Throughout February and March, Brindisa - the home of Spanish food in the UK - will celebrate the traditional winter Catalan festival, Calçotada.
Held every year in towns and villages across Catalonia, founder Monika Linton will mark the occasion here in the UK with a dedicated weekend feasting menu at Tapas Brindisa Shoreditch and DIY calçot bundles, available to buy online and in Brindisa’s Borough Market and Balham delis.
Calçotada sees communities gather to celebrate the humble calçot onion, only available from late January to March. The calçots (long green onions) are plucked out of the earth, chargrilled in huge bundles on open fires, before being dipped in romesco sauce. The theatre of the feast sees everyone gather around long tables in the middle of the street, wearing bibs to catch any dripping romesco sauce and drinking cava straight from porrones (Spanish drinking jugs).
Back here in London, Brindisa’s own Calcotada festival will include a weekend feasting menu of calçots chargrilled over open flames accompanied by homemade romesco sauce, followed by succulent grilled lamb cutlets; white and black Butifarra sausages; sautéed white bean stew; whole grilled Spanish artichokes; roasted red peppers; grilled tomatoes and Sourdough toast with alioli.
To finish, Crema Catalana will be served for dessert, all washed down with porrons filled with red wine and cava. This year, the vegan and vegetarian Calçotada menus will feature dishes such as ‘Escalivada’ flame roasted vegetables, baked potatoes with ‘sanfaina’ tomato sauce and Catalan spinach, finishing with a vegan take on the classic Crema Catalana.
Tapas Brindisa Soho, South Kensington, London Bridge and Battersea Power Station will also celebrate the fleetingly seasonal calçot with a selection of dedicated dishes including calçot croquetas with romesco sauce, and a Spanish take on the classic Tarte Tatin; Tarta de Calçot with pan de coca ice cream. For those outside of London, Brindisa will offer a Calçotada kit, which includes the calçots, and Brindisa’s homemade Romesco sauce.
Brindisa founder Monika Linton said, “Spain celebrates so many traditional ingredients with annual festivals and massive gatherings in the streets and along its beaches. You could fill a whole year, no trouble, just feasting through the entire calendar.
'This year, for our 7th year, we will celebrating the Calcot with our Cal?otada feast at Shoreditch. Accompanying the flame-roasted calcots on our menu, we have chosen some of Catalonia’s most famous dishes, full of the colour and flavour of the Mediterranean sunshine to enjoy.'