Time for Calçots!

Spring marks a special time in Catalonia when it’s tradition to munch burned onions.

What? Burned onions?

Yes indeed, and very tasty they are too!

The Calçot, wikipedia tells us, is a type of Scallion, a long green onion similar to a spring onion but with a leeky texture that is cooked on a barbecue. Here’s how you can enjoy them too…

Step 1: The Set Up

Go down to your local market or veg shop and get a huge bunch of calçots tied up with string. They are moreish and you end up throwing most of the onion away, so you can easily budget 10 - 12 onions per person—more if they are small.

Step 2: Burn Baby Burn

Chuck them on the barbecue. That’s it! Shove ‘em on. Make sure there are no flames, just embers. The calçots don’t drip fat so they shouldn’t make any flames appear. Keep turning them but leave them on until they are well and truly black and toasted.

Step 3: Gift Wrap

Once the calçots are nice and charred, let them finish off cooking in their own steam by wrapping in newspaper.

Step 4: Peel

Hold the top of the calçot in one hand and wrap the other hand around the charred husk , pulling the outer layers downward to reveal the inside: a sliver of soft, oniony goodness. Prepare to get dirty. In restaurants they often give you a special bib to wear and extra hand-towels. My brother-in-law somehow manages to remove the entire burned portion by pinching the end of the onion with two fingers, and avoiding any mess—mind, you, he has many years of expecience on his side.

Step 5: Dunk

Now dip the calçot in a special sauce known as Salvitxada, which is similar to Romesco sauce, and contains tarlic, tomato, almonds, hazelnuts, olive oil and ñoras, a type of red bell pepper from murcia.

Step 6: Down the hatch

Knife and fork? How bourgeois! Tip back you head and chomp it down.

You like? Go to step 4!

Credit: “Calçots” by Txapulin

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