tapas

Palma de Mallorca

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With the summer ending I decided to throw caution and all fiscal responsibility to the wind and slip in a quick 48 hour visit to Palma.

The only thing disappointing about it was that I couldn’t stay longer. The climate was perfect, hot at the start of September, but with a nice sea breeze coming from the beautiful but quite bougie marina.

The old town has some spectacular honey coloured sandstone buildings, the most impressive of which is the cathedral. (Quick traveler tip, check opening times as the latest entry on the Saturday afternoon we visited was 2.30pm). You can also buy tickets online to avoid the queue at busy times. The ticket also gives access to the bishop’s house beside the cathedral.

Why not squeeze in a little bit of culture, you can visit several Joan Miro exhibitions, he lived in Palma for several decades. I visited one the free exhibitions of sculptures (all the signs up saying don’t touch the sculptures just triggered my impulse control issues and made me want to do it more). The building itself was like a work of art. Situated in shaded square, lined with bars/restaurant were you can enjoy a glass of wine and some tapas. It was a very pleasant way to slip from afternoon to evening.

Palma is more of a working town than resort and you’ll see fewer tourists than in resorts along the coast, but English is widely spoken, which was useful as my rudimentary Spanish escaped me whenever anyone asked me a question.

Traditional Mallorcan food is hearty and they are very fond of meat and of different pastries, the most recognisable is the Mallorcan ensaimada. This is a super light spiral of pastry topped with icing sugar and can also come filled. A word of warning if you’re vegetarian, most pastries are made with pig lard, so it might be worth checking before you buy.

Good food and drink are easy to find, although prices are probably on a par with the UK. Its definitely more expensive than mainland Spain, but most islands are a bit more expensive due to the cost of having to import everything. Palma has a high-end feel. If you look at the price of real estate in the town, you’ll see why.

Local rabbit with a delicious but super pungent garlic and herb sauce.

After a glowing recommendation from a work mate we took a cute little wooden train to the town of Soller https://trendesoller.com/eng/whattosee/soller

The train journey takes about an hour from Palma to Soller. It takes you overland past lemon and olive groves. The return fare costs 40 Euro. Soller is very quaint with a laid back Boho vibe with lots of cool artisan shops and surrounded by lovely countryside.

From the town square you can take a wooden tram out to Port de Soller which takes about 20 minutes. This is a gorgeous crescent shaped bay with a light house, marina and plenty of places to eat, drink and shoP. There is a good beach where you can hire a spot under thatched parasols with 2 sun loungers for about 18 Euro. Unfortunately I had a brain fart that day and didn’t charge my phone enough, so can’t post photos, but check the link attached and the pictures they use are accurate. I would definitely visit both Palma and Soller again and allow more time to enjoy them properly.

Croquetas de Jamon Serrano (Spanish Ham Croquettes)

Seaneen's Sunnyside Kitchen3 Comments
Crunchy coating and molten melting centre.

I first had these a couple of years ago in Madrid. The Spanish have an incredibly civilised social life. When going out for the evening you can order plates of tapas to snack on while enjoying a cold beer or glass of wine. Most bars will give you a little snack or tapas if you order a drink, and each bar has their own specialty.

So with a little bar hopping you can taste some great food if you don’t fancy a big sit down dinner. The tapas also helps you slow down to enjoy your drink and is also meant to help line your stomach to help prevent you getting drunk (I honestly didn’t see a single drunk person on my nights out, so maybe they’re on to something)

These croquetas are made with ham, but this can also be substituted with a cheese like manchego, that has a good flavour. While these are a little bit fiddly, you’ll be rewarded with highly addictive tapas that you’ll love.

Makes 10-12

Ingredients

30 Grams Butter

2 Tbsps Olive Oil

1 Small onion (finely chopped)

70 Grams Serrano ham (finely chopped)

500ml Milk

60 Grams Plain flour

2 eggs

Extra flour for coating

Breadcrumbs for coating

Salt and pepper

Bite into the crunchy croquetas to the creamy tender ham flecked centre

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a pan, and fry the onion over a gentle heat (so it doesn’t colour) until until translucent
  2. When the onion is cooked add the butter
  3. When the butter is melted, stir in the flour. Add the milk and stir continuously to make sure there are no lumps
  4. The sauce will start to thicken, keep stirring and simmer until the sauce no longer tastes “floury”
  5. Stir in the ham, and remove from the heat. Check the seasoning, I like to add a little black pepper, but because the ham is salty you shouldn’t need to add any. Place a layer of cling film on top of the sauce (it will stop a skin forming), and allow to cool
  6. Separate out the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in different bowls
  7. I usually take a good table spoon of the the cooled sauced mixture (which should now be firm), and roll in to a small oblong shape (wetting your hands is a good way to stock them getting sticky)
  8. Once you have rolled all the cooled sauce mixture into little sausages, heat vegetable oil (I usually wait the oi is hot enough for a cube of bread to fry quickly, i know this is low tech but I don’t own a deep fat fryer)
  9. While the oil is heating, roll the little sausage you made first in flour, then egg, and finally roll in the breadcrumbs
  10. Once coated with breadcrumbs add the croquetta to the oil and fry for 2-3 minutes ensuring the brown on all sides (don’t add too many to the oil all at once)
  11. Drain on kitchen paper and eat while hot.