The “Marjal De Pego-Oliva”, Restaurante Lulea And An Almond “Turrón” Recipe

Now the winter solstice has arrived life is slowing down ever so slightly after the mad autumn we’ve had. The olives have all been collected, the last 700 kilos were today pressed and converted into 197 litres of highly nutritious and delicious oil. It’s been an incredible season where this fabulous fruit is concerned, so good in fact that Pep took those 700 kilos to be pressed at the “cooperativa” in Castells today. I don’t blame him, he needed a break after having completed 5 presses in their “almàssera” in Pinos.

All those kilos would have taken him over 3 days to press at his casita. Today the job was done in less than 3 hours. Well worth it if you ask me and I think Pep would agree too. His life has been slightly chaotic lately.

Due to all this work, the two of us haven’t had chance to get out and about together. One of our dogs is poorly too and we can’t leave him for too long. I have managed to get out with my mum a couple of times though, short little trips close by, often involving a walk and a spot of lunch at one of our favourite vegetarian restaurants.

Last week we were pondering over where to go. I’d decided to retrieve my DSLR camera from the cupboard (these iPhones take some great photos nowadays) and make sure it was still working. Mum came up with the brilliant idea of visiting the “Marjal (marsh) de Pego”, saying it’s a very photogenic area. I’d never been but lately I had driven through it a couple of times on my way to rehearsals in Pego. Each time I passed I thought I must visit and have a stroll along its many “caminos”. It always appears so serene and peaceful.

The Marjal was declared a natural park in 1994. It extends over 1255 hectares, between the municipalities of Pego and Oliva. Mainly consisting of marshes and rice fields, “Arroz Bomba” is grown here which is the preferred (by some) variety of rice for cooking paellas.

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“Turrón A La Piedra”, How To Make It (Without The “Piedra”!) Vegan And Gluten-Free

We began our walk at the Font Salada, home to therapeutic, warm thermal baths. The waters are known to be beneficial for many a skin ailment. Although we visited in mid December there were a few people bathing here, as well as some ducks 😊. Maybe I’ll have a dip one day but I just can’t bring myself to strip down to my swimming costume at this time of year. It might be warm in the water but it’s the getting out that I don’t like.

From the Font Salada (where you’ll find a bar/restaurant) we commenced our stroll along the different tracks that wind their way through the natural park. Two rivers originate in the “marjal”, the Bullent and the Racons, the latter having been modified and channeled throughout the marsh.

There are a variety of aquatic birds that nest in the area. You can spot purple herons (garzas imperiales), little grebes (zampullines comunes), purple swamphens (calamones comunes) and lots more that I have never heard of. Not that I’d know a purple swamphen if I saw one, or a little grebe for that matter.😁 Or in the words of Jack Nicholson in Witches of Eastwick “I wouldn’t know a snowy egret if I were pissing on one”! (pardon my French 😊).

I’m hoping to return to the Marjal soon. Hopefully Pep and I will bring the bikes. It’s mostly on the flat, just the type of terrain we like for a spot of pedalling. Quite rare in this area.

Following our walk we headed to a veggie restaurant that has been a frequent hangout for us lately. Restaurante Lulea in Beniarbeig (Facebook page here where they post the daily menu) is part of the Hotel Ad Hoc Vitae Retreats & Health. They serve a “menú del día” from Tuesday to Friday lunchtime (they close Monday) for 12,90€ plus drinks.

If you have read my posts on Valencia here and here you’ll know that one of my favourite restaurants in the city is the vegetarian restaurant Oslo. Restaurante Lulea is run by the same chef that runs the Valencian restaurant. What a marvellous coincidence.

They change the menu daily but it always consists of two different starters, one main course (to choose between two different options), and a dessert, also from a choice of two. There is always a vegan option and a gluten free option, the starters are normally both gluten free and vegan. I always find it difficult to choose, we sometimes order the two different main courses and share.

We always savour our time there, prolonging our stay whilst we enjoy one of their delicious infusions after lunch (my favourite is the green tea with ginger). No doubt we will be returning in the not too distant future.

Now we’re on the subject of food and seeing as Xmas is upon us I might as well share another turrón recipe with you. It’s quite similar to the “turrón a la piedra” I made in this post, although it’s not vegan as it contains egg white and honey. The recipe is based on the “turrón de Jijona” or “turrón blando” (soft turrón) that is consumed throughout Spain at this time of year.

Seeing as we’re now the proud owners of a super-duper almond cracking machine there’s no stopping me. I shall be making quite a few bars of the delicious Christmas treat over the course of the next few days. Homemade turrón makes a great Xmas pressie (if you don’t eat it all before you have to give it away). Pep always offers me a gentle reminder when our supply is running low, making sure there won’t be a shortage during the festive season.

It’s very simple to make (although the “turrón a la piedra” is even easier) and you can whip up a batch in less than 30 minutes. It does need to set in the fridge for a few hours before you sink your teeth into it though.

Most recipes for this type of turrón require peeled almonds. Personally I prefer leaving the skin on, I like the more rustic texture, and it’s also quicker if you’re using your own almonds. But if you’d prefer a slightly smoother turrón, by all means use almonds without their skins on. Whatever you use, they will need roasting before you grind them up.

You will need 300 grams of almonds, 200 grams of honey, 50 grams of sugar (I used eco raw sugar), an egg white (whisked until frothy), the rind of one lemon, 1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon and a mould of some sort that has been lined with baking paper. I use enough paper so the turrón can be covered once it’s been pressed into the mould.

First start by roasting the almonds in the oven. Approximately 15 minutes at 170 but it depends on your oven. You have to keep an eye on them, there is a very fine line between lovely roasted almonds and bitter, burnt ones. When roasted, allow to cool then blitz in a food processor until ground. Place in a large bowl.

In a saucepan mix the honey with the sugar. Place over low heat and warm until the mixture starts to thin a bit. Remove from the heat and add the frothy egg white, stirring constantly. Return to a low heat and stir consistently until the mixture thickens. It will look quite foamy with no liquid left. Add the cinnamon and lemon rind and mix well.

Tip the mixture into the bowl with the ground almonds. Stir until it’s all combined and turns into a thick paste. Tip it all into the mould and press down firmly. My moulds are turrón moulds. There is enough mixture to fill 1 and a half of them.

Cover with the surplus baking paper and place in the fridge to set for at least 6 hours. You can place a weight on top, like a milk carton, but I don’t bother.

The resulting turrón is sweet, a tad sticky, lemony, honey-y (sorry), cinnamony and very Christmassy 😁. Scrumptious. It’s not the same as the bought “turrón de Jijona”, although I’m sure if you peel the almonds the texture will resemble it more, but in my opinion it’s much tastier, especially if you can use local, eco almonds.

I personally prefer the “turrón a la piedra” as I’m not too partial to honey. Pep loves honey though and isn’t sure which turrón he prefers. As long as I make them I don’t think he cares which one he eats!

If you fancy trying out another Spanish Xmas recipe, the “cordiales” I make in this post are a great option. Little cakes that are also chock full of almonds, cinnamon and lemon, and a jar of our homemade “cabello de ángel”, which makes them chewy and sooo moreish. I shall be making some in the next day or two. And if you like almonds, my “Tarta de Santiago” here is another tasty way to use some up. Like the “cordiales”, it’s also gluten free.

Well, I think that more or less sums up this post. As I said, we haven’t really been up to too much during the last few weeks. Our huerta did get a revamp last week mind you. Pep brought the tractor down and cultivated all the land. It was like a jungle. The weeds were up to our waists and it needed tidying up a bit. It’s now awaiting lots of lovely veggie plants.

I also collected the last of our orange harvest. Considering our trees aren’t that big we managed to get quite a few this year. Much better than last year’s two oranges 😁.

One way to use up some of the wonderful winter fruit are these amazing vegan chocolate and orange truffles. Actually, you only need one orange but one’s better than none! I love the combination of chocolate and orange but I find bought choccies like Terry’s Chocolate Orange far too sweet and sickly, even the dark one. These truffles on the other hand, are extremely rich and chocolatey (I used 80% and 99% chocolate instead of the 70% the recipe calls for) and I used maple syrup (instead of icing sugar) so they have just the right amount of sweetness. Here’s the recipe. They’re super easy.

Ok, that’s my lot. Got to go and spend a couple more hours in the kitchen 😁. I’m not moaning, I love cooking. I have done since I was a kid. Especially sweet things. Pep doesn’t mind, he quite likes being the guinea pig (conejillo de indias in Spanish😊) for all the recipes I try out. Some are complete flops but it doesn’t seem to bother him. Good job really 😂.

Before I go I’d like to wish you all a lovely Christmas, creating lots of wonderful memories, whatever you may be doing. I would also like to thank you for reading my blog. It makes me extremely happy when I receive comments and messages from you, saying how much you enjoy it. It makes the time and effort that goes into it worthwhile.

If you would like to subscribe to this blog, feel free to do so. You will receive an email every time I publish a new post. You can also like and follow our Facebook page to see new posts and other little bits and pieces I fancy putting on there. Take care you lot. Have a good one. See you in the New Year. Lots of love, Georgie and Pep xxx

P.S I’ve just had a thought. For the turrón I think it might be better to grind the almonds before roasting (or buy them ready ground then roast) as the texture will be finer and more suited to this type of turrón. I shall make it soon that way and report back 😁.

Almond “turrón”

A delicious almond "turrón", sweetened with honey

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Gluten free, Spanish

Equipment

• Food processor
• Mould

Ingredients

  

• 300 grams almonds with or without skins
• 200 grams honey
• 50 grams sugar I used raw, eco sugar
• 1 egg white beaten until frothy
• rind of one lemon, grated
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

 

• Roast the almonds for approximately 15 minutes at 170ºC. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don't burn. Remove from the oven and allow to cool
• Grind the almonds in a food processor. Tip into a large bowl
• Put the honey and sugar into a saucepan and heat on low until the mixture is slightly runnier.
• Remove from the heat and add the frothy egg white, stirring constantly.
• Return the saucepan to the heat and cook on low, stirring all the time, until thick and foamy. Add the lemon rind and cinnamon
• Tip the honey and sugar mixture into the ground almonds and stir vigorously to form a thick paste
• Tip into lined moulds, pressing the mixture in tightly. Cover with baking paper
• Place the mould in the fridge for at least 6 hours. Serve and enjoy

Keyword almonds, Christmas,, cinnamon, honey, lemon, turrón