Three Catalan recipes to taste the Catalan culinary tradition. We are really into food, but do not worry, other topics are coming soon ahahah. One post about Carnival sweets, the other about Catalan recipe. Who knows, maybe in next month we will make a wine tasting. We are joking, after the three recipes helpBarcelona will go back to its column about neighbourhoods, language learning, tips… We have planned everything to avoid making you too hungry while reading our blog!
Before reporting here the three tasty Catalan recipes, what about some useful tips to move to Barcelona and get the most out of your stay? We know that the food itself will make your stay unforgettable. Nonetheless, we have decided to refresh our traditional tips in order to help you planning your stay in this beautiful city.
Whether you are a student or a young worker at the beginning of his/her career, shared flats are a very good choice when you have to choose among several kinds of accommodations. A shared flat will allow you to share rent and expenses and meet friends from all over the world. You will find a new family and a new home away from home.
Of course, you will have to look in the right neighbourhood, but we are sure it will be a walk in the park after reading our blog posts about some of the prettiest neighbourhoods and districts in Barcelona. Why is the location so important? Not only to live close to the seaside or close to the coolest restaurant of the city. The location is of paramount importance when it comes to services: good connections, grocery shops (both cheap and with high quality products), post offices, doctors, etc. A good initial choice will be the key of a successful stay in this beautiful city.
Now it is time for tasty things to make you dream of your stay in Barcelona ahahah. Which recipes have we chosen? Of course, some traditional ones. They do not pretend to be the tastiest or the most traditional. Nonetheless, they are a starting point to approach Catalan flavours. Spoons, pots, salt and pepper… We are ready for a Catalan recipes master class!
Ingredients (x6 people): 500 g beef tenderloin (filet of 1cm max.), 3 tomatoes, 1 onion (big), 2 cloves of garlic, 50 g dried St. George’s mushrooms, 1 laurel leaf, 150 ml white wine, 50 g pine nuts, olive oil, salt, flour.
- Soak the dried mushrooms for 20-25 minutes. Reserve them for later
- Cover the meat in flour. Heat some olive oil in a big casserole and brown the meat on all sides. Then remove the meat and reserve for later.
- Using the same pot an oil, sauté the onion and garlic until both are cooked.
- Add tomatoes and cook for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts.
- Add the mushrooms in the casserole and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the beef tenderloin and the white wine.
- When the alcohol evaporates (2-3 minutes), add the toasted pine nuts.
- Cover with water and let it cook for one hour low heat.
Ingredients (x2 people): 500 g prawns, mussels and clams for the broth, 500 g white fish (sea bream or anglerfish), 2 tomatoes, 2 onions, 2 cloves of garlic, 200g potatoes, one laurel leaf, 30 g almonds, parsley, salt and olive oil.
- Prepare the broth with the prawns, mussels and clams, 2 onions and the laurel leaf.
- Heat some olive oil in the casserole and fry onion (fined chopped), garlic and tomatoes. When it is dry, put some broth.
- Chop the potatoes and add them in the casserole, cover them with the broth, add some salt and cover it for 10 minutes.
- Add white fish, parsley, almonds and salt. Let the sauce reduce.
Ingredients: 400 g fava beans, 100 g bacon, 200 g sausage (butifarra), 4 cloves of garlic, chive, mint, thyme, 1 laurel leaf, white wine, olive oil, salt.
- Chop garlic, chive (fined), bacon and sausage (small pieces).
- Wash and dry mint, thyme and laurel.
- Heat some olive oil in a casserole, fry the bacon and, after a while, add the fined chopped garlic and chive.
- Reduce heat and add the sausage. Stir constantly the sausage until golden and add the fava beans, the white wine, mint, thyme and laurel. Cook it for two minutes, until the alcohol evaporates.
- Cover with water and let it cook for one hour low heat.
Oh my word! We cannot wait until these amazing traditional dishes are ready. We want to taste them now! If you spend some months in Barcelona, you cannot avoid learning how to cook this delicious food. Easy, relatively cheap and tasty!
One of the bright sides of living in a shared flat is that you can organize lunches and dinners with your flat mates. You can gather, go shopping and then cook all together something delicious like the habas a la Catalana. Your shared flat will turn into an amazing familiar bistro ahahah. Kidding aside, this scenario should convince you that a shared flat is the perfect accommodation in order to enjoy both Barcelona and your home.
Speaking of cooking, the onion is frying. We have to go preparing something tasty for lunch…