Buoyed by finding at least one Spanish restaurant that could serve quality food that is well cooked, we left A Coruna and the Galicia region and headed 300km east along the Bay of Biscay.
Our next stop was Gijon in the region called Asturias. Rick Stein had said that we should come here for Fabada - a stew of white beans with black pudding, chorizo and pork belly. And as this was cider country, we should not only drink cider but look for chunky white fish cooked in cider. To top it off, Asturias is home to Cabrales cheese.
Gijon is a fairly nondescript town in the Bay of Biscay, just north of historic Oviedo, the former home of the Kings of Asturias, back in about 1200.
Gijon has a fabulous golden sand beach. These photos were taken at midday on a Monday - it is a popular place.
At high tide the water well up the wall of the main street and all of the sand disappears. So the sand is never dry and people use multiple layers of matting and towels to sunbathe on.
Rick's recommended restaurant was closed because it was Sunday, so we opted for this local sideria, just behind the hotel, because it was crowded with locals which is always a good sign. We had to eat inside because every one of the twelve outside tables was taken.
The food was excellent, and while they didn't offer Fabada - bean stew or chunky white fish cooked in cider, I did have the pork loin cooked in cider and it was incredibly good.
I had demolished it before I remembered the camera.
We didn't actually drink any cider until a couple of days later, so at the time I had this dish I didn't realise that the local cider is quite sour and I think has some quince in it. Great with the pork.
The fried sardines, above, were perfect. Strangely, they were served with bacon. Our waiter assured us that they were even better that way - but I was not convinced.
As you can see, the salad is a plate of undressed iceberg lettuce and a quartered tomato. This is what constitutes a green salad almost all over Spain. The upside is that the olive oil used here in northern Spain is very gentle, sweet and aromatic, as is the vinegar. You mix your own dressing at the table.
The locals break their bread into pieces on a plate and douse it with olive oil and salt. It makes their very ordinary bread delicious but could be a bit of a health challenge.
Fried baby calamari - juicy and crisp.
The razor clams were divine. Cooked in lots of garlic, sweet olive oil and a touch of white wine. Luckily I remembered the camera before it was too late!
Wow! we have had three good meals in a row and I'm feeling encouraged.
So let's take stock of where we are up to on Rick's list:
Barcelona - Fideua: never found it.
Lleida - Snails: haven't seen snails on a menu anywhere.
Tudela - Minestre (green soup): bought it in a jar to eat in San Sebastian when we have a stove and a saucepan.
Pamplona - Rabo del Torro: had it as a tapa in A Coruna.
Logrono - Choritzo: haven't had any yet. Chuletillas (baby lamb chops): this was the easy one, had them in Pamplona and Logrono. La Rioja wine: every night!
Leon - lamb and veal: yep to both.
Santiago de Compostela - Empanades: awful. Razor clams: had them in Gijon where they were fabulous.
A Coruna - pig stew (I assume it means more parts of the pig than just the good meat): haven't found it anywhere, so maybe it's not something that appeals to tourists and you'd have to look in the little villages up in the hills.
Gijon - Fabada (bean stew): had it Llanes (next stop). Chunky white fish in cider: never found it. Cabrales cheese: Paul thinks he had some on a baguette with Iberico ham but we'd need to buy a piece at the supermarket to check.
When I get home I'll be studying Rick Stein's DVD 'Spain' in detail to compare our experience to his and maybe to cook some of the better ideas.
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