My friend the apple

This, if you don't know, is Juan-Marie Arzak, and no he is not an apple. Today's installation is all about apples - las manzanas - and the marvellous things that happen when they ferment....oh yes. Last saturday was the last day of trading at Arzak, before we shut up for......
VACACIONES! (holibags, er, holidays)
As tradition dictates, we had to come into work on sunday morning to clean down the kitchen, before heading into the hills for a long lunch in a Basque taverna. I got a ride in el coche de Juan-Marie - 

You can see his trademark red glasses in the rear vision mirror. I took this shot just after we took a highly illegal u-turn over a pedestrian crossing. There were some pedestrians on it at the time, they had to get out of the way ha ha ha. Their faces darkened with indignation but then they also recognised the red glasses and let Juan-Marie off with benevolent remonstrations; like "oh, Juan-Marie....tut tut"
He owns this town, fully. We stopped off briefly outside Juan-Marie's house for some reason that eluded me. 'Briefly' turned into half an hour and I voiced the thought that perhaps Juan-Marie had fallen asleep somewhere. The girls didn't mind - they took the opportunity to continue their interrogation of my apparent single status - told em I was a priest. 

This is the garden in the taverna. I think if such a thing as heaven exists, at least one layer should be a Basque taverna on a sunny sunday afternoon with a few good friends. Amen.
Lunch included cochinilla (suckling pig)..... and endless sidra (cider). Cider goes with steak, pig, cured meats, virtually everything. Unlike the Irish inspired ciders we have back home, Spanish cider is very unadulterated; like a glass of rotten apple - minus the rot. No added sugar, no preservatives, no additives; just apple. It is quite sour, and only remains carbonated for as long as it takes to pour it - hence it is consumed in frequent pulls of small quantities.
I have taken to knocking back a bottle with dinner every day - only costs one and a half Euros - and it helps my furious metabolism mind it's own business for as long as it takes me to rest. Yep, cloudy, cold, tart and chock full of apples - I love it.
We finished up our taverna shenanigans as the Spanish sun was setting over distant clouds, and headed into the old town where we found ourselves at a restaurant called Txuleta, eating massive slabs of Txuleta - rib eye steaks big as semi trailers, and more cider. I could go on, and I will.......
Actually I got invited to a sardine and sidra festival today, something to do with summer, or something, but then I got un-invited......might have something to do with running short of cash at the restaurant the other night; quite embarrassing.

So instead I just cooked up this rice thing, kind of popular over here, tho not in this region. More or less an excuse to get a bottle on ice, relax, and plan for tomorrows next adventure......
Cheers!