The hotly contested title of best new tapa in Spain this year goes to Carlos Valenti of Madrid, who's just won the IV Concurso Pinchos with cordoniz con bizcocho de chocolate. That's quail with chocolate cake. The sponge incorporates the quail's liver for "a magical effect in the mouth". You won't get anything quite that sophisticated round our way, but then the tapas are free in the Alpujarra, and you get what you're given. Some memorable offerings in Juviles include Tino's omelette with ketchup, Susi's spicy snails and the old favourite, a baby morcilla (black pudding), served scalding hot and sitting on a small round of bread. Less successful were the boquerones (anchovies in vinegar) strewn over a plate of crisps that everyone seemed to think was a good idea a couple of years ago. The combination didn't do anything for either ingredient, and seems mercifully to have died out. Best tapa in the village would probably be Tino's chops cooked directly over the wood fire during the winter. I also have fond memories of a big plate of fried liver with chips at Susi's when we'd just unpacked the van in the dark after a five hour drive from Seville. There was nothing to eat in the house bar a packet of marzipan, and all the local restaurants were closed, so you can imagine how pleased we were when the plate of offal arrived in front of us, unbidden.
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