by Cynthia Graber
This is the daily menu of specials at one of my favorite tapas bars in Barcelona, Tapas 24. If you're ever in Barcelona, this is one place to try out. It's the tapas bar related to a much snazzier and more expensive restaurant called Commerç 24.
I was excited to return to this tapas bar because I wanted another chance to eat a dessert I'd eaten last year, and the year before: chocolate with olive oil, bread, and salt. It might sound strange, but trust me. It's perfect. Rich chocolate set off by fruity olive oil, the crunch of the cracker, and the salt crystals that melt on your tongue and provide a perfect contrast to the richness of the dish.
But you know what endeared me to the waiter? I knew about a local, seasonal delicacy: calçots. A couple of years ago, when I was here on a different business trip, I'd been taken out to a local restaurant about an hour from Barcelona, still in Catalunya. It was also February. I told the person who'd taken me that I don't eat meat (near heresy here, but I'll skim over that now). He said that I had to eat calçots. They're a kind of green onion, long and thick, sweeter than what we have at home. They're hyper local, as far as I know only from Catalunya. And they grow in February and March. They're traditionally charred over an open flame, then you rather messily dip them in romesco sauce and pull meltingly sweet insides out, leaving the charred exterior behind. I was given a bib for the dish when I first ate it!
This time, the calçots were prepared in a slightly more refined manner.
They were delicious, and it was a snap to dip them in the romesco sauce. But I have to admit, I kind of missed making a mess.
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