Bringing Calçots to Asheville, North Carolina
May 13th, 2010 by HHG
One of our favorite weekend outings is to check out the local produce at the North Asheville Tailgate Market. Last weekend we went for the specific purpose of finding the closest product available in North Carolina to the calçot from Catalonia, Spain.
If you have ever seen a real calçot, or been to a Calçotada, the festivals celebrating this wonderful and delicious vegetable, then you know that they are similar to green onions but milder and less bulbous – the size of baby leeks. During a Calçotada they are grilled until tender and completely charred on the outside. The calçots are served right from the grill and to enjoy them you peel off the outer charred layer revealing the juicy tender onion, and dip it while it is hot into a delicious sauce called romesco. Romesco is traditionally made of almonds, roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion, extra virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, and ñoras peppers, the same peppers used to make Spanish paprika. Calçotadas only happen in the spring, when the calçots are ready to be harvested, and it is a time for family and friends to get together and enjoy great wine, great food on the grill, and the outdoors.
For our Calçotada, we tested grilling ramps, spring onions, and baby leeks, and served that with our romesco sauce, grilled local lamb from East Fork Farm, and pa amb tomàquet another traditional Catalan dish of bread smeared with fresh tomato, garlic, and olive oil. We accompanied the meal with a delicious wine from the Bierzo region of Spain, Dominio de Tares Mencia Baltos, which we picked up at The Wine Studio of Asheville. All in all, a delightful evening and something we look forward to offering every spring when our restaurant Cúrate is open!!
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)