El Claustre de Palera
Where? El Claustre de Palera (Beuda, Spain) Map
When? Saturday January 1, 2022
Who? Marc
Food Style? Traditional Catalan
Today we’re going for a traditional Catalonian meal in the courtyard of an old church, the Cloister of Palera. The kitchen resides in a masia, a type of Catalan house that was often used for farming on the first floor, and housing the family on the second floor. Masies that operate as restaurants are common around Catalonia and often provide the most authentic culinary experiences as they cater to the working crowd. This particular one is a bit out of the way so it's more upmarket. I’m expecting some fantastic home cooked Mediterranean flavours from beautiful local produce. The Catalonians are spoiled for choice since they enjoy both food from the land and mountains, especially pork products like ham (jamon Iberico) and sausages (botifarra), but also food from the sea. In fact, you’ll often find these together in a surf and turf, or a mar i muntanya - sea and mountain.
We’ve driven a few minutes away from Besalú up a winding road to the middle of nowhere but the carpark is surprisingly busy. It’s a beautiful, quiet place with an adorable Labrador, a loud ginger cat and a citron tree with dozens of fruits, and cute little signs pointing to heaven, purgatory and hell. It’s a bit foggy but the sun is slowly coming out.
The waitress explains everything as best as she can. They don’t have menus because it changes every day and I’m instantly impressed. We’ve gone for three appetisers to share and then one main each. Afterwards, we’re given some home made bread and home made allioli - Catalonia’s version of aioli. I'm stunned with how delicious it is!
Oh yeah, a lot of sangria. Too much, you could say.
Entree #1
Lobster Salad
Wow. The lobster is soft and buttery with that lovely balsamic tartness to give that acidity. The caviar doesn’t really add that much but otherwise the flavours are very typical of the area.
Entree #2
Cow's Tongue
The sauce is absolutely delicious and it’s got that wonderful meatiness from the tongue. I’ve got some leftover bread and allioli and I’ve used it to soak up that magnificent sauce. Marc says he doesn’t normally like tongue, but the texture and flavour are so different that you wouldn’t be able to tell.
Entree #3
Anchovy and Eggplant Flatbread
That beautiful saltiness from the anchovies and olive pate is on point. The bread is crispy and warm, and this is the best of Mediterranean flavours right here.
Mains #1
Lamb
Cooked perfectly, sweet and juicy and that lovely rendered fat adds so much flavour. I haven’t had lamb like this in a long time. Lamb in Canada is usually from New Zealand, and frozen, and I really enjoyed how flavourful this was.
Mains #2
Chicken and Prawn
Another mar i muntanya, this had a fantastic hearty sauce and tender meat. The prawn is sweet and fresh, and this meal to me is the quintessential Catalan surf and turf.
Dessert #1
Tio Nadal
A Christmas cake in the shape of a Christmas tree. It’s filled with a delicious pistachio and lemon creme, and coated in a festive green chocolate shell.
Dessert #2
Mel i Mató
Mató is a traditional Catalan cheese made from cow's or goat's milk without salt. Similar to ricotta, this recipe dates back to the 14th century where goat's milk was used in preference to cow's because of cost. The texture is wonderfully smooth and when served with honey, it takes on all those wonderful sweet flavours that make this dessert one of Catalonia's most popular.
As we finish up, the fog rolls in again and the temperature drops. I’m really drunk from the massive jug of sangria and I’m pretty cold, even with my winter jacket from Canada. This is definitely the best meal I’ve had during this trip though.
Posted by Jeremy at 12:40am on Tuesday January 18, 2022 :: 0 comments :: 