What is the best plan for a winter season week end?

To join a calçotada, of course! But what is that?

Calçots are a very tasty variety of chives, very popular throughout the Catalan area. Calçots season runs from November to April, but they are consumed mainly from January to March.

They are traditionally grilled on wood embers and outdoors. It’s cold, but tradition is more important!

You will probably have to move to a nearby town, to a restaurant in a farmhouse or, if you are lucky, to the cottage of a friend or relative. Also in the city some places offer calçots.

But above all calçotada is a celebration, the perfect excuse to leave the city, gather with family and friends in the countryside and organize a gastronomic celebration, the kind of celebration we love more than everything!

For many people, the best of all is the sauce that accompanies the calçots: so tasty and vicious you can’t stop eating it! It’s called romesco sauce.

During the calçotadas reunion there are some very specific rules to follow, almost as if you wanted to join the Fight Club 🙂

1st rule of the Calçotada: Do not ever forget your bib! Believe me, you will need it!

2nd rule of the Calçotada: Leave all your good manners at home; you have to eat with your hands and the sauce goes everywhere. It’s the opportunity to enjoy eating like a child!

3rd rule of the Calçotada: Everyone must participate in the preparation!

Knowing the rules, all that remains is to enjoy this funny gastronomic event, the most popular of the winter in Cataluña.

Recipe:

Here you have the recipe for a fantastic Romesco sauce for your Calçots:

Ingredients: (for 4 people)

• 3 peppers (or 1 chorizo pepper)
• 1 or 2 large ripe and roasted tomatoes per person
• 3 cloves garlic, roasted if possible
• 1 cup of olive oil
• A splash of vinegar
• 50 grams of almonds
• 80 grams of hazelnut
• 1 slice of stale bread (or fried bread)
• Ground black pepper
• Half glass of water

Preparation:

Leave the peppers, or chorizo pepper, in warm water for a few hours before processing it in order to soften it.

To begin, slowly roast the tomatoes and the garlic in the oven for about 30 minutes. This will be the base of the sauce.

Took the ñora pulp with a small spoon, being careful not to lose any of the content and put it in the mortar.

Then, add the fried (or stale) bread, the almonds and the hazelnuts in the mortar.

Crush all together in a mortar for a while.

When tomatoes and garlic are ready, remove the skin and add them to the dough you already have in the mortar with half a glass of oil.

Finally you can give a touch of electric shredder so that the sauce is smooth. If you see that it lacks creaminess, add a little more of oil, olive oil of course.

A disfrutar!!!

Photo by Calafellvallo

Photo by Javier Roche