Anya von Bremzen | hungry sofia

Aug 4

Gazpacho de Fresas e Hinojo

When you decide to run a marathon, it’s easy to focus on the 26.2 miles of race day and forget about the 12, 13, 14, 15+ miles you’ll run as you train – a weekly rehearsal for a play that gets longer and longer. On top of that, there are cross-training sessions, recovery runs, and now hill repeats. Not only do I have no one to blame, I spent the better part of last year qualifying for the privilege. When asked why I like to run, I usually tell people that it gives me time to think. Carving out a path in the miles stretching out before me, my mind clears. Unfortunately, it clears it up a little too well so that by the time I get home exhausted, I have the internal monologue of a cave woman – hot, cold, tired, hungry, water, food. Before my scheduled de-evolution this week, I decided to make a batch of gazpacho. Read more

Aug 29

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Pan y Chocolate

Since August has been more hectic than I’d planned, I’ve been enjoying my own kitchen vacation this week. With family visiting, I’ve avoided my usual pitfall of putting together an over ambitious meal with only a 50/50 chance of success. This morning I kept it simple. I found a Catalan recipe in Anya Von Bremzen’s The New Spanish Table for toast with chocolate and olive oil. Just a baguette brushed with olive oil then toasted or broiled for a couple of minutes till golden, covered with melted dark chocolate then sprinkled with Maldon sea salt. With only a few basic ingredients, I can dwell on which chocolate to use or whether my olive oil is sufficiently “fruity”. An easy lesson learned, and something to remember the next time I’m elbow deep in the kitchen. Read more

Jul 20

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Ajo Blanco

I’ve wanted to post a recipe for ajo blanco since my friend Félix Ortiz told me about it several weeks ago. Waiting out the garlic scapes and spring varieties in the farmer’s market, I finally tried it when the first full formed garlic appeared. Trying to incorporate the mashing with the blending with the right amount of water, I ended up with three consecutive batches of garlic milk. If you haven’t tried garlic milk, don’t. Consulting Anya Von Bremzen’s The New Spanish Table, I was able to figure out what went wrong. Without a mortar and pestle large enough to really work the oil into the bread and almond mixture, it didn’t emulsify the way it should, either too thin or too grainy. I switched over to the blender after making the initial paste and it gave me the right consistency in a few whirls. The final result was smooth, refreshing, and easy. Typical of Málaga, this creamy white gazpacho makes a great light, mid-summer meal.