Leggi in Italiano
A brief, sweet and spicy trip among chocolates, candies, eggs, fruits and vegetables, Jamon ibericos and chilli peppers.
My first time to the Barcelona’s “Mercat de the Boqueria” and the discovery of colored corners, source of cheerful and artistic creativeness for the cocktails that we had or we will soon realise through my new bartending adventures !!
Driven by the enthusiasm of Marcella, she really often enjoys suggesting me to visit the website of Ryanair on the lookout for something to do and see, as well as being quick in pointing her red nails on the map of Europe, we decide for Barcelona! where the pretty Miss has lived for three years.. and she promises (with the sweet eyes) to drive me among the alleys of the old city, and of the “Rambla”! the “Gothic district”, the Park Guell, the “Barceloneta” and thousand and more spots hidden through, where she assures unbridled fun!
Mercat de la Boqueria, tips and suggestions:
The art of the discovery for me is then accomplished in what I define
“strategic study”
Whoever knows me and has spent some time working alongside with me, knows very well how much I love sneaking looking and hunting the best ingredients for my cocktails in the metropolitan markets: I decide what and where to buy, I instruct my suppliers, try to deal on the price, I also try to pay more when I really appreciate the quality of what I sniff and taste, take the camera or the telephone and I try to immortalize the colors, I observe the expressions in the face of whom is exposing the food or the spices before it will compose what with passion and honor I will describe to my clients at the bar.
As often happened in the markets that I have frequented in London in the night time and sleepless visits, I love to engage my younger colleagues and the little boys that work with me and approach the job at their first experiences. I think it’s fantastic to drive them in the knowledge discovering the source of all of this that we choose for garnishing and for flavouring our cocktails. A complete multi-sensorial memorisation and the sentimental elaboration of what discover in a popular or local market more or less famous, where the inspiration drive who has talent to reach success . This skills belong to each of us!
The mercat de the Boqueria in Barcelona is:
The largest “food market” in Europe. And it is an immense venue made by local hospitality extended to the best and rare European and world foods, a “must” for the locals and for the tourists that walk in the “Rambla” divert in the alley and enter this oasis, treasure and festive for the palate and for the eyes.” everything can be purchased or simply tasted in the “tapas cafe” located inside.
WHAT HAVE WE FOUND AT THE MERCAT DE LA “BOQUERIA” AND DESERVES TO BE TOLD:
Here it will follow a photographic file in which we have immortalized the most meaningful moments of our experience to the inside local city market, please you want to feel you free to draw every inspiration of it, the art it is a good of which each must make treasure and who possesses her/it you/he/she must be happy to share her/it. All the recipes and the indications that will follow are of my intuition and I don’t absolutely intend to hold me her secret. To you the free interpretation!
milk chocolate, in various forms, especially shaped as an hen or a egg!
Easter time has passed by, but why not to take inspiration for next year as dessert of accompaniment to a cocktail after dinner? why not serving inside a shot of sweet liqueur or a spirit? the service can be exhilarating, surely will be super photographed by your guests!!
Eggs and Eggs and Eggs and still eggs!
Ok I’m a lover of the confectionery, do we want to use all the eggs of the Catalan region to do pastry, “Catalan Coca” dessert? or, shall we try to build a “Boqueria Flip?” probably with a base of Spanish brandy, a pinch of Madeira stolen to the near brothers of the Andalusia and a beautiful float of Iberian red wine! the hens of the neighborhood thank and they ask a sip!
Exotic fresh fruit!
The exotic fruit in Barcelona is partly cultivated and picked up here thanks to the warm weather of the surrounding regions, and partly imported by the Caribbean countries. We trust here this lady from the clean face and the Latin smile that it makes us to try a sort of centrifuged juice of banana coconut and raspberries, from the pink color and from the sensual taste soft and smooth, why not to create a version of it frozen and to serve it in a cocktail glass for our friends as a refreshment that we will organize with them in the first days of spring? does anyone fancies an alcoholic version? bring a bottle of “Cava” Spanish sparkling wine.
Question…but when does the spring arrives?
Vegetables, red and orange and green.
back in in London we certainly won’t find the beautiful heat of Spain, let’s put the kettle on and try to make a soup! perhaps made of red chicory, cauliflower, broccolo, pumpkin or also asparagus, and if you are returning in a warm place instead, prepare you a beautiful “minestrone sour!”!
with a dehydration of vegetables and leaves of salad, set to dehydrate and then crush everything in the blender, I had added some fresh juice of lemon, egg white and a generous portion of gin, for that cocktails of success that someone will remember (…)
Candies!
Bad toothache ? allow the little one to the candies, rather buy a pot of it and distribute to all children in front of you! otherwise prepare a Manhattan cocktail in version “Boqueria” and add it a tiny candy, instead of the classic cocktail cherry, remember not to swallow it, and chew it with caution because will be soaked of whiskey and vermouth!
Meats and above all “Iberian Jamon”.
If really you don’t feel like making you a cocktail and you want to simply make you a sandwich… please do so!
Lobster.
Lobster catalana, Lobster with pasta, lobster with salad, lobster as a main course, grilled or raw!
or a Lobster Martini, just serve it super cold, and delight yourself with luxury treat of a free crustacean on side!
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