Gaudi-The Symbol of Barcelona.

When we think of Barcelona, the first idea that comes to mind is Gaudi. But we also tend to develop our own, more personalized memories of a time or place depending on who we were with, what meals we shared and what discoveries we made. So what does Barcelona mean to me?

The Color Red-Everywhere!

The Oven (one of my top 10 cafe/bars/restaurants) and its “Chill Out” area

Yes. It’s true. All over Spain, many bars, restaurants and cafes have these areas they refer to as “The Chill Out” which is simply an area with comfy, relaxing couches. At The Oven, one of the coolest places in Barcelona, the “Chill Out” is outdoors. As you can imagine, when I first heard the words “Chill Out” used in this way, it sounded so much more appealing and elicited an entirely different feeling than when my teenage daughter asks me to “chill out”. I look forward to the day, and it really may happen, when we have “Chill Out” areas in bars, cafes and restaurants all over the U.S.

Inside The Oven

Performance and Dance Space Inside The Oven

My first meal in Barcelona was with Thalia at our hotel, The Hotel Art. This hotel is truly the most perfect combination of beauty and comfort without pretense. Thalia immediately ordered Patatas Bravas, which I would eventually notice is a staple on every tapas menu. But every restaurant pairs up the potatoes with their own unique sauce to go along with the crispy potatoes. This gave me the idea that I would try them with one of my own tomato sauces upon return. I’m happy to report that after a few experiments, I got the potatoes just right. And, using Monique’s Outrageous Olive and Caper Sauce (if you like green olives) or Monique’s Rustic Roasted Garlic Sauce, I was able to have the dish ready in minutes.

Potatoes Bravas with Monique’s Outrageous Olive and Caper Sauce

Recipe for Potatoes Bravas

Ingredients

Potatoes:
4 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled baking potato (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 fresh pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced

A jar of Monique’s Sumptuous Sauce

Boil potatoes until just tender.

Non-stick skillet produced a crispier potato than my cast iron skillet

Now I’m off to Portugal. Will keep track of everything and report back in a couple of weeks.

Julie’s Deviled Eggs

Raining and cold outside, there was nothing but warmth in the air as we gathered at Richard and Jenny’s home to celebrate a friend’s birthday and the Equinox. I love deviled eggs, but these were the best! Julie treated us to lox and eggs and pesty devils from the book called Deviled Eggs by Debbie Moose. I can’t wait to try the other 48 recipes in this book.

Here are Julie and Michael looking so happy that everyone loved the eggs.

Spring also means asparagus, so I decided to make a pasta dish using Al Dente Lemon Chive Fettuccine with Shrimp and Asparagus, a perfect accompaniment to Richard’s Grilled Flank Steak.

Al Dente Lemon Chive Fettuccine with Shrimp and Asparagus

serves 6

12 oz. bag of Al Dente Pasta

1/3 cup olive oil

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 cup white wine (or broth)

1 tbsp. butter

1.5 lbs. uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined

15 asparagus, trimmed, cut diagonally into 2 inch pieces

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 cup toasted almonds or pinenuts

salt and pepper to taste

garnish with fresh parsley or basil and lemon wedges

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic; saute just one minute being careful to not burn garlic. Add wine and butter; boil 2 minutes. Add shrimp, asparagus and lemon juice, tossing until asparagus is tender and shrimp are opaque in center, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and salt, testing after 3 minutes. When pasta is tender but firm, drain and add to skillet.

Season with salt and pepper. Garnish and serve.

Here’s how to trim asparagus. The tough stem naturally breaks off where it should, so all you have to do is hold the stalk towards the bottom and………..break, just like the picture.

Next. How to cut asparagus on the diagonal, which looks so much prettier than a straight cut.

I love using my cast iron skillet that my brother, Dorian, got me.

Spring is in the air. Enjoy every moment of this beautiful season!

Knitting, friendship, leftover ham? Seemingly random connections? Not at all. Especially when so much of our lives revolves around the meaningful things that bring us together- friendship, discovery and good food. In this case, at our bi-monthly get together of the Knitwits (we’re ladies who share needles), I took the opportunity to make a pasta dish using Al Dente Egg Fettuccine with my leftover Easter ham. We spent the rest of the evening knitting and enjoying Peanut’s beautiful home. I love the greeting cards that she does and asked her to design a line of Food Inspired Greeting Cards which will eventually be available on Al Dente’s website. She is wonderfully creative so I can’t wait to see what she comes up with.

(By my next post, I hopefully will have figured out how to attach captions to photos, so you’ll know who is who and what is what. In the meantime, this is Peanut and examples of her cards. Serving the pasta, is Lisa Marra, who has many claims to fame, including being Al Dente’s very first employee.  She now uses her talents as an interior designer. Another extremely creative woman.

Al Dente Pasta with Ham and Peas

1 bag Al Dente® Pasta

2 tbsp. butter

1 small onion, chopped

2-3 cups diced ham

1 cup heavy cream or half and half

16 oz. bag of frozen peas

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

toasted almonds or pinenuts for garnish.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In a skillet, melt butter over low heat. Saute onion, stirring until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the ham and cream. In the meantime, add pasta and peas to boiling, salted water. Test pasta after 3 minutes. When “tender, but firm”, drain and toss pasta and peas with cream mixture and Parmesan Cheese. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with toasted nuts, if desired.

serves 6