Barcelona Cooking
Now that overseas travel is on hold,
I’ve been reminiscing about my family’s trip to Barcelona in 2017.
Barcelona is a hugely popular destination. In non-pandemic years, the city hosts hundreds of thousands of visitors. With sites like Gaudi’s magnificent Sagrada Familia, and miles of beaches, it’s easy to fill a holiday with crowded attractions and never have an actual conversation with a local. I was determined to step off the well-trod path so I signed my family up for a cooking class. Around the globe, recreational cooking schools provide visitors with the opportunity to learn from local chefs who acquaint them with the cuisine. Spending four hours won’t make anyone an expert, but it does introduce flavors, techniques, and dishes in a way that ordering off a menu cannot.
Located steps from Placa Cataluna on the famed mile-long pedestrian mall of Las Rambla, Barcelona Cooking offers classes for groups of up to twelve in classic Spanish and Catalan cuisine. Candido Cid, Tony Martinez, and Emma Valcarcel launched Barcelona Cooking in 2012 to share a unique cultural experience with travelers visiting their beautiful city. Our lesson began with tour of La Boqueria, a market in existence since 1200. Chef Candido guided our group of twelve through row after row of stalls that hawked everything from snails to spices then gave us a quick lesson (along with a taste) of what elevates a great jamón, the ubiquitous salt-cured ham, from merely a good one.
With supplies in hand, our group climbed a narrow stairway to the blue and white tiled kitchen. A butcher-block dining and work table was set with all the ingredients to prepare the Catalan tapas menu of Pintxo de Sobrasada (sautéed sausage with caramelized pears and blue cheese on toast), Mar y Montana (meatballs with cuttlefish), Barelonetta Potato Bombs (deep fried mashed potatoes stuffed with beef and vegetables), and Gazpacho Andaluz (the classic with sherry vinegar for zest and bread crumbs for texture).
Chef Candido expertly assessed all our skills. He anointed my husband as sommelier. His vital task was to keep the glasses full. With the Rioja and Blanca flowing like water, it was as much a party as a lesson.
We chopped, sautéed, and drank. And drank some more then settled down to enjoy the fruits of our labors. By the end of the four-hour class, stomachs were near to bursting and many bottles of wine were emptied. The morning classes are perfectly timed to end so all the chefs can stumble back to beds for well earned siestas.
The time my family and I spent cooking together was the highlight of our trip. We had many excellent meals while in Barcelona, but I can state without question, the food we shared at Barcelona Cooking was the best we had all week — not just because it was delicious, but because the memory of the day is one we will carry with us long after our tans had faded. I’ll remember Barcelona Cooking for the amazing meal. I’ll remember it more as one of those rare and perfect moments when I got to share what I love to do with the people who are closest to my heart.
