Spanish Cuisine

After what seemed like a particularly wet June, summer has finally arrived in Vancouver. The warm, sunny weather has been wonderful, but it has had a negative effect on this little blog of mine. After spending eight-or-so hours in front of a computer at my office at work, the last thing I want to do is sit inside in front of a computer some more.

Before arriving in Spain, I knew very little about Spanish cuisine except for paella. Excited about trying new things (like octopus and sardines!), of my favourite dishes I tried (way less adventurous than the previous two), was melon with Iberian ham.

Peter and I tried this dish in Barcelona after checking out Gaudí's La Sagrada Familia and Casa Battló. The weather in Spain was hot (but fortunately not humid), so the cool melon was refreshing and I liked the combination of sweet, but not overly sugary, with the savoury ham.

As the weather in Vancouver in similarly sunny and hot, I thought I'd recreate the dish as part of dinner. The melon in Spain wasn't one I recognized, but tasted like a cross between cantaloupe and honeydew; this time I chose the former. Then I substituted the Iberian ham for Canadian prosciutto. Maybe not authentic, but delicious!