A much-younger-than-me friend Katie is spending one of those college-semesters-abroad in Barcelona right now. When she asked about non-touristy things to do, I had to admit that I now go to bed approximately 8 hours before the bars start to rock. So I told her about the Ateneu Barcelonès, (more…)
Two ways to sample Spain’s most venerated pig, jamón ibérico de bellota (a native breed of black-footed pig, reared in acorn-laden oak forests, and carefully salted and cured where the air is just so) here in the USA were plugged in today’s New York Times Dining pages. This is the cured meat people in the know here were buying futures in a couple of years ago.
In case you missed that whole story, The Wall Street Journal’s early account is still up on the Tienda website — tienda’s owners devised the “futures” scheme as they worked with suppliers to get a version of the ham approved for sale in the U.S. (more…)
I love Barcelona in the winter. There’s plenty going on, and fewer hoards of visitors to share it all with. “Un cos sense limits — A Body without Limits,” through January 27th at Fundació Joan Miró is where I’d head if I were there right now. (more…)
This little bean, the fesol de Santa Pau, is a big deal in Catalonia. Tender and flavorful, fesols grow well in the volcanic soil of the Pyrennees foothills region of La Garrotxa, where there’s an association of growers dedicated to reviving the traditional crop. They’re celebrated every winter at the “Fira de Sant Antoni, Fira del Fesol” in their hometown, Santa Pau. This year, the party’s on for January 19th and 20th — next weekend. (more…)
If you read Bill Buford’s Heat, you know that Mario Batali’s first formative food epiphany came in Spain. Too bombed to recall the specifics, he later moved on, slightly more soberly, to Italy. Now PBS has him roving Spain in the company of Gwyneth Paltrow, filming their culinary road trip for TV. Mark Bittman is along too, presumably to eat for Gwyneth. Stalking along on Batali’s blog, I started to worry that Mario, GP and Bitty’s “discovery” of Vic’s beloved sausage, the llonganissa, might make it impossible to keep production at artisanal levels.
A purist’s salami, llonganissa is made from choice cuts of pork, (more…)
Torrones from Italy have made their way into American specialty food stores, but I don’t touch the stuff. (Well, not unless I’m at Tony’s Colonial in Providence, Rhode Island.) I wait instead for friends in Spain who know about this problem to send the more almond-y turrones. (more…)