Cerveza, Cargols i Covid - a summer in Catalonia

[Duvel]

Of course there were also some local products purchased. The famed mongetes de Santa Pau (in the non-touristy packaging) …

 

 

Remember the “broth” combo from the supermarket ? I got some extra serrano ham bones, just because …
 

 

 

I should have soaked longer, but two hours had to do … the beans will be featured in tomorrows dinner.

 

And a piece of Garrotxa cheese to nibble for the busy cook 😉

 

 

[Duvel]

Dinner was simple: pa amb tomaquet with whatever the fridge had to offer …

 

 

Plus some truita de patates (with onions, of course) …

 

 

Some ready-made purchased, but freshly fried at home croquettes de pernil …

 

 

And some cooked shrimps we picked up just before arriving home. 

 

 

Easy, yet very satisfying 🤗

[heidih]

This one surely had some magic

 

How nice to have that broth flavoring assortment for the beans. 

 

[Anna N]

19 minutes ago, Duvel said:

Easy, yet very satisfying 🤗

A perfect way to refuel while on vacation. 

[Duvel]

Good morning from the Mediterranean coast !

 

This morning the usual pa amb tomaquet (and a chocolate croissant for my wife) plus a bowl of beans 😋

 

 

The beans (and sausages) were very good - but the broth was fantastic ! 

 

[weinoo]

12 hours ago, Duvel said:

The famed mongetes de Santa Pau (in the non-touristy packaging) …

 

 

That bean is a hard one to find here. I think the closest I can come to it is from @rancho_gordo. His Alubia Blanca beans might be a decent enough sub (I've brought beans back from trips, and man they can weigh a suitcase down in a hurry!), but sans terroir:

 

Quote

 

A small, versatile Spanish-style white bean. It has a creamy texture and holds its shape even with long, slow cooking.

Suggestions: Soups, baked beans, salads, bean dips, pot beans

 

 

https://www.ranchogordo.com/collections/heirloom-beans/products/alubia-blanca-de-san-jose-iturbide

[Duvel]

13 minutes ago, weinoo said:

That bean is a hard one to find here.

Same here, actually …

 

They claim “limited production” on the information display in town, so that might be actually true.
 

14 minutes ago, weinoo said:

A small, versatile Spanish-style white bean. It has a creamy texture and holds its shape even with long, slow cooking.

Suggestions: Soups, baked beans, salads, bean dips, pot beans

 

 

The description you cited fits perfectly !

[Duvel]

And then there was lunch (at around 16.00h) …

 

Today might be a bit boring, as we were just catching up with a cousin of my wife, so I threw together what we had at home.

 

Pa amb tomaquet, some sausages and cheeses, the beans & blood sausage, a salad with some really good tuna confit, confit onions (brought by our guests), bunyols de bacalla (salt cod fritters, also brought by our guests), crisps, octopus, olives, …

 

 

Verdict of the lunch: I need to learn to make some really good bunyols de bacalla (because these weren’t that great) 😌

[Duvel]

Late in the evening (after nap & some games) we headed out to the town & beach. It was a very pleasant evening, and as lunch wasn’t that much we decided to drop by one of the two Xiringuitos of the town. A Xiringuito is a kind of pop-up restaurant directly on the beach, mainly focusing on alcoholic beverages (these monsters !) and simple eats …

 

 

 

Nothing beats a crisp fresh draft beer on the beach …

 

Some mixed croquettes to start with (the mushroom ones were excellent) …

 

 

Fried squid …

 

And patates braves (fried potato cubes with spicy sauce) …

 

 

We enjoyed the sunset and headed slowly home, as the bar emptied …

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

6 hours ago, Duvel said:

Late in the evening (after nap & some games) we headed out to the town & beach. It was a very pleasant evening, and as lunch wasn’t that much we decided to drop by one of the two Xiringuitos of the town. A Xiringuito is a kind of pop-up restaurant directly on the beach, mainly focusing on alcoholic beverages (these monsters !) and simple eats …

 

 

 

Is "Bar" Catalan or Spanish?

 

 

[Duvel]

4 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Is "Bar" Catalan or Spanish?

 

 

It might be aimed at the international crowds, that swamp this town (in all seriousness: I heard only one couple speaking French, and one kid screaming in German so far here …).

 

The other side of the Xiringuito displays an equally cosmopolitan word to lure in far-travelled drinkers …

 

[Duvel]

Today I got the empanadas - they sell two varieties, which to my surprise contain both tuna, in a kind of patty form. One had roasted peppers in them, the other was with onions & sesame. Not bad at all …

 

 

 

We will be driving up today to Aragon, to the beautiful city of Alquézar. The next installment will be a bit delayed, as we will meet with my wife’s parents there (full story to follow) and there will be - naturally - a lot of catching up to do. Please be patient and don’t wander off 😉

 

Edited August 20, 2021 by Duvel (log)

[Anna N]

2 hours ago, Duvel said:

Please be patient and don’t wander off 😉

Trust us!

[johnnyd]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

Trust us!

 

Absolutely!

 

Good bunyols de bacalla depend on the oil temperature they are fried in. I've struggled to find the right range however tight because when they are done properly they are the tastiest thing on the planet; if the oil temp is too low they become little sponges of oil that mess up your stomach. We might even have a thread somewhere...

 

[gfweb]

20 minutes ago, johnnyd said:

 

Absolutely!

 

Good bunyols de bacalla depend on the oil temperature they are fried in.

 

Sounds like an induction plate and a good volume of oil is needed

[weinoo]

I've had both good ones and bad ones, and when I started investigating about making them at home, decided they were too much of a pain in the ass to pull off properly.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

How have I missed this thread!    Do you need someone to sit with my favorite blog-kid so you two can go out?    We won't get into too much trouble.   Or entertain your inlaws.   Or I can do kitchen wash up, assuming you are moderately anal as you cook.   Will walk cool pets, as long as over 30 pounds, cats excepted.  

FEED ME as you feed you.

[johnnyd]

On 8/20/2021 at 9:43 AM, weinoo said:

I've had both good ones and bad ones, and when I started investigating about making them at home, decided they were too much of a pain in the ass to pull off properly.

 

I hear you. I've had excellent ones in Portugal so I was nostalgic for them one day. Took two days to soak the bacalhau and carefully folded in potato/onion, then went to my friend's restaurant on an off-hour and used his frialator. They came out great. Tried it at home in a couple quarts of Wesson and they sucked. Haven't made 'em since.

[Duvel]

After a relatively relaxed 3h drive, we reached the Somontano region and one of its most picturesque towns, Alquezar.

 

We went there to see my parents-in-law. My father-in-law, after retiring from running a textile company, decided that he needed more challenges in his life and took over the management of a camping site there. He has since then grown the business significantly, added additional  vacation offers (e.g. guided tours etc) and renewed the lease of the restaurant to some more apt proprietors. He also makes his own olive oil from the wild olive trees growing around the site. All in all, he is a workaholic, at 71 (!) years old.

 

We got this nice bungalow …

 

 

.. threw our things in and headed to the restaurant. Todays offers included:

 

 

Wine & water arrived instantly.

 

 

We took the melon with ham …

 

 

Ravioli, filled with caramelized onion, with blue cheese sauce. Forget about the crappy cheese on top (that will be no longer featured in the future 😉) - this was great !

 

 

Eggs, potatoes and ham. I don’t get how this could be counted as a started. It was a lot …

 

 

I took the char-grilled quails with garlic-parsley oil … soooo good !

 

 

 

My wife had the salted cod with garlic mousseline …

 

Little one decided for the grilled lamb (of course). Local stuff - fantastic !

 

 

Dessert were ice cream, truffels and my carajillo curt de cafe …

 

 

A very, very relaxed evening ensued …

 

 

[Duvel]

On 8/21/2021 at 3:30 AM, Margaret Pilgrim said:

How have I missed this thread!    Do you need someone to sit with my favorite blog-kid so you two can go out?    We won't get into too much trouble.   Or entertain your inlaws.   Or I can do kitchen wash up, assuming you are moderately anal as you cook.   Will walk cool pets, as long as over 30 pounds, cats excepted.  

FEED ME as you feed you.

I can see a deal coming up 🥳

[rotuts]

@Duvel 

 

another real Winner

 

what are green ( bell-less ) peppers ?

[Duvel]

2 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@Duvel 

 

another real Winner

 

what are green ( bell-less ) peppers ?

 
They are Padrón peppers …

[Duvel]

This is just for completion sake: a simple dinner, consisting of pa amb tomaquet for the rest of the family, and one bottle of beer and two tomato slices for yours truly 😉

 

 

[rotuts]

I personally love charcuterie .

 

adding quality bread and ripe tomatoes

 

and a few other add-ins 

 

as good as it gets.

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, Duvel said:

A very, very relaxed evening ensued …

Very nice. I had to look up your coffee drink.