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Barcelona Costa Brava Villa Rentals

1st course

Some classic Catalan first courses

Paella isn't really a first course dish, Charlie!

  • amanida catalana- a salad of lettuce, tomato, peppers, onions and carrots, topped with cold cuts, eggs, anchovies, tuna, or whatever the chef thinks he can spare.
  • calçotada- grilled fresh green onions served with a piquant sauce made with almonds, tomatoes, garlic, chili powder and oil.
  • canalons- like Italian cannelloni, the pasta is stuffed with a variety of meats and baked in bechamel topped with Parmesan cheese
  • escalivada- charcoal or oven roasted eggplant, red pepper and onions, smothered in olive oil, and sometimes chopped garlic.
  • escudella i carn d’olla- a stewed hodge-podge of meat, sausages, turnips, chickpeas, cabbage, pasta and so forth.
  • escudella- Catalan broth based soup with pasta or rice.
  • espinacs a la catalana- lightly boiled spinach, then chopped and fried in oil with raisins and pine nuts.
  • exqueixada- shredded salt cod salad, with olives, tomatoes, onions, peppers, topped with olive oil
  • faves a la catalana- broad beans fried in olive oil with garlic, mushrooms and ham. Sometimes served with fresh mint.
  • fideos con almejas- noodles with clams.
  • fideujat- noodle stew with fish.
  • gazpacho- Andalucian soup of tomatoes, green peppers, cucumber, and onion, served chilled with a garnish of chopped egg, croutons, and/or vegetables.
  • pa amb tomàquet- the preferred way of eating bread... rubbed with tomato (and sometimes garlic), and sprinkled with olive oil and salt.
  • pa de fetge- pork pâté
  • paella- originally from Valencia, comes in many variations, but in Catalunya is apt to have as much chicken and pork rib as fish and shellfish.
  • pimientos de piquillo- red peppers, oven baked, peeled, and stuffed with any variety of ingredients before batter frying in oil.
  • pincho or pinchito- marinated pork kebab
  • salpicón de mariscos- a cold shellfish salad with onions, peppers, and olive oil.
  • sopa de ajo- garlic soup, Castillian variety with egg drop and shredded bread.
  • sopa de bolets- strong-flavoured wild mushroom soup, (as opposed to the bland cultivated variety).
  • trinxat- minced cabbage and potato fried with coldcuts.
  • tortilla (de patatas)- Spanish omelete of potatos and onion. Also available made of all sorts of vegetables, including spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, etc.
  • cargols a la llauna- oven baked snails served with variety of sauces.
  • xató- cod, tuna and anchovies tossed in a salas with romesco sauce.