Hola!

Above is the beach at Alcudia, Mallorca. It’s usually full of people during the hot summer days and I have often swum from one side to the other.  I am very lucky in the fact that I have a lovely brother-in-law who has a house nearby and where we go once a year for a week with he and his girl friend and 2 other old friends.  We have a great time in the pool or the sea and just lazing, playing word games and reading. In the evening, we eat out one night and cook the other, the couples splitting up into new ones to form a cooking team – very competitive!  It’s also a place we have gone with our own families and thus a special place we are missing.

It’s not the only part of Spain we know, though, as The Husband and I have had a couple of road trips on the mainland – one as part of a big circle, through France and over and through the Pyrenees to Bilbao and home; another was from the ferry in Santander, through to the middle and turn right to Porto and back up the Spanish northern coast. Thus we have sampled many Spanish dishes from lamb to meatballs to octopus to churros! And that’s what we are cooking today for Lockdown Travel Cooking (for one / two / or four!)

SPANISH MEATBALLS (ALBONDIGAS) This does make a lot – but freezes very well and/or a good dish to share with the neighbours

• white bread 2 crustless slices, torn into small pieces
• milk 3 tbsp
• beef mince 200g
• pork mince 200g
• garlic 1 clove, crushed
• parsley a small bunch, chopped
• egg 1 small
• smoked paprika 1/4 tsp
• olive oil
• garlic 1 cloves, sliced
• red wine 100ml (you know the rules – one glass for yourself!)
• chopped tomatoes 1 x 400g tin
• smoked paprika a good pinch

Put the bread in a large bowl, tip over the milk and toss until it has all soaked in. Add the mince, garlic, parsley, egg (you might not need all the egg so add at the end, gradually) smoked paprika and lots of seasoning. Mix together really well using clean hands and roll into small meatballs. Heat a little olive oil in a wide, shallow pan and brown the meatballs all over in batches. Scoop out once they’re browned. Add a little more oil to the pan then add the sliced garlic and sizzle for a couple of minutes. Tip in the wine and boil until it is almost reduced to nothing. Add the tomatoes and smoked paprika, season and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, add back the meatballs then simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce is thickened and the meatballs are cooked through.

• 2 bananas, sliced into 1/2″ coins
• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil
• melted chocolate

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon and whisk together until evenly combined. In a large skillet, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add the bananas and cook until starting to caramelize, about 1 minute. Sprinkle about half of the cinnamon-sugar over the banana rounds. Flip the rounds, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar, and cook about 1 minutes more. Serve with toothpicks to dunk the churro bites in melted chocolate.

PS This is turning into Travels with the Husband – if you are getting bored with the series, do let me know!