Granja La Pallaresa

For me at least, every trip to Barcelona must include a visit to a granja, a milk bar. No, I’m not drinking milk there - I’m there for the xocolata! I’ve always been taken to one of two granges on C/Petritxol in the Barri Gòtic - Granja La Pallaresa and Granja Dulcinea. While I still hold a soft spot for the latter, being the first granja I ever encountered, we’ve been frequenting the former lately. Don’t get me wrong - both are good!

From what I understand, granja means farm in Catalan. The original granges in Barcelona were shops selling dairy products and Blai mentioned that he’d heard of one shop that had a cow in the back! Sadly, there are no granges with cows today and the name now refers to these cafes.

We always order xurros. Always. Other snacks are available but I can’t imagine myself dipping anything else into my xocolata. As for the xocolates, we tend to order Suïssos - xocolates topped with large caps of freshly whipped cream, like Swiss mountains! Reflecting their dairy beginnings, plates of whipped cream can also be ordered at a granja - I once watch a young boy finish his plate himself, using xurros to wipe it all up! Flans, also surrounded by whipped cream, can also be had, though I’ve not tried them. In the summer months, cold slushy drinks are available - llet merengada and lemon granissat were swirling around in large dispensers, their iciness a nice respite from the hot, humid weather. Bottled drinks such as mineral water and chocolate milk are also available.

The best part is that everything is very affordable - a Suís is around €2.50. The two of us easily walk out of there after teatime spending less than €10 - such a relief from London prices! Be prepared to see a queue around teatime…and if I were you, I’d wait for a table to try their goodies!

Granja La Pallaresa
Petritxol, 11
Barcelona

 

Llet Merengada

After one evening at the Festa Major de Vilafranca, we stopped at a little place that sells orxata (horchata in Spanish, that milky drink squeezed from xufes (chufas in Spanish), also known as tigernuts) and gelats (ice cream). We sat down at a table outside (these tables pop up everywhere in the summertime - such a nice change from my greyer winter visits!) and took a peek at the menu lying on it. A short list of ice cream flavours stared up at me. Somewhere in the middle of the list was llet merengada, something I’d never come across before.

Blai highly recommended it and we ended up splitting an orxata and a medium sized cup of llet merengada ice cream. The Catalan term translates to “milk meringue” and it’s originally a cold drink of milk, egg whites, sugar and cinnamon.

The ice cream came with a little shaker of cinnamon to put on top. What a light and refreshing treat! I liked it immensely - imagine a milky flavour with cinnamon and a little something else that I couldn’t put my finger on (it’s probably the egg white?). It’s also not too sweet. Shake that cinnamon on top and gobble it up.

My last day in Catalunya was spent in Barcelona and we ventured to our favourite place for xocolata on c/Petritxol in the Barri Gòtic. A paper sign taped to their door told of the availability of llet merengada; this time, it was for the drink. I couldn’t pass up this chance to try it - I’m not usually in Barcelona in the summer and the cold drink is nowhere to be found in the winter. We placed an order for it. What arrived was this tall glass of milky slushiness with ground cinnamon sprinkled on top.

It was refreshing and cinnamony - the cinnamon is all throughout the icy drink. The ice cream really does taste like the drink and you know what, I like them both! Give this flavour a shot if you get the chance - ice cream or drink.

If you’re nowhere near Spain, there’s a recipe here under the Spanish name of leche merengada. It’s for the ice cream but it can be a little less frozen to make the slushy drink.

 

Foraging in the Alt Penedès

It’s taken this past trip to remind me how much city life has affected me. I’ve almost always lived in cities with international airports but this last holiday living life in the countryside was wonderfully slow paced and relaxing (I suppose not if you’re a farmer though). And the countryside is absolutely laden with nice things to eat! At least, the Alt Penedès was. It was all so fascinating for me to see things growing on trees and vines. Sure, my family has had gardens in the past, growing herbs and tomatoes and raspberries and the like. But to actually see grapes and tomatoes and olives grown in such quantity and figs and almonds and herbs growing wild - it’s all so new to me! Look! Grapes on the vine! Figs on the tree! Oh, and flies everywhere - ack!

One afternoon after lunch, Blai and I ventured out for a trek to Can Pascol, a ruined, over 1000-year-old tower nearby. We walked through numerous vineyards (grapes!) and past many almond trees (almonds! on trees!) by the road and so very many blackberry bushes. We helped ourselves to many of these berries, popping them into our mouths along the way.

Many herbs were also identified: rosemary, thyme and fennel. Actually, Blai pointed out two different types of fennel and we plucked a couple of sprigs to nibble on. This is the variety that I preferred, with tufts of tiny yellow flowers.

On the way back, we stopped by a very promising looking black fig tree by the side of the road. We picked a few and then hot footed it out of there before its owner decided to show up. You know, figs that are pilfered taste the best*! There were also two green fig trees in front of Blai’s family’s house and gosh, those figs were also good! Now that I’ve starting thinking about them, I might need to head to my local shop to pick up a few.

Making a meal of it all would have been pushing it but there was enough to make a nice snack. I’ve still got a few almonds in my backpack but nothing at home to crack them open. Bah. Hmm…this has got me thinking: perhaps I ought to try foraging in London?

* Um….this blog does not actively endorse the pilfering of figs. Prickly pears though…there were loads of those on cacti and one man even encouraged us to take his!

 

Lazy Days and Good Eats in the Countryside

I’m back from a wonderful short holiday in the countryside of Catalunya. I flew into Barcelona last Wednesday evening where I was met by Blai and his family and we drove directly to their village in the Alt Penedès. What a beautiful village it is too! It’s small but beautifully situated. See?

Each day involved sleeping in and activities were always planned around meals (and such spectacular meals they were too!). There were trips to Vilafranca del Penedès for its famous Festa Major. Trips to the beach in Sant Salvador. A short trek to Can Pascol, a 1000 year old tower and house. Watching grapes be harvested for cava. And there was plenty of lazing around and visiting Blai’s grandparents and teasing their dog.

Breakfast each day was a light meal of whatever you chose - sweet jams with toast or savoury cured meats or cheeses with pa amb tomàquet, the Catalan basic of bread rubbed with tomatoes and then drizzled with olive oil. I’m a savoury girl myself and almost always opted for the latter option. Mmm…I’m still think of the pernil (ham) and fuet (a dry, cured sausage)…

Lunch is the main meal of the day and always consisted of one or two large main courses followed by dessert and coffee. This is regardless of whether the meal is taken at home or in a restaurant - it’s always this way, this glorious way! On the first day, Blai’s mother made a delicious estofat de vedella, a traditional Catalan beef stew. And the next day, after a morning trip to Olèrdola, we had lunch at a local restaurant where I had xató (a salad of escarole and bacalao topped with a romesco-like sauce) and to follow, conill amb all (stewed rabbit with garlic), both specialties of the region.

The day after that, there were lamb chops and lamb ribs barbequed over a wood fire and the wood was dried vines from Blai’s uncle’s vineyard. I’d never had lamb prepared this way and it’s amazingly finger-licking delicious! The meat is tender and the fat is golden and crispy and the woodsmoke gives the most wonderful flavour. We ate them with boiled cigrons (chickpeas) and pa amb tomàquet.

On another day, Blai’s father, who is Valencian, made this huge paella.

Isn’t it gorgeous?! And so delicious. There’s rabbit and cuttlefish and prawns in amongst the rice and the vegetables (artichokes, green beans, peas, large white beans, red pepper for flavour only).

Dinner is similar to breakfast in that it’s light and you eat what you please. Leftovers from lunch were common. I love to eat cold leftover cigrons, chickpeas. They just plain boiled but they’re always so much creamier here than anything you get in the UK. Olive oil poured over and lots of black pepper sprinkled on top make for a scrumptious dinner. And pa amb tomàquet, of course - always pa amb tomàquet.

Of course, a huge thank you to Blai’s parents for once again welcoming me to their home! Further posts on the yummy food I encountered are forthcoming. All my photos from this trip can be found in this Flickr set.