Seafood is paramount in Catalan cooking! That is why I wanted to serve some whole fish for our Catalan dinner. This simple and beautiful recipe is perfect for a weeknight dinner, but is also impressive enough for any feast! Simply stuff the cleaned, intact fish with a few sprigs of rosemary and encrust them in a mixture of egg whites, salt, bay leaves and thyme. So delicious!
Category: Spread
Calçots in Romesco Sauce
I am proud to say that last weekend we hosted our own traditional Calçotada! Calçots are similar to green onions and leeks and are in season in the Catalan region for a short time during the winter. From January to April, Catalans feast and celebrate these mild green onions by grilling them up on a fire and serving them with a delicious Romesco sauce made of fire roasted peppers, tomatoes, almonds, and toasted bread. Roast your calçots on an open flame if possible, that gives them a great flavor. A charcoal grill is a great alternative, and if it is -100 degrees outside, broiling them works great too!
Catalan Sardines with Susquet on Toast
Catalan Sardines with Susquet on Toast Daria Souvorova 45 minutes serves: 8-12 We had the opportunity to try a variety of fish stews in Barcelona. I was feeling sick after taking one too many face-plants in the snow while learning how to ski in the Pyrenees, so the stews were a welcome revelation. The weather…
Demi-glace
Demi-glace is so hard to describe, it is like the essence of deliciousness, the French umami. It intensifies the flavor of any meat that you pair it well, and I am looking forward to pairing it with some roast lamb legs this coming Sunday. Stay tuned for all of the recipes!
Baked Camembert with Porcini Mushrooms and Figs
To start off our meal, and to placate everyone while I was finishing cooking, I served a baked Camembert with sautéed porcini mushrooms and shallots sweetened with some fig jam. I love cheese, but have never been a fan of Camembert on my cheese plate, but I do love it baked with some jam! Imagine a baked brie enveloped by puff pastry and topped with some raspberries and walnuts, what could be better? I wanted to make our dish a bit more savory and a tad less buttery so I went with searing some porcini with shallots baked over the Camembert. Everything can be assembled ahead of time, and just stick it in the oven for 10 minutes to warm up before serving. The temperature is not really important, so you can add it to the oven with your turkey/goat/lamb/ham or whatever else is roasting in there!
Crudité Platter
In comes Crudités! The harvest season seems a bit longer this year, due to the strange weather, so the farmer’s market is still awash with beautiful fall vegetables. I wanted to showcase their beauty and color. You can use any variety of veggies that you can get your hands on. Our platter had 2 varieties of radishes, green beans, Persian cucumbers, carrots, radicchio, baby bell peppers, asparagus, and some pistachios for crunch. We served our veggies with two sauces, a homemade aioli and homemade Caesar dressing.
Seared Steak with Roast Carrots, Tomatillos, and Carrot Top Chimichurri
This weekend, I had the pleasure of gathering another half a dozen beautiful tomatoes, a little purple bell pepper, and I decided to dig up my carrots. I have been looking forward to pulling those carrots out of the ground for months. It was finally carrot time!
I grew one large carrot, and the others were kind of wonky, but still delicious. I grew heirloom rainbow carrots and was thrilled to see that I grew some orange, some white, and one really pretty purple carrot. Since the harvest was rather small, I wanted to make sure I present them honorably, and wanted to make use of the carrot tops, which were very plentiful.
Seared Scallops with Cilantro Chutney
I always keep cilantro chutney on hand, it is one of my most popular recipes from my India dinner. It lasts for a long time and is beautiful on pork, salmon, naan, and almost anything I have tried it on.
Today, I decided to serve it with some beautifully seared scallops. It was so delicious, and so quick to make! I highly recommend as a light starter, or over a nice risotto as a main course! Yum!
Chez Nous 