Y que son los CALCOTS? What CALCOTS are?

Son una especie de las tantas de cebollas que tiene algun parecido con la que llamamos "junca" pero con mas consistencia, un poco mas gruesa. En todo caso, saben igual. Los Calcots son un plato tipico tarragones. Su consumo, tan exotico que se ha convertido ya en "producto" de exportacion a otras comunidades de Espana, por lo que se puede ir en Madrid a alguna que otra calcotada que es el nombre de este evento gastronomico decembrino. Se preparan a la brasa, y cuando la pelicula exterior esta chamuscada se sirven (de veinte en veinte) con la salsa romesco que les acompana. Los calcots saben simplemente a cebollas cocidas, dulzones, babosos, pero la salsa es exquisita. Se comen con escalivada (pimentones con berenjena asados y aderezados con aceite de oliva), alcachofas a la brasa y pan con tomate. Se sirven como guarnicion de las carnes y los embutidos y para pasarlo todo: VINO.

Calcots are like huge spring onions. They are mainly eaten in the Catalan province of Tarragona but since there is a whole gastronomical event around them, which precisely starts this time of the year, the consumption has been "exported" to the capital and other important regions. They are grilled directly on top of burning coals and served with a delicious dip (wich at the end is what makes the dish, the hassle and the mess worth) called romesco sauce. They are also served with wine, of course! escalivada (roasted bellpeppers with eggplant, and sometimes anchovies) and pan con tomate, our all times favorite.

Receta de la salsa romesco/Romesco sauce recipe

Ingredientes/ingredients:
3-6 tomates muy maduros/3-6 ripe tomatoes
1 cabeza entera de ajo/1 garlic head
1 docena de almendras peladas/a dozen peeled almonds
1/2 docena de avellanas (opcional)/6 hazelnuts
5 ~noras (pimientos o pimentones)/5 red bell peppers
Un pedacito de pimenton picante o guindilla si se quiere algo de pique/hot pepper to taste
1 vaso de aceite de oliva virgen extra/200g extra virgin olive oil
1/2 vaso de vinagre de buena calidad/100g quality vinegar
1 rebanada grande de pan tostado o frito/1 bread loaf; Toasted or fried
Sal y pimienta al gusto/salt and pepper to taste

Preparacion/preparation:
En un mortero se trituran las almendras, las avellanas y el pan. Se le agregan los tomates, los pimentones y el ajo, previamente asados (puede ser a la brasa o en el horno, pero deben estar tiernos y bien hechos) y pelados. Se machacan con la mezcla anterior y con la ayuda del aceite y el vinagre se homogeniza la salsa. Se deja reposar unas 3 horas. Al final se sala al gusto y si se prefiere una textura mas fina se pasa por un colador chino. Para que la textura sea my cremosa el aceite de oliva se va anadiendo a la vez que se esta machacando la pasta, continuamente y poco a poco. Se trata de una especie de alioli con mucho sabor.
Using a mortar and a pestle crush almonds, halzenuts and bread. Peppers, garlic and tomatoes should be grilled and peeled (well done and soft) before adding them to the mortar. Mix the remaining ingredients while adding at the same time the olive oil. In this way the resulting sauce would be very smooth and creamy. Season it to taste. For a finer texture use a Chinese strainer.

Catalunya

We spent 4 fantastic days in Catalunya:
-Went to Barcelona
-Slept in a wonderful apartment of the gotic disctrict
-Felt it was a very "cool," eclectic, diverse, bohemian, artsy part of the city
-Ate the best fondue of the past 3 years (ever since Beatrix and Gerry made one for us, very authentic, in Basel)
-Visited the Maritime Museum where THE reception (and the reason to be of this whole trip was) took place
-Took a look of the honorary consulate of Estonia where a clearly misleading plate hangs and says "Consulado General"
-Walked up and down the RAMBLAS
-Suffered the traffic congestion and finally drove out to Tarragona
-SAW after many years the Lampreave family: Angel, Rosa, Miriam and Francisco, Esther, and Co. (Children)
-Got a taste of the best imaginable hospitality: hosted in their Summer house, honored by their kind company, guided around the city and invited to eat calcots! And because this last activity deserves a distinguished mention, an image:

This entry continues for sure..........

And this is our latest obsession: Matcha; Japanese green tea, like an expresso to coffee. Juulia, as explained earlier, leads this trend. A bunch of pictures found in the internet of it by this authors: Chahno, Steve H., Miss Peach, Jusan, Yan San, Tychennyt and Moxlux: