Monday, June 23, 2014

Incredible, Edible, Spain!





Glorious.

The food, the wine, the people, the city. I left my heart in Barcelona. Many of you know that Bossy and I recently returned from a trip to Barcelona, Spain. We posted pictures of our meals and excursions on Facebook, and from the comments we received it must have seemed as though all we ate was pork, pork, and more pork. Indeed, that swine would be the legendary Jamon de Iberico, and we made it our mission to indulge in this extraordinary meat each and every day.  Iberico is one of the most famous Spanish delicacies and is as rare as it is expensive due to the lengthy and costly production process. I will write more about the pata negra in a later blog.





We dined on and devoured all of the deliciousness that Barcelona has to offer, and folks, that is a considerable amount of deliciousness!

Spain has become the destination for foodies from around globe. Many maintain  that Spain has surpassed France as the undisputed leader in culinary excellence. You'll get no argument from me. From the culinary genius of the Adria` brothers, whose food challenge the senses, to the convivial tapas bars tucked into crowded spaces off the beaten path; food, wine, beer, friends, family, and the exquisite simplicity that make up the finest pleasures in life are the rule in this most charming city; not the exception.

Barcelona is a thriving, vibrant, multi layered city that considers itself independent from the rest of Spain. It is the capital city of the autonomous community of Catalonia and the second largest city in the country. Catalan is the official language not Spanish, and signs of the economic and political struggles that plague the rest of the country seem not to exist here. A new King? Meh, who cares.

 Trendy restaurants and bars are full, expensive hotels are booked and the wildly popular architect Antoni Gaudi tourist sites typically have long waiting lines. It's a young, cosmopolitan city with a respected University, adventurous galleries, numerous museums and cutting edge stores.  Barcelona is a transport hub with the Port of Barcelona being one of Europe's principle seaports and busiest European passenger port. That said, we ate as much seafood as was humanly possible but never had enough.

There is so much to share about our nine incredible days in Barcelona it's difficult to know where to begin. But I'll start by sharing two of our favorite dishes that we have reproduced here at home with great success. Both of these are perfect for summer and ridiculously easy to prepare. Simplicity truly is best, and no place proves this concept more deliciously than Spain.

At most every meal through out the city you'll be offered Catalan tomato bread. It varies slightly in execution from one restaurant to the next but the basic concept is the same. Crusty sliced bread, grilled or toasted, rubbed with garlic, then rubbed with a fresh tomato that has been cut in half, then sprinkled with sea salt and drizzled with olive oil. So simple yet so delicious. With summer tomatoes coming into season you have to give this a try. It's important to note, use really good crusty bread (Denver Bread makes an amazing boule), vine ripe tomatoes, and a high quality olive oil. Don't be stingy with the olive oil, it makes all the difference! This is great on it's own or you can top with cured meats, anchovies, cheese or olives.







The second dish I would like to share with you is a roasted vegetable salad called Escalivada. Vegetables are plentiful, gorgeous and a huge part of the Spanish diet. Escalivada is a roasted vegetable salad, traditionally the vegetables were roasted over coals which gives them a slightly smokey flavor, but now most restaurants roast the vegetables in a hot oven. The salad is served at room temperature allowing for maximum flavor. Roasted red peppers, eggplant, onions and tomatoes, doesn't sound very exciting but when done right it's incredible.






Copy and paste the link below in your browser for a downloadable PDF recipe for Escalivada

https://db.tt/7r60H8Fr



Thank you for taking the time to read our blog, Bossy and I hope you'll try these simple pleasures that we found so delicious while in Spain. There is more to come!!




And if I can ever be of service to your or your friends and family I hope you will keep me in mind should a Real Estate question or need arise. 

Real Estate

Becky Goldsmith
GRI, CRS, CNE
720-979-3184
Becky@beckygoldsmith.com