As previously noted, one of the highlights of our trip to Barcelona was a Catalan cooking class offered by the “Cook & Taste” school in the historic district. Our chef, Lluis, was the perfect teacher, with Spanish charm and advice about everything from how to drink from a glass to which olive oil to use. Our menu consisted of roasted sweet onions with romesco sauce, red bell pepper soup with saffron and cod, Valencian style paella, and Catalan creme. I’m not sure I’ll ever make any of these, but I’ll bring the recipes home for my cooking friends. We all participated in preparing the food, and of course enjoyed our handiwork for lunch, which was delicious. We also had some other amazing food in Barcelona, including wonderful salads and tapas like shrimp in garlic and olive oil, mussles, thin ham and cheese, olives, poppers, and good vino y cervezas.
Chef Lluis puts us to work cutting up vegetables and fish. Fortunately, I only had to scoop olives.
Here he's demonstrating to Sam how to cut and cook squid.
Kirsten is cutting artichokes down to the heart.
The ingredients are lined up for the paella from least to most moisture.
Prawns are seared.
Then come the vegetables.
Rice was added in a cross form, then gently pushed in even layers.
This is the "soup" stage.
Voila! Aqui es el producto final!
We learned how to make a Catalan creme from egg yokes and sugar. for dessert.
Lluis used sugar and a blow torch to add a carmelized finish.
We had some other great meals in Barcelona as well.
Okay, foodies...here you go: scallops on mushroom risotto.
...goat cheese salad...
Lamb shank with sweet potatoes and chestnuts.
Sea bass and prawn.
Paella back in Valencia was not bad either!
