The Cheese from La Mancha
I'm not really sure where to begin on the subject at hand — cheese. You see, I love cheese. All cheese. I might even be so bold as to say I am an expert on eating cheese. In fact, a meal of just cheese with a loaf of crusty bread (OK, and some wine) is perfectly acceptable to me on any given day. When travelling, I find this simple way of eating one of the best ways to discover local cheeses, or any regional ingredients, for that matter. And I don't just eat this way when travelling. A mid-week meal for me is often just as I've described above. Yes, this redhead is in a love affair with all things cheese.
In recent years, the tapas trend has brought Spain’s food into the limelight. Gwyneth (Paltrow) and Mario (Batali) have done loads for the “I want, I need to go to Spain” movement with their documentary program Spain...On the road again. This mouth-watering tour had both foodies and non-foodies around the world planning trips to explore this country’s varied cuisine.
One of Spain’s regional heroes (and probably it’s most recognized cheese) is Manchego: a deliciously tangy sheep’s milk cheese with a recognizable herringbone skin. If you have never sampled Manchego cheese on its own, I highly recommend you do. Then pair it with something a little sweet, like membrillo (quince paste). The salty-sweet combination is a mouth party! I will also recommend making these little cheese bites – crispy and warm tossed in a little Maldon sea salt that has been flavoured with smoked paprika. They're highly addictive — I’ll even admit to eating them cold.
A trip to Spain is definitely on the agenda for me this year, however I'm relieved that this local star of La Mancha is widely exported, so I can savour it at any given time. I am convinced you could spend a lifetime discovering the vast world of cheeses. Hmm, that sounds quite appealing. Sign me up.
Andrea Stewart
It’s not surprising that three of Andrea Stewart’s favourite foods are bread, butter and champagne, since her approach to all things culinary has always been pure and simple. This experienced, creative and enterprising chef and editor approaches cooking and eating with a solid appreciation for fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. Andrea’s journey with food began while living in France, working as an au pair for Grace Jones. While feeding the young offspring of the famous singer, she was tempted on a daily basis by the busy, colourful French food markets. Later on, she spent a summer at Ecole de Gastronomie Francaise Ritz-Escoffier and fell in love all over again with everything France had to offer. Upon returning to Canada, she was accepted at the acclaimed Stratford Chefs School and after completing her first year she headed to New York to further sharpen her skills, working alongside some of the finest (including Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto) and catering Martha Stewart’s executive meetings. Andrea returned to Toronto in 1996, and further immersed herself in her career, working at some of the city’s top food fixtures, including Mildred Pierce and Ace Bakery. She eventually took a side-step out of the kitchen and into the halls of magazine publishing, landing a position as Food Editor of Wish Magazine in 2004. While inspiring busy Canadian wonder-women to cook from scratch, she published her first cookbook, Wish, Market to Table. From street food to fine dining to unfamiliar grocery stores, food still motivates Andrea at every turn. She recently sold everything but a prized collection of cookbooks and moved to the U.K., where her culinary library spans the two floors of her London flat. She won’t rest until she has cooked from every one of them!