Seated a few metres from the mediterranean on a clear warm day with this about to be consumed: escalivada (sweet onion, aubergine and red pepper on toast)with achovies, a green salad followed by grilled sardines and calamares, washed down with a Penedes white wine...

Olive oil and olive trees have been a feature of the landscape here in Girona Province for some 2,000 years so this is the right place to taste this unique product. A tasting can be organised where you are staying while here on holiday or as part of a "Girona Tapas Tour".

The fun part is tasting a variety (usually 4) olive oils from different parts of Spain. There are at least as many varieties of olives as there are of grapes and nobody would suggest that all wines taste the same. The local olives are the arbequina and argudell which are smaller but fruitier in flavour than olives from Andalucia in the south. Just like wine we look at colour to give us clues to when they were picked which has a big effect on ultimate taste. Smell is a bit harder and more subtle to capture in descriptive adjectives. The most important part is tasting which you do by drinking a small amount noting the aftertaste, usually sweeter and nuttier in the Catalan oils and slightly more "picante" in the others.

Spain is the largest producer of olive oil in the world but unfortunately, like many products from here, their marketing is not as effective as the Italians and French, but trying is believing, so come try some today!

A relaxed start, no driving, just eating and drinking some great local products which are explained to you in English, meeting the owners, winemakers and artisans of the places we visit, all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the trip!

Wineries are in the Empordà region which is near the French border in the pre-Pyrenees and are family owned, small and with a range of wines to suit all palates. Lunch can be at the winery or in a local restaurant but is always from the classic healthy Mediterranean diet.

In the afternoon we can either go visit another winery or see the views of the Costa Brava from the heights of a 10th C monastery and then visit a shop full of locally produced foods, olive oils and wines all packaged to take home.

On the return trip a walk around a fishing village with a fish auction on some days, and then relax on a terrace overlooking the harbour or a visit to one of the best goat cheese producers with their own herd of goats, amazing underground cellar for maturing the cheese and then a tasting of the different cheeses paired with a typical wine.

You get home around 6pm understanding this area better through the variety of great food and wines you tasted during the day. They don't call this the Tuscany of Spain for nothing, you will not be dissapointed! 

 

Fish, as we all know, come in many different shapes and sizes and what to buy and how to prepare them is an art we seem to be losing as our lives speed up and we cook less.

These are issues that a new project which was inaugurated yesterday by Catalan President Artur Mas called the "Espai del Peix" aims to address in the traditional fishing port of Palamós on the Costa Brava. Housed in the same complex as the fishermans co-operative where fish are auctioned every day the boats go out, this new exhibition area is part museum, part kitchen and all about promoting the varied health benefits and ease of preparing fish dishes.

One idea is to invite top local chefs to explain their favourite fish recipes and actually get people involved in making them, especially targeting children who seem to feel increasingly alienated to this important and healthy food.

Regular demonstrations, tastings, conferences and kids days should help to raise awareness and get fish sales increasing again-a worthy and tasty cause, please go and visit!

Do your kids eat fish? Do you buy fresh fish? Any favourite recipes to pass on?[[posterous-content:pid___0]]

 

Saltejada de gambetes or sauteed shrimp-before and after, sorry I didn't leave any for the cat...

After a week of rain the sun is shining and the wild asparagus hunters are out in force in the woods of the province. The wild version is thinner, longer and has a more intense flavour than the cultivated variety famous in Navarra. It takes a while for the eye to distinguish the spears which tend to get camouflaged in amongst other undergrowth, but once you get the hang of it, like this man I met yesterday, you will have plenty for several omlettes as well as to give to lazy friends!

 

The restaurant is called Nu in the Barri Vell of Girona, much better located than his other restaurant, Massana, which has 1 michelin star. The idea here is to serve dishes bigger than tapas to encourage trying a variety of the varied selection of fish, meat and classic Catalan food all in a modern setting. Some examples that we tried and loved: tempura of calçots with a romesco sauce; raviolis stuffed with black sausage and a marmalade sauce; brochette of langoustine and shrimp; braised beef cheek with a plum sauce; rice with cod and artichokes; an incredibly light recuit with honey for dessert.

As could be expected service, decor and wine list are all top notch, not a cheap place but if you want a great dining experience then give this Nu a try! 

Fideuà

 

The famous hunters breakfast of grilled meats with the addition of a "tortilla" of young garlic shoots and a plate of "jamon iberico" all washed down with a basic red wine to keep the conversation flowing...