It should be red, green and silver reflecting this healthy and simple salad of silver anchovies, home made grilled red peppers, a little red onion, lambs lettuce, lovely radish and ripe tomatoes. Finished off with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a sprig of parsley and black pepper. All the produce is Spanish except the black pepper. 

The official flag of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean is a rather insipid blue and white affair, don't you agree? 

Pasta and meat sauce it is sooooo comforting: 

I’ve been to Italy several times, Milan, Genoa, Bari and Sorrento, in fact I got married on one occasion in Sorrento... 

The Italians, just like the rest of the Med have got things right. Eating al fresco, leisurely meals, good friends, fresh fish, beautiful but simple salads, wine, views, I could go on.

Palma, a beautiful woman from Bari took me to a restaurant at the harbour where we sat outside and enjoyed antipasti of meat, primo of pasta, secondo of fish with contorni (salad) and then dolce where we had cheese cake followed by a bowl of fresh fruit. Needless to say we had wine too and a wonderful view. It was magical.

This is not my recipe but Gino D’Campo’s mother’s. It takes 2 hours to make the meat sauce but trust me when I say it is worth it. 

I cooked this for my grandkids, it didn't last very long 

Timballo alla torrese

Baked pasta with meat sauce and Parmesan cheese

•           SERVES: 6

INGREDIENTS

•           500g fresh Fettuccine

•           4 tablespoons of toasted breadcrumbs

•           3 mozzarella balls, drained and sliced (do not use buffalo mozzarella)

•           500g minced beef

•           500g minced pork

•           3 tablespoons of salted butter

•           4 tablespoons of olive oil

•           1 large carrot, peeled and grated

•           1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

•           2 celery sticks, finely chopped

•           1 x 700ml bottle of Passata (sieved tomatoes)

•           2 tablespoons of tomato puree

•           2 glasses of dry red wine

•           200ml of chicken stock

•           80g freshly grated Parmesan cheese

•           Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the onions, carrot and celery for 5 minutes on a medium heat. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon. Add in the minced meats and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes stirring continuously until coloured all over. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the wine, stir well and continue to cook for 5 minutes until the wine has evaporated. Pour in the sieved tomatoes with the tomato puree and the stock, lower the heat and cook for 2 hours with the lid off. Stir the sauce every 20 minutes. Once the sauce is ready, remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper and set aside. In a large saucepan, cook the pasta in the salted boiling water until al dente. “To get the al dente perfect bite, cook the pasta 1 minute less then instructed on the packet”. Drain and tip back into the same pan where you cooked it. Pour over the meat sauce and gently stir all together allowing the flavours to combine properly. Preheat the oven at 180ºC.

Meanwhile, butter a 30cm gratin dish and sprinkle over the breadcrumbs. Spoon half of the pasta mixture into the dish and scatter over the mozzarella cheese. Cover with the remaining pasta. Dot the top with the remaining butter and sprinkle over the parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes until it is bubbling and blistering on top. Before serving, let it rest for 5 minutes out of the oven so it will be easier when portion it.

I have reproduced Gino’s Mum’s recipe exactly as he told it but I bet hers included veal.

In case you don't know who 

Gino d'Acampo is... 

My son and my future daughter-in-law visited me in December 2012 as part of his 30th birthday celebrations in Spain. They were only with me for a few days but we crammed a lot in. And when we weren't walking then we were eating and drinking. Feliz 30 cumpleaños, Chris. Laguna Salobral viewed from the Via Verde OK, so this was at the coast. It was cold and a long way from the Via Verde

The Vía Verde de Jaén is the old railway line which used to transport olive oil from Jaén to the coast, originally built between 1882 and 1893 which closed in 1985. It is close to where I live. The path is now asphalted or covered in packed grit covering 55km between Jaén and the Guadajoz river, a natural border between the provinces of Jaén and Córdoba where it joins the Vía Verde of the Subbética. 

The route starts in Jaén and passes by the towns of Torredelcampo – Torredonjimeno – Martos and Alcaudete.

One day in November 2012 I joined friends, Steve and Steffi with my neighbour’s son Ruben to search for the Roman Bridge on the via verde. We set off from Alcaudete old train station heading north towards Martos. It was good for us three English people to have Ruben as our guide as he spoke a little English and could explain the names of the trees and plants to us.

The weather was great, the views were spectacular and we found the bridge after several kms. And after the walk there was time for a couple of beers and tapas.

And Eddi Fiegel, of The Guardian wrote: Joggers in wraparound shades chugged past the bricked-up, graffiti-covered, 19th-century Martos station, and on the start of the path we encountered a few posses of cyclists and the odd dog-walker – but these were the last signs of human life  we'd see for the next five hours. 

And that's exactly how it is but on this day we walked in the opposite direction. 

I recently shopped at a supermarket and picked up lambs lettuce (whilst it was available) not remembering that I bought an Iceberg lettuce the previous day at the local fruit shop and that evening my neighbour brought round... a lettuce. There's only so many salads one can endure.

Lettuce and Pea Soup with Mint

1 tbs butter

125g sliced leeks

400ml stock (vegetable or chicken)

400ml water

500g shredded iceburg lettuce

125g peas (fresh or frozen)

50g chopped fresh herbs

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

A dollop of yogurt, crème fraîche or sour cream wouldn't go amiss.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leeks, stirring until softened. Add stock, water, peas, herbs, pepper and lettuce. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Place the soup in a whizzer with chopped mint leaves and purée until smooth.

I enjoy walking.  Madeira Levadas, The Langdale Pikes, Cairngorms, La Vía verde del Aceite de Jaén or meandering through the local countryside.

Whilst living in Cumbria I’ve walked across Morecambe Bay many times with the Queen’s Guide to the Sands, Cedric Robinson, MBE raising money for charity. It is quite an experience and the route takes in 11 miles or so missing the infamous quick sands and of course it is done when the tide is out although you still have to ford a river or two.

One year my little sister and my nephew joined me in the knowledge that walking across the bay would mean that we’d miss the World Cup final. Not to worry as we raised lots of money for Everyman charity – stamp out male cancer.

Lil' Sis

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in British men with almost 41,000 new cases diagnosed each year, while testicular cancer remains the most common cancer in men aged 15-44. 

My 7ft nephew

This is a labour of love but it is worth it. It also helps if the sun is shining and you are sharing 'al fresco' so this recipe is for two as a starter.

Ingredients:
4 Fresh sardines, gutted, de-headed
1 Egg beaten
25g Parmesan cheese. grated
25g Breadcrumbs
1 tbsp Fresh herbs, chopped
25g Seasoned plain flour
1 Red Chilli,deseeded and finely sliced
Oil for frying


Method:
Butterfly the sardines by laying the fish cut side down. Press along the backbone with your thumb then turn the fish over gently removing the bone cutting at the tail keeping the tail intact with the fillet. 
Mix together the breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs and chilli then spread out on a plate, the flour onto another plate and the egg in a shallow bowl. 
Dip the fish in the flour, then the egg followed by the crumb mixture coating completely.
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the coated fish for 2 minutes each side in a frying pan or 3 or 4 minutes in a deep fat fryer.
Shake, drain on absorbent paper and serve at once with a lemon wedges.

Tips:
Sometimes the tiny bones are difficult to remove. In which case use tweezers to remove any small bones that may be left behind. 

Leave the chilli seeds in for a real kick.

P.S To all males. If she doesn't fall in love with you after this then you may have to think of moving on. 

When you haven’t the time (most unusual in Andalucía, I would say) then here’s something that can be rustled up in no time and using your own sun-dried tomatoes (see previous posting).  This will serve one hungry person or shared between two as a starter or snack.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, cut into thin-ish strips

As many sun-dried tomatoes as takes your fancy

50g feta cheese

2 fat cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped

A good sprinkle dried oregano

S&P

Method:

Drain the tomatoes but reserve some of the oil for frying with

Heat the oil in a pan

Add the garlic and stir for a few seconds

Add chicken strips together with the oregano and season, sauté for 10 minutes (depending how thick you sliced your chicken) or so then add tomatoes to warm through

Serve immediately with crumbled feta on top

Throw on some flat leaf parsley for good measure

This goes well with vegetable couscous. 

And this was the wine that was going with it but unfortunately it popped its cork in the freezer.

My village's own martyr - Manuel Aranda Espejo

My tiny Spanish village boasts its very own martyr. Manuel Aranda Espejo was born in 1916 and was shot in a nearby olive grove on 8^th August 1936, a victim of religious persecution during the Spanish civil war.

The day he died whilst on his way to work as a prisoner was described by some children who were taking water in the vicinity:

Manuel Aranda: But I say I will not say a word against God. For anything or anyone offend his name

Militants: blaspheme yes or no

Manuel Aranda: NO and NO

Militants: Well, we'll kill you

Manuel Aranda: Come from there

"We felt three shots and the ‘militants’ killed him."

There is a memorial cross situated in the olive grove where he was brutally murdered and another in the village church.

I never met Manuel of course but I think about him from time to time. 

According to my neighbour she had never heard of sun-dried tomatoes nor where I could buy them so one day last year I made my own.  

It seemed strange that with a plentiful supply of ripe local tomatoes, wall-to-wall sunshine, love and time wasn’t used to make them. The procedure is straight forward enough and the tomatoes keep their nutritional value, they are high in lycopene, antioxidants, and vitamin C, and low in sodium, fat, and calories.

This is what I do:

Cut the tomatoes into quarters and de-seed making sure the juice is discarded too. Some people peel the tomatoes but I don’t see the reason for that. Pat the flesh dry with kitchen paper and place on a sheet of baking paper and leave in the full sun to dry… take inside overnight as it will take a few days for them to dry out – you’ll have to keep your eye out for insects though. Alternatively, leave them in a warm oven (on the lowest setting) overnight. That’s if you do not own a food dehumidifier. I find they are best preserved in oil. 

I’ve since found sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil and vinegar sold in small jars at larger Carrefour supermarkets but they are expensive and anyway you cannot beat home-made. 

P.S. If using the sunshine method and you get fed up waiting then don't worry as you now have sun-blushed tomatoes to enjoy instead. 

Throughout the Mediterranean caperones (which are large capers) grow everywhere, wildly and in profusion. They are wonderful in olive oil infused with garlic or chillies and make a great tapa. 

The ancient Greeks used them to prevent a build-up of gas in the stomach but I just eat them because they are most moreish. Very.

These caperones were donated to me by my neighbours 

And after trying these you won’t go back to those tiny ones sold in jars at British supermarkets. I promise. OK, OK I accept that the small ones work well when making a sauce for Skate, for example. 

Rabbit Salmorejo

This dish originates from Córdoba or more to the point the sauce does and this is a really tasty, easy and typical dish to prepare. This feeds 4 people.

Ingredients: 
1 jointed rabbit (supermarket will be farmed but maybe your neighbour will supply you with a wild one)
300ml dry white wine 
15ml sherry vinegar 
Oregano springs (I had to use dried)
A couple of bay leaves 
6 whole shallots (or 3 small onions quartered)
1 large carrot sliced
1 red chilli finely chopped (keep seeds in if you want heat) 
4 sliced garlic cloves 
2 tsp paprika 
150ml chicken stock 

Method: 
Place the rabbit joints into a glass bowl adding the wine, vinegar, oregano and bay leaves. Toss together then cling film and marinate overnight in the fridge
Next day drain the rabbit but retain the marinade
Pat dry the rabbit then sauté the pieces in a pan in olive oil until browned then remove
Add the onions and carrot to the pan to soften and caramelise a little
At this point add the garlic, chilli and paprika cooking for one minute or so 
Then add the retained marinade, stock, rabbit and bring to a boil
Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes or so - remove the lid and turn the heat up if you wish to reduce the sauce

Indiana Morrison

China is a vast expanse of the earth and I’ve managed to visit a small part of it; Hong Kong, Macau, Kunming, Xiamen, Beijing, Shanghai and Bashoan/Lincang in Yunnan Province where I was searching, not unlike Indiana Jones, for wild tea trees in the mountains close to the Burmese border.

In this mountain range trees, not bushes, grow randomly at 7,500ft above sea level and it is from these broad tea leaves that Puerh tea is created. 

All tea is created from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. It is just a question of processing. Puerh tea is fermented from broad tea leaves in tea beds and then usually pressed into tea cakes. The tea matures, just like wine and is commonly labelled and dated. Some old tea cakes (50 years) trade in Beijing for thousands of US$. 

Grading leaves by hand

The Puerh tea sold at Tea Cargo www.teacargo.co.uk is not only organic but aged from 2008. It is mean tea too that my friend Dai Hu tells me Chinese people drink it after eating fatty food and drinking alcohol!

Dai Hu

I met Dai, who is a practising medical doctor in China (western, not traditional) in Scotland. He was studying occupational therapy at Edinburgh university courtesy of a scholarship provided by the Chinese government as they don’t practise this in China. Today, Dai lectures on occupational therapy at Kunming University.

Dai introduced me to broad tea leaves. 

I like him a lot and we keep in regular contact but one day in 2012 he emailed me to say that his marriage was over. He was close to distraught, as close to distraught as you can be in an email but last month his email included the following: ‘Found a new woman for me, but life is not same anymore, I think some things will haunt me for a long, long time.’ I hope it works for Dai.

Tea tasting

 Note the hand carved yew table

Arriving in Kunming from Manchester – Helsinki – Bangkok – Hong Kong – Xiamen – Beijing I was in serious need of a back massage and after establishing what kind of ‘massage’ Dai arranged it for me. The best back and body massage was performed on me by a blind man who was trained in the art of massage by monks. A good way of providing employment for a blind person. It cost around £3 and Dai forbade me to give him a tip. 

And China was the first time I ate chicken’s feet, together with a local speciality of slimy black mushrooms and duck jelly. 

Tea tree up close

Each tea bed contains 5 tonnes of fermenting tea leaves

White fish (plus prawns in my case) and tomatoes make up this simple but unusual dish which is great as a starter or a main course. This is enough for 8 as a starter or 4 as mains.

Ingredients: 
600g white fish (skinless and boneless) 
100g peeled prawns 
A few strands of Saffron (you cannot live in Spain and not use it although mine is currently Iranian)
Bunch flat leaf parsley 
1 egg (or grated Parmesan when I cooked it as I didn't have any eggs, tut)
25g breadcrumbs 
Glug olive oil 
Good squeeze lemon juice 

Sauce:
1 onion, finely chopped 
2 crushed and finely chopped garlic cloves 
6 fresh tomatoes, skinned, peeled, seeded and chopped 
1 red chilli, finely chopped (leave seeds in for heat) 
A BIG glug of olive oil   
150ml water 
Another squeeze of lemon juice 

Cut up fish and place in a whizzer together with saffron that has been soaked in a little boiling water, parsley, egg or Parmesan, breadcrumbs, olive oil and lemon juice. Pulse, don't liquidise! Mould the mixture into walnut size balls. 

Make the sauce by sautéing the ingredients then adding water - simmer, partially covered for around 20/25 minutes making sure it doesn't dry out - just reduce. 

Now place the fish balls with the lemon juice into the sauce and simmer for a further 15 minutes with lid on. 

Serve with flat leaf parsley and lemon quarters. And a bottle of something chilled. 

I am lucky. Very lucky as I have wonderful neighbours. 

On one side is Rosa and Paco and their two sons Ruben and Carlos... they have been so helpful in helping me settle into rural life. Rosa is originally from Barcelona and speaks English which makes things too easy for me sometimes. Of course, she and her two sons support Barça but I can live with that. Paco is only interested in hunting. 

The other house is unoccupied but is used by the owner, Rafa, who breeds Partridges for the local hunters. I speak to him frequently but I really cannot understand 95% of what he is saying and when I mentioned it to Rosa she said, 'don't worry we cannot understand him either!' 

Paco, Rosa,Carlos and Tina

There's more to come regarding the neighbours... killing of the pig, chicken vindaloo, la legion et al... 

Now here is a healthy lunch or supper which doesn't take long to prepare and the relatively short list of ingredients packs a wonderful array of things that are VERY GOOD FOR YOU.

It tastes even better when sat in the sunshine and if you fancy knocking this up then here is the recipe (for one): 

Ingredients: 
Glug of olive oil 
2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped 
1 red onion, finely chopped 
1 red chilli (seeds left in if you want heat) 
1 stalk lemongrass, chopped. (I used dried as it is hard to source here)
100g red lentils 
200ml coconut milk 
Juice of half a lime 
S & P to taste 

Method:
Sauté onions, chilli, garlic and lemongrass in the oil in a pan for 5 minutes or so 
Add lentils, milk plus 400ml water, bring to boil then simmer for 40 minutes or until the lentil are soft (watch out that the lentils don't stick)
Remove from the heat adding lime juice just before serving

Drizzle asparagus with olive oil and black pepper then griddle. A few Parmesan cheese shavings and a little drizzle of Balsamic vinegar. Serve with chilled white wine. Simple. 

Manu is a friend from the time when I lived in France. He plays chess, drinks, smokes and doesn't like football but I like him all the same and the bar that he lives in. I stayed there for a few days on my journey to Spain. 

Manu Laurand, chess player.

I managed to cook something

Lunch out with Manu. I asked the waitress to marry me, 

she replied in English, 'No.' 

Much to my surprise Manu had never visited Oradour-sur-Glane where on Saturday, 10th June in 1944 soldiers of 2nd Waffen-SS Panzer Division killed 642 men, women and children and destroyed the entire village without giving any reason for their action to the inhabitants and to this day there is no universally accepted explanation for the massacre.

It was quite sobering when we visited. The rain didn't help.