Earlier this week, I was reminded of the wonderful tradition
of the calçotada after a chance comment by a foodie friend. A calçotada is an
annual barbecue held during the winter months in Catalonia to celebrate the harvest
of the calçot. A calçot is a type of mild flavoured onion (known as blanca gran
tardana) that I can best describe as a cross between a leek and a spring onion.
It is thought that the calçot originates from Lleida, one of the oldest towns
in Catalonia.
We were invited to a calçotada up in the Prades mountain
range by my husband’s work colleagues from Valls when he had just moved to Tarragona.
It was a particularly memorable experience as the region was hit by unexpected
gales that weekend and our small convoy of cars struggled to drive up the narrow,
winding mountain roads at times!
On this blustery January day, our destination was a public picnic
spot complete with benches and outdoor cooking areas. Preparation for the calçotada
involved placing fresh and still muddied calçots side by side onto large grill
racks before cooking them over fierce flames until the outer layers were
charred. Once the calçots were blackened, they were then wrapped up in several
sheets of newspaper. This process of wrapping helped to gently steam and soften
the onions. Various meats and sausages were also barbecued as an accompaniment
to the calçots. Bread and delicious sauces were also served alongside plentiful
quantities of red wine.
It was a fun and messy meal as the tasty, soft white insides
of the calçots had to be revealed by stripping of the blackened outer layers with
our bare hands. The onions were then dunked into salvitxada or romesco sauces.
Plus the red wine was shared amongst us all via a porrón (glass pitcher with long stem) and this was
a very tricky technique to master! Infact, I am sure that we gave up in the end
and cheated by drinking the wine from cups.
No comments:
Post a Comment