Calcots

My apologies for the delay in posting something new (if there was anyone out there "waiting"). I wanted to write about the Calcot today. Yes. It seems much of the blog is now going in the direction of food and gastronomy, however, this is a large area of interest for both Barcelona and myself. The Calcot is a large, green onion that resembles a leek. In the Catalonian region of Spain, Calcots are a seasonal food that is typically eaten with friends/family at a BBQ type of function.

How to Prepare Calcots:

1) Take your calçots, green onions or scallions and trim the tips. Remove any dried peelings, but leave as much of the vegetable intact as you can. Once the onions are cooked, you'll be peeling off the first layer, so don't worry about trimming them too much.

2)Preheat your grill to high. Calçots are traditionally roasted over fire in an outdoor oven (in a calçotada), but they can also be cooked in a conventional oven or on top of the stove. The next best thing to the calçotada, however, is the grill.

3) Prepare the calçots by drizzling them with olive oil and seasoning with salt and pepper. Some people like to use cayenne pepper as well, but this spice (as well as the others) is optional.

4) Arrange the onions on the hot grill and let cook for about 8 to 12 minutes (scallions will take less time than green onions and green onions less time than calçots). Watch the onions carefully so as not to burn, but allow the first layer of skin to char. Occasionally turn them with tongs and continue to season them as they cook.

5) Remove the onions and wrap them in a newspaper (this is how they do it in Spain) or if you prefer you can wrap them in paper towels. Let them stand and cool for about 15 minutes.

6) Serve warm with Romesco sauce or olive oil, salt and pepper.

I recently took it upon myself to cook this local yummy for some friends at a BBQ. They went over so well that we are having an even bigger BBQ with Amber's Calcots upon request. Even the students that are born and raised here haven't cooked them but have only eaten them. My Calcots got rave reviews from natives and non-natives alike, all of whom commented on the irony of the situation.

When you have friends and family over for Calcots it is called a Calcotada. I found that cute.

The Romesco sauce that you dip the Calcot in is really what "makes" it. It's delicious. However, once on the Calcot it becomes a melodious marriage of flavor and texture. The sauce is primarily made from almonds, hazelnuts, tomato, garlic and a series of spices. Its thick and paste-like so, it sticks nicely to the lanky vegetable as one gluttonously drops the entire thing into their pie hole and chews it like it's a cud.Yum.