Octopus Saled

Ensalada de Pulpo         For 4 people            Prep time 10min

500g Cooked Octopus

1/2 Red Pepper

1/2 Green Pepper

1 Small Onion 

6 Cherry Tomatoes

1 Lemon

Red Wine Vintage

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Chop the tomatoes, oinion, peppers and octopus into bite sized pieces and place into a bowl.  Squeeze the lemon over the mix and drizzle with olive oil. Pour a good amount of red wine vinegar (around 50ml) and add salt & pepper to taste.

Mix it all together and you can add more olive oil or vinegar to taste. 
Its is a great summer salad.

Tumaca

Prep time 5 to 10 min

3 Tomatoes.
Salt
2tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
3tsp Red Wine Vinegar
5 Hot Garlic Cloves.
1 Stick Of Fresh Bread (Baguette)

Using a grater (cheese grater), grate the tomatoes into a bowl.
Crush the garlic ( or small grater ) in with the tomato. Add salt (to taste), olive oil and vinegar. Then stir and you should have a thick sauce. (the traditional Spanish way)

If you have a food processor
Chop tomatoes into small cubes and place into a bowl, add ingredients as above. Process the tomato until it becomes a sauce.

Important: If using a food processor do NOT over chop the tomato, if you do, it will become too runny.

After the Tumaca is ready, take your fresh bread and spoon on the tumaca and add i.e. serrano ham (jamon iberico, in our case), tuna, anchovy or cheese.  
Or toast you bread and just add the tumaca with salt and pepper.

El Escorial

5 July 2014

Trying to make the most of our time in Madrid we headed to El Escorial.

The Royal site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial was the historical residence of the King of Spain, a 45km drive or a 45 min train ride from Atocha Station, heading Northwest of Madrid.

The place is very large and amazing to see and it was a good thing we had a map. They started building in 1557 by King Phillip II and now functions as a monastery, royal palace, museum and school. If you take a true guide in English or Spanish you will be taken through the living quarters of where and how the kings lived. It is an eye opener.

We didn't get time to see the rest of the town but it looked very beautiful from the Kings palace.

For more info. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Escorial

Spain

Well I quit my job driving a 9250 liebherr excavator (250 ton) and Cat D11 dozer and have headed to Spain to help pick grapes for Marta's Mama and Papa. 

The trip started off with a bad start with the plane company (Malaysia Airlines not going with them again) first not letting us sit next to one another, BUT LOST OUR BAG TOO.  So one week later a busted suitcase turns up at the door.

Marta has one month doing her masters in Applied Linguistics, so I thought it would be a good idea to go to the same university and do my 2nd level (A2) in speaking Espanol.  Well, I'm over half way through and I'm pulling my hair out. Going to university 5 days a week would drive anyone mad. Give me an excavator any day.

Pinchos ( Not Free )

TARTAR DE TERNERA AL VODKA SIDERIT LACTE

On a more positive note, the Spanish lifestyle suits me to a tee. At about 8:30 every night we head out bar hopping and trying as many different Spanish wines as possible and eating free tapas. The weather here is great, 38 degrees with the sunset at 11pm. So before you know it its 1am and you have to go to school at 7am.

Left: raw deer meat

Pulpo con patatas

1 octopus 1.2kg
1 large onion
3 large potatoes
2 bay leaves
Rock salt
Extra virgin olive oil
Pimenton picante ( hot paprika )

Fresh bread (begitt)

Bring 3Ltrs of water to boil in the jug and poor into a large pot with bay leaves and onion (cut onion into bite size pieces). Once water is boiling take the octopus by the head and dunk it in the water 3 times (in Galicia it means to scare the poulpo). After the 3rd time leave in water and place lid.

Meanwhile peal and cut potatoes into square bit size pices.

After octopus has boiled for 20min with the lid on. Place the cut potatoes in with the octopus and replace lid.

Boil for another 20min

After a total of 40min cooking take octopus out cut into bite size pices.

Place octopus in centre of plate then potatoes and onion around the outside.

Then sprinkle rock salt, Pimenton picante and drizzle with a little olive oil. (do this in that order and to your tast, we like it hot and a bit salty).

You can do this in layers as you place the food on the plate or gently turn to mix the flavours. 

Once seasoned  take a spoon and drizzle some of the leftover liqued from the pot. This will mix the spices together.

This meal should only be eaten with toothpicks and should be on a wooden plate if you have one. 

Sent from my iPhone

Round 2 at the Kakadu.

6 June 2014

Well off to the Kakadu again and this time in the dry. We headed straight to the Old Jim Jim road on the north side to get some dirt under the wheels. But we had to make a quick stop at the Bark Hut to try and change some money (hard to pay for camping if you don't have $5 and $10 notes). The Old Jim Jim road was in great condition, so we could get along at 80 - 90km in a lot of the places. There are about 3 water crossings and the South Alligator river is the deepest and you needed a 4x4 to cross at the time we did. We had hit the road late in the day so time was against us and we made for Mardugal camp ground. It was $10 a head but if you are after a clean hot shower and toilet its a good place to go. There are 2 short walks but one was closed due to high water levels. 

The next day we headed for the Jim Jim Falls a 50 km dirt road and they recommend 2 hours one way. But we where in luck and the road was just opened at 9am for the fist time after the wet session. So after 45 min we had reached the campground (2 wheel drive) then into the 4x4 stage for 20min and yes 4x4 only. There is a 1km walk over rough ground and

the last 200m is over large rocks, but worth it for a cool dip in the 2 large pools at the water falls. (The twin falls where still closed at the time)


Keep an eye out on the spiders along the walk if you are lucky you might find one the size of your hand like we did.

Next stop Maguk campground $5 a head bush camping and one set of toilets. 4x4 only and if you keep driving past the camp there is a nice short 2km return walk along the edge of the creek and you can swim in the pool at the end. (you will get your feet wet)

After a cool nights sleep we headed south to Gunlom. It is a 4x4 trak from the river crossing on but I would have taken an old car through at a slower pace. The campground was very nice at $10 a head with hot water and the plunge pool at the bace of the water falls only 300m away. 

You can also climb to the top of the water falls for a swim with a view.

Well that was the end of the Kakadu for us.