Tapas Feast

In celebration of the daily tradition we started while in Spain, we hosted a Tapas soiree at the apartment on Women’s Day. Mother Nature was clearly in a fantastic mood, as the weather was gorgeous and the company was even better. Accompanied by crisp white wine, we enjoyed the following home-made tapas – let me know if you would like the any of the recipes and I will mail them with pleasure:

-       Toasted bread with Aubergine & Red pepper dip

-       Garlic & Tomato brushed bread

-       Patatas Bravas with garlic aioli

-       Battered courgettes

-       Paprika toasted almonds

-       Croquettes

-       Dusted squid

-       Lemon grilled mushrooms

-       Serrano wrapped asparagus

-       Honey glazed chorizo

-       Orange & lemon zest marinated olives

Marinated olives - Image, my own

Croquettes - Image, my own

Of Course, we discovered all of these tasty nibbles while in Spain – the first stop being Barcelona. We arrived in this thrilling city rather late at night and feeling a tad bit grumpy, having to haul ass and luggage half way across the city, not certain of just how far down La Rambla our apartment was. When we finally met up with Mano, the owner, and settled into the authentic space in the Gothic District, excitement mounted at the thought of what the next few days would bring.

One of the most mouth-watering moments in Barcelona had to be the La Rambla Food Market. You really have to see, smell and taste it to believe it. It’s a sensory overload. From the stacked fruit stands at the front, to the live seafood in the middle, and the hanging cured meats and overflowing cheese shelves all around, a foodie can get all kinds of lost down this rabbit hole.

Fruit stand at the food market - Image, my own

Seafood at the market - Image, my own

My favourites were the cones of cured meat (new favourite = Serrano Ham); fresh fruit smoothies and a warm crepe dripping in Nutella (which I am sure is more of a French Tradition, but the sultry Spanish man who served it gave it some Barcelona flair).

No trip to this expansive city would be complete without a bird’s eye view of absolutely everything. Thankfully, the cable car from Barcelona Port to Montjuic offers exactly that. After admiring the skyline over one of many glasses of Sangria, we took a short bus ride down to the Poble Espanyol, a re-created Spanish town, taking all of the best and most notable architectural features of the country into account.

View of La Rambla from the cable car - Image, my own

Aside from the cuisine, architecture and art (the Picasso Museum is a must-see, as is the Dali Museum, just a two hour train ride out of the city) Barcelona’s beach is also pretty awesome, thanks to the warm Mediterranean water!

  

My favourite part of the city has to be the posh side, Gracia, where we stayed on our way back home – with the high street shops (so much time spent in Zara!) and the gorgeous people strutting their Haute Couture through the streets, if I was to go back, and I so hope I will, I will spend some more time in this neck of the woods, for it was also where we had the largest and most authentic tapas feast and learnt about all the tasty morsels we served on Women’s Day.

To attempt to sum up Barcelona in a few short highlights is not an easy feat, but if I absolutely had to, I would say:

Highlights:

La Rambla Food Market

Gracia shopping district

Day trip to the Dali Museum in Figures

Walking the vibrant streets at night

Barcelona street art - Image, my own

But I could have done without:

Those annoying men on La Rambla, trying to sell you crap you don’t need, making that terrible duck sound with some contraption in their mouths - I have since learned they are scam artists attempting to distract tourists in order to pick their pockets! Totes assholes!

But all in all, the most magical city, where a week is two short, but year would never be enough!

If you ever get the opportunity, go go GO!

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