World food, with overgin
Empanadas! Anywhere, anytime! An empanada (Spanish pronunciation: [empaˈnaða]; also called pastel in Brazilian Portuguese) is a stuffed bread or pastry baked or fried in many countries in Latin Europe, Latin America, the Southwestern United States, and parts of Southeast Asia. The name comes from the Galician, Portuguese, and Spanish verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread.
In Spain, empanadas and empanadillas are two different types of cooking a similar thing. Empanadillas are often made from a rather thin, pliant, but resilient wheat pastry, cut into a round shape, stuffed and folded. The filling varies, but tuna, sardines, or meat are used most commonly in a tomato puree, garlic and onion sauce. Spanish empanadillas are often fried in olive oil but can also be found baked.
In Galicia, the empanada can also be prepared similar to a pie, with a variety of fillings like cod, pork loin, cockles, mussels, or octopus, the empanada galega. Empanadas can be eaten at any time of the day. As I mentioned before.
They are everywhere! More about them here.
No comment about overgin (open up the photo to know what the heck I’m talking about). Someone’s sense of humor at the Boqueria market, I hope…
Decisions, decisions…
I’m always having a hard time at the mercat de Sant Josep… Balancing the urge of buying a lot of this gorgeous high quality food… with my economic reality. I never managed, always spending too much.
Oh, you might know this market as Boqueria. For us locals, it is St Joseph’s market. And to photographers, it is known as ‘paradise’. There has been a market here since 1217, 797 years ago.
And, no, this is not HDR, just Lightroom and Nik filters.
Have a coffee!
While doing your shopping at the Boqueria market, it is essential to have a coffee! Either a cafe solo, otherwise known as expresso, a cortado, which is a solo with a little milk, or a cafe con leche, big coffee with lots of hot or cold milk. As you like it.
Smiles
Happy smiling faces at the Boqueria market! And the veggies look absolutely gorgeous!
Our world Tuesday, right here.
Market day…
…is from Monday to Saturday, in any of the numerous markets in town. The quality is so much better than in any supermarket or mall!
Nuts!
Found that great nut place! With a very willing vendor! This guy could sell refrigerators to Eskimos!
But no, I didn’t buy anything, will come back later, no need for nuts right now.
Accidental chinese hipsters
…to be found at the back of the Boqueria market.
We just passed the 500 followers mark. Welcome to all of you!
Just another museum.
Fed up walking around in the sun, too hot for the beach? Here is an idea: the Museum of Erotica, in front of the Boqueria market. You get a free drink,and Wifi, how’s that?
Cod, anyone?
Cod. Extremely popular in Spain and Portugal. Literally thousands of recipes. Here is a Catalan one, which I will try soon:
Catalan fish stew
Ingredients
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6 tbsp olive oil
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1 large Spanish onion, chopped
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2 fennel bulbs, chopped
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150g/5oz chorizo, diced
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1 red chilli, finely chopped
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1 tsp fennel seeds, ground
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2 cloves new season garlic, crushed
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½tsp sweet paprika powder
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1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
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1 tsp saffron strands (optional)
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3 fresh bay leaves
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1 tin plum tomatoes
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100ml/3½ fl oz fish stock or water
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150ml/5 fl oz white wine
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500g/1 lb 2oz mussels, cleaned
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650g/1 lb 7 oz firm white fish (bream, pollock, cod, monkfish), filleted, dredged in flour and fried in olive oil
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100g/3½ oz toasted almonds, ground
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- To serve
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1 lemon, cut into wedges
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steamed potatoes and spring greens
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Preparation method
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onions, fennel, diced chorizo, chilli, ground fennel seeds and garlic for a few minutes.
- Add the paprika, thyme, saffron, bay leaves and tomatoes and cook until reduced to a thickish sauce.
- Add the fish stock (or water) and white wine and bring to a simmer.
- Add the cooked mussels and cook until they are all open. Discard any that have not opened.
- Put the fish pieces into the stew and stir in the almonds.
- Heat for a minute or two and serve with seasonal greens, steamed potatoes and wedges of lemon.
My World Tuesday
Shopping trolleys. Everybody’s got one, young, old, male, female, posh people, students, rich, poor, etc. We have 2, an old orange one and a brand new purple one. In the supermarkets here, you need to leave them near the tills. But no worries: you put one euro in the thingy and you can chain your trolley up, so nobody can take it.
Some trolleys even come complete with a foldable chair, so you can sit down anywhere. Very convenient. Some are made of fabric, some of leather, plastic, moleskin, and so on and so forth. Some are real pieces of art, made by designers. It is truly a fashion statement here. And they can be extremely expensive, of course!
When will you get your own?
Please check out how other people’s World looks like on Tuesdays!
Sant Josep de la Boqueria
Fresh fruit!
October. Here, in the northern hemisphere, it is slowly getting cold. Big big storms in our area here, with 7 meter waves battering northern Catalunya, floods, etc. Time for some vitamins!
Le dimanche, mangeons des crepes!
It is sunday, perfect day for some crepes, french pancakes!
This is the french guy who is making and selling them at the Boqueria market on the Ramblas. My favorite? Nutella, bananas and whipped cream. What is yours?
Well, actually, every day should be crepes day!
Easter?
This is the eggman at the Boqueria market. And yes, you can buy the ostrich eggs as well. Nice big omelette!
Ra
It is winter, but still ok to have a drink on a terrace, specially if you’re a smoker, as smoking is forbidden in most places now. This is Ra, just behind the Boqueria market. Nice place to have a quick coffee or a chocolate caliente con churros!
Live long and prosper!
In the south of Europe, Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal amongst other places, people live long. To live to be 100 years old is quite normal in these countries. The secret, according to some scientists, lies in their diets. Chillies, garlic, olive oil and red wine are supposed to ensure a long and healthy life. If you don’t overdo it, obviously.
Plenty of it around here, in the Boqueria market. And in my cupboards. So let’s talk about it again in 50 years!
Prosperity? Easy: start your own garlic, chillies, olive oil and red wine business!
Market day
Market day at the Boqueria. La Boqueria, or Mercat Sant Josep de la Boqueria, is a huge market near the top of the Ramblas. For those of you who have been to Barcelona, I am sure you went in there.
You get everything in here! The best looking vegetables, fruit, juices, fish, tapas, greek finger food… The place is surrounded by some restaurants serving what they call market food in the guides. A few great seafood restaurants.
It is a fantastic place to look at the world, the people. A photographer’s place.
Drink, anyone?
Photo taken in the Boqueria, the big old market on the Ramblas.
Summer
It really feels like summer today, and I have a bit of a fresh fruit craving.
I took this photo a while back, in my favourite market in town, la Boqueria, just off the Ramblas. The variety, and the quality, are just great. Good place to hang out, just watching stalls, people, the world go by…
Barcelona Daily Photo 
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