What Is A Calçotada?

Hi Paul!

Do you know what a calçotada. I've been invited to one and I want to know more, all I've managed to work out is that it's some kind of barbecue.

Miguel

Paul's Comment:-

Hey Miguel, thanks for your question. To be honest I'd never hear of a calçotada either until I received your question so now I've done my research and this is what I found.......

Calçotada is a very traditional way of eating calçots in Catalunya, North east Spain and it happens typically in March or April, when calçots harvested.

The calçot is a type of green onion also known as blanca gran tardana in Spanish or Catalan however they are milder than onions and they sprout into what look like small leeks.

The Calçotada is a barbecue cookout when the calçots are cooked and the traditional way to eat them is with a Romesco Sauce. After the calçots have been cooked it's then normal for pieces of meat and bread slices to be grilled over the remains of the charcoal.

I have to be honest and say that the grilled meat and bread sounds more enticing than the onions but hey, a barbecue is a barbecue whether in English or in Spanish!

That said the Romesco sauce sounds great:-

Ingredients

• 2 Red peppers
  
• 100g White bread
  
• 1 Onion
  
• 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  
• 2 Cloves garlic (chopped)
  
• 100g blanched almonds
  
• 50g toasted hazelnuts
  
• 1 desert spoon red wine vinegar
  
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  
• Olive oil

Method:-
Fire roast the red peppers and peel
Lightly fry the onion in olive oil
Rip up the bread into small pieces and make "croutons"
Throw all the other ingredients into a food processor and blitz.
Now pull it all together in a pan and simmer until you have a sweet thick red sauce.

It sounds great so next time I'm in Spain (I'll have to make it March or April) I'm determined to have one!

See Also:-

Barbecue Rub Recipes
Barbecue Marinades
Homemade Barbecue Sauce

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