another day of prep for noche vieja

Another day at the restaurant, everything is really falling into place for me there. It is the days after christmas, leading up to holy kings with new years eve in the middle. My first in spain. Now at work we are getting good business in the gastronomic restaurant, and every day the chef Carmen leaves me a healthy list of things to do for the dinner on noche vieja. Today it was to cook the cabrito (yes more) that my assistant, gloria, deboned and vaccumed up for me today. I also started some kind of weird stock that carmen asked me to do....the same recipe for jugo de carne (or glace de viande as I know it) but instead of animal bones, I was to use the rodaballo carcasses from the day. Hmmm a 24 hour stock with fish bones that is something new to me, but i am not one to judge before seeing what the heck she wants to do with that. I also started a cabrito stock as well. It seems I've asserted myself as the saucier there, which is fine with me cause I like to make that stuff. Care.

cabrito

tonight at the restaurant it was lots of cabritos to debone, 8 more in addition to the 8 last week. their little smiling faces as they go into the stockpot, but they taste so good. It's for the dinner of new years eve at the hotel.

working as a chef, my first paid job in spain

what has it been, 5 months since I posted? well time flies and I intended to do much more with this. After being on the beach all summer and enjoying all that Alicante has to offer, I couldnt resist and got back in the kitchen. I'm working as the chef of the Senzone gastronomic restaurant in the Hospes hotel here in the city. Its going great and I'm just starting to settle in. Here is the link to the Hospes website, http://www.fuenso.com/index.php?seccio=seleccio_hospes&idioma=en

Croissanteria Quintana

Usually I am making a daily visit to here, my croissanteria, just up the street from the sausage place. So many delicious things to be had here, starting with their chapata bread. It is the best one that I've had in Alicante, for me anyway. Overall, I do not enjoy the bread of Spain as much as from some other places in the world. Just the proper crust on the top, flour dusted, just a nice Italian style roll. Then for breakfast, there are an unlimited amount of muffis, pastries, donuts, whatever you want. I could not find a link for here, but the address next store is 68, and it is on the Calle Quintana, just in from General Marva.

Salazones Quintana

For sausages, meats, jamon, lomo, mojama, just about anything like this you want, the place to go is Salazones Quintana. Just a block behind our place, dont forget to take a number when you walk in, and the people that work there are more than happy to help you out. The best in Alicante as far as I am concerned, and the proximity does not hurt as well.

Salazones Quintana
C/ Quintana, 4003004 AlicanteTelf. 965 21 48 42Atencion al Cliente 900 71 31 55
Especialidad en Jamones, Quesos, Productos Ibericosy Salazones.

Denton for dinner

What I thought was a very large and peculiar snapper was in fact Denton, a fantastic fish. Bought from Jose Zaragoza, the best large fish supplier in our Mercado, I put it with a cold salad of asparagus, green beans, orange supremes, julienne red pepper, along with some oh so special seasonings. It was delicious, and filling. Here it is as it hit the pan.

El Trestellador

This place was visited by us and friends back in April, and is located near the town of Guadalest. The rice dishes were superb, and it is a beautiful and peaceful location to really enjoy. I was jonesing for some rabbit, that is in the picture below. A true paella....rice, garbanzos, red pepper, garlic...yum! Our friends ordered the Arroz, which as you can see is baked in the traditional ceramic dish instead of a paella pan. Great also! Look at that meat, the whole dish is just ooozing with flavor.

Address: Benimantell
Phone: 96 588 52 21
Directions: It is located just outside of Guadalest on the road to Benimantell,at the entrance of this village you can see a sign on the road with the name of restaurant to the left. About 1 KM from here.

Ca L'angeles

Ok, to backtrack a bit, in April we went for a drive up to Polop, in the mountains surrounding Alicante. This is a Valenciano area, where said language is spoken. We just love it up here....and on our day trip, we went to this restaurant. It was Fantastic! Love it. The cuisine reflects the area, they have much more of an earthy mixture of food, where the sea is left behind. Pictured here is our roasted vegetable plate, spinach empanadas with quail egg on sundried tomato, and roast baby leg of lamb. The lamb pic is a bit blurry, I was so excited when it was put in front of me....and was Delicious. I can still taste the succulent juices on the plate.

Ca L'Angeles

País: España
Localidad: Polop (Alicante)
Dirección: Gabriel Miró, 12. En la carretera de Benidorm a Callosa d'En Sarriá
Teléfono: 965 870 226
Cierra: Martes

Katagorri

It was a fairly normal day yesterday, foodwise, with the American breakfast of eggs over easy, bacon and toast with Camembert and jam. For lunch it was duck pate on toast, from our favorite sausage place.....Dinner....well I went shopping during the day, and got asparagus, green beans and a red bell pepper for a salad, along with lemon for the vin and oranges for segments. Also got 2 nice steak cuts of el pescado Denton....but alas after the beach and shopping around for a table for our tv, dinner at our favorite Pinxo restaurant, Katagorri, sounded just great. So the fish waits for tomorrow.We started off with some Pinxos....sliced baguette....one with a small amount of shredded lettuce, slice of tomato, slice of manchego, jamon, and a fried quail egg. Another with tuna salad and an anchovy on top. We also ordered some hot tapas, 2 sausages wrapped in a slice of zucchini with red pepper sauce on top, served with a few sliced potatoes and basil oil on the plate. Delicious! Also we shared a small concoction of tuna salad with tomato, sandwiched with a few white sardines (bocarones) on each side, baked in the oven. Tasty. Then we had lomo, wrapped around a stick of gouda cheese and a pimiento de padron, then itself wrapped in a slice of zucchini and served with same red pepper sauce. Then Joshua (sorry I dont remember how to spell your name properly!!) was working on a new dish of albondigas, made with some foie inside. He brought them out complimentary and that was a pleasant surprise. Served with mushroom cream sauce and a chive.Our shared entree was the striploin from buey, or a castrated ox, served over wedge sliced potatoes, pimientos de padron, roquefort cheese sauce on the side, garnished with basil oil (or chive oil). A fantastic finish. I think that I am going to work here for a bit after the summer.

They have another location in the Golf area of Alicante, but my favorite is the downtown one.

KATAGORRI C/ Portugal,29.Tlf: 965 926 008

http://www.katagorri.com/

Ok lets begin

Not the best day to begin, but I have put this off long enough, its time to get down to business. Why not the best day? Because it is the first day after Hogueras, and I have forgotten to shop for today. Therefore the dogs are a bit hungry tonight, only half portions, and I went to the RESTAURANTE EL POLLASTRE ALICANTI that is just on the next block. Whole chickens, on a spit turning and turning, cooking and dripping fat onto the half potatoes below.....yum! Don't forget the alioli, it is not a complete meal without it. http://www.elpollastrealicanti.net/