Barcelona Photoblog: Search results for Recipes
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Recipes. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Recipes. Sort by date Show all posts

November 13, 2007

Eggplants and Potatoes

Eggplants and Potatoes [enlarge]

What in the world? Yes, these are baby eggplants I patiently piled up on top of a box of potatoes. In fact I just liked the brilliant color of the aubergines but I thought potatoes would help highlight the purple reddish plant. From the food point of view, now that I introduce these vegetables, let's say that there are recipes that include both ingredients. With this link to Indian Vegetarian Recipes and especially the Eggplant and Potato Curry (Vagan Bateta nu Shak) I am sure the post really acquires a real meaning no matter how surrealistic I may sound. I'm in the middle of a mystic trance lately, it must be the winter!
Note: More Eggplant and Potato Recipes

May 24, 2007

Fideua: Paella Made with Pasta

Fideua: Paella Made with Pasta

Following with the odd image carrousel on which Barcelona Photoblog is often riding, lets introduce Spanish Fideua, the pasta version of widely known rice paella. As the name suggest you need noodles (fideos Sp.), but not any kind of noodles. A good fideua is made with capelli d'angelo or vermicelli noodles. Like classic paella, seafood is an essential part of the recipe. When cooking any of both bear in mind that you can obtain a delicious dish either by packing the pan with all ingredients you can or by adding just the right spices and a most tasty kind of fish, its stew and fresh seashells. Whatever way you choose don't spoil it all by overcooking the pasta (or the rice in the case of paella). Here is one of the most simple and well explained fideua recipes I found and here is another much more elaborate. During popular celebrations in Spain it is not strange to see these pans or bigger ones (called paelleras or paellas) full of fideua or paella indistinctly to treat passerbyes (sometimes you have to pay for it). This man in Terrasa near Barcelona, was being followed anxiosly by a hungry pack of humans ominously approaching for the feast.

September 17, 2008

The Best Churros in Barcelona - A Short List

Close view of Spanish churros in Barcelona
A close look at some good Barcelona churros

A now for something completely different: Churros!!!

I have been browsing in search for good recipes or the history of churros. According to Wikipedia: 'A churro (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtʃuro]) is a fried-dough pastry—predominantly choux—based snack' and there are many recipes out there for some exotic and appealing churros.

No, I just wanted to show you this picture to evoke those good memories every citizen in Spain has involving churros or porras which is a bigger, thicker variety made in Madrid.

The experience of waking up early to go and buy churros for a good weekend breakfast is unforgettable. There are street stalls or caravans in Barcelona neighborhoods where they cook homemade churros which you can smell from some blocks away but they are fewer than in the good old times.

And what about those who on their way to bed after a long crazy night grab a bag full of churros to soak them in hot chocolate. That is one of the best remedies in the world for a bad hangover.

Needless to say that there are small traditional places called granjas selling good churros in Barcelona. The best according to many is on carrer Petritxol, near Plaza del Pi in Barri Gotic and is called La Pallaresa.

Here is the short list of best places to have churros in Barcelona recommended by Barcelona Photoblog

  1. La Pallaresa
  2. La Nena
  3. Dulcinea 
  4. Viader 
  5. Xurreria Laietana 
  6. Xurreria Trebol 
Learn more about historic carrer Petritxol or watch for churros at La Pallaresa in the next post.

December 01, 2009

Peeling Fava Beans - Some Like it Raw

Peeling Fava Beans at La Boqueria market, Barcelona

One of the secret pleasures and most amusing of activities in life, at least for some Mediterranean peoples is to shell and then peel fava beans, broad beans or habas as we know them in Spanish and eat the fresh content, the seed or kernel raw, accompanied with some bread and sometimes other ingredients like cod, cheese, ham, etc. My wife loves them and refers to them as an authentic delicatessen. Bear in mind though that you may catch a disease called favism which causes anemia but only if you are genetically predisposed. Try to tell that to locals in Murcia, Andalusia and other regions of Spain! In my opinion, you need some skill to peel habas or at least I see experts pile up a good amount of shells in the time I need to utterly destroy one pod. In the image, notice the beans inside the cardboard box and a bunch of pods right in front in the plastic container. This was taken early in the morning at one of those open air veggie stalls set outside La Boqueria market. The picture is almost ruined cause there was too much light and I didn't have much time to set the camera properly and still get away with my candid. I brought it here so you could see what peeling favas looks like and learn about the tradition behind it, a tradition as old as humanity itself and only second to good old lentils but that is part of another story. To illustrate the culinary aspect of fava beans here is a list of videos either about the plant or recipes that might give you new ideas for today's meal.

November 03, 2009

Opuntia ficus indica: Cactus Figs - Higos Chumbos

Opuntia ficus indica: Cactus Figs - Higos Chumbos [enlarge]


Here are some Cactus Figs, Indian Figs, Tunas or as we know them in Spanish, Higos Chumbos. A lot of names to designate a delicious fruit that oddly enough comes out of Opuntia ficus-indica, a cactus. This is one good example of specialization, of survival in extreme conditions, one of those wonders of mother nature.

Would you expect to get food out a cactus!? I mean, imagine you are a primitive man, you are starving and you get lost in the Sonoran desert. You know that you should not try any odd beautiful fruit or plant cause previous experience tells you that it could be dangerous. You probably get to smell it, lick it but finally the spines make you change your mind. I have always wondered who was the first to try so and so, say, eating an octopus or a snail or a swallow's nest or a shark's fin!? They say cattle have a knack for this plant once farmers burn it to get rid of the sharp points.

I suppose no one got rid of the spines for us in the past, or was it a lightning perhaps, maybe a suicidal cow who dared to chew on it or why not, the blasting jet of a mysterious alien mothership? I have read that in Mexico you do not only eat the fruit but also the young pads called nopales before they grow the spines of course and have them with eggs and jalapeños for example.

In southern Spain higos chumbos grow in the wild as they have this incredible ability to multiply out of any small fragment but there are also extensive crops. Take for example the case of Murcia where almost 200 tons of tunas are harvested every year. The plant has some medicinal properties too as it contains a mucilaginous substance good to treat nausea, headaches, fever, arthritis, constipation, asthma, burns, stomach-ache and a long etc, it even served as a remedy to fight scurvy during long sea journeys. Besides, there are lots of recipes for both sweet and savory dishes.

I just wanted to show you how they looked at La Boqueria market and to let you know that it is quite common to find them when you travel around Spain. Care for a bite?



February 10, 2011

Italian Food in Barcelona: Calzone Pizza

Calzone Pizza at La Tagliatella, Barcelona, Spain [enlarge]

Nothing like well presented food to welcome guests into a restaurant. Besides growing your appetite, it creates a mood. Who is not thrilled by Italian food and the pleasures of Mediterranean recipes? The sight of this calzone pizza at the entrance of La Tagliatella (Mallorca, 266) couldn't be more appealing. The fact this is a franchise does not mean you can't have a good meal sometimes. I have used a strong vignette to give it a sort of old silent movie effect. Here is an interesting Calzone recipe: Meat Feast Calzone via BBC

September 26, 2008

Hot Suissos at La Granja Pallaresa, Carrer Petritxol, Barri Gotic

Desserts shelf at Granja La Pallaresa, Carrer Petritxol - Barcelona
Dessert shelf at Granja La Pallaresa - Barcelona

As I promised the other day in my Churros post, this is a detail of La Granja Pallaresa at Carrer Petritxol in Barri Gotic, one of the best places in the city to have a wonderful hot suisso, that is, chocolate with whipped cream on top.

You may try churros, porras or melindros with a swisso or suizo. Leave your diet at home if you have in mind to visit La Pallaresa.

Please check these recipes of menjar blanc (almond cream) and crema catalana (Catalan custard) which I noticed on the shelves after examining the picture closely.

By the way, Granja Dulcinea on the same street is also great.

In case you wonder what a granja is you should know that it means "farm" from "dairy farm" (originally granjas were shops selling dairy products).

June 02, 2009

Monkfish: A Delicious Monster

Monkfish

One of the ugliest fish there ever was, monkfish, is however highly appreciated because of its delicious taste and tender meat. When I see them in the market, I can't help wondering who was the first human to try such horrible creature. I reckon that ugliness is a relative term, and that the idea we have of a monster is intimately related to our psyche, our dreams. I think it is a matter of symmetry. If you take a look at this fish at La Boqueria market, the first thing that calls our attention is that big mouth, totally out of proportion. Besides, the body is flat and the eyes are on top. It doesn't look at all like a "normal" fish. As you see, we apply our concept of beauty, of harmony, to animals too. Monkfish remind me of abyssal fish in spite of living in the continental shelf (200 m approx.) and the continental slope (up to 1000 m). They even have that dorsal spine above which they use to lure preys which resemble fishing rods (that's why they are anglerfish too) so familiar when we think of deep water fish. The abyss by itself generates fear in our minds. Every time they bring out some fish from the bottom it has that demon-like aspect, pretty common in old illustrations about the sea and journeys towards remote, unknown corners of the world. I wonder why so? It is not the monkfish's fault to have benthonic habits, that is, to live in the bottom and have adaptations to that habitat, like the flatness, the position of the eyes, the color of the skin and the enormous mouth. What turns that into a monster? When did it appear as such in our primitive mind?. That fear of the unknown together with a menacing look might trigger a signal indicating danger to our existence. Who knows! Maybe we'd better kill the monster and eat him just in case. Some monkfish recipes to have at hand after the "killing".

July 09, 2010

The Olive Tree, a Charismatic Mediterranean Storyteller

Olive Tree in Barcelona [enlarge]

We can say that there are anonymous trees and then there are trees with charisma. There are trees that would be the pawns in a chessboard and then there is the queen or the king. I mean, you can walk past a whole line of identical spruces and remain indifferent while stumbling upon an oak, a sequoia or a baobab makes you experience that certain something certifying that the thing is alive, that it has some history, a story to tell. Here in Europe, in the Mediterranean basin, one of the most emblematic story tellers and history witnesses is the olive tree. Olives from Greek Elaia give this healthy and tasty oil that has been present in the collective memory of Mediterranean peoples for ages. There are so many dishes, so many recipes, so many products associated with olive oil, so many victories associated with olive branches, so many years of fallowing, of harvesting, of successful crops, of prosperous trade with other countries...olive trees do have a lot to tell if only we knew how to understand them. I had a little conversation with this one at Parc del Laberint.

November 13, 2012

Caramel Flan in blue

Caramel flan detail in a window case at Barcelona restaurant

A flan is a flan here in Barcelona and any other place on earth, so if this custard were an animal or something, this picture would be called, common caramel flan. There is nothing new to it. I could be telling you that "this old English word "flan" and the earlier forms "flaune" and "flawn" come from Old French flaon (modern French flan), in turn from early Medieval Latin fladōn-em, derived from Old High German flado, a sort of flat cake, probably from an Indo-European root for 'flat' or 'broad'" and I would be quoting wikipedia, as in fact I am doing right now. I could even give you a link to some nice flan recipes, like Spanish flan and I would dare to recommend you try to use condensed milk for that (my favorite choice) but, nah, that would be too boring a post much more related with Spanish cuisine than with Barcelona. But it happens that I shot this bluish picture in some Spanish restaurant in Barcelona and I enjoyed the display and the light and the perspective so here we are talking about nice looking custard for a change. Enjoy it!


June 01, 2011

Pa de Pages, Our Modest Catalan Bread

Pa de Pages, Vic, Catalonia

In Catalonia when we make things we make it big like say, this modest, tiny, insignificant bread. Hansel and Gretel would have had bread crumbs enough to leave a generous trail behind them, feed the birds and make a nice toast at the end of the road. Pa de Pages is, I quote: "...a rustic round loaf, baked in a shaped tin, containing wheat flour, water, salt and starter dough. It has a generous crumb and thick crust. The body of the bread is dense and rich in flavour, and it can be kept for several days providing that it is bought unsliced..." (Gastroteca.cat). I recommend you browse this interesting site to find a quite complete compilation of Catalan products and recipes.

March 25, 2007

Spanish Tapas: Tortilla or Spanish Omelette


© All Rights Reserved

Barcelona is not very prone to bull fighting, sangrias, finos, manzanillas or anything that may sound too Spanish-like. But there is one thing that everyone tends to overlook in this excess of zeal: Spanish tapas or wine. Humm, those delicious plates full of olives with anchovies, fried squid, white anchovies in vinegar, tuna
balls or Spanish omelette in the picture. If you follow the tapas cook book link above you will find some recipes and good information about the history of tapas. I hope you can finish reading this post today without running to the kitchen and snatching a good bite of whatever thing edible.

June 28, 2009

Hake Detail, La Boqueria Market, Barcelona

Hake detail

As part of my La Boqueria market series I wanted to show you this detail of a hake which is one of the most consumed fish species on the Spanish table. Here are some essential recipes to enjoy hake: Merluza a la Gallega, Merluza a la Vasca and Cocochas al Pil Pil, there are many more of course. Remember to accompany them with a good white wine, like Albariño for example.

December 21, 2009

Bolets or Mushrooms You Can Buy at La Boqueria, Barcelona

Bolets or Mushrooms at La Boqueria, Barcelona, Spain  [enlarge]

I don't have the slightest idea about mushrooms so I am going to dare give names to these three species. According to pictures, the first ones on the left could be some variant of Tricholoma, in the middle and most attractive to the eye, Cantharellus tubaeformis or Cantharellus infundibuliformis aka Rossinyol in Catalonia and finally what seems to be Agaricus bisporus. But then again don't follow my word on this so as to go and collect some in the wild holding my image cause your life might be at risk. The photograph was taken last September at La Boqueria market. If there are boletaires (bolet is Catalan for mushroom and boletaire those who know about bolets) in the audience please help me with this one.

This is just a recommendation of course for you to have fun with media. And while you are at it, how about more than 7000 mushroom recipes to browse for fresh ideas and maybe add that final touch to your Christmas table?.


March 16, 2007

The Musings of an Escargot

The Musings of an Escargot
© All Rights Reserved

"Where did everybody go?" - wondered the anguished snail. "Something is cooking around here?." It must be terrible to wake up from the winter lethargy to find yourself in a big pan full of salt and no one else on sight. Well, in fact the rest was there too but very busy bubbling salt away. After shooting the poor creature with my camera and watch it go on the way to the fire, I sat and had my lamb chops silently contemplating the rest of participants in this sort of pagan ritual, compulsory introduce their toothpicks to withdraw the snails from the shell. They were having what is known in Catalan as Cargols a la Llauna (something like "roasted snails"), a traditional dish, mainly in spring, in the open, although served in restaurants too. In France it is common and highly appreciated, in many ways, which gives the snail a high cuisine category and price in the menu. They call it Escargot, a word coming from Catalan, and exported the dish to the USA in the XIX century. There are snail feeding farms and the most common to consume are the brown garden snails (Helix aspersa) or the Roman Snails (Helix pomatia). There is evidence that snails were roasted already in Roman times so there's no need to claim any autorship here. I never had a knack for slimy and crawling things but it is fun to see my friends laugh and enjoy the food. I really had a nice pre-spring weekend. Check 58 recipes for Escargots (FR.)

Note: Cargols a la Llauna is a dish original from Lleida, Catalonia.

Recommended link of the day: A Color Picker.

October 20, 2007

Chocolate Shop: A Halloween Nightmare

Chocolate Shop: A Halloween Nightmare [enlarge]

Today I'm gonna be mean. I am on a diet and going back to the gym so I am gonna tell you about these nightmares of mine where I dream I am surrounded by shelves full of chocolate of all sorts, in bars, fudge, covering strawberries, or cookies, white or dark, creamy or crispy. This shop at Princesa street gives an idea about the punishment a Barcelonian on a diet suffers everyday. As it is Halloween I will impersonate Mr. Hyde for a moment and offer you my trick or treat. Just to be mean as I said take a look at the shop one more time so all of you who succumb to the sin of gluttony repent and have to go to boring sessions of spinning, and sweat, and...just what do you think you are doing?...oh, nothing Dr. Jekyll.

Halloween Story: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Chocolate Recipes at Howstuffworks

September 04, 2008

Curly Endives or Chicory Detail at Boqueria Market, Barcelona, Spain

Curly Endive or Chicory Detail at Boqueria Market, Barcelona, Spain[enlarge]

Resuming my previous post a couple of days ago about La Boqueria market at Las Ramblas, I wanted to share some green with you. Salads are not my favorite. I am more of a carnivore, meat lover, red fan. Nevertheless I reckon the other half of the world goes crazy about chewing up leaves, gnawing on stems and grazing in one way or another which is totally respectable. Here is a detail of a curly endive or chicory that we call escarola. This might lead to confusion cause escarole in English is a plant with broader leaves. Escarola is a rather common green salad in Catalonia, some people love it. I don't. It tastes bitter and is beyond my crunching noise limit. Anyway, the serrated leaves are beautiful and carry lots of healthy minerals, or so they say. I have accentuated the colors using lab color effect. I digress. I hope vegans and vegetarians don't take me too seriously today. I recommend this site (Notes from Debbie's Kitchen) with lots of veggie recipes classified by key ingredients and clearly illustrated with pictures. And I forgot to say that La Boqueria market is just the right place to quench your green thirst.

December 23, 2017

Tuna Tataki for Christmas Main Course

Tuna Tataki served on a bone marrow by Carlos lorenzo - Barcelona Photoblog


Are you trying to come up with ideas for your Christmas main course, do you really want to surprise your family with something totally off the beaten track in these times of religion inspired celebrations?

Then why don't you go for an authentic Tuna Tataki, the Japanese way.

As you know Barcelona Photoblog works around the inspiration of an image to make up a story and I had this beautiful tuna tataki photograph I took in one of my favorite spots in the city:


The chef there surprised me with this exquisite presentation of small tuna cubes dipped in ponzu sauce adorned with wasabi pearls and some caviar served on a bone with its marrow.

I was already a fan of tataki  (Japanese たたき: "pounded" or "hit into pieces"). I remember having my best ever tataki made with almadraba tuna, in a Rio Tinto mine restaurant in Huelva. Man, was that something!!!

And so I decided to take some self teaching. I have seen the most weird recipes on the web but I fell in love with a very simple one made by a real Japanese chef, no pretentious high class cuisine stuff, who prepares the fish fast and totally for dummies. In my opinion the important thing is how to sear and slice the tuna. The following video will show you how.

 These are the only ingredients you need:
  •  Slice onions
  •  Wakame seaweed (I can skip this)
  •  Corn Oil (or Olive Oil in my case)
  •  Scallions (like a thin calçot)
  •  Cucumber
  •  Ponzu Sauce
  •  Micro green leaves like Shiso for example
  •  Tomato and a slice of lemon for decoration

Here is Hiroyuki Terada in his Diaries of a Master Sushi Chef




By the way, while you are at it, why not learning at least basic japanese Kana symbols, with the Kanji Study app for Android or for iOS. I killed a lot of time on a plane once learning this. Or perhaps you can take your first steps with Duolingo Japanese course.


Happy different Christmas everyone!


Best wishes

September 02, 2008

Herrings, Boqueria Market, Barcelona

Herrings at Boqueria market stall in Las Ramblas, Barcelona [enlarge]

There are several markets in Barcelona but La Boqueria or Mercat de Sant Josep in Las Ramblas is one of the most renown for historical reasons and why not, due to its location. The place gathers locals and tourists alike and making your way through the narrow corridors is an adventure. Not that you can find whatever you want here but there's the usual belief that if they don't have it you won't find it elsewhere. Besides the fruit stalls which are a must-see, the seafood section is also worth visiting. Today I show you a detail of some herrings which caught my attention. I think they are smoked, but I can't tell a smoked herring from a salted one. In fact I can't tell a sardine from a herring and definitely herring is not part of our daily diet. I suppose many of you do eat herring frequently so why not checking this suggestive site with plenty of herring recipes

November 30, 2006

Catalan Traditional Cocas at Suria

Catalan Traditional Cocas at Suria

A coca is a sort of flat, elongated or round bread dough base baked and covered with different ingredients. Technically similar to pizza you could say, but different in taste. You can have coca de recapte where such base is adorned with escalivada - a mixture of aubergines and red peppers cut into strips and dressed with olive oil (recommended for "anti-baconists") - or you can find the sweet versions (trillions of them swallowed with cava on Sant Joan's eve) covered with glazed fruit, custard, pumpkin jam or just sugar and pine nuts. Although sold in pastry shops and bakeries we prefer the ones baked using traditional recipes and artisan wood fired ovens as the ones in the picture.
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