The Kitchen Bookshelf - Newsletter #22
- on misplacing my seasonal rhythms, fish / life lessons, and a Spanish food diary
Is there a seasonal equivalent of circadian rhythms? Because I think mine might be a little out of bonk.
This holiday (that I am still on) has discombobulated my sense of seasonality. Here I am in Malaga - the white-walled village of Gaucin, to be precise - where each afternoon I take to the shadiest spot indoors to get out of the screaming sun. Instagram was my companion in those first days of sun-shielding until it started to freak me out. Seeing all my London food-friends leaning into their autumn vibes just jarred too much with the days here. They were contemplating new-season soups and squashes while I was feeling it for cold lunchtime beers with salad.
As our fortnight nears its end here there have been gentle yet definite signs of the season changing: cooler mornings and pomegranates appearing on the trees that line the walk into town. But it’s the arrival of an Andalusian autumn, not of mine. Not one I recognise with the remembrance of 48 other Septembers. Ones when long before I would be aware of it, let alone embrace it, I allowed autumn as I know it to take its natural hold. In this 49th September of mine, my autumn has been held back from its natural march into my being. That has felt unsettling, and made me wonder anew at how we feel the rhythms of the seasons.
I don’t ask you to feel too sorry for me, I’m just saying it has felt odd. I’m sure Blighty will do its best to reset my seasonal rhythms when I get back at the weekend. Somehow I know it is going to feel strangely, perhaps unexpectedly, grounding to bite into a crisp autumn apple and to feel the nights drawing in.
I’m looking forward to seeing some of you early on Sunday morning for our virtual cookbook club session about (appropriately enough!) seasonal cookbooks. There are till a couple of places left if you’d like to join us. Just send me a message.
Thank you to those who took part in last weekend’s Ask me anything live chat / zoom. The chat can be read back here and covered thoughts on how no agent is better than a bad agent, building chapter structure, and what makes a new cookbook stand out from the many that have gone before. The zoom element was deeply immersive and more than a little cathartic for me. An honest discussion of the (many) joys and (fair few) struggles in writing / releasing a cookbook.
Right then. See some of you online on Sunday. Now I’m going to get back to enjoying my last day of sunshine before returning home to the rain.
Angela x
COOKBOOK CLUB - Our upcoming cookbook club meet-ups:
RECENTLY ELSEWHERE ON THE KITCHEN BOOKSHELF
MENTORING - Ask me anything (about making cookbooks)
IN SEASONING - on figs; a peek into autumn; a set of Seasoning postcards
MORE WRITING / RECIPES - Rabbit with plums and radicchio
A postcard from Andalusia
If I have made it at all sound like I haven’t been having a great time here then that is madly misleading. This holiday has been a treat and a tonic. Also a bit of a cookathon - in a good way - because as I mentioned last week, Gaucin’s bars and restaurants are a more rugged walk away than expected.
So, we have been loving making a couple of trips into town to stock up on local produce. Turns out it is easy to get lots and lots of fish here after all. Maria, the fishmonger, sets up twice a week. I have a feeling she thinks we are slightly ridiculous in our (over?)enthusiasm for her stock. I am also too in awe of her to want to give anything other than the impression I know my way around a filleting knife. The upshot being that I have had to up-skill myself in aspects of fish prep I usually rely on the fishmonger to do.
It’s been fun. A little squeam-inducing for the first few goes but thanks to some good wifi I can now prep baby squid, gut sardines, and clean boquerones / anchovies much better than when I got here. The main lesson learnt is one of the most basic for life: do something with as much confidence as you can muster and pretty much you’ll be ok.
Maria and we bonded the most over the rosada fish she recommended to us. We had it as a sort-of hotpot with sliced potatoes, onions, peppers and tomatoes. Breadcrumbs on top. Anchovies and bay leaves tucked in. Rosada is hard to get back home but I fancy I’ll be sharing with you soon here a recipe for hake hotpot.
We’ve been keeping a food diary. Here’s the story so far. Zoom in and scribbly as it is you can just about get the idea of how well we’ve been shopping / cooking / eating here.
Ax
I would stay there for another 4-5 months if I were you , pissing rain , howling wind and grey as can be here ! Had to put the bloody heating on finally
I keep food diaries from my travels too! Do I see a Saturday entry for a “post massage” snack? How marvellously decadent.