Carne A La Piedra

Another cumpleaños today. There seems to be one every week. Today is was DeathMetalMunchkin's. He is 15 now. Will he grow up. That's the $64,000 question. I digress. To celebrate we dined "carne al la piedra" which is basically a DIY meal. Cut large slab of cow into small chunks. Place on hot stone until cooked. Dip in sauce. Eat. Follow up with big slice of full fat, full cream birthday cake. Delicious. Just perfect for my low fat macrobiotic diet.

Factoid: Spanish beef comes in several forms, and the cuts are quite different from those in English-speaking countries. In Spanish, beef is usually termed ternera. Chuletones are massive slabs of steak, served on the bone and often rather fatty. Entrecots are smaller, more civilised steaks. Solomillo refers to fillet steak, usually small but delicious. A bistec is a minute steak, more often than not rather bland. These cuts are usually cooked a la plancha or fried. Roast beef is called rosbif and is served hot or cold, usually if rather oddly accompanied with puré de patatas [mashed potatoes]. Tragically, Yorkshire puddings and horseradish sauce are unknown in Spain . Medallones are medallions, usually served with gravy.