Catalunya

In a region as large as Catalunya, it is not surprising that the food on offer varies considerably. It has one thing in common. It is all glorious. Perhaps it is the influence of nearby France, maybe it is the gastronomic history of the place; but some of the very best food on offer in all of Spain is produced and served in Catalunya.

Everyone knows that many of the people of the area class themselves as being apart from the rest of Spain. The chefs certainly think they are a cut above their counterparts further south. And they may have a point. Whether you are experiencing Catalan cooking on the Costa Brava, in cities such as Girona or even in the tourist hotspots such as Barcelona; you will taste the difference.

Catalan cooks have always been open to ideas from other places. The influence of Provence is undeniable in the meat dishes produced in the kitchens of many a Catalan restaurant. Likewise the Valencia experience of cooking seafood. Catalans call it Mar i muntanya (sea and mountain) cooking. It refers to the many dishes that so succently combine meat with fish.

It takes talented chefs to make that work and some of the finest chefs in Spain ply their trade in Catalunya. It's the perfect region for a dinner if one of you likes meat, but the other only eats fish or seafood. The former can sample top quality tuna, superb shrimps and Catalan fish stews. The carnivore should try stuffed pig trotters or rabbit with rice. For afters, how about some Crema Catalana. Or if you are feeling in an exotic mood, you must try some locally produced truffles. Catalan cooking is culinary heaven. 

Fish stew with Peppers

Catalan Stew

Winter approaches and I can look forward to sampling the best stews I have eaten anywhere in the world. The stews of Spain.

One of them is a speciality in Catalunya. The Romseco de Peix contains peppers, almonds and saffron.

This recipe uses clams and monkfish but you could just as easily use prawns and mussels.

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Catalan Cooking

Charming Catalunya
Centuries of Catalan Cooking

The year was 1324 when the first food manual appeared in Catalunya. A manuscript called Libre de Sent Sovi was one of the very first food manuals in all of Europe. Two hundred years later the first Catalan cookbook was printed. It was called Libre del Coch and written by Rupert de Nola.

The book also included recipes from Italy and Provence. Not surprising when you consider that historically Catalunya was much closer, in every respect, to these areas of the Mediterranean.

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How to make Alioli

Garlic and oil to make alioli
From Nero to Hero

To accompany recipes such as Bunyols de Bacallá (see recipe section) you will need to have made a tasty alioli. This one, like that recipe, comes from Catalunya - where they know a thing or two about how to make sauces and dips.

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Salt Cod Fritters

Hot balls of Cod

One of the advantages to cooking in Catalunya is the sheer choice of Spanish food on offer. You will likely be able to lay your hands on almost any ingredient you could possibly need to make a classic dish from this culinary region.

That, along with the skills they learn from an early age, is the reason why so many of the best chefs in Spain come from Catalunya.

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Hake with garlic, tomato and pimentón

Braised Hake

In my continuing look at very different recipes produced from culinary Catalunya, here is a very popular dish served in the region. A delightfully light meal for those who like hake and garlic.

I have seen versions of this meal on menus elsewhere in Spain, but the chefs up there really know how to make this dish taste special. They braise the hake and served with a touch of hot paprika.

Here is the recipe for Suquet de Peix.

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Fried Squid with Garlic Mayonnaise

Catalan Classic

I took on board a recipe sent to me recently by a friend who is an aspiring chef in Catalunya. Not a difficult meal to prepare and one that uses probably my favourite food to fry. Squid. There is many a week when I think I would eat nothing else. Squid can be cooked and served in such a variety of ways.

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Spinach with Pine Nuts

Food for Popeye

Spinach is good for you. Your name doesn't have to be Popeye for you to gain strength from Spinach. It is a source of folic acid.

If you see fresh Spinach when shopping at a Spanish market, be sure to buy plenty of it. Don't forget it shrinks in size greatly when cooking it.

Spinach lends itself to being added to many a Spanish recipe but is also a meal in itself. Especially when being served along with pine nuts and sultanas, as is the case with this recipe from Catalunya.

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Octopus and Potatoes

I'll have the Octopus!

I'm off out to a certain Spanish restaurant in Granada at the weekend and I know exactly what I shall be eating. Isn't that great?

To not have to waste time studying a menu is, for me at least, a relief. What is the point when you know exactly what you'll be having? You will order your favourite.

When dining out in Spain I believe in going along with the strengths of a certain tapas bar or restaurant. After all, if it isn't broken, why fix it?

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Red Mullet with Romesco sauce

Sampling Suaces in Spain

In my continuing mission to prove that you can eat in Spain, and enjoy lovely sauces at the same time; here is a recipe from Tarragona. A city steeped in Roman history. And, as we all know, the Romans knew a thing or two about being saucy!

This meal uses the wonderful red mullet available in so many parts of Spain. If you want the Romesco sauce to be hotter, then throw in a dried red chilli pepper or two.

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Sea Bass in green sauce

Sampling Salvador

When you are on the receiving end of a good sauce in Spain, you will know it. The best sauces can deliver a significant improvement to some classic Spanish food.

While it is true that French chefs may make the best sauces in the world, their skills have made it across the border and in to the northern parts of Spain.

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