Author: Gillian

Tartiflette Recipe: A Feast of Cheese, Bacon & Potatoes

Gillian

The French dish tartiflette is everything you want in a winter comfort food. It combines rich cheese, bacon and potatoes in melty amazingness, and it’s guaranteed not to result in any leftovers. You’re probably supposed to eat it after a long day of skiing in the Alps, but since I don’t ski or understand the cold, I think it’s acceptable to eat it any time there’s a little chill in the air.

tartiflette-recipe

Our lovely friends Marylise and Joan invited us over for a pre-Christmas dinner and made a to-die-for tartiflette. We had an entire conversation about how you should pace yourself while eating it because it’s so rich and filling that it’s easy to overdo it and end up with a belly ache later… and then we licked the pan clean. It was too good to stop.

I asked Marlyise for her secrets and consulted a few recipes before making my own tartiflette for family in New Orleans. Some recipes have you parboil the potatoes before baking, others have you pan-fry them. I opted to pan-fry because it worked better for our timeline, but I think either way would work well.

References:

The tartiflette was delicious, if I do say so myself. Everyone liked it, from my parents to my wee toddler nephew. We’ll be having this one again.

Note: We were able to procure reblochon – a soft washed-rind, stinky cheese – by means I cannot reveal, but if that is hard to find, you could look for a similar substitution. There are “reblochon-style” cheeses, and I’ve also read about using gruyère or other cheeses you would use in fondue. Go to a cheese shop or a grocery store cheese counter and see what suggestions they have.

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Tartiflette

Tartiflette

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ - 3 lbs. potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped or diced
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • ½ lb. bacon or lardons, diced
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 lb. reblochon (or reblochon-style) cheese, cut into thin slices
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In a sauté pan, cook bacon until browned and starting to crisp. Remove bacon onto paper towels.
  3. Drain grease from the pan, except for 1-2 T.
  4. Add onions, cooking for a few minutes until they start to soften and turn golden.
  5. Add wine and let simmer until it’s reduced by about half.
  6. Add the potatoes, bacon, salt and pepper and cook until the potatoes are just tender (adding more wine if you like).
  7. Grease an ovenproof casserole dish, and spread half of the potato mixture in an even layer on the bottom.
  8. Spread half the cheese slices on top. Repeat with one more potato layer and one more cheese layer.
  9. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbling.
https://www.travelingtotaste.com/2015/01/24/tartiflette-recipe-a-feast-of-cheese-bacon-potatoes/

On Resisting Takeout: Easy Thai Noodle Stir-Fry

Gillian

It is a daily challenge to make a healthy dinner instead of grabbing takeout from the many tempting places in our neighborhood. And I do love to cook. But when we don’t plan ahead, and it’s 8 p.m. and the hangries are coming on… well, a kebab or a wok stir-fry someone else has prepared starts to look pretty appealing.

Sometimes I give into takeout’s siren song, and I enjoy every bite. But I know it’s not great for our budget or our health to do it as often as it crosses my mind, so I try to have a few easy recipes to draw from that I actually look forward to.

The wok takeout places are our default for fast food: you choose your noodles, your sauce and your protein, and they stir-fry it to order with veggies. It’s tasty and cheap, and because it has vegetables in it, it feels healthier. But I’ve been working on making our own version at home with whatever we have on hand. It’s cheap, it makes a ton – so we have leftovers for days – and it’s delicious and much less greasy than the takeout version.

stir-fry-veggies

If we have chicken, I’ll add it to the hot wok first, browning it on all sides, and then adding the veggies. But more often, I’ve been making it with just veggies. If you use a good portion of something hearty like squash or sweet potato, it’s really filling (even meat enthusiast Brian agrees) and a great way to use up produce you don’t want to spoil.

The “recipe” below is just a basic framework. I do it differently every time, and it’s very forgiving and adaptable. I’d love to hear any variations you try!

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Thai Curry Veggie Stir-Fry

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Serving Size: 6

Thai Curry Veggie Stir-Fry

Ingredients

  • Fresh vegetables, cut into cubes (suggestions include: squash, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, bell peppers)
  • ½ can- 1 can coconut milk
  • 1 package rice or egg noodles
  • Curry paste or powder
  • Oil
  • Soy sauce
  • Sriracha hot sauce
  • Ginger, garlic, fresh basil or cilantro (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat a small amount of oil over medium-high heat in a wok or large pan.
  2. Add the heartier veggies that will take longer to cook (such as squash and potatoes) and stir-fry until they start to soften a bit. If they begin to stick to the pan, add a little more oil, water or broth.
  3. Add the rest of the veggies, as well as curry paste/powder, soy sauce, ginger and garlic (if you’re using them), and cook for a few more minutes.
  4. Add the coconut milk, stirring well to mix in the spices, and let simmer until the veggies start to become tender. Season with soy sauce and hot sauce to taste.
  5. Meanwhile, boil water for the noodles. When the veggies are just about done, cook noodles until al dente (usually 1-2 minutes).
  6. Drain noodles and add them to the veggies (along with fresh herbs if you’re using them), mixing well and turning off the heat.
  7. Serve with extra herbs and hot sauce.
https://www.travelingtotaste.com/2015/01/21/on-resisting-takeout-easy-thai-stir-fry/

Oysters, Chowder & Beer on the Sonoma Coast

Gillian

Brian and I just got back from a month-long trip to the U.S. for the holidays, which made us feel like fancypants jetsetters. Just stops in Fairfax, New Orleans and Sonoma; no big deal. For such a long trip, it flew by, and we managed to indulge in many, many delicious meals with some of our favorite people.

hog-island-oyster
Hog Island Oyster Co., Tomales Bay

I grew up in the town of Sonoma, California, where my parents still live, and I love going home for obvious reasons. Awesome wine, food, people and scenery? Yes.

I was especially excited to make it back to Sonoma because I haven’t visited in almost two years, and Brian hasn’t gone with me in five. We must have charmed the weather gods because it was sunny, temperate and beautiful for our entire stay (a rarity in January), and we took full advantage by planning a day out on the Sonoma Coast.

Way back in high school, my friends and I would pile into someone’s car, crank up the tunes and drive out to the coast as often as we could. Mind you, a Northern California day at the beach is not a scene from 90210. It’s usually freezing. We’d wear hoodies and jackets and scarves… but every now and then, we’d get a day warm enough to get in the water. But even on the grayest, windiest, saltiest days, the Sonoma Coast is absolutely gorgeous.

Bodega Bay has always been my favorite for lounging, grilling and eating out, but we decided to go south 30 minutes and stop in Tomales Bay first for one reason: oysters. Tomales is known for its fresh-farmed, delicious oysters, which I wasn’t really aware of when I was younger. I’ve always liked oysters and would eat them grilled or cooked in butter or wine from an early age, but it wasn’t till I lived in New Orleans that I started eating them raw. Oysters on the halfshell, plain or with just a little hot sauce and lemon, are damn near perfection. They taste like the ocean in the best possible way.

Hog Island Oyster Co.

A Day on the Sonoma Coast

Hog Island Oyster Co.

Hog Island Oyster Co. has oyster bars in Napa and San Francisco, but if you head out to Marshall on Tomales Bay, you can eat a few fresh-shucked beauties right on the farm. If you have a picnic reservation, you can shuck and grill your own, but we went the lazy route and ordered from the bar – which is the bow of an old wooden boat. An order of raw oysters, an order of grilled oysters with chipotle sauce, two beers from North Coast Brewing Co. in Fort Bragg: heaven.

Sweet boat.

We got there at about 11 a.m. on a Monday, the day the Golden Gate Bridge was reopening after a weekend closure for renovations. We had the place entirely to ourselves for about an hour, enjoying views of the bay while the friendly staff worked around us to a great soundtrack.

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Tomales Bay Oyster Co.

After Hog Island, we drove a few miles down the coast to the next stop on our oyster tour: Tomales Bay Oyster Co. You can buy bags of oysters by the dozen for a great price (we paid $15 for ours), then carry out or pay $5 a person to shuck, grill and eat at the picnic benches next to the bay.

IMG_0182

I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I had never actually shucked my own oysters before… so we got a quick tutorial (and a knife) and got to work. The oysters were amazing, and totally worth the extra effort.

Tomales Bay Oyster Co.

The Tides

We still had a little room after our oyster appetizers, so we drove up to The Tides, an old favorite in Bodega Bay. Normally, we order a feast from the snack bar – clam chowder in a bread bowl, calamari, oysters – and eat at the tables outside if it’s not too windy (or more often inside), but it was closed that day. So we got a loaf of sourdough and a large order of clam chowder from the deli and feasted that way instead.

Lagunitas Brewery

Bellies finally full, we drove back into Petaluma and wrapped up the day at the fantastic Lagunitas Brewery. I love their beers and their funky NorCal character, and the tour and tasting didn’t disappoint. You leave wanting to hang out there all the time and somehow get a job (any job) there. Go for a visit, drink a beer in their tap room and ask them to tell you all the good stories (like the Undercover Investigation Shutdown Ale).

I miss you, NorCal, but we’ll be back soon for the rest of your oysters and beer.

 

I wrote this post as part of the Your Turn Challenge from Seth Godin’s team. Anyone can participate and write one blog post per day for seven days on any topic. My lovely sister Melia inspired me and gave me the kick in the pants I needed to get writing again. Gracias y besos – here’s to Day 1!

 

How to Make Mix-and-Match Enchiladas

Gillian

I make enchiladas at least once a month, usually when I have a random assortment of leftovers and vegetables I need to use, and I am craving something a little spicy. What I like best about enchiladas is that you can make them a thousand different ways, and they’re almost guaranteed to be delicious no matter what you put in them. My commitment to creating authentic Mexican cuisine is minimal, so it frees me up to try a lot of possible combinations.

pork-veggie-enchiladas

My basic formula is:

  1. Put a few cups of cooked beans or leftover chicken, pork or beef into a mixing bowl. (This is an excellent use for slow-cooker pulled pork or dried beans that you soak overnight, then cook on low all day in the slow cooker.)
  2. Mix beans or meat with sour cream (or Greek yogurt), a few generous handfuls of shredded or crumbled cheese, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper.
  3. Lightly sauté some veggies in olive oil.
  4. Take flour tortillas (or corn tortillas that have been softened by microwaving them briefly or sautéing them in a little oil) and add generous dollops of beans or meat and veggies in the center.
  5. Roll the filled tortillas up, and nestle them in a casserole dish, seam down.
  6. Cover with enchilada sauce and bake, adding more cheese on top for the last few minutes.

A few recipe ideas: 

  • Pork, spinach and pepper jack cheese
  • Chicken, red peppers and cheddar cheese
  • Pinto beans, zucchini and goat cheese
  • Black beans, squash and cotija or feta cheese

Any variations you would add to the list?

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Bean, Mushroom, Red Pepper & Cheese Enchiladas

Bean, Mushroom, Red Pepper & Cheese Enchiladas

Ingredients

  • Enchiladas:
  • 1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked pinto beans (about 1 16-ounce can)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 cup wild or white button mushrooms, diced
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 - 1 ½ cups sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 bag shredded cheese (about 200 g or 8 oz)
  • 10-12 small flour tortillas
  • Salsa or hot sauce (optional)
  • Pickled jalapeños (optional)
  • Avocado (optional)
  • Salt and pepper

  • Sauce:
  • 1 large can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Olive oil
  • Spices to taste (chili pepper, cumin, salt, pepper, oregano, cayenne, etc.)

Instructions

  1. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a pan and sauté pepper, onions and mushrooms for 5-8 minutes, until vegetables start to soften. Preheat oven to 375° F.
  2. Make the sauce in a separate saucepan: sauté garlic in olive oil for 1-2 minutes, then add the tomatoes and their juices, crushing them well with your hands as you go and breaking them up more with a spoon or spatula. Season with spices and let simmer uncovered for about 15-20 minutes. Blend with an immersion blender if you want a smoother sauce.
  3. In a large bowl, mix pinto beans, cilantro, sour cream and half the bag of cheese. Add a few good shakes of salt and pepper, and mix well.
  4. Grease a 9 x 13 casserole pan with a bit of olive oil to keep enchiladas from sticking. Place heaping portions of bean mixture and veggie mixture on a tortilla, roll it up and place it seam side down in the pan. Repeat until the pan is full and you use up all the filling.
  5. Pour the sauce over the enchiladas. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for about 40 minutes.
  6. Take the enchiladas out of the oven, remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Return to the oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are starting to get crisp on the edges.
  7. Serve with extra toppings: sour cream, jalapeños, salsa, hot sauce, avocado, lime, cilantro, etc.
https://www.travelingtotaste.com/2014/12/07/how-to-make-mix-and-match-enchiladas/

Gumbo-Filled Arancini (Rice Balls)

Gillian

We made a big pot of chicken-sausage gumbo last weekend and had just enough leftovers to make this wondrous dish.

Gumbo-filled arancini. Life-changing, y’all. I’m obsessed.

We fell in love with arancini – Sicilian fried rice balls – when we lived in Naples (the ones filled with meat sauce are my favorite) and have been dying to try this New Orleans variation for some time.

Do yourself a favor, and take the following steps immediately:

  1. Make a huge pot of gumbo – we played around with a combination of recipes (one from our friend Kathleen and one from The New Orleans Cookbook) – and invite people you like to come share it with you. This is an excellent idea for, say, a football game. Bonus points if it’s the Saints game.
  2. The next day, make these gumbo-filled arancini, and prepare to be amazed.
arancini-preparation
Prepping the gumbo and rice balls
rice-balls
Starting to look more like arancini
arancini-before-frying
Breaded arancini, ready for frying
gumbo-arancini
Gumbo arancini with extra gumbo

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Gumbo-Filled Arancini

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Gumbo-Filled Arancini

Ingredients

  • Leftover rice
  • Leftover gumbo
  • 3-4 eggs
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Vegetable oil
  • Hot sauce

Instructions

  1. Take the rice out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you start cooking so it has time to warm up a bit. Take the gumbo out of the refrigerator just before you are ready to use it.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, blend leftover rice with 2 beaten eggs until it is slightly sticky and holds together.
  3. Beat remaining egg(s) in a small bowl and set aside. Pour breadcrumbs into a separate bowl and set next to the egg mixture.
  4. For each rice ball, make two small patties out of the rice. Add a dollop of gumbo to the center of one patty, then place the second patty on top. Form the two patties into a round shape.
  5. Dip each rice ball in egg mixture, then roll in breadcrumbs.
  6. Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a pan until it is hot but not smoking. Fry arancini in the oil, turning so that each side turns golden brown. Remove from pan and place on paper towels.
  7. Serve with a small bowl of gumbo and extra hot sauce.
https://www.travelingtotaste.com/2014/11/03/gumbo-filled-arancini-rice-balls/

Bourbon-Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Gillian

Last weekend, we celebrated our lovely friend Claire’s birthday by camping out all day on her gorgeous terrace in El Gòtic and slow-cooking a ridiculous amount of pork to perfection (more about that in another post).

Power nap.
Power nap.

It was a tough day.

Brian worked his magic on the grill, and I made a simple coleslaw and this bourbon-chipotle BBQ sauce, which I have to say, turned out mighty fine. I love BBQ sauce, but I find a lot of the bottled stuff too sweet and lacking in real flavor (also, it’s strangely not a thing here in Spain).

I like a BBQ sauce with a little kick to it, and my old friends bourbon and chipotle give this recipe a moderate level of spice with a hint of smoky sweetness.

tomatoes for BBQ sauce
End-of-the-season tomatoes

I’ve made a variation of this recipe before with canned tomatoes, and it turned out well – but go for the fresh version if you’ve got ’em. It takes additional time to cook them down, but it’s not a lot more hands-on work, and I think it’s worth it.

Pulled pork with BBQ sauce
Pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and bourbon-chipotle BBQ sauce. Yes.

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Bourbon-Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Yield: 2 squeeze bottles

Bourbon-Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

  • 5 lbs. fresh tomatoes, cores and seeds removed and roughly chopped (or about 70 oz. canned whole peeled tomatoes)
  • 3 ribs celery, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup + 1 T. dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup bourbon
  • 2 T. molasses
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, deseeded and chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 T. cocoa powder
  • Olive oil

Instructions

  1. First, make the ketchup-like base. Heat a little olive oil in a large pot, and add tomatoes, celery, onion, garlic, chipotle, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, vinegar, Worcestershire and brown sugar. Cook uncovered for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours until the tomatoes have reduced and become thick and saucy. (Use fresh tomatoes if available; if you use canned tomatoes, you can reduce the cook time to about 30-45 minutes.)
  2. Purée with an immersion blender or in a regular blender. Push the mixture through a strainer once or twice, and discard solids.
  3. Add bourbon, molasses and cocoa powder to the tomato mixture and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. Adjust seasoning as needed.
https://www.travelingtotaste.com/2014/10/26/bourbon-chipotle-bbq-sauce/

Garbanzo, Bulgar & Veggie Fritters With Mint Tzatziki

Garbanzo, Bulgar & Veggie Fritters With Mint Tzatziki

Gillian

I have a tendency to cook as though I am feeding the entire Duggar family instead of two normal-ish adults. As a result, we often have leftover grains and beans to get creative with.

This week, we had a ton of extra bulgar and a bag of dried garbanzo beans begging to be used, so I cooked up some tasty (and shockingly vegan, minus the tzatziki sauce, which I do think is a necessity) fritters.

The great thing about this kind of fritter is that you can adapt it to fit whatever you have on hand. We’ve been eating a lot of bulgar lately (quick cooking instructions: 2:1 ratio of broth or water to bulgar; boil liquid, add to bulgar, cover and let sit for 30 minutes), but you could easily substitute couscous or rice. We also happened to have chard and peppers, but you could use zucchini, carrots, spinach, whatever your little heart desires.

Of course I made twice the amount in the recipe below, so I did not actually cut down on the leftover count. You get a fritter! And you get a fritter! Fritters for everyone! I think tomorrow I’m going to add poached eggs to them and call that brunch…

mint-tzatziki-sauce
Easy mint tzatziki sauce
swiss-chard-peppers
Sautéed chard and peppers
chickpea-veggie-mix
Garbanzo and veggie mixture
chickpea-chard-fritter-in-pan
Delicious fried goodness

 

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Garbanzo, Bulgar & Veggie Fritters With Mint Tzatziki

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Serving Size: 4

Garbanzo, Bulgar & Veggie Fritters With Mint Tzatziki

Ingredients

  • Fritters:
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (about 1 can)
  • 1 small bunch Swiss chard, tough parts discarded and roughly chopped
  • 1/2 red pepper, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked bulgar (or couscous, brown rice, etc.)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Flour
  • Olive oil
  • Spices and herbs to taste (salt, pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes, mint, cayenne, etc.)

  • Mint Tzatziki Sauce:
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 T. olive oil
  • 1 T. vinegar
  • Small handful of fresh mint, finely chopped (or a few T. of dried mint)
  • Salt

Instructions

  1. Make the tzatziki by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate while you make the fritters.
  2. Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan. Sauté onion, pepper and Swiss chard until onions are soft and chard is wilted. Drain excess liquid using a strainer, and set aside.
  3. Add garbanzo beans, lemon juice and garlic to a food processor and combine until it forms a rough paste. Add chard mix and spices and blend until mostly smooth.
  4. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and add bulgar, adjusting spices if necessary.
  5. Heat a thin layer of olive oil to medium-high heat in a frying pan. Form small patties from the mixture, and coat in flour.
  6. Fry patties in oil until crispy and brown on each side, a few minutes per side. Serve with tzatziki sauce, salad and bread.
https://www.travelingtotaste.com/2014/10/24/garbanzo-bulgar-veggie-fritters-with-mint-tzatziki/

Slow-Cooker Pork Tacos With Chipotle & Cilantro

Gillian

Our building has some sort of gas leak, so maintenance turned off the gas for all the apartments until they fix the problem. I should probably be more alarmed at the safety or health implications of this, but I’m mostly just annoyed that I haven’t been able to use the stovetop in five days.

Thank goodness we have an electric oven and a slow cooker, or they’d be getting an earful of my strongly worded but grammatically incorrect Spanish complaints.

I went a little crazy at the market yesterday and came home with 2 kilos (4.4 lbs.) of pork to make tacos… and enchiladas and about five more meals I have yet to dream up.

pork-shoulder
Hello, beautiful.

I spent a little more time making the marinade than I normally do, and it was totally worth the extra few minutes. The meat had a nice subtle spiciness – nothing too crazy – so you can adjust the chipotle and jalapeño measurements to your own taste.

slow-cooker-pork
If it falls apart when you try to turn it, you’re doing it right.

I recommend serving the tacos with extra sour cream, avocado, cilantro and Tapatío. This is actually just a good life rule.

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Slow-Cooker Pork Tacos

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 6 hours, 20 minutes

Serving Size: 10-12

Slow-Cooker Pork Tacos

Ingredients

  • Taco Meat:
  • 4-5 lb. pork shoulder (or other cut with some nice marbling)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, deseeded and chopped
  • 1 jalapeño or other medium-spicy pepper, chopped
  • 1 T. cumin
  • 1 T. chili powder
  • 7 fresh tomatoes (or tomato purée), chopped
  • 1 lime
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil

  • Taco Fixins:
  • Corn or flour tortillas
  • Avocado
  • Sour cream
  • Cheese
  • Hot sauce

Instructions

  1. Salt the pork generously and let sit in the slow cooker while you do the rest of the prep.
  2. Combine onion, garlic, chipotle, jalapeño, cumin, chili powder and a little olive oil and microwave or sauté for about 5 minutes, until onions are softened. Transfer to food processor.
  3. Add fresh tomatoes, most of the cilantro (saving some for garnish) and the juice of 1 lime. Blend until smooth.
  4. Pour mixture over the pork, turning it over a few times to coat (the meat won't be completely submerged).
  5. Cook on high for 6 to 8 hours or low for 9 to 11 hours, turning the meat once or twice if possible. When it's done, the meat should fall apart when you touch it.
  6. Serve on warm tortillas with your favorite fixins. Save the leftover cooking liquid to cook black or pinto beans.
https://www.travelingtotaste.com/2014/10/16/slow-cooker-pork-tacos-with-chipotle-cilantro/

Cavatast 2014: A Weekend in Penedès Wine Country

Gillian

The capital of the cava region, Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, is just a stone’s throw away from Barcelona, a fact that makes me very, very happy.

You can hop on the regional train – Rodalies R4 line – at Plaça de Catalunya and be there in about 45 minutes. You’ll know you’ve arrived when you see the massive Freixenet cavaplex right next to the Sant Sadurní d’Anoia train station.

We have made it out to visit different wineries several times with friends, and for about the last eight months, we’ve been looking forward to Cavatast, the town’s annual cava festival held at the end of harvest season, this year from October 3 to 5:

Cavatast is a space for pairing the best cavas with the best food trends of the season. The exhibitors offer visitors an extraordinary range of products for tasting, savouring, enjoying and taking home.

That sounds good. I’ll have that.

IMG_3026

Our awesome friends Kyle and Arianna were visiting from California, so it was only fitting that we head to the cava fest to take the place by storm. Kyle and I should have started some sort of Sonoma County cheer to represent for our own wine country (next time).

We got to Cavatast in the early afternoon on Saturday, walking the 10 minutes from the train station up to the street hosting the festival, and I was surprised by how uncrowded and laidback it was. A few weeks ago, Brian and I went with friends to a wine and cava festival in Barcelona during La Mercè (the festivities for the patron saint of the city), and it was a lot of fun but packed with people. The scene in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia was much more serene during the day, with no lines and plenty of standing table space, though it did get more crowded as the night went on. Yes, we were there all day.

The prices were super reasonable, and this is what we bought for each person:

Cava and glass (4 tickets + 1 glass) 6.50 €
Additional cava (4 tickets) 5.00 €
Food (4 tickets) 6.00 €
Total: 17.50 €

IMG_3023

Each of the 30-some wineries with a stand at Cavatast offered several different types of cava, for a price of one to four tickets. We stuck within the one to two-ticket range and got to try a great selection of cavas. Two of the favorites were the brut nature from Mont Marçal and Fonpinet (we bought three bottles of each at the end of the night) – subtly dry and flavorful. We also sampled some excellent food from Restaurant Cal Blay – bacallà (cod), fideuà (noodle dish similar to paella), cannelloni with mushroom bechamel sauce and a stew with botifarra negra (Catalan sausage).

cavatast

cavatast

cavatast

It was a long and trying day, making so many difficult decisions about what type of cava to try next. We took a late train back to Vilafranca del Penedès, 10 minutes away, where we stayed the night and regained our strength.

On Sunday, we took the train to Lavern-Subirats – next to Sant Sadurní d’Anoia – to have lunch with friends at the spectacular Cal Pere del Maset, which is a quick cab ride from the station in the town of Sant Pau d’Ordal. Our friend Joan’s family owns the restaurant, and the food is nothing short of amazing. Course after course of seasonal, perfectly prepared dishes.

A few favorites that I now dream about: crepes filled with chicken and covered in foie gras sauce and mushrooms, hake cooked to perfection served with romesco sauce, perfectly rare solomillo (best steak ever) with foie gras and truffle sauce, chocolette croquetas with bitter orange sauce. It was gourmet gastronomic experience with an insane wine selection (seriously, the wine list is bigger than dictionaries I’ve owned), fantastic service and a beautiful setting for very reasonable prices for the quality you receive. A meal like this in California would have cost far more, and Cal Pere del Maset is well worth the day trip from Barcelona. We will find an excuse to go back very soon.

cal pere del maset

All in all, Cavatast 2014 was a great experience, and heading to the festival is going to be an annual tradition. Who’s in for Cavatast 2015?

Potato-Leek Soup with Crispy Pancetta

Gillian

It’s the time of year where I’m simultaneously mourning the last days of summer and antsy to move on to the crisp fall weather. Barcelona has been skipping back and forth between seasons – sunny and balmy one day, cool and stormy the next.

During one of the fierce thunderstorms this week, I put the potatoes in our CSA basket to good use and made a simple, creamy potato-leek soup that hit the spot. Cozy up with a bowl – you won’t regret it.

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Potato-Leek Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Serving Size: 4

Potato-Leek Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 4 leeks (white and light green parts only), roughly chopped
  • 5 small potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream or half and half
  • Olive oil
  • Salt, pepper, dried thyme and other spices
  • Handful of cubed pancetta (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1/4 baguette, cut into medium chunks

Instructions

  1. Melt butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add leeks and potatoes and cook for about 10 minutes, until softened slightly.
  2. Add broth and simmer for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are very tender. Add cream and heat through.
  3. At the same time, cook pancetta in a small pan with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme and bread crumbs until crispy, about 8-10 minutes.
  4. Use an immersion blender (or work in batches in a regular blender) to puree until it is still lightly chunky, not totally smooth.
  5. Season with salt, pepper, thyme and any other spices you like.
  6. Serve topped with pancetta-crouton mix, with extra sliced bread on the side.
https://www.travelingtotaste.com/2014/10/02/potato-leek-soup-with-crispy-pancetta/