12An UneXPeCted Journey13 Back in 2010, my mother called me one day and asked if I knew anything about the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (also known as St. James’s Way), a series of medieval pilgrimage routes all culminating at the Cathedral of Santiago in northwestern Spain, where the remains of the apostle St. James the Great are believed to be buried. She wondered if I would ever consider walking it to which I casually responded: “Maybe someday.” She immediately informed me: “When you decide to go, let me know . . . I’m going with you.” We made no concrete plans and the conversation was quickly forgotten—until a year later when I realized that I needed to get away for some much-needed time to reflect on the course of my life. I recalled our conversation and a couple of others that I had had with friends who had walked the Camino. A great curiosity about the Camino was growing in me and I realized that I was ready to go. My mother eagerly accepted my invitation to join me and we settled for a departure date only four weeks away. We scrambled to book airplane tickets, gather our bearings, and—most importantly— buy gear that we knew nothing about, neither of us being experienced hikers.In the midst of our planning, a friend suggested I write about my Camino experience. While appealing, I knew that many personal accounts of the Camino had already been published. If I were to undertake the laborious process of writing a book, I wanted to be sure that it would be different from what already existed. So I decided to keep a daily Camino journal with the hopes that it would provide the clarity I needed to write a book. We had a wonderful Camino with all of its pains, challenges, and joys—but no book revealed itself.A number of months later, in the middle of a ten-mile walk in Miami Beach, it occurred to me that were I on the Camino, I would be searching for breakfast number two right now. Pilgrim metabolisms tend to speed up significantly and having multiple breakfasts on any given day is as ubiquitous as the menú de peregrino, the inexpensive 12An UneXPeCted Journey13 Back in 2010, my mother called me one day and asked if I knew anything about the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (also known as St. James’s Way), a series of medieval pilgrimage routes all culminating at the Cathedral of Santiago in northwestern Spain, where the remains of the apostle St. James the Great are believed to be buried. She wondered if I would ever consider walking it to which I casually responded: “Maybe someday.” She immediately informed me: “When you decide to go, let me know . . . I’m going with you.” We made no concrete plans and the conversation was quickly forgotten—until a year later when I realized that I needed to get away for some much-needed time to reflect on the course of my life. I recalled our conversation and a couple of others that I had had with friends who had walked the Camino. A great curiosity about the Camino was growing in me and I realized that I was ready to go. My mother eagerly accepted my invitation to join me and we settled for a departure date only four weeks away. We scrambled to book airplane tickets, gather our bearings, and—most importantly— buy gear that we knew nothing about, neither of us being experienced hikers.In the midst of our planning, a friend suggested I write about my Camino experience. While appealing, I knew that many personal accounts of the Camino had already been published. If I were to undertake the laborious process of writing a book, I wanted to be sure that it would be different from what already existed. So I decided to keep a daily Camino journal with the hopes that it would provide the clarity I needed to write a book. We had a wonderful Camino with all of its pains, challenges, and joys—but no book revealed itself.A number of months later, in the middle of a ten-mile walk in Miami Beach, it occurred to me that were I on the Camino, I would be searching for breakfast number two right now. Pilgrim metabolisms tend to speed up significantly and having multiple breakfasts on any given day is as ubiquitous as the menú de peregrino, the inexpensive 14three-course menu offered to pilgrims all along the way. I realized I had to write about food on the Camino. Experiencing food—learning about, preparing, and eating it—is one of my greatest passions and when it brings loved ones together, it is joy in its purest form! In addition, I once attended culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and enjoy sharing my knowledge of food with others. While I have walked various Camino routes four times, the focus of this book is on foods along the Camino Francés, the most travelled route to Santiago de Compostela. Some of these foods can be found on other Camino routes (or throughout Spain), while others are pretty unique to some of the towns on the Francés. This book is laid out in the order of the regions and towns I travelled through—and where I had amazing meals—even mentioning the specific restaurant when possible. For those of you who have walked the Camino, I hope the thirty recipes in this book allow you to relive some of your Camino food experiences at home and bring back wonderful memories of meals shared with other pilgrims, an integral part of any Camino. For those of you who have yet to set foot on the Camino, perhaps these recipes will give you one more thing to look forward to while embarking on one of the most meaningful life experiences you will ever have.¡Buen Provecho & Buen Camino!Yosmar Monique Martinez 1514three-course menu offered to pilgrims all along the way. I realized I had to write about food on the Camino. Experiencing food—learning about, preparing, and eating it—is one of my greatest passions and when it brings loved ones together, it is joy in its purest form! In addition, I once attended culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and enjoy sharing my knowledge of food with others. While I have walked various Camino routes four times, the focus of this book is on foods along the Camino Francés, the most travelled route to Santiago de Compostela. Some of these foods can be found on other Camino routes (or throughout Spain), while others are pretty unique to some of the towns on the Francés. This book is laid out in the order of the regions and towns I travelled through—and where I had amazing meals—even mentioning the specific restaurant when possible. For those of you who have walked the Camino, I hope the thirty recipes in this book allow you to relive some of your Camino food experiences at home and bring back wonderful memories of meals shared with other pilgrims, an integral part of any Camino. For those of you who have yet to set foot on the Camino, perhaps these recipes will give you one more thing to look forward to while embarking on one of the most meaningful life experiences you will ever have.¡Buen Provecho & Buen Camino!Yosmar Monique Martinez 159697TASTES OF THE CAMINOCastilla y LéonLéon• 36 large, meaty, cured olives• ¼ cup (60 ml) dry white wine• ¼ cup (60 ml) Spanish extra virgin olive oil• 4 garlic cloves, minced• 1 teaspoon coarsely chopped rosemary (about half a sprig)• ¼ teaspoon (1 g) dried chili flakes • Zest of one orangeingredientsPreheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Rinse the olives under cold water and place them in a clay, ceramic, or glass dish large enough to hold all the olives in one layer. Whisk the wine, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, chili flakes, and orange zest in a bowl and then pour the mixture over the olives. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until the olives plump up, about 15–20 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve warm.Aceitunas al HornoBaked Olives9697TASTES OF THE CAMINOCastilla y LéonLéon• 36 large, meaty, cured olives• ¼ cup (60 ml) dry white wine• ¼ cup (60 ml) Spanish extra virgin olive oil• 4 garlic cloves, minced• 1 teaspoon coarsely chopped rosemary (about half a sprig)• ¼ teaspoon (1 g) dried chili flakes • Zest of one orangeingredientsPreheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Rinse the olives under cold water and place them in a clay, ceramic, or glass dish large enough to hold all the olives in one layer. Whisk the wine, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, chili flakes, and orange zest in a bowl and then pour the mixture over the olives. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until the olives plump up, about 15–20 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve warm.Aceitunas al HornoBaked Olives124TASTES OF THE CAMINOGaliciaBarbadeloPaella MixtaChicken and Shellfish Paella Originally from Valencia, paella derives its name from the paellera, the two-handled wide, shallow container in which it is prepared. It is difficult to find decent paella along the Camino, as many establishments sell a frozen product that does not do justice to Spain’s national dish. However, at Casa Barbadelo in the small hamlet of Barbadelo, I had an exquisite homemade paella that reminded me why I enjoy making this dish! In Spain, most paellas mixtas are made with a combination of shellfish and rabbit. As rabbit can be difficult to find in the United States, I often use chicken. Traditionally, paellas are cooked over an open fire, but if you don’t have an open fire or paella burner available, I find that cooking it on the grill yields an excellent result and is a lovely way to entertain. Paelleras are sold in many diameters, all usually marked with the appropriate number of servings. This recipe calls for a 13.5 inches/34 cm pan, perfect for serving six. An excellent paella will have a caramelized rice crust, called socarrat, in the bottom of the pan when it is done.125Serves 6124TASTES OF THE CAMINOGaliciaBarbadeloPaella MixtaChicken and Shellfish Paella Originally from Valencia, paella derives its name from the paellera, the two-handled wide, shallow container in which it is prepared. It is difficult to find decent paella along the Camino, as many establishments sell a frozen product that does not do justice to Spain’s national dish. However, at Casa Barbadelo in the small hamlet of Barbadelo, I had an exquisite homemade paella that reminded me why I enjoy making this dish! In Spain, most paellas mixtas are made with a combination of shellfish and rabbit. As rabbit can be difficult to find in the United States, I often use chicken. Traditionally, paellas are cooked over an open fire, but if you don’t have an open fire or paella burner available, I find that cooking it on the grill yields an excellent result and is a lovely way to entertain. Paelleras are sold in many diameters, all usually marked with the appropriate number of servings. This recipe calls for a 13.5 inches/34 cm pan, perfect for serving six. An excellent paella will have a caramelized rice crust, called socarrat, in the bottom of the pan when it is done.125Serves 6Next >