All posts filed under: Barcelona

Shakshouka brunch

Sunday mornings are always easygoing at my place. No alarms and no rush; just a flow of “do as you please” in the air. Today was no exception. I sat on the couch and with a cup of green tea watched an episode of Chef’s Table. It left me stunned. It features Jeong Kwan, a Buddhist nun who resides in a temple in South Korea and cooks vegan cuisine in the most spiritual way I’ve ever seen in my life. I really identified with her approach to food because of her sense of community and communication. “With food we can share and communicate our emotions. It’s that mindset of sharing that is really what you’re eating. There is no difference between cooking and pursuing Buddha’s way.” Man did this inspire me for today. I embodied her mindset and went off to cook a beautiful Shakshouka brunch with some intimate friends. A few had never tried this before and I was beyond excited to make it for them. Over bloody marys we chopped crisp bell peppers and roasted …

Empedrat: Lentil and codfish salad

Okay, before I’m burned at the stake by Catalan cuisine connoisseurs, hear me out: I know what a traditional empedrat salad is, I just like playing around with classic dishes. If you’re not familiar with this dish, I’ll explain: Empedrat is traditional Catalan salad made of ganxet beans (also known as Santa Pau beans), raw (sometimes cooked) cod fish, green & red peppers, tomatoes, onions, and  black olives. It’s juicy, tangy, and very refreshing. And I love it. So much that if I don’t have ganxet or white beans at hand, I’ll use the next best legume. In this case, it was lentils. Making empedrat is pretty straight forward. The veggies included are not exotic or hard to find, and the measurements can be done “by eye”. The key ingredient in it is cod fish. Regardless if it’s fresh or frozen, the briny taste of the cod is the main flavor. I always try to use fresh fish, but sometimes frozen is the only one available and that’s okay. If you use frozen fish I recommend you sauté it in olive oil before …