Hot….. melting

It’s sooo hot! Too hot to cook, too hot to eat, too hot to sleep. Bring on winter and duvets.

I did bake some orange and cranberry cookies at the weekend. I’ll post the recipe later.

Free Icecream Day

What sounds better than that?

Today is free icecream day at Ben & Jerry’s across the world. I have already been for my free scoop of chocolate fudge brownie and it was delicious

Last year they gave away over 10,000 scoops to hungry icecream lovers. I wonder how many they’ll give away this year?

 

What I did

Even though I still don’t have my own kitchen (grr, Spanish builders live up to their ominous reputations) - over the Easter break I rustled up some delights in my mother-in-law’s. I even tried my hand at my very first batch of hot cross buns!

Unfortunately I didn’t take photos of everything – mainly because it was all wolfed down before I had a chance, but anyway here’s what’s coming up

• Hot cross buns (of course)
• Garlic Buttery Prawns
• Penne a la vodka
• Simple sushis
• Roasted Gilthead Bream

Kitchen Update

Well my kitchen should have long been finished by now.. but it isn’t. We’ve had some set backs but I’ve got my fingers crossed that by April it will be all done.

 Good news is that we now have our brand new super dooper electrical domestics and a whole array of kitchen gadgets but no-where to put them.

 Patience is a virtue. .

Calçot time

It’s calçot time here in Catalunya. During February and March people flock to the countryside to cook and eat these tasty seasonal onions.Apparently calçots are only grown in Catalunya, if I were to describe one I would say that it is a cross between a spring onion and a leek. Traditionally the best, and only, according to some, way to eat calçots is to cook them over a wood fire until they are black and charred on the outside. They are then wrapped in newspaper and taken to the table where they are unwrapped and snaffled up by hungry bystanders.

The calçot is picked up by the leaves with one hand while with the other you pull off the charred outer leaves. The calçot in then dipped in romesco sauce, a sauce made with roasted garlic, tomatoes and peppers, almonds and hazelnuts, once dipped dangle the calçot above your head, tilt your head back and pop it into your mouth.

What with charred leaves, dipping sauces and all that dangling it is a messy process and in restaurants they often provide you with bibs and gloves.

Without a kitchen

A new year, a new blog, a new kitchen.. well not quite a new kitchen, but nearly.

Having spent the last couple of months renovating an apartment, it is nearly finished with the new kitchen being fitted on Tuesday however I have yet to choose the electricaldomestics, the things that actually DO the cooking.

I have been looking across the board but with so many different opinions and time running out I’m really not sure what to do… EEK.

Anyway until the new kitchen is fully installed my cooking attempts will be limited. In the meantime my intention is to provide information on Barcelona’s restaurants, bars and general information about Spanish gastronomy 

Let’s see how it goes!