The Rias Baixas (Lower Estuaries) area of Galicia is well-known for its beautiful sandy beaches and albarin~o wine - a very tasty white wine. Cari and I can say that we fully enjoyed both while visiting the Rias.
We also were lucky in that after sampling several varities of empanadas (typically a fish - tuna, bacalao - or beef pie) we FINALLY found one that came very close to Olga's empanadas. There are empanadas in Galicia - large trays of empanada where you cut a slice of baked pie with filling - and they are either prepared with a flaky hojaldre (phyllo-type) dough or a heartier bread-like dough. And then there are what my grandmother used to make: known as empanadillas here in Galicia. They are half-circle hand-held filled pies that are pan-fried; it makes a BIG difference in the texture and thickness of the crust. We found the empanadillas in Cambados in the morning and then passed through there again in the afternoon to re-stock our snack supply.
One other great find were the Rocas in Pontevedra. My sister Sindy would love these: a crusty meringue with a chewy honey-and-almond-filled center...absolute meringe perfection and so delicious!
We also visited the beautiful fishing village of Combarro, located on the coast and built right on top of the seaside rock. Combarro is most notable for its many ho'rreos lining the shore which provide easy access for fishermen returing to the village with their catch of the day, ready to store in the horreo. We took many beautiful pictures of Combarro but one great memory we will have is the INCREDIBLE arroz con mariscos we had for lunch. I would call it a paella gallega, but nowhere in Galicia will you see it referred to as paella - it is strictly a Galician rice and seafood dish and filled with the most amazing flavors and catch of the day!
PONTEVEDRA: Cari wasn't a fan of the cruceiro (cross) filled medieval town because of the terrible plague of graffiti in the old quarter - ruthless tagging, not even any creativity to speak of - but I really enjoyed the color of the stone and the simple architecture. Plus, we discovered the delicious Rocas here!
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| Galician glass-enclosed balcony |
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| School children at recess |
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| I love the little coverlets they wear with their names on them! |
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| A cruceiro |
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| Beautiful Pontevedra plaza |
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| Quentin - a duct-tape project for you!!! |
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I miss Felipe! |
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- The delicious Roca - split so you can see the inside
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| Hazelnuts and Marcona almonds |
COMBARRO
that duct tape bird house is cool. but it is good that you finally admit that felepe is FAT
ReplyDelete"he's not fat, that's just fur." "come on I almost sat on the thing....I thought it was a bean bag chair!"
ReplyDeleteDoes that kitty meow in Spanish?! I already know that the dog barks in Spanish...."Wah wah"- remember the postcard you sent me from Cadiz?!
ReplyDelete