I forgot to post about some stuff before I left for Madrid... So here's a quick update on a few things I left out.
On Tuesday a ton of people decided they wanted to go to an Exhibition game (or "friendly match") between Bilbao Athletic and Paraguay. The tickets were really cheap so we decided to join in. This time our seats were up higher, but it seemed like the stadium was a lot more packed. Maybe because they tickets were so cheap that everyone could afford to go. There were tons of die-hard Paraguay fans that used a red, white, and blue flag of Paraguay to cover a section of seats and they went absolutely crazy every time they scored. Which happened a lot since Bilbao was playing their second string team.
Paraguay celebrating another goal...
Now I obviously do not know a lot about soccer... So when some little girls game running up to these guys in front of us for pictures and autographs I assumed they were famous, but I had no idea who they might be. That's when we had our friend Michelle ask a fellow Athletic fan and he explained they were two of Bilbao's first string players, the goal keeper Gorka Iraizoz and the left defender Koikili Lertxundi. It was so strange to me! These guys were sitting right in front of us with their families and friends and not a guard in sight. And they weren't even really bothered a majority of the time. I can only imagine if a player sat amongst the fans in Giants stadium without any protection.
We really wanted to get a picture or have our tickets signed, but that's when the kids started flooding in. They were getting cell phone pictures, having their jerseys signed, just trying to say hi. We weren't so sure we would get our chance. At one point I just threw my camera at a kid and we practically jumped on the goal keeper to get a picture with him. Unfortunately Koikili isn't in it with us. But we were lucky because after that I think they had finally gotten fed up with the attention and they moved their seats to a different unknown section. Hey, at least I got my picture!
On Wednesday I went to my second cooking class. Amidst cooking another three dishes my professor commented on how I look like Nicole Kidman. I never really thought of that before, but I guess I can see some resemblance?? Just a random thought...Anyway, first we made Tomates Provenzales, then Paella de carne, and for dessert we made Torrijas. A very delicious meal that I would probably rank above the last one we made! The Tomates were a really easy recipe. You basically take your desired number of tomatoes and cut them in half. Then you pour some olive oil into a frying pan, let it heat, and then you cook the flat sides of the tomatoes for about a minute. When this is done you sprinkle some salt on the cooked tops and spread a mixture of garlic, oregano, olive oil, and parsley over that and bake them in the oven for about fifteen minutes. I'm not a fan of tomatoes, but these were really good!
They are more appetizing than they look... I swear!
I was really excited to make the paella. It is one of my favorite dishes over here in Spain (and that says a lot). Paella is a rice dish with meats and other chopped vegetables mixed in. It is also often made with seafood (including shrimp that have eyes!) Our dish was only being made with chicken, but we made the legitimate kind because sometimes people just cook the rice by adding water, but we made a colga. It is a broth made up from water, left over chicken parts, peppers, and onions. A lot of bars just offer it as a hot drink to sip in the colder weather. It made this dish taste fantastic! Javi also did not add saphron or yellow coloring which is usually a major characteristic of the dish, but it tasted just the same!
Looks more delicious when there's coloring... But it still hit the spot!
Then the dessert. I was really excited about Torrijas after our professor explained them to us. It is actually a really simple recipe and reminds me a lot of American french toast. First, you make a mixture with milk, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and a bit of lemon peel and heat it until warm. Then you take slices of stale bread and let it soak in the liquid. (I think Javi may have let it soak too long, because it seemed a bit soggy when we finally ate it.) After the bread is soaked, you dip it into beaten eggs and fry it in olive oil for a minute on each side. When this is done you roll the slices around in sugar and cinnamon. Sounds delicious right??? It was!! But I could barely take another bite after I was done... I was so full!
I really hope I can come home and make all of these dishes for everyone. And I am relieved we're cooking things I actually want to eat, rather than the greasy and mysterious food that is served in my dorm. I also forgot to mention that during the soccer game I got really excited at half time because I thought everyone was eating hot dogs (nothing like a ball game hot dog...) when they took out a foil wrapped snack, but then I realized everyone had brought bocadillos (sandwiches on a baguette). We can have these made for us if we do not make it to lunch on any given day in our dorm. But just goes to show that this country is all about their meal times!
My class at the Txoko
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