Simply exciting!
The village of Cartajima was undoubtedly founded by the Islamic people who entered Spain in 711, stayed until 1492, and created an exciting, innovative society that left its mark on the food and culture of southern Spain. They added many new foods to the Spanish larder including almonds (Spanish words beginning with al- are of Arabic origin), citrus fruits, and many spices including the all important saffron. The cuisine we serve at Los Castaños is Western Mediterranean, combining the best of Andalucian and north African flavours. Like the décor, it reflects the cultural history of this undiscovered part of Andalucia.
Dinner begins with an appetizer served in the Moorish courtyard or around the fire. A manzanilla would go well with quails eggs, wrapped in jamon iberico and dipped in cumin salt.
Gazpacho is a lovely summer starter – fresh and refreshing. We serve it in earthenware jugs to be drunk with or at the beginning of the meal. Unlike the usual Spanish version, ours has no bread and rather than vinegar, we use a whole lemon.
Tagine is a Moroccan “stew” (much nicer than it sounds!) and also the ceramic dish in which it is cooked. As in north Africa, the ceramics that we use are part of the decoration of the dining room – living art. One of the most popular tagines is beef and prunes sprinkled with almonds and sesame seeds – a miracle takes place under the conical lid and the sauce is rich and tasty. We serve it with couscous forked through with fresh herbs. Harissa, the fiery hot sauce from north Africa and a cooling yoghourt lightly spiced with coriander and mint add interesting tastes.
We combine chocolate and orange in one of our favourite desserts which is a hot-cold combination of rich chocolate cake flavoured with orange oil served warm with vanilla ice cream on top and hot chocolate fudge sauce poured over.
Food for Thought? is a guest from Houston’s interesting take on dining in Cartajima.
