It’s Calçots season once more in Catalonia, which means a couple delicious months of barbecueing green onions in the countryside. You can eat those calçots as tapas in many restaurants.
A calçot is a sort of long green onion which is nice and fat in February and March – so right now! The tradition is to go to a masia, or country farmhouse restaurant where they char these onions by the ton on the BBQ, but you can get them sometimes also in restaurants.
The process of eating is a bit messy as Calçot eaters must first peel the onions (the outer layers are black and burned of the fire) and then dip them in red romesco sauce, which is very delicious and made of red pepers, almonds, tomato, breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic. Once the calçot is peeled, throw your head back and eat the dripping calçot, sword-swallowed style. Drink some wine and repeat. You get to wear a bib to start eating the calçots.
Many restaurants offer the Calçotada : calcots and different types of grilled sausages. The calçots’ season starts late November until March. In the markets, Calçots are sold in bundles of 24 which should be enough for 2 people.
The love for this white scallion reaches its peak on January 31st 2010, in its hometowm Valls, with the Gran Fiesta de la Calçotada, when 30 000 people come to enjoy the calçots. The top players in the Valls – calçots competition can put away over 200 calçots in 45 minutes !
2010 Record in Valls : 360 calçots eaten in 45 minutes by a man from Barcelona.
In 2010, the 52 producers of the Valls area will sell 5 millions of calçots !
Good place where to eat good fresh calçots with delicious homemade Romesco sauce in Barcelona centre
Ciudad Condal Tapas
corner Rambla de Catalunya y Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes
Ph: 93.318.19.97
Recipee for the Romesco sauce
ingredients for 4 people:
100 g of grilled almonds, 30 g of hazelnuts
5 grilled tomatoes
a whole head of garlic grilled
80 cl olive oil
1/2 glass of vinegar
1 dry peper
parsley and salt
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