Both Mark and I love to cook and consider ourselves to be reasonably competent in the kitchen, but there is so much still to learn. Whenever we are in a new city, we try to attend a cooking class. The first place we look for such classes is Cookly, a brilliant website which showcases lots of different cooking courses, classes and schools all in one place. This is how we found the superb cooking class we took in Barcelona. What follows is a review of a day not to be missed if you are visiting the city.
In this article
Essentials
- Title of Class – Market to Table
- Run by – Bear on Bike
- Location – La Boqueria Market and, later, a cooking space in Raval
- Chefs – Alberto from Veneto, Italy and his Australian partner, Ella
- No. of People – Maximum 8
- Duration – approximately 5 hours
- Programme – 1 hour tour of La Boqueria Market, 2 1/2 hour cooking class with a break for a tasting board of local produce and wine, 3-course lunch.
- Cost – $93/€80 per person.
What Happened Before the Day
Having booked the class through Cookly, I immediately received a confirmation e-mail and a receipt, along with information on what would happen next. In due course, I was contacted by Alberto from Bear on Bike, who was running the class. He told me where to meet him on the day and asked about any food allergies or special dietary requirements we had. In his e-mails, Alberto came across as very friendly and personable.
What Happened on the Day
The Meeting
We were due to meet Alberto at 10am behind La Boqueria Market in Barcelona. We were there a few minutes early and so was he. There was no mistaking him – he had bunches of fresh mint sticking out of the top of his rucksack! He greeted us warmly, immediately putting us at our ease. He explained his choice of meeting place – the stalls aimed at tourists are at the front of the market, whilst locals shop at the back! Alberto gave us the rundown on what to expect from the day. He also apologised that Ella wouldn’t be able to join us – she had an improv workshop to attend. Instead, his Italian friend, Andrea, would be waiting for us at the kitchen to assist with the class. It also turned out to be a private class – another couple who were due to join us had just called to cancel. Lucky us!
The Market
We spent an hour in, arguably, Barcelona’s finest food market. It was a revelation to be with someone local who knew the stallholders and their products. Alberto explained the history of La Boqueria to us and the origin of its name. Boq is Catalan for goat – La Boqueria was originally a market which specialised in the trading of goat meat.
Alberto’s enthusiasm for the local produce was infectious as he explained to us the differences between the Serrano ham from white pigs and the acorn-fed aged version from black pigs which resemble wild boar. The latter is obviously the best. It is aged for up to five years and costs up to €200/kg! We bought a sample costing €140/kg to go on the tasting board later. He also taught us how to recognise pre-frozen, imported prawns and the fresh locally-caught ones. We bought sardines, ham, prawns and figs before walking through the back streets of Raval to Alberto’s kitchen and workshop.
The Kitchen
Alberto has a great set-up in Barcelona! There is a cafe at the front of the building which Alberto sub-lets to an Italian friend during the day. He serves delicious coffee, sandwiches and pastries. In the evenings, Alberto uses the space himself. One of his ideas is to show a movie and serve food associated with it – fantastic concept!! Behind the cafe is a commercial kitchen which Alberto uses to produce food for the cafe and for private catering functions. He also rents it out to other small businesses including a local sandwich delivery business which doesn’t have its own premises. Passing through the commercial kitchen, you come to the teaching kitchen which has an island in the middle and enough space for up to 8 people to take part in a class. At the very back of the building is a conservatory filled with plants and a large dining table where you sit and eat what you have produced. It’s perfect – I immediately had ‘business envy’!!
The Cooking
Kitted out with aprons, we immediately started our prep. Alberto offered loads of useful tips. We were joined by Andrea and great conversation flowed! It turns out that both guys are from Veneto and know Treviso very well. We had lots to talk about as we lived there ourselves a few years ago!
The menu for the day was:
Gazpacho
Spanish Fish and Chips
Filet Mignon with Parsnip Cream
We began by making the gazpacho, something we’ve made at home several times. We’ve never sweetened it with fresh watermelon before, though – what a revelation!!
The fish were the sardines (plus the prawns for everyone except me as I have a severe shellfish allergy!) and the chips were hasselback new potatoes. These were accompanied by fresh salad leaves, basil mayonnaise and a hot sherry vinegar dressing.
The steak was cooked sous-vide, a cooking method which we’ve never tried as we assumed you needed fancy equipment and we couldn’t understand why you would bother. Alberto showed us how to do it just in a saucepan with a thermometer. We cooked a thick piece of fillet steak for 45 minutes at 58 degrees to achieve a rare result. We finished it off in a hot pan with lots of butter. The parsnip cream was flavoured with pink peppercorns.
The Tasting Board
Half-way through the cooking class, we took a break to enjoy a tasting board of local produce. The four of us sat down to enjoy two different hams, two local goats cheeses, quince jelly, figs, olives and delicious fresh bread, all washed down with a bottle of local wine. It was now that we got to try the expensive ham. My goodness, it was phenomenal! It was so flavourful and gamey – I may never go back to eating cheap ham again!!
The Lunch
When the cooking was complete, we moved to the conservatory to eat what we had prepared. All I can say is that everything was out of this world! The gazpacho was so refreshing – we will definitely add watermelon when we next make it ourselves! The fish and chips were like no other fish and chips I’ve ever eaten! As for the steak, I now understand why you would bother with sous-vide! It cut like butter – the most tender steak we’ve ever had!
We didn’t finish until 3.30pm.
What did we Think of the Day?
We were blown away by our experience at Bear on Bike. We learned so much and laughed a lot, too. The food was delicious, the company was great, and the setting was perfect. We wish Alberto and Ella every success with their business and urge anyone who’s looking for a cooking class in Barcelona to book with them!
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