By Isabella Falero
Down a dimly, sunlit alleyway near the Cathedral of Barcelona is nestled Cook&Taste, a cooking experience perfect for anyone looking to learn the authentic Catalonian way around a kitchen.
Cook&Taste offers a wide variety of services such as foodie tours, online experiences, corporate and team-building workshops, and private chefs. However, their main attraction is a group cooking class where typical Catalonian dishes are made to perfection.
Caption: Upon entering the kitchen, the bilingual chefs have all of the ingredients pre-measured and all of the tools handy for the most amateur chef to feel comfortable and prepared. It is all about learning at Cook&Taste.
On the menu is pan con tomate, salmorejo, tortilla de patatas, paella de pollo, and crema Catalana. All five of these dishes are made entirely by those taking the class with help from your lead chef.
The first three dishes made are known as tapas. Tapas are the reason for every season in Spain. They are a way to eat and drink with family and friends. Meals are social hours in Spain, and tapas are the unifying factor.
“Tapas are our way of life in Spain,” explained Asunto, the head chef at Cook&Taste. “If you travel to Spain, you know you’re going to be eating tapas day and night, which is why we feel it is appropriate to teach you how to cook them here.”
It is said that tapas originated in the 13th century when legend has it King Alfonso X of Castile was healed by drinking wine and eating food in small portions. After this miraculous revival of his health, the King declared that all taverns serve a little bit of food with each drink. They didn’t call him “The Wise” for nothing!
Now, let’s get to cooking!
Pan Con Tomate – A Savory Bite:
First up: pan con tomate. That translates to “bread with tomato” and is a staple dish in Catalonia, served before almost every meal – breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Pa amb tomáquet (the Catalonian word for this snack) has origins in the 18th century when tomatoes first began appearing in the kitchens of Europe. 1884 is when the exact recipe of rubbing tomatoes on toast with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil was first recorded. It began as a way to soften stale bread with oil and tomatoes.
Break up into teams and get to rubbing!
Salmorejo – Creamy Tomato Soup:
Next on the menu is salmorejo.
“Salmorejo is gazpacho’s long-lost cousin,” said the other head chef Carlos. “The only difference is that salmorejo is only tomatoes…and it is classier.”
The latter comment refers to gazpacho’s tendency to be drunk out of a glass instead of a bowl.
Salmorejo is simply tomatoes, garlic, stale bread, olive oil, and sherry vinegar. Asunto will walk you through the proper way to cut the tomatoes and garlic, then put all of the elements into a Thermomix, which essentially is a blender that is very popular in Europe because it cooks your food while also stirring it.
Making salmorejo in a Thermomix adds to its creamier and finer consistency. Topped with bits of jamón ibérico and served cold, salmorejo is any Catalan’s soup of choice on a hot summer day.
Caption: The satisfying art of preparing salmorejo is not as difficult as you might expect. What is a bit tricky is gaining access to a Thermomix. If you can’t, opt for an immersion blender for a similar consistency. Also, make sure your bread is stale!
Tortilla de Patatas – The Spanish Omelette:
Move up on the cooking skills spectrum and the tortilla de patatas can be found. It is no secret that the people of Spain value community. There is a strong sense of togetherness everywhere you turn, be it in restaurants and cafes, bars and nightclubs, beaches, and parks.
Also, potatoes are cheap, and back many centuries ago, this tortilla was a huge source of food for the poor because it is hearty and easily accessible.
Scientist López Linage can say without any hesitation that, “the potato saved many people from hunger, and also led to the birth of great dishes.”
Because this dish is filling and is meant to be shared, it is no surprise that it is found on many tables across the region at any time of day.
Although it sounds simple, it is not all that easy to cook. Carlos was great at demonstrating how to cut the onions and potatoes and then carefully placing them in a pan of frying oil to get the perfect golden brown hue. Then, season with salt, and they’re done!
Next, combine the onions and potatoes with beaten eggs and cook like a normal omelet. Be careful when flipping the tortilla! It is no easy task…
Paella de Pollo – Spain’s Pride and Joy:
Cooking paella is probably one of the most satisfying and rewarding experiences ever, especially in its homeland of Catalonia.
Paella actually did not originate in Barcelona, but is a dish native to Valencia, a region within Catalonia. Visit Valencia if you want a taste of traditional paella. Some say it is the best in the world there!
Paella’s humble beginnings were on a farm some 1200 years ago, where natives would throw anything they could find into a pot over a wood fire for lunch: tomatoes, onions, snails, beans, rabbit, duck, and on special occasions chicken and saffron. Workers would gather around the pan and drink and eat spoonfuls of rice straight from the pan.
At the cooking class, chicken paella is made, and of course, the special, hot red spice saffron was used.
“Saffron is the rarest and most expensive spice in the world,” said Asunto. “It is very time-consuming and labor-intensive to remove saffron from the flower it is found in.
Three stigmas of saffron are found on every crocus sativus (purple flower), which blooms only in the autumn. Luckily enough, saffron was on the kitchen table ready to be sprinkled into the paella!
Saffron is added to paella to not only tint the rice but to give it a unique sweet and floral flavor. Take a whiff of it for a strong earthy aroma.
First, the meat is seasoned and cooked, then the onions and red pepper are sautéed, then the grated tomato with mashed garlic and saffron and white wine, salt, paprika, and oil are added.
Lastly, typical “Paella rice” or Bomba is added. The rice almost looks as though it stays uncooked the entire time, but then once the boiling chicken stock is added, it begins to expand and look and smell like a typical Paella.
After about ten minutes, the aromatic Paella is ready for pictures and consumption. Voilá!
Caption: Asunto’s favorite food is traditional Spanish paella. She’s been cooking professionally for 15 years, traveling the world learning and perfecting new cuisine, but she had to come back to Catalonia for its world-famous rice dish.
Crema Catalana – Crème Brûlée’s Fraternal Twin:
The dessert is actually prepared first, as the other dishes are a little bit more time-consuming, and this particular traditional Catalonian dessert can – and usually is – served at room temperature.
The recipe is simple: heat milk, lemon zest, and whole cinnamon sticks in a pot. While that’s cooking, whisk egg yolks, corn starch, and sugar in a bowl. Then, pour the milk mixture – which is exploding with delicious citrus and earthy scents – into the dry ingredients and whisk. Transfer the mixture back into the pan to whisk and heat continuously until the texture is thickened.
This is one of the main differences between crema Catalana and crème brûlée. The former is slow-cooked on a stovetop while the latter is finished up with a bain-marie, a heated bath in the oven.
“People always think crema Catalana and Crème Brûlée are the same thing. They are actually not,” asserted Carlos. “Crème Brûlée is made with cream and the entire egg.”
Crema Catalana is topped off with two spoonfuls of torched sugar for the most perfect crispy coating.
Interestingly enough, March 19th in Spain is Father’s Day as well as the Feast Day of Saint Joseph and crema Catalana is traditionally eaten to celebrate. Thus, it was no surprise that you learn how to make it in the cooking class.
Caption: Torching the sugar is a delicate task. Make sure to rotate the flame to every part of the sugar on top of the crema Catalana instead of localizing the heat to avoid it bubbling and burning in one location.
Overall, there is no better way to learn about Spain, and more particularly the region of Catalonia than by immersing yourself in the food. You can learn so much about the history, customs and traditions, and way of life of the region by simply cooking and conversing with the people that make Spain, Spain.
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