Spanish Cooking!

So we figured since we can't afford to go for tapas every night (boohoo) we would attempt to make our own at home! Here's the recipe for our first dish!

Spanish Tortilla

(Serves 6-8 people)

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes

1/2 an onion

7 eggs

Oil

Seasoning

Method:

Peel and chop the potatoes and onion into thin slices

Meanwhile, heat a generous amount of oil in a pan until sizzling

Add the potatoes and onion to the pan and fry until softened

Whilst waiting for the vegetables, beat the eggs in a large bowl and season to taste

Remove the frying pan from the heat and drain the excess oil from the potatoes and onions

Once drained, stir into the egg mixture

Return the frying pan to the hob and add the mixture

Ensure the omelette is thoroughly cooked on one side before attempting to flip it over

Continue to cook on the other side 

Serve and Enjoy!

Notes

1. The potato to egg ratio can be altered to suit your preferences
2. Extra ingredients, such as cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms etc can be added for extra taste
3. The larger omelettes are much harder to flip so make sure you're prepared! We flipped ours onto a plate before sliding it back into the pan
4. Spanish Tortilla is meant to be quite thick, not flat as a pancake so make sure you don't spread the ingredients too thin in the pan

If you try our recipe let me know how it turns out!

Donjuan x

El Tigre

Just a little post slash recommendation for anyone planning on ever visiting Madrid! 

After spending two grueling weeks revising Spanish conjugations and endless grammar exercises we decided we needed to celebrate the end of our language course. As you can see I was devastated when we finished...

L to R: Caroline, Marlies, Geertje, Holly, Me and Justyna

Anyway, Geertje and Marlies, two of my lovely classmates, suggested we for tapas at a bar called El Tigre, just off Gran Via. 

The bar itself has a traditional Spanish feel to it, the mounted deer heads are truly complemented by the scattering of prosthetic pig/lamb limbs. It was quirky to say the least! It had a lovely homely feel though with groups huddled round tables as if sitting down for a family meal. Despite being a group of about 15 the wait staff ushered us into the already overcrowded bar, we couldn't help comparing it to England where health and safety would never allow for so many people in one small place, blocking all those fire exits! 

Eventually we found a bigger space and settled around two big barrels fashioned into tables (amazing). The waiters were a spectacle they manage to navigate their way through the masses holding trays stacked three tiers high with just one arm! 

For every drink, or should I say bucket, of drink you buy you get a new tapas dish, and as there was so many of us it's fair to say we got what can only be described as a feast!

It was amazing, but definitely carb city, prepare to be unable to move for a while after! The atmosphere was indescribable it was so lively and the waiters do an excellent job and at only 6 euros per person you can't really go wrong! 

Photos courtesy of Geertje!

Donjuan x

Botellón!

Ok, so I know I have posted in a while but as you can appreciate I've been wildly busy! I'm probably going to make up for it by clogging up everyone's newsfeed/timeline with several posts today...sorrrryyyyy.

Anyone who took Spanish in school is almost undoubtedly aware of Botellón. Calling it a tradition may be somewhat far fetched but if you could see what I witnessed then you'd most likely agree! My first experience of Botellón was when I revisited my GCSE exchange partner in sixth form, a group of us gathered in one flat and concocted some sugar-filled fluorescent pink substance then settled in an almost derelict building and proceeded to get drunk before we went out. There was about ten of us and we were joined by a few other random groups. I have to admit I didn't really see what all the fuss was about! So I have to admit when I was invited to join the Botellón here in Madrid I wasn't particularly excited but I decided I'd go along anyway.

I met up with Megan, one of my new flatmates, and we proceeded towards Plaza de España to join a vast crowd of people. We weren't entirely sure if this was the group we were meant to be with but we went along with it anyway. We sat down next to the fountain with our cheap wine and a few beers and I couldn't help feeling I had suddenly turned 14 again, it was definitely reminiscent of those nights every teenager spends drinking WKD and Smirnoff Ice in the park (so cool).

Little Chinese ladies were walking round with plastic bags full of beers selling them for a euro to anyone who was buying. While this confused me at first it did at least explain why one had said hello to me as I walking through the park the previous night.

After a short while someone shouted to the crowd and everyone began to move through the plaza towards another park where we met even more people! We settled ourselves on a grassy verge and joined a group of people playing Wonderwall by Oasis. There was people from all over Europe and while we tried to use our Spanish most people soon reverted to English.

After a good night socialising I made my way back to my apartment for my nightly Skype and to my surprise (bearing in mind this was 2 oclock) found HUNDREDS of people only just arriving. Whilst Botellón would never be so pleasant in England's cold setting I have to say it is definitely an experience not to be missed and I love the fact its just accepted into Spanish culture, the police just let them get on with it and everyone just has a good time!

Donjuan x

To Do To Done

I often write lists when I'm at home of all the things I must complete in order to survive. My lists often comprise a few menial tasks such as 'call bank' or 'tidy room', on a rare occasion I get to cross one of those tasks off my list and I feel like I've accomplished something in life. 

Today my list consisted of three tasks:

1)check room for test

2)adapter

3)simcard

but now my list looks like this

1)check room for test

2)adapter

3)simcard

I started with tasks 2 and 3, mostly because I couldn't tackle 1 without the equipment from task 2. I managed to purchase the most high tech adapter ever, it actually has an array of pokey things which pop out/tuck in at the press of a button, I think my Dad would be really impressed.

For task 3 I headed to Vodafone and apparently returned to the 90s with the purchase of this bad boy

Unfortunately it wasn't cool enough to have snake but hey ho.

Task 1 was pretty easy, shame I couldn't say the same for actually locating the building. We (me and Vanessa one of my future flatmates) managed to walk an extra half an hour round a ring road only to return to our starting point and find the building we'd been looking for all along was right there. The test wasn't too bad.

I'm too tired to tell you about the flat now so I'll pretend I didn't find it yet and feign excitement tomorrow.

Donjuan x

Day 1

After a restless night I woke up at 7 to prepare myself for my busy day ahead! I managed to embarrass myself at the airport by repeatedly attempting to push a trolley with brakes on and ending up crashing into some old man but my luck changed when my case weighed in at just under the 23kg limit (ok, only by 0.3kg but that's beside the point). After a last good old cuppa with my dad I was off through security where, as per usual, I was the only person who set off the beepers, always great to start your travels with a quick frisking. I bought myself some entertainment for the flight

I was thoroughly grateful for this after we were delayed for boarding! Lucky for me I got a window seat and had a spare seat next to me so it was all good in the hood

Next I was off in a taxi to find my hostel. Much to my dismay we pulled up on a gloomy little alley covered in graffitti and filled with gangs of teenagers. My attempts to calm my nerves by reassuring myself that a lady on trip advisor had claimed it was a perfectly safe area were quickly squashed by the driver's advice: 'be careful with your bags here' After dragging my two cases up a flight of stairs and into the tiniest escalator man has ever seen the lady in the hostel told me I'd been upgraded to an apartment down the road. At first I resented her for the fact I'd almost got a hernia just pulling this case up the curb but once I saw the apartment I was pretty relieved, no graffiti and gangs here!

After a quick nap I went off to explore and get some food, I adventurously went for a traditional Spanish meal...

...okay it's only Starbucks but they give you mini olive oil with your pasta salad, and anyone who knows me well knows miniature things are the way to my heart. Cute!

Now it's an early night for me. Why? I hear you ask. Is it because I have a flat viewing at 10am? Well, no, not really, it's because I forgot to bring my adapter so I am now alone in my apartment with only Spanish television for company. No phone, No laptop. Brill! 

Donjuan x

Goodbyes

Unfortunately, British Airways baggage allowance doesn't quite permit any stowaways, so I have to go through the long-winded, depressing process of saying goodbye to everyone before I leave. I had the girls over a few nights ago for what was meant to be a wild night out but turned into a very tame evening in. No one even got drunk, which really didn't impress me as I bought loooooads of wine. Not to fear, my mother will soon drink the house dry, not because she's an alcoholic but because she will (naturally) be distraught by my absence. It was nice to see them anyway, and I also profited from the arrival of some cute little cupcakes and a bottle of bubbly so thanks girls!

I also had my lovely boyfriend over for the day which was so nice, right up until he suggested, actually, no, he downright assumed, we watch match of the day. I was not impressed. We settled for The Office USA which was hilarrrr and to be honest it was nice to just relax and not think about Spain for the day! I just got back from dropping him at the station, sad face. 

It hasn't really registered that this time tomorrow I'll be landing in Madrid! Tonight calls for a family meal and an emotional set of parents, maybe that'll do the trick!

Donjuan x

Hollaaaaaa

Hola amigos,

So if you weren't already aware, I'm moving to Spain and I've decided in all my wisdom that I'm going to start this blog so everyone can see what I'm upto (should that take your fancy), and also so I can note down all my amazing memories from my year abroad (gap year is so last year, yah?). 

I feel it's worth adding that the nickname we all know and love, born through the momentous occasion when an eleven year old girl allowed her super-cool big brother to create her a hotmail account, is highly appropriate now. These Spanish Kings ain't got nothing on me...

Donjuan x