Say Cheese Barcelona 2020

Covid will mark 2020. This disease, caused by a coronavirus that has made famous the entire "corona" family, has caused a worldwide headache. Everything has been affected, even public events that, even if they were held outdoors, must be subject to a whole series of restrictions, varying according to the impact of the disease.

That's why the people of Expogestió (experts in event management) put on the batteries and use all their creativity on their job, from which has produced "Say Cheese", a fair dedicated to the world of artisanal cheese, where there will be a lot of producers with carefully made cheeses, with all the senses.

There will be: 

Làctics Portella

Formatgeria del Miracle

Murgó Formatges

Formatge Bauma

Làctics Ubach

Formatges Montbrú

Formatges Sant Gil d’Albió

Peralada Mas Marcè

Formatges Muntanyola

Formatges Serra del Tormo

Formatgeria Mas Rovira

Tros de Sort

Formatges Riudavets

Formatges Camps

Formatges Reixagó

Formatgeria de Clua

Formatgeria La Frasera

Molí de Ger

Cal Quitèria – Formatges de Ponent

Formatges Montllobe

Formatgeria Roura Soler

Formatges Veciana

Mas Claperol

Mató d’Ullastrell

And must not be forgotten Cellers Maset and La Minera who will be in charge of the wines, cavas and beers that will accompany the cheeses.

All of them will be the exhibitors at the Estació del Nord in Barcelona, ​​on the weekend of 19th and 20th September, 2020.

And where is all the creativity? Well, from 15th to 19th September the fair will be running virtually: www.firesvirtuals.cat . So, if you are afraid of Covid, you can enjoy the fair without any problem. Even if you can't be in Barcelona on September 19th and 20th, it will be a good way to keep up to date on Catalan cheeses.

"El xef convidat": Romain Fornell

The strong "personality" of La Boqueria is clear this year, which celebrates its 180th anniversary. Not 175 or 200, no ... 180.

Among the different events that will serve to celebrate this peculiar aanniversary it is "El xef convidat", a space where renowned chefs go to the market for making a master class.

And the first was by Romain Fornell, a Michelin-starred chef (Caelis in Barcelona, ​​for example) who manages different culinary projects (such as the renaissance of Casa Leopoldo or Caelis's younger brothers at the Ohla Hotel).

His masterclass was a tribute to vegetables. All of the dishes he cooked spinned around vegetal elements. And with truffle perfume, as truffle was well present in every dish.
First, an onion soup homage to Paul Bocuse, as it was a version of the one that the culinary myth cooked for Valéry Giscard D'Estaign.

Then came an artichoke with a truffled white butter sauce. A marvel that absolutely respected the taste of the vegetable, not hidden by the fat of the butter.

The leek with green sauce that we ate later was delicious. Remembering the "calçots", because it was roasted, the leek had a soft texture and the sweetness was balanced by the sour point of the sauce.

Personally, the surprise came with the fake celery risotto. Fake risotto because there was no rice: the small cut celery was the base of the dish. Romain Fornell showed that it was possible to make a risotto (with a trick: to cut the vegetables before), in a short time, since the celery does not take as much as the rice for being cooked.

Mixing raw beets with cooked ones, he presented us with a very nice beet tartar. And, well, a way I can eat beets without much trouble.

Finally, the wonderful "llàgrima" peas of the Maresme took center stage, with a plate where they were lightly cooked in a vegetable stock and covered with a vegetable veil that gave it a special look.

As we finished the dishes, Romain Fornell defended the local products, the season products and the importance of the market as an agent to get good material.

FESC 2019

Today, at 14:30, the VIII Fira d'Economia Solidària de Catalunya (FESC),organized by  Xarxa d'Economia Solidària (XES) has been completed..

It is a special occasion for those who believe that there is an alternative to the current economic-productive system, because there are a lot of exhibitors from different productive sectors that show the seriousness with which they work from an option that aims to promote a economy at the service of people, with human dimension.

You could get information on ethical banks, energy distributors, fabric sector... And, of course, food and drinks were present.

The luck of frequenting fairs like the FESC is that you end up knowing what there is and, immediately, you are already interested in novelties.

This year, I stopped, in a special way, at the table of  La Sobirana and Tres Cadires... Two co-ops that share work space and make some extraordinary liquors. This year, knowing that they would have "ratafia", I went with the idea to buy it. I did it, I left the FESC with a bottle of La Penjada ... But I doubted much, because I made a tasting of the four liquors they presented and... what products!

I am already a consumer of Vi de Nous by Tres Cadires, and I was about to take on their noveltie for this year: Nyons, a "pacharán" of blueberries so aromatic and amazingly fresh and aromatic.

But, because I had a fixed idea, I bought La Penjada, a delicious "ratafia" that is based on "tronjó", which was also present alongside the name of El Penjat. This "tronjó" is soft, delicate, with pure scents of orange, but without appearing to be a perfume, a sin that is usually present in this type of preparation...

All Those - September 2019

In recent years, the role of the All Those Food Market in the gastronomic events of Barcelona has been consolidated. September editions have become the beginning of the course of activities related to gastronomi in the city.

And the TNC is already linked to the All Those at seasons of good weather, hosting a very interesting group of food and drink artisans ...

... and embracing in their gardens offers to eat and drink at the moment.

From the interior, on this occasion, I would like to highlight the oils of Can Català, oils that remind us of how this product should be and its richness of nuances, attending to the different varieties of olive.

Regarding food, the cochinita pibil bikini from Cloudsteet Bakery (with the participation of Mònica Escudero in its creation), was a great proposal (with taste, marked flavors and no heavy at all), reminding us that traditional bread is a good option for sandwiches.