Catalonia
is a region very close to my heart – as a child my family spent many holidays travelling
around the bays, towns and medieval villages of the Costa Brava.
Each
of us had our favourite places to visit - I favoured Sant Marti d’Empuries where they served the best paellas as well as
Cadaquès and Figures for the Salvador Dali connections; my brother liked Tamariu where he could dive from the
rocks and explore the old “Smuggler’s Path” and the beaches of Begur where we would walk along the
cliffs to Cap Sa Sal, Sa Tuna or Cala d`Illa Roja to snigger at the ‘nudies’ (we were teenagers!) my
sister on the other hand preferred sandy beach at Aiguablava where she spend the day soaking up the rays.
My
mother liked the history of places such as Montserrat
or the “old towns” - especially the quaint medieval village of Pals or the “pot village” of La Bisbal.
Food
wise, us kids would generally want to share a paella or have fresh sardines
cooked over coals on the beach – one time, my brother outdid the local harpoon
wielding fishermen by emerging from the sea at Tamariu with an octopus straining in his children’s cane fishing
net; which an obliging local restaurant duly prepared and cooked for us!
Occasionally
we’d have to ditch our flip flops and get all dressed up so my parents could drag
us to Roses for a meal at a posh “one
Michelin starred” restaurant that served “Nouvelle Cuisine”. I can remember
bemoaning this fact and sulking because I’d prefer to stay in the local square
and have my favourite “Butifarra con Judías blancas”.
Thankfully,
the restaurant went from strength to strength under the young chef de cuisine
Ferran Adrià and we could never get a booking after that – el Bulli got its
second, then third stars and I got my Butifarra!
In
later years, I returned to the region to study at Universitat de Vic (where the excellent ‘Salchichón de Vic’ comes
from) whilst living and working at a school in Cerdanyola del Vallès – it was during this time that my love affair
with Barcelona blossomed.
Memorable
Barcelona moments included going to the Nou Camp for the Quarter Final of the
Copa del Ray against Athlético Madrid - Brazilian Ronaldo bagged a hat trick
for Barcelona and Pantić scored four for Athlético – goals from Figo and Pizzi
rounded off the 5-4 win for the home side.
My
other abiding memory is of Mercat de Sant
Josep de la Boqueria – as a student with limited funds, I could not afford
the fancy restaurants so eating at la
Boqueria or picking up some fresh seafood and vegetables was the best
option. To this day, whenever I visit Barcelona, it’s the first place I visit
and home of many of my fondest food memories.
I
especially love El Quim de la Boqueria
– where the ‘House Speciality’ of Two
Fried Eggs with Baby Squid (Les nostres especialitat - un parell d'ous amb
xipirons) and Quim Style Tripe (Els “Callos” del Quim) are two of my
favourite breakfast dishes.
Of
course, much of what is served is seasonal and showcases the best of what the
market has to offer – two examples being, the ‘some are hot, some are not’
delights of Padrón Peppers (Pebrots
del Padró), Wild Mushrooms (El plat
de rovellons) and the exceptionally moreish
Artichoke Chips (Xips de carxofes).
Other
highlights included Butifarra Sausage
with Beans & Garlic (La Butifarra amb monteges i allioli); Homemade Croquettes (Croquetes
artesanes); Razor Clams (Navalles)
and the Mixed Fish Platter of the Day
(El plat mixte de peix del dia).
The
market is officially open from 08:00 to 20:00, Monday to Saturday but fellow
traders, homeward bound night workers, streetwalkers, insomniacs and early
morning explorers (aka me) will tell you that the legendary Juanito Bayen
opens his famed and celebrated Bar
Pinotxo from 6am to serve coffee and viennoiseries pastries, including
croissants and the Crema Catalana filled “Xuixo”
- a regional speciality of Girona.
I
love being at the market as it awakens for breakfast - the “ice man”, is
amongst the first to arrive, followed soon by the fish and veg stall holders as
they prepare their exquisite artistically arranged displays. By the time the
chefs at the ‘Bars i Restaurants’ start to prep the day’s food the market has
become a feast for the senses…
By
8am, la Boqueria is in full swing and the stools at El Quim and Pinotxo Bar
remain the most sought after throughout the day. The best way to bag a seat at one
of their counters is to hover behind someone who looks like they might be
finishing up… then jump in their grave!
One
of the most popular breakfast dishes served throughout the market is the Tortilla y “Pan con Tomate” (Truita de
patates i el pa amb tomàquet.) Bar Quiosc
Modern do a good version, as do Barcentral
and Bar Boqueria but it is Pinotxo’s that has the edge for me.
Other
winning dishes at Pinotxo include
their signature Pinotxo’s Chickpeas (Cigrons de Pinotxo) that
differs slightly with the seasons but usually includes blood sausage, raisins and
pine nuts, and the Chipirónes (baby
squid) with Beans (Calamarsons amb mongetes) drizzled in a balsamic glaze.
If the dish is available,
the Rabbit Ribs with Button Mushrooms (Guisat
costelles de conill amb bolets de botó) is a delightful choice, especially with
some crusty bread to mop up rich tumaceous gravy.
If
you are visiting Barcelona a trip to la
Boqueria is a must.
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