Cook and Taste Barcelona

While in Barcelona, I attended a Catalan cooking class at Cook and Taste, located on La Rambla.  The class was intimate, including only six people:  a couple from Ireland, a gentleman from Barcelona, a lady from Germany, a lady from Virginia, and myself.  The small size facilitated participation and the overall learning experience.  

The class began with a visit to La Boqueria to purchase ingredients necessary for the dishes to be prepared in the studio.  Our instructor, Bego, was knowledgeable and called attention to various aspects of Spanish cooking while in the the market including Iberian hams, the use of peppers and tomatoes, and regional ingredients (the pickled cloves of garlic eaten whole and unaccompanied were divine).  

Bego stated the Iberian hams can be differentiated from the inferior breeds by the color of the hooves:  black.  The ham, I'm told, is buttery and smooth.  As we toured the market, Bego spent a great deal of time at a fishmongers stall demonstrating how to choose fresh seafood and indicating which fish to order for its ink bags necessary for making black paella.  

Goods purchased, we walked to the studio to begin the day's menu which included the following:  Crema Catalana, a lighter version of the creme brulee; Chupito de sopa de tomate al aroma de idiazabal, a tomato soup flavored with idiazabal smoked cheese (pictured), Tortilla de patatas y pan con tomate, a potato omelet with tomato bread; and paella.  

The six of us took turns preparing the dishes under Bego's direction: chopping, cleaning, stirring and plating.  The cream didn't require coddling in a water bath and was made piquant by the addition of lemon zest.  The potatoes for the omelet were thinly sliced and cooked in Spanish olive oil until they were not quite brown but soft enough to melt in your mouth.  The bread was deliciously easy to make and complemented the omelet.  The paella was not as difficult to make as I had anticipated, and Bego planned for both a seafood variety and a vegetarian version for me.    I learned how to properly prepare fresh artichokes and how to remove beards from mussels.  

After several hours of cooking, we enjoyed the fruits of our labor over three bottles of heady Spanish red wine.  The experience was enjoyable; the meal delectable.  I lusted after several tools Bego employed, and she provided me with the address of a local store which carried the wares.  As a result, J had to carefully fold in six earthenware cream dishes, an olive oil pitcher, a paella pan, an engangyamarit (a kind of steel tool used to beat egg whites and fold batters) and a ceramic omelet accoutrement into our luggage.  In the future, I think I'll try to find other such regional cooking classes as we travel.  

Because one can find recipes on the Cook and Taste website, I found no reason to prohibit me from passing on the recipe for tomato soup to you.  Admittedly, I do not normally like raw tomatoes, but this dish was palatable even for my taste.  In fact, this dish was unanimously voted the favorite of everyone in the class.

- 4 tomatoes, peeled and seeded

- 2 TBS balsamic vinegar

- salt to taste

- 1 clove of garlic, peeled

- 25 grams of walnuts

- 25 grams of hazelnuts (or any other suitable nuts such as pine nuts)

- 1 TBS fresh parsley, stems removed

- Olive oil

- 20 grams idiazabal cheese grated (or any other smoked cheese)

- 20 grams of aioli sauce (store bought or homemade but preferably without the addition of egg yolks)

Prepare the tomatoes and place in a bowl with vinegar and salt to taste.  Using either an immersion blender or food processor, blend until smooth.  

In a mortar, pound the garlic, parsley and nuts until roughly chopped.  Emulsify with a bit of olive oil.  

Pour the tomato puree into small cups and top with a spoon of the pesto, a dollop of the aioli, and a mound of the pungent grated cheese.  

To eat, mix all together with a spoon and enjoy.