40 ~ Asparagus Time

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Just to keep up with this time of the year, I'm putting in a couple of things I've made from asparagus. April and May are the months of the spring asparagus harvest, and although it doesn't grow well in this warm climate, we still strive to put it on the table one way or another, fresh, frozen, tinned or from a glass jar.

Asparagus Pinwheels:

First cut sheets of puff pastry in long strips the width of the asparagus stalks and spread them lightly with cream cheese, then add two or three asparagus stalks, rolling them up inside the dough until you have a small log. Cut the log into thick slices and lay them on a floured cooking tray. Put in the oven at 200°C for 20 minutes or until puffed and golden. Next time I'll add chopped caramelized onion inside the rolls, and perhaps some paté or smoked salmon instead of cream cheese.

But we've had some warm sunshine the past two days and we could finally sit outside for lunch on the back garden patio today. There were so many birds flying back and forth across the garden. Since I've been feeding them they have become quite bold and will come near when they spot a dish of dry cat food on the ground.

The blackbirds were serenading us all the while as we took in the beauty of the larkspur and roses.

Our outdoor dinner today was white asparagus from Germany, served in a traditional style with boiled potatoes, hard cooked egg, sliced ham, hollandaise sauce and melted butter.

Dessert was mixed berries dusted with sugar, over vanilla ice cream.

And the baby blackbirds watch me through the window as they sit in their food dish ....

And the peaches slowly ripen on the tree...

39 ~ Roses Are Red

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I have to smile when I am driving behind a car full of plants, with branches and blooms visible and waving through the back window ahead of me.

There goes someone who is going to spend some time in the garden. I imagine them looking for the best placement of each bush or flower, hoping that conditions in that part of the garden are the best, preparing the hole, adding compost, tamping in the roots, watering them in and finally looking with satisfaction at the new arrivals, throwing a kiss and a welcoming blessing for them to prosper and grow strong.

So the other day I was the lady driving with a trunk full of red roses waving to the car behind me. The sun was shining on them and they looked positively exuberant as they bobbed to and fro. I had been to a nursery to pick up some sulphur powder to sprinkle on the leaves of the roses that are already growing in my garden. It is still the method here used on rose leaves to discourage black spot in humid weather.

But when I saw the brilliant red of La Sevillana in the garden shop, and the bright pink of Rose Dot, with its pale pink on the reverse of each petal, and yet another darker and unnamed rose, I couldn't resist buying them.

And then I spotted the Dama de Noche (Cestrum Nocturnum), a favourite bush the merits of which I've praised in my previous post. There were several small bushes filled with buds which were about to open and spill their exotic night perfume. Since I had to cut one of our bushes down a year ago to build a small patio, I decided buy another to replace it, especially as they are often difficult to find on sale here. It would go somewhere under a window, where the evening scent would enter the house.

And after thinking that a couple of my hanging baskets could do with some new colour, I picked up a portulaca, that little spreading succulent with vivid magenta flowers and a lampranthus, another spreader which blooms brilliantly in hot sun, for which its German name is Mittagsblume, or midday flower.



And to go with those, what could be prettier than alyssum, a lovely border plant for edging a lawn or for planting in pots and baskets where it will grow into a white cushion of tiny flowers, spilling over the edges and smelling of honey.

And for herbs, I can always use more thyme, one of my favourite additions in the kitchen, where I spread it by handfuls over roasting potatoes, poultry dishes and meatloaf mixtures. This one will go in a planter outside the kitchen window, where I can easily reach out and snip off a few stems. It was also time to replenish my stock of mint but that will go into its own planter box where its agressively spreading roots will not be able to invade the territory of other plants.

Well I'll have to take out the shovel and find some help to prepare the large holes for the roses, but in the meantime I'll work on the smaller ones first.
Time to put on the gloves and reach for the trowel!



La Sevillana - a modern cluster-flowered floribunda, orange-red in colour and lightly scented. Created by Meilland, France in 1978. Catalogue name: MEIgekanu
This rose is a brilliant note of colour in a garden; it blooms profusely.

Rose Dot - a modern hybrid tea created by the Spanish breeder Pedro Dot in Barcelona, 1962. It is best suited for warm climates where there is no frost. Strongly fragrant, it is a bright pink colour with lighter pink on the reverse of the petals. This rose is often difficult to find.

If you are interested in looking at rose photos, I have four albums of photos taken in my garden a few years ago and posted to Webshots where my ID is Sharose:
Album 1 - Roses
Album 2 - Roses
Album 3 - Roses
Album 4 - Roses

and on the USA rose data base Help Me Find

At present I don't have all these roses growing in the garden any more as the climate is too warm for many. Winters are very mild and there is no frost in our area. But now that I know which are the warm weather survivors, I hope to fill out the spaces with those sun lovers.

38 ~ The Lady of The Night

Carried on evening breezes, she appears after sundown, subtly creeping in...
through windows ajar, under doors, through trellises.

Softly enveloping the senses in her evocative mantle, she teases with the nostalgia of warm Mediterranean nights, strolls in dark fragrant air.

Rekindling memories of red skies and rising moons,
And barefoot sand cooling after hot afternoons.

Listening to waves and sensing the beguiling presence of The Lady of the Night, La Dama de Noche, Cestrum Nocturnum.

Modest tiny green buds opening at dusk,
transformed into seductive night ladies, irresistible to the passer-by.

Who is that, where does she come from, what is that wonderful perfume?
Ah, that is La Dama de Noche,

Enjoy her now because with the dawn she will sleep again.

Memories of Mallorca.....where I first met this beautiful, exotic, night-blooming flower.
(Canarybird)

37 ~ Canary Island Biodiversity

Here is a beautiful High Definition film clip made by Pedro Felipe and his crew of Alas Cinematografia, as a introduction to his eight-part series on the biodiversity of the Canary Islands.

"Canarias Reductos de Biodiversidad" shows the Canary Islands as a stronghold or redoubt for many species of flora and fauna. The series is being coproduced with Television Canaria and the Canary Government. Pedro Felipe is a producer of nature documentaries and is director of Alas Cinematografia. Here is this magnificent film clip which has lovely music, no narrative and beautiful imagery.
Turn up your volume and click on full screen.


Canarias reductos de biodiversidad from Pedro Felipe on Vimeo

36 ~ La Cuadra de San Diego

Spinach Salad, Bacon & Pine Nuts
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As a change I'm going to take you to La Cuadra de San Diego, a lovely little restaurant in La Matanza, Tenerife, where my friend Anne and I have been several times, she always being the one to introduce me to new places. A 16th century estate and formerly a stable area, this is a charming place to dine in or outdoors under the immense drago trees. We haven't been there since some reforms were made so it will probably have changed since our last visits when these photos were taken. Here is what it looked like in 2006 and 2007.




View of Main House

Here they make their own wine. Looking down at the vineyard and wine storage tank on the estate.
Here is the food we tried on three visits. It was all so good that I attempted to reproduce their spinach salad with bacon bits and have had a pretty good result. I'll put my recipe below. Meanwhile....here are some of their dishes:
Mixed Salad

Pork Tenderloin filled with fruit, nuts and bacon

Rabbit in Salmorejo Sauce
Pork in Puff Pastry

Lemon Tart

Chocolate Cake

Caramelized Pear with Toffee

Chocolate Fondant with Crème Anglaise

Here is their spinach salad on another day:

And here is my version of a similar creation. I have not yet put the finely sliced sauteed leek on top of mine.



SPINACH SALAD WITH ORANGE-BALSAMIC DRESSING (My Recipe)

baby spinach & ruby-edged lettuce for 4 servings*

For 1 1/2 cups dressing, enough for 4 salad servings:
3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 TBS red wine vinegar
3 TBS grated orange peel
2 teasp brown sugar
1 teasp ground cumin
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

garnish:

2 TBS sultana raisins
2 TBS pinenuts
3 strips of bacon, diced

1. Fry bacon bits until crisp.
Drain on paper and put aside.
2. Put into a blender the orange juice and zest, the two vinegars, brown sugar and cumin and blend for a few moments.
3. Slowly add the olive oil while blending, then salt & pepper to taste
4. Put half the dressing into your salad bowl and add all the greens, mixing and turning with two large spoons until greens are well coated
5. Mix in the pine nuts, raisins and bacon bits
6. Pile onto serving plates and drizzle a little more dressing on top.

* Also good is spinach with red onion rings and mandarin orange slices.

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Here is the website of La Cuadra de San Diego
It looks like they have new opening times:
Thurs. Fri. Sat. 13:00 - 16:00 and 19:30 - 23:00
Sundays 13:00 - 16:00
Phone: (922)578 385

35 ~ Plaza Del Charco

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What could be more relaxing than a stroll down to the town's main plaza on a fine sunny day. Located just behind the fishermens' harbour, Plaza del Charco (Puddle Plaza) is a favourite meeting place in downtown Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife.


The name comes from the days when the plaza used to fill with seawater but that no longer happens and nowadays the area holds an open cafe with tables sheltered under parasols, a childrens' playground, park benches and a fountain where a giant Colocasia Esculenta or Ñamera (Elephant Ear plant) grows from the centre.

There is a sidewalk around the square's perimeter with kiosks where one can buy daily papers and magazines.
This is a popular place to walk a dog, bring children to play, read the newspaper or sit and watch people go by.
It's also a place to stop after shopping and rendezvous with friends for lunch.
Nearby is a German bakery where quiches, tortilla and fresh bread sandwiches may be packed to take away and eat at home, at the beach or while sitting on a bench in the square.
Or one can have a pleasant lunch at one of the many restaurants and cafes bordering the plaza.

In warm weather one could sit for hours listening to the soft tinkle of the fountain and watching the birds fly around the overshadowing trees.
On Sundays, stamp and coin collectors congregate to display and trade their wares. It's also a day when chess enthusiasts meet to play.
The perimeter of the square is bordered by stately Canary Island palms (Phoenix Canariensis), with their crown of feather-duster foliage.
One of the shady streets leading into the square is also lined with restaurants, so one has much to choose from when planning a lunch or dinner in the area. In the evenings the square is often a lively place, where music and dancing is held on fiestas and during carnival celebrations.

34 ~ Happy Easter!

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These beautiful photos were taken by photographer
LITO BRAU and published in TINERGUIA.

Tinerguia has kindly allowed non-lucro reproduction of the same. They depict the live enactment of the Passion of Christ, as performed by the people of Adeje, in the south of Tenerife, Canary Islands at Easter 2009.

The Last Supper.

Via Dolorosa
There are many more photos on the
Tinerguia website (text in Spanish), showing this amazing living tableau, recreated yearly at Easter.