Calçots amb salvitxada
Grilled onions with nut sauce
Calçots amb salvitxada: chargrilled sweet onions with the nut and ñora pepper sauce of Valls
From January to April, the town of Valls near Tarragona and half of Catalonia go to calçotades: long country lunches where calçots, a tall, sweet onion grown banked up with earth, are flame-grilled until black, wrapped in newspaper to steam, then peeled by hand and dipped in salvitxada. Everyone wears a bib. This salvitxada leans on almonds, roasted tomato and garlic, with ñora peppers for colour and sweetness. If you cannot get calçots, use thick spring onions or slim young leeks. Chef's tip: hold a calçot by the green top, pull the charred outer layer off downwards in one go, then dip and lower it into your mouth from above.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the calçots
- 30 calçotsor 30 thick spring onions or 16 baby leeks, roots trimmed
For the salvitxada
- 3 dried ñora peppersstalks and seeds removed
- 1 head garlicwhole
- 2 ⅛ oz blanched almondstoasted
- ⅔ oz hazelnutstoasted and skinned
- 1 slice breadabout 30 g, fried in a little oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- ¾ tsp salt
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Soak 3 dried ñora peppers in just-boiled water for 30 minutes until soft.
30 minStep 2: Meanwhile roast 2 ripe tomatoes and 1 head garlic on the grill or in a 400°F (350°F fan) oven for 25–30 minutes, until the tomato skins split and the garlic is soft when squeezed.
30 minStep 3: Scrape the soft flesh from the inside of the ñora skins with a knife. Peel the tomatoes and squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins.
Step 4: Pound 2 ⅛ oz blanched almonds, ⅔ oz hazelnuts and 1 slice bread in a mortar, or blitz in a food processor, to fine crumbs. Add the ñora pulp, tomato, garlic, ½ tsp sweet paprika and ¾ tsp salt and work into a paste.
5 minStep 5: Add 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, then ½ cup extra virgin olive oil in a thin stream, mixing until thick, orange and creamy, like a coarse mayonnaise. Taste: it should be nutty and gently sharp. Set aside.
Step 6: Grill 30 calçots over a very hot fire or barbecue, or on a ridged pan at full heat, for 8–10 minutes, turning, until the outer layers are completely black and the stems feel soft when squeezed. A common mistake is pulling them off when merely streaked brown; the inside will still be raw and fibrous.
10 minStep 7: Wrap them in bundles in newspaper or foil and leave for 10 minutes to steam and finish cooking.
10 minStep 8: Serve in their wrap with the salvitxada in bowls. Peel each one by pulling the charred skin down from the green end, dip and eat.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does calçots amb salvitxada take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of ripe tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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