Leading Spanish restaurant Asador 44 are hosting their very own Fiesta De Calçotada on Friday 13th of April. Kicking off at 12:30pm they will be celebrating the only way Catalans know how — with flavour, fun & style. But what is a Calçotada?
The ‘calçotada’ pronounced ‘kalsotada’ is a Catalonian culinary ritual like no other. Acalçotada is a winter barbecue where calçots (a kind of green onion, somewhere between a spring onion and a leek) are packed tight on a grill, charred and then dipped in a rich and nutty romesco sauce. After the calçots comes the meats, add some red wine to help wash it all down and you have understood the basics of the Catalan way of life. As you might guess, it’s a messy affair.
Of the wide variety of Catalan cuisine, who would have thought that an onion could be so cherished? The calçot is one of the most beloved products of this region in Spain. Native of Valls, Tarragona (about 100 kilometers southwest of Barcelona), they say a Catalan farmer began growing them over a century ago. Sweet, tender and absolutely delicious when dipped in romesco sauce, calçots in Barcelona are wildly popular, as well as the tradition that comes with them.
The afternoon will be based around a traditional Catalan wood fired BBQ with great simple food, bibs, cava, porrón wine pouring and fun. Kicking off at 12:30pm the event is perfect for a team building lunch or a fun afternoon with friends.
The £40 menu includes a glass of cava on arrival. The star of the event, the wood burnt calçots, will be served with romesco sauce to start. The main will consist of cider house sirloin, criollo sausage, charcoal oyster mushrooms, celeriac, morcilla crumb, escalivada, and crispy confit manteca potatoes. To finish, a sumptuous dessert of Catalan cheeses, plus a little fun learning the art of porrón pouring. A porrón is a wine vessel which has a bulb-like body with a handle and a long slender neck from which the wine pours out directly into ones mouth. Are you up to the challenge?
To book email: enquiries@asador44.co.uk or call 029 2002 0039 (£20 deposit will be required). Come with a good appetite, tie a bib around your neck and go to town with the calçots. They only come once a year, after all!
