted the perfect picture of golden pine trunks contrasting with grey frosty moss and vegetation.

One of the highlights of last week-end has been the move of our friends who made a big decision to leave France behind and settle here in Hertfordshire.  I am happy to have them nearby and excited to show them the beautiful walks and green landscapes that surround this beautiful part of UK.  When we first met it was in a forest so it felt just right to take them to a pine forest nearby.

We all came back frozen to the bone and it wasn’t long before the kettle started whistling on the Aga.

I played the perfect host with homemade biscotti and fresh coffee.  Kopi the monthly coffee subscription service sent me a bag from their selected gourmet range.  Mexican Terruño Nayarita Reserva is described as a Grand Cru when it comes to coffee with the finest quality coffee bean Mexico can produce.

Kopi is an interesting concept for all coffee lovers, different plans and pricing are available each one will guarantee to expose your palette to serious coffee from the most unexpected places.

I think this would make an ideal and meaningful present for anyone enjoying coffee and eager to finding out more about it in general,  a descriptive leaflet explains in great details where the coffee is from, how it is produced and why this particular coffee is qualified as a Reserva.

I found this coffee extremely rich in flavours with a zesty twist to it, all my guests noticed a sharp difference with ordinary coffee.

With coffee goes biscuits – I am officially on the search of the perfect biscotti recipe.

Here is my latest biscotti recipe:

6 cups of self-rising flour

2 cups of butter

4 cups of sugar (brown)

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup of ground almonds

Mix all the ingredients well having softened the butter first and place small scoops of dough on a tray laid with baking paper and cook on a low heat 130c for 3-4h.  The biscuits are crunchy but round unlike the typical rectangular biscotti.

If you have a good recipe for biscotti please leave it as a comment if I like it I will most definitely dedicate a blog post to it.

Game Pearl Millet & Wild Mushroom Stew Recipe:

I wanted to start the new year here with yet again more food.  I am loving the challenge to incorporate seasonal and local products into our daily lives – stews and soups being my trump cards when it comes to warming up our hearts and ambience during  the winter months.  It’s simple, easy to make and never fails to deliver flavours.

Diced game meat 500gr

Wild mushrooms, if unavailable fresh dry cepes or porcini can be found in major supermarkets

Carrots 2

Pearl millet 200gr

Chicken stock

Onion

White wine

Thym

Seasonning

Peel all the veg, use a little bit of olive oil in a cast iron dish or oven proof dish.  Sautée the meat until golden add the onions, season the meat and add about 125ml of white wine.  Wait till the wine has evaporated and add the carrots.  Add the chicken stock and cover the meat, wait till it comes to the boil and remove the initial froth until white.  Add the millet and the dry mushrooms making sure that you have enough liquid in the pot, add a little bit of stock if needed. Cover and place in the oven at 160 degrees for 2-3hrs at least if not all afternoon.

I usually cook it at lunch time before I set off for a walk at the week-end and come back to a hearty and healthy meal.  I like to cook spinach on the side just to bring a bit more colours to the plate.

I am not sure of what is happening to the winter…the rosemary tree is flowering and last night we found a huge wasp trapped in the bathroom light…January really?

Happy New Year to you all xx