pa amb oli

One thing I loved about our recent holiday was travelling with as little as possible - just some books and a few clothes. It makes you focus on simplicity, something quite tricky to capture in day-to-day living. Already I feel as if the emptiness of my Majorcan mind is receding faster than I'd like, and I struggle to hold onto the belief that I can manage with far less than I have.

The national dish of Majorca, as extolled by Tomas Graves (author of Bread & Oil, son of poet Robert Graves, lives on Majorca) is pa amb oli or bread and oil. This is unsalted, sourdough bread baked in a wood-fired oven. It's then smeared with, or dipped in, local, green, spicy olive oil. This appealed to me in my fortnight of simple living. We sought out traditional bakers and bought some decent Majorcan oil. All we needed to add was sea-salt and tomatoes, and we had the perfect snack/lunch/meal to go with our wine.

It's hard to recapture the practical, material and even intellectual simplicity I enjoyed while I was away, but baking a loaf of focaccia today with olive oil and salt drizzled and scattered on top, made me reconsider just how satisfying it is to create the basics for the good life.

                         ***

The one material need I have on holiday is books. I did read all the books in the pile I took with me, and I will write about them very soon. Suffice to say, Elizabeth Taylor novels do not suffer for being read one after the other, the talented Mr Ripley is very clever but the police and those around him aren't, Persephone books travel brilliantly but Prep doesn't.

Comments

[littlejennywren]

Yummo. This is one of my favourite things to eat. My salt crusted focaccia is legendary (in this house)and when you add a fruity olive oil and perfect tomatoes, or if the tomatoes are so-so then just some balsamic vinegar, I'm in heaven.
Perfect for sharing or indulging in alone.
I am so looking forward to summer and home grown tomatoes.Thanks for the preview.

[Gemma]

Gorgeous bread. One of my favorites from Spain is local bread with olive oil drizzled on it and then rubbed with a garlic clove. The locals eat it for breakfast though! I never became that indoctrinated to local culture even after ten years of living there full time!

[caroline]

Bread, good olive oil and a glass of cold cerveza - my idea of a simple heaven.

Lucia Graves (daughter of Robert) has written a lovely book "A Woman Unknown: Voices from a Spanish Life" all about growing up in Majorca and life in Spain.

[janel]

Mmmm those tomatoes are making my mouth water....

[anne]

I long for the simplicity you describe. My family doesn't think a meal is a proper meal unless it takes me hours to prepare, plus many pans to clean afterwards. Anything quick and easy is "cheating." How I wish I could convert them to the simple -- and to my mind, superior -- taste of good bread, oil, salt, and tomatoes.

[sabine]

thanks for mentioning tomas graves. i didn't knew that robert graves son is a cuisine expert! as a child, i read graves book on pompeji (a bit poor in language though) and when i was in majorca this spring, in deia, i visited this grave! must have been an extremely interesting community on majorca/ in deia in early 20th century (not to forget frederic&georges á valdemossa).....

[rac]

yum yum! I'm hungry now. This is one of my hubby's favorites (His parents are from Andalusia)

[Dorothy B]

That looks like a very tasty treat for lunch.

[Beth S.]

That looks so, so delicious. (I could never do one of those no-carb diets. Life is too short to give up good bread!)

[eireann]

haHA, Prep, take THAT!

[Alicia P.]

Oh, my poor Prep! I hope you will still love me, at least!!!

[Amy]

I loved your words and photos, as always. Your trip seems to have been idyllic and restorative and I'm fighting off envy. Those tomatoes look as red as rubies speaking of envy.

I agree that being simple is, for some of us, really complex. WHY?

[--Deb]

Yum!

Which reminds me, it's been months since I baked any bread . . .

[Janice]

I love summer for the fresh from the garden tomatoes, fresh basil, sweet onions, garlic, sea salt and olive oil. Bruschetta on toasted good bread rubbed with garlic. Sheer heaven!!!!!

[Stephenie]

I found your blog a month ago and have really enjoyed it -- especially due to the way books seem to be such a part to your life. Your suggestions are refreshing to a girl in Jackson, Mississippi, and I wanted to let you know that I just finished Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (found in the large print section of the library with a very dated still life photo on the cover), and I loved, loved it -- the book, not the cover.

[vanessa]

My parents live in Spain, so my husband and I go out about twice a year to visit. We find that all those delicious things we ate in Spain, which we bring back with us, never quite taste the same here............

[alice]

You have the knack of making such ordinary items look so striking. It's a gift.

[Sooz]

Oh it's the very worst part of a trip - coming home to feel the layers of fossilisation build up around you. The stuff, the responsibilities, the routines, the overly complex way life gets lived. And despite the minor inroads you make (I still haven't unpacked my jewellery from before our time in Thailand last year for example) the grim reality is that the wonderful sense of simplicity and possibility is bit by bit worn away by being home. I envy you that you can still taste it. And so lovely that you are still savouring it.

[Tracy]

Your bread is beautiful! It inspires me to make some focaccia and other goodies I've not made in a while. So great to hear about how you take pictures. Your still-life pictures are stunning!

[Becky / Knitting Interrupted]

Could I tempt you into joining my "Groovy Knitters" list (see this post http://knitting-interrupted.com/2006/08/30/photos-wanted/ ) I'd love to use some of your knitting photos on my Leggy Creations!