Pinchitos (Pinxitos!) – Tiny open-face sarnies

Catalan has proved to be somewhat of a nuisance for me with its funny ‘X’s and French/Portuguese/Italian nuances… my Spanish is not yet so good that it can nonchalantly handle the challenges of these new inflexions and rather mysteriously spelled words.  The one thing I have grasped in Catalañ, though, is that ‘x’ sounds like [...]

Churros – naughty, illusive batter sticks

I had been dying to try these calorific deep fried batter sticks, which are rolled in sugar and then dunked in a thick hot chocolate drink to eat, but hadn’t been able to find them anywhere.  I recall on my last trip to Barcelona I tried to find churros in the centre of town, as [...]

La Boqueria – Deservedly Famous Market in Barcelona

The primary joy of cooking must be, of course, the ability to procure perfect, burstingly fresh ingredients.  Markets are surely, then, absolute foodie heaven!  La Boqueria is a wonderful food market just off La Rambla with a lengthy history and loads of character – the wafting scents of herbs crushed underfoot and recently caught fish [...]

Iberico Ham

Check out these splendid specimens of cured Iberico ham hanging out in the supermarket.  Arturo insisted on buying in a whole one as he claimed last year a single ham lasted him six months.  We’re making well sure that this year it won’t!  In Cataluña people eat lots of ham finely sliced with bread rigorously [...]

Gloriously Gastronomical Getaway

We’re spending the holidays in Spain, enjoying a gloriously gastronomical getaway and staying with Tito’s brother Arturo and his girlfriend Silvia.  We brought my mum along, Silvia’s mum has joined us, and Santa’s here too, apparently.  Below is a typical Catalonian bread called Coca, decorated with pretty preserved fruits and pine nuts.   It’s more usually [...]