Muy muy llena

I had my Gypsies midterm this morning. It was really easy--it was just one essay question that basically asked us to regurgitate all the information we have learned throughout the semester, and to organize it in a somewhat coherent manner. Hmm. I was finished in a little under an hour, and so was John, so we went to Dunks a little early and waited for Tina. It really is a sick obsession, but there is something about "Dunkin Coffee" that makes us feel at home. ;-)

Spanish was fun as usual, and then home for lunch. Then it was back to school for Catalan. I had a cafe con leche and read one of the Spanish newspapers before class because I had extra time. It was quite pleasant. I really enjoy my Catalan class, but I think that's just because I love learning languages. And my teacher makes it a lot of fun, so that's always a bonus.

Tina, Johnny and I had our Spanish cooking class tonight! We came home for a little bit and then made it back down to a cute little place in an apartment building on Las Ramblas. It was just a long cooking station with chairs up against it like a bar, but it was a really nice kitchen with a cool view of Las Ramblas. The menu for the evening was Gazpacho, Tortilla, Paella, Crema Catalana, and Pan con Tomate.

We started working on the crema catalana first, as it had to set. Basically just eggs, sugar, milk, starch, lemon zest and cinnamon. It is called "granny work" because it involves a lot of patient stirring, but someone else was in charge of that so I just got to watch. It ended up being a creme brulee type dessert with the carmelized sugar on top. YUM.

One group started working on the tortilla. Spanish tortilla is like an omelette/frittata, the most basic of which is made with potatoes and onions. We did this, but the instructor told us that we could add basically whatever we wanted to and it would still be good. The first step involves frying the potatoes and onions in a really thick layer of olive oil. Then you add eggs and cream and other things, and then eventually have to flip it a few times from the pan. It's a little complicated but oh so yummy.

My group made a gazpacho that was actually called a chupito, as it was served in a shot glass. The soup itself was just the pureed meat of the tomatoes (no skin and no seeds) with balsamic and salt. Then on top went 3 things. First was a mixture of mashed nuts and garlic, second was a dab of aioli (garlic mayonnaise, basically), then third was shredded goat cheese. SO GOOD. We were all stunned by how good it was. It was the first thing we all tried and we were starving, so that made it extra yummers.

Another group made "the queen" as my instructor called it, or the paella. We made a shellfish paella, but it can be made with all types of meats and fish in different combos. This one had mini clams, shrimp and cuttlefish (squid). The whole process takes a while, and involved a very large pan on a very large stove. We added oil, tomatoes, garlic, round rice, shrimp, clams, fish stock, saffron, and squid. SO GOOD. I had 2 plate fulls. We also had some pan con tomate with it (which I have already discussed at length in this blog), and it continues to be delicious.

Basically, after a chupito of soup, a piece of pan con tomate, a slice and a half of tortilla, 2 plates of paella and a serving of crema catalana, it is a miracle I made it home without collapsing into a food coma. Tina and I were in actual pain after eating so much, but it was so worth it. I feel like this is the first time I have actually felt completely full since I've been here. I guess that's good right?

I came home, studied a little for my Spanish quiz tomorrow, talked to Ben, and booked my flight to Portugal for Stacey and my trip to Lisbon! Eeek I can't wait for that. Tomorrow is just a normal day, which will be nice before the craziness of my upcoming weekend in Prague!

Besos!