Holy mushrooms, breakfast at Kiosko Universal, La Boqueria Barcelona

Holy mushrooms, this lone platter of giant mushrooms on the counter at Kiosko Universal made our decision of breakfast on this morning an easy one.



We'll have those, sautéed, with a few eggs. Oh sure, throw some fried potatoes in there too!



All we need is a few slices of pan con tomate which are sitting on the counter and we are good to go.



Not a bad choice at all for a quick breakfast before taking to the streets, it's on the top end of the boqueria a few blocks over from Pinotxo bar.



Mercat Sant Josep, PUESTO 691
08002 Barcelona, Spain
933 178 286


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Tanjia

Tanjia is both the name of the dish as well as the dish it is cooked in. A tall clay urn that is filled with all sorts of goodies and baked slowly in coals. We had been told that traditionally this was a beggars dish, the beggar collecting whatever people would give, in the urn then leaving it in the coals of the fires used to heat the water of the traditional baths until it had all been cooked to a melting softness.

Nowadays it's also considered a bit of a bachelors dish as well, perhaps due to it's low maintenance and degree of skill required. Being a traditional dish of Marrakech we had been keeping and eye out for any sign of the tanjia. We finally find a small shop with a dozen urns of various sizes lined up out the front. Sealed with paper they must have been put into the coals in the early morning to be ready for midday.



We take a sit and order a tanjia for two, the proprietor reaches into his brick oven and pulls out a tanjia.



It's brought to the table before being unsealed and turned over into a clay plate. The billowing steams brings mouth watering smells, spices, herbs, and the lamb, so meltingly soft it's falling from the bone.



With another couple of the ubiquitous flat breads we're ready to go. The lamb fat has rendered out of the meat making it sticky soft and so rich. We scoop up the juices with the bread and suck the marrow from the bones. Leaving a clean plate and even cleaner bones when we've finished.



Next to us a Morrocan family have ordered the head. It's withdrawn from the urn before being split in two, revealing the creamy brain. We might need a few more people to tackle that one.
I recommend you keep an eye out for the tanjia as it makes a great change from the sometimes endless parade of tagine and cous cous.

Marrakech Tagine

So we were on our way to lunch. Meeting with I and H and they're LATE.... I guess It's understandable y'know being in a strange town in a strange country and all. On the plus side it gave us time to read the menu of our chosen dining venue and watch the type of clients who were dining there. In this case it was tourist groups and it dawned on us maybe this wasn't the type of place we wanted to be eating. So we started to scout around within minutes we found what we were looking for, an alley with a line of tagines up against the wall a steady steam of these were being picked up and carried off for delivery lunches.



Basic math; Busy with locals = good food. So when I and H arrive we veto our current plans and head down the alley. It's a simple affair, a dozen tagines sitting over glowing coals, a choice of chicken or lamb, with or without bread. You order a tagine it is whipped off the coals and placed in front of you. Another is then made by the hugely funny teen assistant (swimming in his butchers coat that he'll grow into in about twenty years) and replaced on the coals. The teen asks if we're American, to which we reply "no", his answer of "good" earns him a clip around the ears.



A lift of the lid reveals potatoes, carrots, peas, tomato and herbs plus your protein of choice it's fragrant and simple....simply delicious.



We have no trouble finishing our portions, but in case you can't you just save half of your bread and it's split open, stuffed with the remainder of your tagine and wrapped for a later snack.



We eat there several times in our stay, each time the various locals eating there greet us with a nod that seems to say "I see your not eating at the tourist trap next door....well done". If you seem to be coming back often enough you are invited to pre-order for the next day, with a seafood or special vegetable tagine on that menu. Maybe next time.

Marrakech Night Markets, stall no. 32

When we see our delightful host at breakfast the next morning, we are quick to tell him how very much we enjoyed dinner at no. 14. We also told him about our discovery of the Moroccan viagra, to which he found very funny ;) We spoke about our plans for the day, which inevitably would lead back to the night markets ... Stall no. 32 was another of his recommendations. Grilled sausages and other meats .... He warned us that there was a delightful chopped up mix of insides, that was super delicious and full of charcoal, but also advises we probably won't like that ... all the more reason we want to try it!

As the sun goes down, we head back to the night markets armed with the no. 32. We arrive a little early and all the stalls are still setting up. We grab a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and just perch to watch the scrambling before dinner.



As the food stalls come to life, we spot to corner that just has smoke billowing above and smells of grilling meats.



We order some bread & grilled meguez to start. The bread is placed on the paper in front of us, again our only implement for eating with this evening, other than our nimble fingers of course. A little dish of fresh tomato sauce that is packed full of fresh herbs, cummin & pepper accompanies the bread. There are hundreds of little merguez sizzling away on the grill, popping and twisting in anticipation. A completely random number is just scooped up onto a little stainless plate and set before us.



We sit enjoying our sausages, mopping up all of the rich red fat that is on the bottom of the plate with our bread. We're not quite sure what this chopped insides thing is so we are on the watch. We see a wrapped parcel reset on a silver tray and placed directly into the coals. When it comes out, the parcel is pierced and out explodes this chopped mess. We grab a grill boys attention and proclaim our need for one of these plates .... We see a little parcel come out, and be placed into the charcoal. Yay, just for us. It arrives and the smell is intoxicating. Herbs, spice, meat, offal, charcoal. We have managed to save enough bread to mop this chopped mess up, delicious with a splash of their home made tomato sauce.



Now that has certainly whet the appetite, time to find dinner.

Marrakech Night Markets, stall no. 14

We had a close call at the Fez train station with Io & H unable to find their passports the morning we are departing for Marrakech ... So with taxi's back to the riad, and turning the room upside down, all 4 of us are now in possession of travel documents and manage to board our train in the nick of time. It's a hot day, the train winding through little villages with children playing, sheep running free and so much trash on the outskirts of each town. We keep ourselves amused with some interesting conversation, some amazing pomegranite juice & chicken sandwiches on board the train as well as sneaking in a little nap. Before we know it, hours have passed and we arrive in Marrakech. We are greeted at the train station and transported to our Riad Dar Tasnime. Now after any amount of travelling, there are 2 things very high on the priority list; shower & eat. We are taken up to our suite which smells of orange blossom, and is the warm welcoming color of terracotta with rich fabrics and open doors sprawling out over the courtyard.



Ah, I could just collapse on the bed and be done with day. *"~Focus, shower & eat. So back on track we ask our delightful host if he has any dinner recommendations or suggestions at the night markets. Immediately we start talking about what food we will find down there, what food we had been enjoying in Fes, our time in Morocco, our home and it's food in Japan .... Our host then shares one of his little secrets, a bustling little stall amongst the 100 or so open-aired kitchens that serves up some incredible fried fish & seafood with salads and bread. We make our way towards the Jemaa El Fna square, which is the largest outdoor souk (market) in Morocco. It's just on sunset, and there are performers, snake charmers, henna artists, games & live music. The outside of the square in lined with carts selling fresh squeezed juice and all sorts of dried fruits, and then east side which is full of these little outdoor stalls setting up for tonight's dinner.



As we first enter the markets, we pass through a gathering of stalls all selling steamed snails. We then enter the mayhem, stalls with printed fancy menus, displays on ice of giant shiskebabs and mock terrines, and young boys who will say or do just about anything to have you come and eat at their stall "Stall no. 7 will send you to heaven" We are determined to find this stall no. 14 but there is absolutely no system with these numbers. We turn a corner and notice a tiny little stand, full of locals, chowing down on all sorts of delicious looking treats. And then we spot the no. 14 sign. Ahah, perfect. No young boys drawing you in, no menu, no food on display, except for the piles of fried fish that are getting distributed as fast as they can be cooked ....

A spot is cleared for us, and paper placemats plonked in front of us topped with a bread roll & a plate of chips. Then little dishes of a fresh tomato sauce, and a plate of smashed up & seasoned fried eggplant. No cutlery is provided, the tools of choice here are your fingers as well as the bread to scoop up any sauces.




Thankful for Ioanna's ability with the French language we just start ordering ... Fried chunk of fish, sitting on a plastic plate with a single fried chili & a wedge of lemon. The exterior was so crispy yet encased the most tender & moist fish flesh imaginable.



Fried calamari rings set a new standard for these fried favorites. The coating was seasoned so well, yet had no overpowering flavors. A good squeeze of lemon was all they needed, tasting fresh like the ocean.



Then we had some MFF, Moroccan Fried Fish. Bite sized pieces of coated fish, yum yum!



We see a tray of little whiting fish come out of the fryer, and rely on the old point & nod trick. We finish with these little fishies, this time with a squeeze of fresh lime.



We are quick to vacate our precious seats, as there is still a que of people waiting for their chance at a seat. There a little sink where you wash your hands, before being handed a sheet of placemat paper to dry them. We then pay the very modest bill coming in at around 12€ per / person.

Getting a glimpse of the little mobile kitchen as we leave is quite a site ... vats of scalding hot oil balance on rickety legged tables, makeshift sinks / benches and storage are showing ware from daily assembling and disassembling. But the fresh ingredients and team work shines.

We know we will be paying at least another visit to no. 14 on this trip .... Now, back to the Riad to collapse in bed.

Checking in & checking out our first taste of Morocco

Ah, there really is nothing like a long, warm shower after your travels. The day had been long, and we had journeyed on everything from train, petit taxi and ocean liner inter-country ferry. Down in the lobby of Riad Fes Yamanda we are offered some mint tea and little cookies on arrival, this I could really get used to. Then we were asked if we would like to eat in the Riad tonight - it sounded perfect, not having to venture far on our first night. We came down just after 7pm, and were ushered into a little room, with a table set just for the 2 of us.



We start the meal as you do in Morocco, with a selection of little salads. There were a few little crisp pastries that were filled with a spiced vegetable mix, a Zucchini Zalouk which is cooked with onions, tomato & spice, carrots with orange & orange blossom water and a smokey eggplant. All delicious!



A basket of Moroccan bread is placed on the table which acts as a perfect eating implement to just scoop the salads up. The bread is still warm, has a nice touch of salt and light as air with a very generous coating of yellow corn meal which gives a great crunch.



We share 2 mains, the first a classic Chicken Tagine with olives and preserved lemon. As the lid is lifted, a subtle aroma fills the air - spice, the smell of roasted chicken but most prominent the salt and citrus smell of the preserved lemon.



The pastilla is a flaky pastry that is said to have originated around Fes, so it was no surprise we also chose that. This was a great introduction ... although traditionally made with pigeon, this version is made with chicken, almonds, egg & spice all filled in a light flaky pastry. A dusting of icing sugar and cinnamon give this a perfect savory and sweet combination.



Dessert is a plate of sliced apples in a rich orange reduction that seems to have a smidgen of saffron. Toasted almonds add a nice bit of crunch.



Ah, the mint tea. This stuff is amazing. Gunpowder tea with so much fresh mint it's almost busting the side of the teapot, and a few cubes of sugar. It's poured from great height to aerate and mix the tea. Some little cookies on the side as well.



What a lovely first dinner in Morocco. We are heading to bed early as we are meeting with a guide at 8:30am to venture into the craziness that is the Fes Medina.

Tuscan bread by the kg

We found a little bakery in Greve in Chianti, tucked in a little side street, always bustling with Mama's shopping mid-morning for fresh bread to be eaten with lunch ... and then us! We visited just about every day, picking up slices of fresh baked bianco pizza or a loaf of bread for our afternoon snacks.



The one thing, well no there was two things, that I loved about this particular bakery ... firstly, we spotted the baker out the back pulling a loaf of bread from the oven with a paddle. Then he checked it's 'doneness' - by breaking off a chunk of bread and biting it ....



this goes into the second point I absolutely loved, that all there breads / pizza / sweets were sold by weight - priced per kg. An end of foccacia cut off just for you, no problem! A half loaf of delicous Tuscan bread? No problem! It's all just placed on the scales and the priced accordingly.

What a life ....

To market, to market.........

My head is spinning, every sense is reeling, I feel like the whole world has exploded into full technicolor life. We've been to markets all over Asia, but standing in the midst of the morning markets in Greve in Chianti, it's just wow. All the things we've only ever seen as dried or preserved goods are all here fresh. Vege stalls over flowing with that morning picked porcini's and chanterelles.


Porcini's and chanterelles


Zuchini flowers by the crate and beautiful artichokes


Tiny chilli's and roma tomatoes on the vine

How could we not buy some? Or the cheese or the cured meats or the....... well, all of it. This was our first experience of Italian life and we loved it, we were already formatting plans to pack up every thing we own and move it all here, from swinging by the local coffee shop to grab a standing breakfast of espresso and pastry, to walking another few meters across the square to grab freshly baked bread, or buying some prosciutto at the 300 hundred year old family run butchery and mingle with the locals doing their weekly shopping.


Seriously how could we choose?



Delicious fresh bread

After we rounded up a few amazing snacks it was back to the villa to set up a wee lunchie under the Tuscan sun.


Truffle cream, seeded bread and stuffed pepperoncini


Tuscan artichokes and Brawn


Herb rolled goats cheese and oh so stinky taleggio


Guanciale


Fresh peach with Guanciale


The view from the lunch table

I think I'm going to have trouble re-adjusting to real life...