Book Review

Jesse and I had quite a busy weekend.  We babysat our nephews overnight!  This was a big deal for us and my sister-in-law who had not left them overnight yet (they are 2 and almost 4).  We had a blast with them.  It helps that they are probably the most well behaved kids with wonderful go-with-the-flow personalities.  As a thank you they gave us the cook/travel book SPAIN-A Culinary Road Trip, Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow.  This is a great combo book. It has amazing pictures of the entire country of Spain and spans several regions.  The index includes a listing of hotels and restaurants (reasonably priced as well) in all of these areas and the recipes look amazing.  I also have taken a great liking to Gwyneth ever since The Royal Tenenbaums in which she played Margot.   Turns out she speaks Spanish, is a foodie and really enjoys cooking healthy, fresh, regional meals.  Oh, and contrary to rumors that she is a vegan and eats some crazy macro-biotic diet, she eats mucho pork in the making of this book.  All good in my book.  You can also catch the PBS series Spain, On the road again. 

Here is a dinner I thought looked amazing from the book: 

Capon Grandma-style (capon is a type of bird and can be substituted with duck or for a lighter version chicken)

3/4 cup oilve oil

1 bunch of italian parsley leaves (chopped)

2 garlic cloves sliced thinly

1 tbls kosher salt

1 large chicken or duck cut into pieces

1 cup cognac or brandy

3 cups dry red wine

2 onions cut into wedges

Combine 1/2 cup olive oil, parsley, garlic and salt in blender.  Put chicken in baking dish and pour parsley mixture over.  Cover and marinate for 2 hours or overnight.  In a large heavy pot heat 1/4 cup of remaining olive oil.  Work in batches and add chicken skin side down and cook until deep brown about 7 minutes per side.  Return all chicken to pot and add cognac and boil until reduced by half.  Add wine and boil until reduced by 1/3.  Add onions and bring to a simmer.  Lower heat to a gentle simmer and cover and cook for 2 hours, until meat is almost falling off the bone.  Serve with roasted potatoes and carrots.  

For Dessert:

Baked Apples

6 crip apples

2 tbls sugar

1/2 cup of cider

Core, but do not peel apples and put in shallow baking dish.  Sprinkle with sugar and cider. Bake in 375 oven for 1 hour.  Serve.

If you really want to go full swing Spanish style you could also combine cola and red wine. Apparently this is something big with the teenagers of Spain so if you are feeling old and too American give it a shot.