Con Manos

 

      "I walked the Camino de Santiago and all I got were these amazing legs" is the tee-shirt that Amy and I have been laughing about getting made when we get home. We should add: "(And suntans, an aversion to anyone who looks like a snorer, and potential hip problems.)" The 25km days and difficulty sleeping caught up to us and we have spent the past two days gloriously puttering around Leon -- window shopping, relishing not wearing our packs and shoes, and eating exclusively with our hands.

      We have discovered that Leon is an old fashioned city where a small pour of wine (vino tinto or blanco) is placed alongside a house tapa, generally on a piece of bread or skewered through a toothpick. Bar Jamón Jamón (Bar Ham Ham) served exquisitely dry-cured Jamón Ibérico (ham from the mountains) which is prized by Spain the way Prosciutto di Parma is by Italy. La Taberna, a few cobblestone streets away, gave us saffron-braised chicken and then poached-in-cream oyster mushrooms. We bought local almendras (almonds) and aceitunas con oregano (olives with oregano) from a lady in a white lace apron in a specialty shop that advertised her goods with mounds upon mounds of paprika in her front window.

       We are rested and fattened and moving onward, inspired by the food, mode of eating, and smiles that seem like permanent fixtures on the faces of our, albeit bruised, fellow pilgrims.

Lettuce Wraps with Olive Oil Packed Tuna

      The canned tuna in Spain that's available in nearly any village is high- quality and packed with the protein that our bodies are requiring. The olive oil rounds out tuna's  otherwise lean taste and helps to prolong the energy it provides. The ingredient list is merely a basic suggestion based on what's readily available to us. Mayonnaise or aioli could be added but will add a heavier feel to the already-rich tuna.

Ingredients

8 large lettuce leaves, washed and carefully peeled from the core

1/4 onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cucumber, halved and thinly sliced -- peeled, if waxed

1/2 c chopped pickles (I used precious pickled beets)

1 can oil packed tuna (Ortiz is a good brand available in the States)

8 thin slices of sharp sheep cheese

toasted sunflower seeds

sea salt and black pepper 

Process

       Mix and match the ingredients. The combinations are endless and, depending on how hungry you are, beyond delicious.

Yields: a light lunch for two

Prep time: 10 minutes

Photography by Amy Pennington/Styling by Me