Homage to Veg

Veg, that humble meal component, down the ladder from Protein, down the ladder from Carb and boiled beyond recognition, is given a pitiful place in the modern plate. My heart bleeds and ergo below, my homage to you, you noble thing! 

Artichoke heart with ham, La Palmera, Barcelona, Spain

Get some artichoke hearts, fry some ham and then lay it on top of your artichoke, drizzle with olive oil and add a flower. How can you resist this?

Grilled mushrooms, Restaurante El Pigot, Montsant, Spain

Whoever says that the best restaurants are in the city, is an ass. Where does all the fresh produce come from, may I ask? Those seasonal grilled mushrooms above, which are making you slobber, was in a country restaurant, grilled and drizzled with garlic oil and then sprinkled with parsley. Heaven!

Courgette, Buca Mario, Florence, Italy

I love Florence, apart from the art and history, tis a glutton's delight. Of the week I spent there, I remember ONE mediocre meal. This is where I learnt that courgettes need not necessarily be cooked but just sliced into ribbons (use a mandolin or vegetable peeler at a pinch) and dressed with parmesan, pine nuts and truffle oil, can be a feast for a Queen!

Padrón peppers, Cerveceria Catalana, Barcelona, Spain

Padrón peppers are supposedly grown next to chilli peppers and though mild in themselves, due to proximity to such dangerous neighbours, can produce that one pepper which will send you screaming for water, eyes pouring, ears smoking. Tis like Russian roulette, but with slightly more chances of survival. Plain fried and then liberally sprinkled with salt, a slow and wary delight.

Alba, Barcelona, Spain

Here is another example of grilled veg (the cauliflower was parboiled) but served with a romescu sauce, a very typical sauce of the region where I live. Here is a decent recipe of this sauce. It goes well with pretty much everything so try it!

Parboiled veg, Bratislava, Slovakia

The Chinese make wonderful veg and it took me a while to figure out how they got their veg just the right side of crunchy - parboiling! Duh! 

Wakame, Bratislava, Slovakia

People tend to forget sea veg when we talk about vegetables. Your favourite vinaigrette or soya and rice vinegar/mirin poured over this edible seaweed and voilá! Here is a nice and simple vinaigrette, Japanese style. 

Kimchi, Ramen-ya hiro, Barcelona, Spain

How about pickled? Do you like pickled? Kimchi, Korean pickled cabbage is something I can eat by the bowlful. Not only is it delicious but tis packed with nutrition. For a non Korean, it seems like a bitch to prepare but it really isn't. This explains it rather well.

Raw veg with nut sauce, Bar Ton, Barcelona, Spain

When the weather is hot, there is nothing better than a raw veg dish to fill your tum without warming your cockles. Add some spiced oil with some nuts and mmmmmmmm

Mushrooms, El Champiñon, Madrid, Spain

What about roasted? Add some chorizo, drizzle some olive oil and bung in your oven for about 10 minutes.

Parmesan and aubergine, Lo de Flor, Barcelona, Spain

Here is a meal on its own, plenty of parmesan, grated over a tomatoe base with grilled aubergine in the middle. Delicious. heavy and warming as a winter dish!

Steamed veg, Bratislava, Slovakia

And back to lighter fare, just steam 'em!

Re-visiting 'Pinxos'

I am a pig - there are no two ways to look at it :-(

Jamón pinxo

I revisited my 'pinxo' place, a week is not cold. But to my defence, I only ate 10 instead of 16 'pinxos'. That's something, right? Whereas last time I scarfed everything with barely any pics, I was more sedate this time AND took photos of the stunning examples of amazing food here.

Foie with cream of balsamic 

A good 'pinxo', like a good Sangría, must be made with good ingredients; the bread involved MUST be thinly cut and of the type of baguette that is crunchy and fresh. Many places fill you up on the thickly cut bread they serve as part of their 'pinxo' and now you know why.

Quail's egg with mayo, prawn and olive with onion and parsley garnish

Ideally, 'pinxo' should be an appetiser, have 3-4 and a drink while waiting for your restaurant reservation hour or your friend/family meal time.

Cod with pepper

But what the heck, no rules...