Biking & Baking in Las Alpujarras

The calendar is filling up rapidly with all sorts of musical and walking events, local fiestas and social gatherings.  As usual, Cat Jary's wonderful Musica en las Montañas is providing us with great sounds: quintets, choirs, guitars, tango...last night we heard a jazz group from Granada playing in the beautiful Atalbeitar square - 3 spaniards (piano, double bass, clarinet/harmonica), an australian (saxophone(s) and a great italian drummer.  Steve baked a few foccaccia's and I took a plate of dates stuffed with almonds, to offer  round as tapas. There must have been 60 or 70 spectators perched on chairs, on stone seating by the fountain, or just on the ground, plus occasional dogs, small children and other on/off stage events.

Tonight there is more jazz in Capilleria I think, and some dancing in Pampaneira on Sunday eve and again in Pitres on Tuesday eve.   Ferreirola era on Thurs should be classical music I believe.  Mecina fiesta is the weekend of the 6th and Atalbeitar the following weekend...when will we sleep again??!

I threw together a nice little Patatas a lo Pobre for our supper the other night, something like this:

Take 4 large potatoes, slice thinly and wash thoroughly.  Chop up a green pepper and an onion.  Crack 3 or 4 eggs into a smallish pan with a dollop of salted butter and a tablespoon of milk  and stir together, then set this aside for later.  In a good-sized frying pan, heat up 1/2 litre of decent olive oil ( a lot I know) and fry the potatoes on a high heat for 5-6 mins.  Add some salt to season them, then throw in the veg and give all a good stir.  Cover the pan, lower the heat and give everything at least 10 mins cooking time.  Check that nothing is sticking to the pan and keep cooking until the potatoes are soft.  Meanwhile, at this last stage. grab a wooden spoon, place the egg mix over a lowish heat and keep stirring  until you get scrambled eggs (the secret of good scrambled eggs is less milk, more butter, keep stirring until JUST scrambled, then serve).  Go back to your potato pan and lift out everything onto kitchen paper or drain very thoroughly, to reduce the oil content to a minimum.  Add to the eggs or vice versa - either way you want a blend of all the ingredients together.  Throw in a  handful of good black olives if you have them.  Serve immediately with some nice bread (not buttered) and tuck in.  Tastes even better with a glass of cervesa and some Eric Clapton music!!

Enjoy!!