San Esteban/Sant Esteve My Catalan mother-in-law could never relax on Christmas Day. Plates with remains of chicken or turkey were whipped from under our noses, earthenware dishes hauled away for scrubbing. While we were still gut-busting our way through turrón, cava, coffee and brandy, or already flaked out, bloated and snoring, in armchairs, terrifying crashes, [...]
Roscón de Reyes “Mm, look what I’ve bought,” says Francisco every January 5, thrusting under my nose a giant ring-shaped bun with a few bits of red and green candied peel stuck on top and a plastic toy hidden somewhere inside for me to break a tooth on. I fail to show much enthusiasm . [...]
Oh, how we laughed. It’d been a long time since any of us had browsed such an inscrutable menu. We worked out most of the items, though we did have a problem with ‘black poplars’ (the bilingual among you, start racking your brains …). I won’t spoil your fun. Here is a sample of the [...]
OMG as they say. Have just seen a post for an expat calçotada outing. Almost missed it again this season. So what’s the Garlic take (no pun intended) on the Catalans’ favourite gastronomic bash traditional to the town of Valls? The calçot looks like a cross between a leek and a spring onion, and is [...]
Making a truita de patates (tortilla de patatas / Spanish omelette) is dead easy. You fry the diced potatoes in olive oil till soft. You beat the eggs in a bowl, with salt. You cook the mixture in the frying pan on one side. And then you turn it – and end up with a [...]
