TRAVEL/FOOD

I have followed in Hemingway’s footsteps in Cuba, visiting Finca Vigía, his island home, and El Floridita, the bar in Old Havana where he spent so much time that there’s a bronze sculpture of him in his favorite seat, and daiquiris, his favorite drink, are on the menu. And I’ve traveled to Key West, where he lived with his second wife and two children. It was there that his wife’s wealthy uncle paid for a grand old house in desperate need of repair–the uncle paid for that as well while Hemingway dallied with a woman who would become his next wife at his favorite bar–Sloppy Joe’s.

I’ve also spent time in Northern Michigan, where the Hemingway family spent summers at a cottage on Walloon Lake. It’s where Hemingway returned after being injured in World War I to recover from his wounds, staying in Bayview, a historic community between Petoskey and Harbor Springs, all of which line the shores of Little Traverse Bay. Hemingway found shelter at Evelyn Hall, considered one of the finest examples of Queen Anne architecture in Michigan and notable because of its carpenter’s lace decorative woodwork, flying buttresses, gables, cupolas, turrets, and double balcony. While he recuperated, staying warm by the heat of a potbellied stove, he wrote some of the stories found in his collection titled “In Our Town.”

Of course that meant dining and drinking and one place he chose was the Park City Grill in historic downtown Petoskey. Built in 1875, it’s had several names through the years but in Hemingway’s time there was billiards and boxing as well as drinking and dining.

Close by are two more Hemingway survivors. One is the stately Perry Hotel, a three-story yellow-brick building with white trim and a long porch that wraps around part of the building. The hotel opened in 1899 and is the last survivor of the resort hotels in Petoskey that once were destinations for families of means escaping the heat of the city. It remains because it wasn’t made of wood (brick was more unique back then) and so didn’t burn down as so many did back then.

“People would sit on the porch and watch the trains arrive,” my good friend Peter Fitzsimons told me, pointing out Pennsylvania Plaza, which was formerly the Indiana and Grand Rapids Railroad and used by the Hemingway family when they traveled to their cottage. “They would see who was worthwhile seeing when they got off the train.”

The Hemingway family were among those who arrived at the station and Hemingway likely used it in his story about Petoskey, The Torrents of Spring.”

The quaint and charming Horton Bay General Store opened in 1876, and Hemingway visited the place both as a boy and then later as well. It features in his story “Up in Michigan” and most likely was the model for the store owned by Mr. Packard’s in “The Last Good Country.”

But it took Howie Southworth to delve deep into the foods and travels of the author’s time in Spain in his recently released “Hemingway’s Spanish Table: A Culinary Journey in 60+ Recipes” (Simon & Schuster).

It’s gotten rave reviews from such noted food personalities as Andrew Zimmern, who wrote the following: “If you love foods with a story, one that reveals new insights and a sense of history, then this is a book you will treasure and cook from for years. Hemingway’s Spanish Table, is an homage to Spain’s cuisine in a way that would have made ‘Papa’ very proud. A cookbook written through the eyes of a literary giant whose love for Spain knew no bounds is a high-wire act that delights as it unfolds, one recipe and story at a time.”

And Michael Ruhlman, journalist and author of Ruhlman’s Twenty, From Scratch, and many other books and cookbooks, said about Southworth’s book, Hemingway’s Spanish Table, a welcome addition to the literature of Spanish cuisine, combines four of my favorite things in the world: great food, the country of Spain, travel, and the works of Ernest Hemingway. How could I not love this book? It’s fun, delicious, and filled with great stories.”

Southworth takes us through Hemingway’s Spain, a fascinating time and place in the past, with recipes headed with an introduction tying it to a place and happening in the author’s life. He also includes Hemingway’s writings and adventures in Spanish cities, sharing meals with friends, eating at fiestas, and bullfights.

Excerpts such as what Hemingway wrote in “The Dangerous Summer” also take us into his experiences in Spain.  “We got away for Sevilla in squally weather a little after noon next day and signed in at the old hotel Alfonso XIII with its comfortless grandeur and went to Casa Luis to eat on the way to the bullfight. It was a good meal and a very bad bullfight.”

Bad bullfight, good meal.

When I asked Southworth why he chose to write about Hemingway and Spain versus Key West or Cuba, both of which have turned his homes into house museums, Southworth replied, “Spain is where everything coheres. Hemingway wrote beautifully about Cuba and Key West, but Spain is where his obsessions, ritual, danger, camaraderie, and appetite come into full focus.”

Southworth, who has a diploma in culinary arts and is the author of eight cookbooks, has done something irresistible: he followed Ernest Hemingway’s footsteps across Spain — not to run with the bulls, but to uncover the dishes, drinks, and culinary traditions that shaped the writer’s life and work. The result is Hemingway’s Spanish Table, a vibrant blend of travelogue, cultural history, and hands‑on cooking that brings Spain’s regional flavors to life.

Gambas al Ajillo (Sizzling Garlic Shrimp)

• Fresh shrimp (peeled and deveined)
• Olive oil (high quality)
• Garlic (thinly sliced)
• Dried red chili flakes or small dried chiles
• Sea salt
• Fresh crusty bread for serving

Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a traditional clay dish or small skillet over medium heat.

 Add the sliced garlic and chili flakes, cooking gently until the garlic turns golden and    fragrant (do not let it burn).

Add the raw shrimp and a pinch of sea salt, tossing them in the hot oil.

Cook for just 2 to 3 minutes until the shrimp turn pink and opaque.

Remove from heat and serve immediately while it is still sizzling, accompanied by plenty of crusty bread to soak up the garlic oil

Chicken and Rabbit Paella

“Though many recognize paella as Spain’s national dish, seldom is the true diversity of their rice dishes celebrated internationally,” writes Howard Southworth in his introduction to this paella recipe (there are a lot more than one in his book). “Paella is certainly iconic, but when faced with a menu that doesn’t include the word, look for arróz seco, or dry rice, the same format as paella, but the toppings can range from whole fish and specialized seafood to various sausages and other meats.

“Then there’s arróz melos, creamy rice, arróz caldoso, brothy rice, arróz al horno, baked rice, arróz negro, rice dyed with squid ink, and arróz con costra, rice crusted with egg. Even this list is merely scratching the surface of a vast landscape.”

• 6 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 6 ounces skinless, boneless rabbit loin, cut into ½-inch cubes into ½-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 3 teaspoons smoked paprika, divided
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1 medium tomato, halved, stemmed, grated, and skin discarded
• 6 ounces Italian flat green beans
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup uncooked Spanish round rice, such as bomba or calasparra
• 7 ounces canned butter beans, drained
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary

In a mixing bowl, coat chicken and rabbit pieces with 1 tablespoon of olive oil,1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon of paprika. In a heat-proof vessel on the stove or in the microwave, heat the stock and saffron for 3 minutes. Set the marinating meat and stock aside for 30 minutes.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to an 11-by-13-inch paellera or wide skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and rabbit, and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until well browned.

Add the tomato, green beans, garlic, and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt to the pan and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the rice and continue to sauté until the rice emits a nutty aroma, about 1 minute. Carefully pour in the saffron-infused stock and stir just once to combine evenly.

Place the butter beans and rosemary sprig across the top, increase the heat to high, and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high and maintain a strong simmer for 10 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for an additional10 to 15 minutes, until the rice has fully absorbed the liquid and is fully cooked.