Today, we're making a delicious Sunshine Glow Salad with golden beets, feta cheese, Lemon Olive Oil and White Balsamic Vinegar. It's filling and nutrient dense, yet light and warm like the rays of the sun.
Yes, it's only a few ingredients, but that's what makes it our go to! Simple, delicious, superfoods are what we live for.
The Lemon Olive Oil really brings out the flavor of the beets and complements the feta. Plus the slight sweetness of the White Balsamic is divine. Use both generously, since the healthy fats in the olive oil will help keep you full and the antioxidants in the vinegar help fight free radicals.
Wash the beets, dice them into bite-sized cubes, and lay them in a single layer on a sheet pan or roasting dish. Drizzle generously with Healthy Harvest Greek, and roast in a 375-degree oven for about 25 minutes, or until fork tender.
Fill a bowl with your choice of mixed greens, top with a heaping pile of roasted beets, and add a sprinkle of crumbled feta.
Finish with a drizzle of Lemon Olive Oil and White Balsamic Vinegar. Add some salt and pepper, and enjoy!
]]>
Mesmerized by cooking shows since a young age, tv chefs were some of my earliest influences. I learned techniques from Lydia's Italy and Martha Stewart. I learned creativity from Iron Chef competitions. But my biggest idol by far was Anthony Bourdain. I adored the way such a rugged rock-and-roll guy could transport me to another place and time with such poetic musings about meals and the people who made them. So I took his advice: “If you’re twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel – as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them – wherever you go.”
And since then, I have sought the story behind the recipes and ingredients used to make them.
There are many reasons why people travel the world - to explore the planet's natural beauty, to understand history, to expand one's perspectives and learn from new cultures...But for me, food is the lens through which I discover all those things. To share a meal is so much more than just sustenance.
I invite you to take a journey with me to various regions of Spain where I spent two weeks searching for traditional olives and exquisite olive oils you can't find anywhere else in the U.S.
Part One: Catalonia Countryside
I arrived in Barcelona just as the sun was going down. Located in Northeast Spain, Barcelona is the crown jewel of the region known as Catalonia. While Catalonia is still legally considered a part of Spain, the residents there speak their own language, celebrate their own customs, and consider themselves first and foremost from Catalonia, not Spain.
I immediately departed the city toward Tarragona, a mountainous province in the southern part of Catalonia, which is bordered on one side by the Mediterranean Sea. Within Tarragona lies Priorat, a county highly regarded for its wines and olive oil, each marked with their own prestigious Designation of Origin. Wines from Priorat are certified DO Montsant, and the olive oils DOP Siruana.
In Priorat, I stayed in Ulldemolins, a tiny rural village that has existed since medieval times. With only 400 or so residents and nestled in a mountainous setting between the Natural Park of the Serra del Montsant and the Serra de la Llena, it does not see many tourists; however, it is centrally located amidst olive groves and world-class rock climbing.
There, I visited the local cooperative and farm store. The co-op was founded in 1953 by a group of small farmers working together sell their products. In 1996, they became the first cooperative in Catalonia to produce organically, and in 1998 they opened the farm store which carries different olive oils, wines, and vinegars, along with artisan honey, jams, olives, olive pate, dried fruits, and almonds. The slate, flint, or limestone soils, along with the unique microclimate, give the co-op's products unique character.
The area's most famous olive varietal is the arbequina, a small, green fruit.
"Their olives are among the most oil-rich of any variety, with a flesh that can be around 25% oil. Arbequinas make a nice table olive, too, with the curing process imparting a soft smokiness to their buttery taste, but it’s the oil itself which is most highly prized. The small trees are difficult to harvest mechanically, so the Arbequina resists industrialization – thousands of traditional, independent farms continue to ply their own varieties, and Catalonia is home to no less than four PDO olive oil regions" (Olive Oil Times).
Siurana
The pinnacle, both figuratively and literally, of olive oil in Catalonia is a visit to Siurana, a thousand-year-old stone village perched high on a rocky outcrop overlooking the valley below littered with sheer cliffs world-famous for rock climbing.
The olive farms here are small, family operations and though the trees grow slowly, the prized oil is worth the wait.
With a smooth, nutty flavor the oil of Siurana lacks the peppery bite of other oils. Instead, it has a "delicate herbal complexity – all that clear mountain light and fresh air expressing themselves in the oil" (Olive Oil Times).
See our full Siurana photo gallery >>
In two weeks, ten of us devoured 5 liters of the local extra virgin olive oil. With wild herbs growing abundantly, my favorite way of using the oil was preparing fresh rosemary infusions for dipping with crusty bread or drizzled over gnocchi.
What to Eat
For dinner, we spent several nights at Fonda Toldra, a small restaurant owned by a women Carmen, who only opened if you made reservations in the morning. There we indulged in a three-course meals with house wine for 15 euro. For an appetizer, we had a choice of salad with raw cod and balsamic or pasta with chorizo. Main dishes included prawns, roast chicken, or calamari with meatballs. And for dessert, we had a special Easter cake. We tried a variety of foods in Catalonia, from shopping at the local market and cooking at home to three-course meals at Fonda Toldra, one of Ulldemolins few restaurants. As throughout all of Spain, cured meats, cheese, and seafood were abundant. Our lunch most days consisted of chorizo (2 euro) and manchego (4 euro) on a baguette (1 euro) with a side of ripe, juicy tomatoes(1 euro/kg) and dried figs for dessert.
Regional Dishes
Pa Amb Tomaquet (Pan Con Tomate): Bread rubbed with fresh tomatoes and drizzled with oil and salt. A true Catalan staple.
Calçots: These baby leeks are specific to Spring
Escalivada: A warm side dish of grilled vegetables (normally eggplant, red peppers, onions and tomatoes) skinned and de-seeded and served with oil.
Patatas Bravas with Alioli - crispy fried potatoes with a garlic olive oil dipping sauce
Croquetas - breadcrumbed and fried roll of ham or cheese, usually bound with bechamel sauce or mashed potatoes.
Crema Catalana: Similar to the French Crème Brulée. It is made with sugar, egg yolks and cinnamon and burnt on the top.
Well, that's all for now. Join us next week for Part 2: Barcelona!
]]>
When a store owner in Ulldemolins asked where else we were visiting on our trip, I answered, "Next stop, Barcelona."
"Ah, yes, the crown jewel of Catalonia," she replied.
It is a city renowned for approachable gourmet cuisine, coffee culture, ocean-side views, Picasso's art, and Gaudi's mind-bending architecture. We decided to see how much adventure we could pack into one day.
A magnificent multi-hued sunrise marked our early morning departure from Ulldemolins. After a serene three-hour drive (and brief empty gas tank scare) on winding roads through olive groves and mountains, we arrived in Barcelona's outskirts where we dropped our luggage at an amazing beachfront campground called Camping Tres Estrellas. The friendly bilingual staff welcomed us with complementary sangria and showed us to our yurt. The minimalist interior had only the most basic amenities, but still provided everything we needed: a place to sleep before our 5 am arrival at the airport. With charming tiny houses, yurts, or tent/RV camping all affordable options, we would absolutely recommend Camping Tres Estrellas.
After a short stroll down the beach to feel the warm white sand on our bare feet, we took an exciting car ride into the bustling heart of city. Navigating a manual transmission through one way streets and bumper-to-bumper traffic as motorbikes and pedestrians darted across lanes is not for the inexperienced, but at last, we safely made it into a parking garage.
Santa Caterina Market
Lucky for us, we had unknowingly parked just below Barcelona's oldest covered market. Built in 1845 but recently renovated, the Santa Caterina market was an explosion of sensory stimulation. We were enraptured by the buzz of customers shouting out orders, towering displays of brightly colored produce, whole pork legs dangling above stalls, and strong whiffs of fresh-caught seafood. Best of all, most stalls had small bites of their offerings ranging from one to three euros.
See our entire Spain Food Gallery
Gothic Quarter
With full bellies and ear-to-ear smiles, we walked a short distance to tour the maze of narrow streets and plazas that make up the Gothic Quarter (Barri Gotic), the original center of Roman and medieval Barcelona.
Mercado de La Boqueria
Which led us to another foodie paradise: the Mercado de la Boqueria. This market featured mussels and oysters, saffron and sea salt, and to our heart's delight: olives!
And seeing how all city tours are mostly just foodie tours for us, we made it to a hole-in-the-wall, standing room only Vermouth bar for tapas.
La Sagrada Familia
But alas, a visit to Barcelona wouldn't be complete without at least a pit stop to La Sagrada Familia, a cathedral that's been under construction for over 100 years.
With cranes still towering over the gargantuan structure, La Sagrada Familia is a sight to behold. It is the brainchild of Antoni Gaudi, whose philosophy was to avoid straight lines, since they do not appear in nature. His topsy turvy designs invoke the feeling that one has stepped into fantastical Dr. Suess world designed for adults.
Seaside Dinner in Barceloneta
After walking over 10 miles around the city, we ended our evening in the seaside neighborhood of La Barceloneta where posh yachts fill glitzy marinas connected to the beach by a long, palm-lined promenade. There are few joys in life more satisfying than dining al fresco at a seafood restaurant alongside the ocean as a salty breeze cools the warm evening air.
Obviously, with just one day to visit, there were many sights left seen; however, we felt we got the most of culture, architecture, and food during our self-guided walking tour.
Have you been to Barcelona? What were your favorite things to do and see and eat? Share your memories in the comments!
What We Saw
What We Missed
]]>