Spain - a sensual overload

Karen and I , with our cousin Jerry, (Cracker Box owner) have just spent 14 days in the most romantic, sensually invigorating city and country that we have had the pleasure to experience.

We certainly don't proclaim to be world travelers, as we have not been able to experience other cultures and countries until after our children had completed their college educations. We all know about that experience.

Certainly Paris, France, and the northern Riviera region of Italy were inspiring, but for us nothing was quite as breathtaking as Spain. The Spaniards, like many European countries, have their schedules in sync. Their typical day starts around 9 to 10 a.m.; lunch is served from about noon to 4 p.m. The stores, galleries, etc. close between 2 and 5 p.m.

Dinner starts at restaurants geared for tourism at 9 p.m. Most fine-dining restaurants do not open until 9 p.m. with the prime dinner hour being 10 and 11 p.m. Nightclubs open at midnight and go until 5 or 6 a.m. And, believe me, they do this seven days a week.

Barcelona, where we spent six days in the Gothic district by the university, has winding streets which are narrow and have a sensually intoxicating aura. Mosaic porcelain tiles lead you to grand avenues crowded with people of all walks of life. The mimes, musicians and jugglers are all part of the nightly entertainment. We were on the streets as late as 2 a.m. with thousands of other Spaniards, just enjoying the sights and sounds.

The food in Spain is as exciting as the artists that made it such a beautiful country. Salvador Dali, Miro, Picasso and Greco are just a few of the masters of the arts. The architecture in Spain is as diverse as their artists. Antoni Gaudi's work defies description. Karen did her thesis in college on design about him and his work. I was mentally prepared from seeing photos of his work, but nothing I've seen prepared me for the dramatic work of the "Sagrada Familia."

With all of this going on around you, it is no wonder the food in Spain may be the best collective work I've ever experienced. Inspiration abounds from the farmers markets, and, by the way, the Barcelona market was the largest, most complete I've ever experienced. If you have been to Pike's Market in Seattle, multiply it by four.

The holy grail of the food industry is in the northern part of Spain. This restaurant's name is El Buli, and it is owned by Ferran Adria. Unfortunately, we were not able to experience this cutting-edge restaurant because it is only open eight months per year. The other four months are spent busily working in "labs," creating new and exciting tastes.

Adria has influenced some of the greatest chefs and dining trends in all corners of the world. Even though we did not get to enjoy this restaurant, we were able to experience the cuisine of his disciples, both in Barcelona and Toledo.

From their varying styles of tapas to their handling of wild-game birds, rabbit, pork and of course, the abundance of fresh fish, the most consistent part of the dining experience was the love affair that Spaniards have with their dry cured hams. Styles vary between the regions.

A typical Barcelona dinner starts with tapas. Styles vary, and most Americans have a perception of them as being little tastes on platforms made of bread or other individual, bite-size dishes. We were told, and I visited with many chefs and restaurant owners, that tapas truly are series of small dishes to be shared at dinner or during the interval (8 to 10 p.m.) before dinner.

The style can be as simple as marinated sardines, anchovies or olive mixes (I'm in love with Spanish olives) or as complicated as a fois gras mousse with a poached egg nestled on top. We had a sausage made with pork and duck fois gras sliced and served on a bed of white beans with a sweet port reduction. The dish took your breath away.

The Spaniards handle shellfish with a very light hand - typically steaming them gently and serving them in an assortment of preparations. One that caught my eye was extra-virgin olive oil, flat-leaf parsley and finely chopped Serrano ham with a purée of roasted sweet red pepper.

Obviously, with the abundance of olive oil, most dishes are cooked with it rather than butter. The Spaniards are proud of their olive oil, and they should be. For my palette, it was the best oil experience, including the fine oils of Italy.

Today, I am going to give you a couple of tapa-style recipes that I brought back with me. These appetizers are light and small but, very flavorful.

The typical wines served with these preparations is rosata, which is a blush style grenache, or a cava rosata, which is a sparkling wine from Spain made in a champagne style. This particular wine is made from 100 percent pinot noir grapes. They are light, fresh and very dry with a slight hint of raspberry.

To find these wines, or something comparable, visit our friends at Ben's Liquor and Aloha Wine and Liquor. Talk to them about the Spanish wines and try some of these wonderful wines - explore and experiment.

Also, many thanks, Pauline, for the inspiration.

As always please enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Crostini Topped with Mozzarella, Anchovies and Sweet Red Onions

Slice 6 pieces of baguette about half-inch thick. Place in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for about 15 minutes to toast. They should be hard and crispy. Remove from the oven and rub all over both sides with Spanish extra-virgin olive oil.

Slice fresh mozzarella 1/4-inch thick and slice the sweet red onion 1/8-inch thick. Let your cheese warm up after you slice it. Place 2 slices of mozzarella on each crostini and add a few slices of sweet red onion on top. Place 2 anchovy filets on top of this and add fresh ground pepper. Immediately before serving, drizzle olive oil over the top of each.

Serves 6 at room temperature.

Stuffed Roma Tomatoes with Crab

• 6 Roma tomatoes, ripe

• 1/4 cup finely chopped almonds (soak in milk for 8 hours first)

• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 2 T. mayonnaise

• 1 T. Spanish extra virgin olive oil

• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

• 4 ounces Dungeness crab meat (check for shells)

• 2 T. bread crumbs

• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

• 1 boiled egg finely chopped for garnish

Place the tomatoes in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes. Remove and immediately place into a bowl of ice water and leave for approximately 10 minutes. Remove from bowl and peel the skin from the tomatoes.

Place the tomatoes on a cutting board and slice about a 1/4 inch off the long side. Scoop out the seeds so that you can add the stuffing.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except for the chopped egg. Mix carefully but gently. Stuff the tomatoes and garnish with the finely chopped egg and a sprinkle of parsley. Serves 6.

-- Charlie Abowd is the owner and chef at Adele's. He and his wife, Karen, have lived in Carson City since 1980. Charlie is a fourth-generation restaurateur.