When I heard that Rachel of Catalan Cooking was organising a calçotada, I didn’t hesitate to book two spaces; good thing I was prompt too as it sold out quite quickly to both curious Londoners and homesick Catalans alike. You may remember that I attended one of her supper clubs and I knew she’d feed us well!
Calçots look like overgrown green onions and their name most likely comes from the shoes/tights or trousers of the same name in Catalan. When grown, soil is brought up high over the base of the onions, maximising the length of the tender white part and are harvested early in the year. In Catalan, anything ending in -ada is like the English -o-rama, i.e. a great lot of something to be celebrated, and it usually involves food. A calçotada involves calçots, of course, and is quite common in Catalunya but I’d never been to one, not ever travelling there from January to March. This was to be my first one. I’d had calçots grilled and deep fried before but I’d never had them en masse and I was looking forward to it.
Soon the day came and after work last Wednesday, I met Blai at The Drapers Arms in Islington, the location for our feast. I reckon there were about 40 guests to feed; that was going to be a lot of calçots! The menu read very simply: calçots, grilled meats, crema catalana, orange. Rachel, of course, had managed to source a few extras and we started with glasses of Codorníu cava and canapes of duck confit and foie gras, both on bread and both extremely rich.
At our table (four large communal tables altogether) too were bowls of dry black empeltre olives and my favourite little green arbequinas and these briny treats helped to cut the lingering fat on our tongues. And before long, large platters of cured meats and picos were brought along. My favourite was the jamón/pernil iberico de bellota (from acorn fed pigs) with the chorizo possibly coming second. I found the lomo/llom a bit boring, as I usually do, and the salsichon was just a bit too fresh and greasy.
After we demolished our platters, we were called down to the garden to see the calçots being grilled.
It was a shame we couldn’t eat out in the garden but that would have required our jackets as the sun went down. Still, it was lovely to smell them grilling on charcoal (oh, how I dream for a bit of outdoor space!).
When they were ready, they were brought to our tables on platters; almost everything was served family-style at this dinner. With our Catalan Cooking bibs on (yes, you will need a bib!), we singed our fingers peeling off the blackened skins to reveal tender, cooked innards.
After a good dunk into romesco sauce, the calçots were brought to our mouths. The traditional way of eating them is to lower them down vertically into your upturned gaping mouth (see here for an example). Rachel’s romesco (one of the classic Catalan sauces containing nuts, garlic, peppers and oil) was excellent and we found ourselves dipping bread into it too while waiting for more calçots. One could argue that the correct sauce for calçots is a salsa de calçots but from what I understand, the two sauces are very similar.
After about three platters, our table was sated – it was now time for the meat. Platters of grilled lamb, botifarra and chicken were perfectly cooked and utterly delicious and we ate until we could eat no more. The botifarra was especially good and Rachel confirmed that this was ordered direct from Spain. All grilled over charcoal, of course – oh yeah – and served with an allioli that could have been more pungent.
For dessert, Rachel’s excellent crema catalana came around in individual bowls and you know, there’s always room for a little something sweet.
There was also an orange each but for us, we had these to go as we had to catch the tube to cross town to get home. My first calçotada was such fun; it was a great night with fantastic food and equally fantastic company. If you’re wondering, dinner spots were £30 each. If you’d like to join in next time, do take a look at Rachel’s site for her future events – Catalan Cooking.
All my photos from the night can be found in this Flickr photoset.
The Drapers Arms
44 Barnsbury St
Islington
London N1 1ER
Sun, 3 Apr, 2011 at 23:39
I had never heard of these things before and had to do a quick google. They certainly look very rustic, like they are from my mums garden. They must taste good and combined with that romanesco sauce, delicious. And yes, you look like you guys were definitely well fed.
Sun, 3 Apr, 2011 at 23:45
I think I remember Anthony Bourdain eating these calçots. The whole event looks delicious and fun!
Mon, 4 Apr, 2011 at 01:25
This post is so great! I have been studying a lot about Spain, and the calçotada looks so fun. I heard and tried a Botifarra (Butifarra in Latin America) sandwhich first in Peru, and I had no idea it came from a Catalán sausage! It’s great to widen my cuisine as well as my cultural knowledge, especially with such a detailed post with mouth-watering pictures. It’s hard to find authentic ethnic cooking in Oklahoma, but I get a taste of it here on your blog.
Thanks!
Mon, 4 Apr, 2011 at 07:44
Was a fabulous evening, I really enjoyed it. I had not had calcots before, so it was an extra revelation for me!
Long live Catalan Cooking!
Mon, 4 Apr, 2011 at 07:53
What a great looking calçotada recreation in London. Those are hefty servings of confit and foie gras though.
Mon, 4 Apr, 2011 at 09:06
I’m just back from one of my frequent visits to Spain, and I pick up a little piece of ‘foodie lore’every time.
But, I see there’s a lot more still to be discovered!
Mon, 4 Apr, 2011 at 11:51
Wow, I’m sad I hadn’t heard of this event! I used to live right around the corner from the Drapers Arms (on Liverpool Road) and now live just a bit further away near Islington Green.
Having just spent £50 on good-not-great tapas at Iberica the other night, I think £30 for the event sounds like a steal. I’ll be signing up for the alerts!
Mon, 4 Apr, 2011 at 18:26
These recipes look so delicious! I’m moving to Spain in September to teach for a year and I’m sure I can’t afford to eat out every night so I’ll definitely be using these recipes for myself! Thanks for posting them!
Mon, 4 Apr, 2011 at 23:44
I do love a bit of charcoal in the mix. Looked like great fun! Hope to catch the next one, esp if Rachel is grilling stuff on a wheelbarrow (she teases me she does)
Wen
Tue, 5 Apr, 2011 at 12:21
vintagemacaroon: They are gorgeous and there are websites where you can learn to grow them at home. I really really really want a garden!!!
kat: I had no idea Bourdain ate them. Thanks for telling me – I found the video on youtube!
serenapram: Wow – that’s neat! I have heard that there are many people with Catalan names over in South America (if I remember correctly, Shakira’s mother has a Catalan name). I guess they’d bring their culture and language a bit there too.
Kavey: Hear hear!
butterytoast: Hehe, they were! The olives certainly helped. I would love to go to a calçotada in Catalunya but I suspect that Blai will resist…
travelrat: Loads! I’m learning something new all the time. And apart from the food, I love looking at the festivals too. Saw a film documenting some of them and some are quite scary: the dancing skeletons or uh…the one where the goat is thrown over the cliff… !!!
FoodBarcelona:
She does!
An American in London: Ah boo – nothing sucks more than an overpriced, underwhelming meal. Do take a look at Rachel’s blog!
Sanne: Oooh, good luck with the move – you will eat very well!
Going With My Gut: Hehe, a wheelbarrow?! I wonder what her next event will be!
Thu, 7 Apr, 2011 at 00:02
Nice yum cha spread. Very intrigued by the purple coloured dumplings.
Fri, 8 Apr, 2011 at 17:13
Ellie: Sadly, just colour and no flavour to those wrappers.
Sun, 10 Apr, 2011 at 11:23
I’ve heard about a calçotada but I’ve never attended one. Which is a shame, because it looks like exactly my sort of party!
Tue, 12 Apr, 2011 at 18:27
Foodycat: I’m sure you would have loved it!
Sun, 5 Feb, 2012 at 06:59
[...] One more thing checked off the “to do in Spain if you’re hungry” list. And that’s eat calçots in Catalunya. During this time every year tons of Catalans head up to the mountains to grill up a feast of meat and a special type of onion-like vegetable called a calçot. A great way to spend an afternoon with lots of good Spanish companionship. Unfortunately, it has been below freezing in Barcelona lately and a trip to a local restaurant was much more appealing – and still offered an authentic regional taste of Spain. Here’s an idea of what to expect if you are ever in Catalunya during this special season and c… [...]