Biking & Baking in Las Alpujarras

I have offered to post this message for a friend out here.  She is looking for a lodger to share her very pretty house:

Single person accommodation available in an attractive house in Atalbéitar. Recently renovated and all in good order, fab terrace with mountain views. Own room, share bathroom/kitchen/washing machine etc. Short-term stay is OK.  Weekly rate of 50 euros to include elecs/gas/water etc . 

Phone: 0034 672 778 622

I cannot pass on messages for her so please ring her direct!    

Steve has posted a video on YouTube of his recent walk in the mountains.  Go to 'Mulhacen in Winter' and you should find it.  Apologies for the quality, especially the sound at the end, but it will be better next time!

Autumn has definitely arrived, with beautiful tall, yellow poplar trees in the valleys , russet-coloured maples high on the hillsides and the jewel-like kaki and persimmon fruits glowing amongst them all. We have had some rain but that just brings the green back into the grasses and small oak trees, and the next morning is as sunny and clear as usual. Most of us have changed into our winter clothes, bringing out jackets and boots, but Steve is still in summer mode - longish shorts and a T-shirt - which fills everyone with outrage and envy! 'Que fuerte!' is the Spanish reaction. 'Que loco!' is mine!

The towns are quieter now, and the markets, but we enjoy it when the tourists have gone away. If the weather is good we are planning a walk above Berchules this weekend, and maybe a trip on the VFR to Cabo de Gata in early December. I took the c90 on a trip towards Trevelez to get some more chestnuts, but probably won't ride it much now until summer. And the summer mesh jackets can all be put away - we're into full-on textiles or leathers, full-face helmets, warmer gloves and long leather boots now. There were a lot of 'the boys' out last Sunday and we look for local meets on the MC Alikates website...concentraciones moteras...which is pretty reliable.

We have a whole lot of tomatoes that need using up, green, pink and a few red ones, so I have done a chutney that is very acceptable even though the ingredients are a bit strange! It was a case of using what I had (with thanks to Nigel Slater for the quantities). Here goes:

While Steve is in the mountains (yes I know, it will be -8 on Mulhacen tonight with a moon, meteors, foxes...but that is what he likes) I am concentrating on peeling chestnuts!   Here is my latest, successful technique for which you will need a small, sharp knife, patience and some Eric Clapton on the CD player (or The Band perhaps):

Collect large, clean nuts without holes or damage and keep as dry as possible for up to 3 days.  Peel them raw and set aside for up to 3 days.  Any maggots will probably crawl out and those nuts can be discarded or the nasty bits cut out.  Keep a pan of water simmering at boiling point and heat 6 nuts in a batch, for a few minutes.  Only take out 1 nut at a time as the heat is critical for easy peeling of the inner skin!  Keep re-stocking the pan until all the chestnuts are done, then pop straight into a bag and the freezer.  I bag mine in batches of 250g as that is usually the weight I want for cakes etc.   I may try a bit of light roasting before I freeze them, to enhance the flavour and will post the results next time :)

Back to the man and the mountain...he took 15kg of kit and was going straight up above Trevelez towards the snowline...he set off in glorious autumn sunshine but the air is not so warm now...however, he has a tent, bivvy bag, sleeping bag, merino base layers, 2 cooking stoves (home-made) and my chocolate brownie cake as well as other food, so he should survive!  I certainly hope so!  I'll be thinking of him as I snuggle down with my tea, hot water bottle and a good book...!

After a quick 8 day dash to the UK and a tour of family and friends, I am pleased to be back home in Las Alpujarras.  The rains came while I was away but now it's pretty sunny, with everything well-watered.  We made a big walk in the hills yesterday just so I could check that nothing had changed except the colours of the leaves and the quantity of chestnuts on the ground!  Neighbours have given us membrillos (quinces) and ripe kaki (sharon fruit) and some delicious feijoas (like small kiwis but smell of strawberries)...a fruity Halloween then!  Of course this is an important holiday for the Spanish so we joined Carlos and Racquel for lunchtime vino, tapas and a good chat (in their language, not ours).  What nice folk they are.

We have taken the last of the aubergines so tonight's supper will be pasta with a ratatouille from the kitchen garden.  The fire has been lit as much for the glow as warmth and we might have to catch up with the rugby world cup final which I missed (managed most of the rest however).

My thanks to all my  lovely friends and family in England and Scotland for giving me a bed, meals and much more besides...keep looking at those maps for 2012!!  Hasta luego!