There where white houses covered in the scrags of last year’s vines and decked with bright geraniums and bougainvillea; mules were ploughing; boiler-suited growers were bent bum-up amid perfect lines of vegetables; a palm tree shaded the road where hens were swimming in the dust. Dogs slept in the road in the shade, cats slept in the road in the sun. The creature with lowest priority on the road was the car. I stopped and backed up a bit to go round a lemon.”Drive over lemons” ordered Georgina.There were, it was true, a hell of a lot of lemons. They hurtled past, borne on a stream of water that bubbled nearby; in places the road was a mat of mashed fruit, and the earth beneath the trees was bright with fallen yellow orbs. I remembered a half-forgotten snatch of song, something about a lovelorn gypsy throwing lemons into the Great River until it turned to gold.
This week, we’re changing styles and discovering a light and entertaining memoir. Because let’s face it, wouldn’t we all like to drive over some lemons every once in a while ?
The Story in one phrase
Chris and his wife Ana buy an old farm in southern Andalucia, that ends up being their family home, after years of work and wonderfully amusing adventures.
Je m’appelle… brief biography
Every biography of Chris Stewart starts with the fact that he was the original drummer and founding member of Genesis. However, without his writing career, I doubt we would have made his acquaintance years later.
So let me introduce Chris Stewart as a British born author, a sheep sheerer, a farmer, and lover of Andalucia. The Trilogy is a memoir of the starting years of their family, begginig with the purchase of El Valero, a recluded farm in Las Alpujarras region in Spain, the years spent rebuilding and restauring the farm, the birth of their daughter and her childhood.
Top 3 details
Authentic spanish life : I like the fact that the locals and their traditions are neither idealised nor frowned upon. As an expat myself, I can relate to the feeling of everything being exotic or different, it is what motivates us, I think, to live in another culture. There is a great deal of reverence in the writing, and I find it quite touching.
The humour : for a light travel read, you would it expect it to be funny, but maybe for different reasons. The self-mockery and the funny situations that forreigners can encounter in remote parts of the world are what make the books so endearing.
An ode to simplicity : these books make you hungry for a tomato, they make you miss the song of birds at sunset or the sweet silence of an afternoon siesta. The things that make Chris Stewart’s life more beautiful are simple yet charming in their authenticity. That is truly refreshing !
Favourite Quote
“So you got the parrot, then”, she said, with an unmistakably accusing edge to her voice.
“What on earth do you mean by that ?” I asked.
“Well, if you want a parrot enough, and your energy is right, then a parrot will come.
Life Lesson
One of the things I like about reading memoirs, is that they offer the perfect learning opportunity. We always hear the saying “Learn from your mistakes”,but isn’t it easier to learn from the mistakes of others? Or even better, their success ?
Chris Stewart’s life story is fascinating for anyone dreaming of a radically different life. Leave everything behind and build a simpler, more honest life. But sometimes, the illusion of the grass being greener elsewhere, makes us blind to the beauty surrounding us where we are.
I think that once my escapism needs were fulfilled by the story, this is what remained :
Paco is my only country Spanish friend who would suggest such a thing. Other country people I know are not unaware of the beauty of nature and the countryside around them; they just live and work amongst it, rather than taking active steps to seek it out. The idea of walking into the hills to find the most spectacular grove of blossoming almonds would no more occur to them than it would occur to a commuter to hop off a train a stop early simply to admire the station. […] Now an almond flower is quite the loveliest thing ever seen. There’s only the subtlest of scents, but, with the exquisite beauty of the pale pink petals, clouds of them against the burned black of the trunk, you hardly need a scent. And through the mist of petals, which hum with great blue abejorros or carpenter bees, you see the bright blue of the sky. It makes your heart droop with pleasure like a heavily laden branch.
Why you should read it
It has humour, it has real life, it has joy and it reminds us to pay attention to the details arround us.
This is a book that brings summer into your life !
The Ritual
It’s a gloomy and gray afternoon where I am, but reading Chris Stewart’s Driving over Lemons trilogy gives me the perfect excuse to escape in a sunny and delicious Andalucia.
So what could be better than an exploration of southern spanish cuisine to light up the home.
Andalucia has an amazingly wide variety of scenery – from Europe’s second-highest mountain range, to the continent’s only desert, and of course hundreds of km of stunning coastline. Life is wildely different in Sevilla from Malaga, and even more so in the recluded rugged mountains.
There, the local cuisine has adapted to simple ingredients at hand.
Ajo Blanco – Malaga’s cold soup
Now, the gazpacho is world famous and needs no introduction. However, it is just one of the spanish cold soups that offer refreshment and nourrishment during the hot iberian summers. Today, we’ll make a nice ajo blanco, tipical of Malaga. The base consists of almonds and soaked bread, you can imagine it was made with stale bread and last year’s harvest of almonds safely kept in the cellars. You add a clove of garlic to that, some extra virgin olive oil, a hint of Xerxes vinegar, salt and water until you get your perfect consistency. Served over some grapes, it’s an authentic country side soup of Andalucia.
Patatas a lo pobre – poor man’s potatoes
For the main course, we will stick with the simple cuisine of the farmers, and make an easy and delicious Patatas a lo pobre, or Poor man’s potatoes.
In the first book of the Trilogy, when Chris meets the previous owner of the farm, he gets invited to a simple meal of Patatas a lo pobre, that later becomes a staple in the Stewart household. So let’s begin !
We slice up some potatoes, not too fine or else they’ll break while cooking, and throw them in a pan with some olive oil. Start with a cold pan and let the temperature rise with the potatoes inside, this will ensure they will slowly become tender, like a french confit, rather then fry quickly. When you start to see some colour, about half way through, add in the onion and peppers. Salt and pepper to taste. And let them melt into the potatoes, slowly at medium heat. You’ll know when it’s ready, the potatoes look like they want to become a mash, but with a hint of colour to them. Serve this with some chopped parsley and maybe a juicy tomato salad. If you are not the poorest of the poor, you could fry an egg on the side, or even serve this with some meat. But for this rainy afternoon, I think my simple Patatas a lo pobre will suffice.
Lemon Pie
Now for desert, things are slightly less “poor”. As you well know from the Book video, I have quite a few lemons on my hands. So what could be better than a lemon pie. I took the lazy road to the pie crust, and bought a ready made one, that I cooked with some dry beans inside, so it will keep a nice shape.For the lemon curd, you start by heating up the juice of three lemons with the zest of one. Meanwhile, you whisk together 3 eggs, sugar and one tablespoon of corn starch. When you lemon juice is boiling, you add it gradually to the egg mixture, than transfer back into the pan and cook it on medium heat whisking constantly, until it thickens. You let it cool off for a while, 20 minutes will do, then add in some room temperature butter, and mix it through.Pour it inside your pie crust, zest over some lime, and let it rest in the fridge for an hour.
Vino tinto de verano
All this is quite delicious, but in the spanish heat, I could really go for a refreshing drink. Tinto de verano is Sangria’s cousin, less alcoholic but equally delicious. Start by preparing your fruit, a Granny Smith apple, one orange and one lemon.In a large jug add some ice, the fruit, then fill the half with red wine, and the remaining half with lemon lime soda. If you close your eyes while drinking, you can almoast hear the parrot in the pepper tree.
Well this was an afternoon well saved from the rain. I can go back to my book while you start writing your shopping list.
Hasta pronto ! and in the meantime, enjoy your reading, and your rituals !
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