La Cazuela

I may have mentioned this before, if so, tough. A fantastic aspect about Spanish living is the love of dining. As I’m a fat cat and dining is a firm favourite of mine, I’m perfectly suited to living in Spain. Today was no exception on the dining front. We joined our amigos to partake in a rather tasty cazuela washed down with the seasons first wine. I passed on the wine, but Don D. very kindly made up for my absence.

Factoid: Andalucía, like all the regions of Spain, has developed over the years a huge variety of local dishes. Being such a hot region it’s not surprising that it is home to gazpacho. (a cold tomato soup well known now throughout Europe), but you will be surprised, just how many other cold soups are on offer – and all equally delicious. With the 900kms of coastline, taking in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, fish is always well represented on menus. Andalucía’s exceptional climate also makes year round harvesting possible and there is an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables.

The whole process of eating is taken very seriously here, whether it be a bar crawl with tapas., or a sit down meal with seafood and paella.. It should be done just right. It is not just a case of sustenance, but relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere are equally important. So while knowing a little of what to ask for is a good idea, the where, when and how are equally important.

Cazuelas de habas One pot dishes made with a variety of beans, chorizo, bacon and pepper sauces or a variety of fish with parsley. The key word is Cazuela - on menus it usually means a stew of something cooked with beans and fish or meat