Sneak peek recipe from the new book + my top tips for eating in Mallorca 🇪🇸
Behind the scenes on my new book, plus where to eat and sleep on the island
Buenos Dias one all!
This week you may have seen on instagram that I’ve been on the Spanish island of Mallorca, cooking with a number of brilliantly characterful grandmothers for my next book, Mesogeio. I’m giving paid subscribers a cheeky sneak peek into one of the tastiest and easiest Spanish go-to recipes that I learned this week but before that, I wanted to share a little more on the magic time I spent on the island and a few tips if you’re thinking of heading there yourself.
So! If you’re in it for the recipe, scroll straight on down for Abuela Maria’s Pa amb Boli - Mallorca’s most iconic dish - and my interview with the 80-year-old grandmother who shared it with me.
Mallorca travel tips
What I love about Mallorca is its landscape. It’s an island you can fly direct to from Barcelona or Madrid but offers something completely distinct to the Spanish mainland. I chose to travel to Mallorca for my next book because numerous sources assured me that this was the spot in all of Spain to travel to for both authentic grandmothers and delicious, native dishes.
Mountainous with moody peaks and a dramatic craggy coastline, Mallorca has so much to offer, from dreamy sunset views over the Mediterranean to valleys dotted with pretty villages and wild flower strewn meadows where horses, sheep and hens roam. Meanwhile Palma is an enormous, buzzing city with trendy bars and restaurants you wouldn’t expect to find elsewhere. I’m sharing some of my discoveries below, because I’d so love for you to experience Mallorca as I experienced it.
If I didn’t live in Athens, I would likely live in Palma…(watch this space!)
Shop at Antic Mallorca
Hand crafted woven bags by grandmothers - what more could you wish for? I met wonderful Araceli, founder of this great initiative on my search for Mallorcan grandmothers and she was the person who led me to Maria, the grandmother whose recipe I’m sharing in today’s newsletter. Her hand woven bags use an age-old technique that very few on the island can still master. The ladies that make them are well into their 80s and 90s and are keeping the skills alive and sharing them with the next generation of weavers in Mallorca.
Stay at Casa Balandra.
I was lucky enough to be hosted here by Claudia, who hosts residencies and retreats in the family home she lovingly transformed into stylish accommodation, nestled away from the bustle of Palma. Bold north African rugs and art work donated by the artists that take part in the Casa Balandra residencies off set the neutral, earthy colour palette throughout the house.
I love the kitchen, a sort of gathering place at the heart of the home with plenty of vintage cookbooks piled high on the bottom shelf of an enviable kitchen island. The courtyard and gardens with pool and pond that lead just off from the dining area are the perfect place to take breakfast, listening to the hum of bees dipping in and out of all the foliage.
Eat at Bens D’avall
I am biased because I cooked with Abuela Ninette, the 88-year-old grandmother who founded this place back in the 1960s but having won a Michelin star recently, Bens D’avall is a must if you’re heading to the island. Positioned on a craggy outcrop of rock which overlooks the sparkling Mediterranean below, this restaurant, now run by the grandson of Ninette, Jaume, offers elegant Spanish cuisine with the most impressive sunset view on the island.
Also eat at La Mirona
Claudia, our host at Casa Balandra took Marco (the photographer) and I to La Mirona in Palma on our second night on the island. A tiny local spot run by a husband and wife duo - the parents of Claudia’s friends - this place has only three tables inside and offers up hearty small plates made with love. Here we sampled cod canneloni, tuna tartare and a hearty, slow-cooked beef stew, swilled down by local Spanish wines. It’s the ultimate place to head to if you want to rub shoulders with locals and sample some great food while you’re at it.
Coffee at Hotel Cappuccino
Set in a pretty square in Palma, Hotel Cappuccino is the spot to see and be seen at in the city. Soak up the sun and people watch between your sightseeing and beaching, then head over to the bakery directly opposite the hotel to pick up a slice of Ensaimada (a Mallorcan almond tart) to enjoy your coffee with.
Visit Lubi
This cute little village at the heart of the island is where I cooked with the lovely Abuela Maria, who taught me how to make the Pa amb Oli recipe I’m sharing with you below. It’s a rare spot that’s relatively untouched by tourism and is charming to take a stroll around or grab a coffee at the central square here.
Visit SONMO for a workshop and great souvenirs of the island
SONMO is a collective of producers and creators based in pretty hilltop region of Valle de Mossa. Visit them for beautiful hand crafted, naturally dyed linens, blankets made using the wool on the SONMO Finca as well as products like olive oil and their own gin. (Before visiting Mallorca I hadn’t realised how damn good gin and tonics were in Spain - apparently, it’s a thing.) Back to SONMO, this summer they’re also offering workshops in hand dying fabrics so follow them on instagram for updates.
NOW A SNEAK PEEK INTO MY NEXT BOOK WITH A SPECIAL RECIPE FROM ABUELA MARIA…
Driving to Maria I pass through fields full of flowering almond trees and citrus orchards with blossoms that give off the sweet scent of spring in the Med. Her home is full of intricately embroidered textiles that she has poured hours of her time into crafting, from chair covers to traditional linen curtains that hang from her windows. While we put together a simple lunch of Pa AmB Oli - which literally translates to bread and oil in Mallorquin - Maria lets me into the realities of island life and how traditions were borne of necessity here.Â
Pa’am Boli is usually eaten with Mallorquin bread which is traditionally unsalted and made with the husks of the wheat. I prefer a salty sourdough so (contrary to what Maria would advise!) I like to make this one with a normal, crusty sourdough loaf.
It exemplifies what I love most about dining in Spain - there’s a focus on simplicity and abundance in flavour. The best way to eat this is in company. Serve with olive, a good jamon and queso (Spanish cheese) and a little cervecita…
I eat Pa’am Boli every evening for dinner. It’s my go-to for something easy because let’s face it, housewives traditionally have a lot of work to do and the faster dinner is to prepare, the better. It’s in our tradition to eat this here in Mallorca and it’s one of the dishes that originated from the fact that the island was once very poor.Â
We would make the bread without salt because salt holds onto humidity and the island is very humid, meaning the bread spoils faster if its salted. Its the produce and ingredients you add to the bread that add the flavour. Of course now you can add any selection of ingredients to Pa’am Boli but I make a very simple one with the seasonal produce I can find around the village. Lubi is actually famous for capers so these always feature when I make Pa’am Boli. The key to a good one is to salt the bread before you add the topping and then again afterwards. Same goes for the oil and you must use a good quality olive oil.Â
Living on an island has meant that we often have to make use of what we have. I worked making footwear all my life because I came from a poor family and before tourism was an industry, Mallorca earned its keep with the production of shoes. We would use the rubber from old tires to create the soles of shoes here. We had to be inventive and resourceful because you’re cut off from the mainland here. The Mallorquina shoes are famous all over the world and I’m proud that they originated here because of the islanders’ resourceful nature.Â
If I have any tips for life its to work and to try and keep oneself busy. I embroider in my spare time and I have crafted so many beautiful pieces. To put your time into and create something tangible is quite a satisfying thing, whether its a meal for family or a hand-made curtain.Â
Maria, born 1945, Mallorca
ABUELA MARIA’S RECIPE - Pa amb Oli to share between fourÂ
INGREDIENTS
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