When we were in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria recently we decided to try a local delicacy, papas arrugadas - wrinkled potatoes, basically small potatoes boiled with their skins on - that’s where the wrinkles comes from - and served with a spicy sauce. Well, I like potatoes in almost any form and these were quite tasty. Like so many “specialist” regional dishes, it struck me that it had probably started as poor man’s food, something to fill a space so that you don’t need as much meat. Think of Yorkshire pudding, a nicely filling batter affair, good with gravy, to fill up the children’s hungry tummies and so leave more roast beef for daddy. Anyway, here’s a link to an article about papas arrugadas. Who knew that there was so much to say about the humble spud?
Felicity Cloake, author of the article, maintains that the name “mojo” for the sauce probably comes from the Portuguese for sauce “molho”. I would add to that the fact that the Spanish verb “mojar” means ,”to moisten”, “to damp”, “to wet”. If you are caught in a rainstorm you can be “mojado hasta los huesos”, not just soaked to the skin but soaked to the bones. So to me it makes sense that you call a marinade or sauce “mojo”.
The papas arrugadas, by the way, were quite tasty but proabably not something to be eaten every day.
Here in Silves i am eating a lot of salad. The price of a salada mista ranges from €4.50 to €6.50, sometimes little more than lettuce, tomato and sliced onion, at others adorned with grated carrot and red cabbage and other such stuff.
Yesterday at the Marisqueira restaurant I considered a fish soup and mixed salad for lunch but was persuaded that a slightly more fancy, and slightly more expensive, salada de camarāo would be good. So I abandoned the fish soup (it was really too hot for any soup other than a very chilled gazpacho anyway) and enjoyed my salad with prawns, walnuts, orange and the other usual ingredients. I also helped Phil out with the enormous serving of grilled salmon which arrived for him.
Here’s bit of food philosophy from one of our favourite restaurants: don’t put off til tomorrow what you can eat today!
The temperature soared to around 36°C yesterday and more of the same is forecast for today. Thank heavens for a hotel with a pool and a shady area with loungers (shade loungers not sun loungers) for those who do not want to toast themselves!
Former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon is protesting her innocence and ignorance of he husband’s misuse of the party’s funds. She says she is not responsible. She’s just a wife who doesn’t notice what her husband does. Here is a link to John Crace’s reflection on poor Nicola’s situation. Poor Nicola must have been wearing blinkers though not to notice expensive items appearing at their household. It must be a hard life being a politician.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
