We’re continuing our road trip through Northern Spain and spending some time in Costa Brava.  Costa Brava is the picturesque coastline along the Mediterranean Sea in the Northeastern part of Catalonia, Spain.  Costa Brava stretches about 100 miles from the Northeastern Spain/French border to the town of Blanes.  Costa Brava translates to “wild coast” in Catalan and it is known for its natural beauty, charming towns, and amazing local foods.  Check out our video below, or keep reading to learn more!

We’re spending the majority of our time in a town called Roses.  Roses is known for its exceptionally beautiful beaches.  We’ve been absolutely stunned by how beautiful this coastline is and feel so lucky to have been able to spend time here.  With some of the finest sand along the coastline, the beaches of Roses are popular spots for swimming and sunbathing, it also had some of the most beautiful sunsets we’ve ever seen.  In the center of town, there is also a beautiful waterfront promenade where you can enjoy a meal or drink while taking in views of the sea.

While the beaches are amazing, there are a number of other interesting attractions to see near Roses and along the Costa Brava.  Since we’re here in the Fall when it’s not exactly beach weather, we spent some time checking out other nearby sights.

A must-see sight in Roses is the Trinity Castle, this Castle was built in the 16th century as part of a network of fortifications to protect Spain’s Mediterranean coast from pirates and invasions.  The castle has been very nicely restored, we greatly enjoyed wandering through it and learning about its history.  A visit to the castle offers stunning views of the town of Roses and the coastline.

History buffs will also want to check out the ancient archaeological site of Empuries.  Here you can view the remains of a Greek and Roman settlement.  Empuries is estimated to date back to the 6th century and to have originally been founded by people from Phocaea, which is present-day Izmir, Turkey.  It later became a Roman settlement.   The site is built right along the edge of the sea and is absolutely stunning.  You can walk through the ruins and the adjacent museum.  You can also walk along the path that runs alongside the ruins where there are some absolutely beautiful beaches.  The archeological site also allows dogs, so Bindi was able to explore along with us!

If you know us, you know we can’t pass up exploring a wine region.  Costa Brava is home to the Emporda wine region, one of the oldest wine-producing regions in Spain. The Mediterranean climate lends itself to bold reds and crisp fresh whites. Don’t miss an opportunity to try these local wines and pair them with some local Catalan dishes.  We visited a local winemaker who showed us around his family-run vineyard and guided us through a tasting of some of his best wines. 

We were excited to find out that Cava is also from Catalonia.  Cava is sparking wine, while it has different requirements and is made from different grape varietals, Cava is made using the method tradionale, the same method used to make Champagne, making it a delicious aperitif or accompaniment to a meal.

Another lovely stop along the coast is the medieval town of Pals.  Pals is beautifully well-preserved with winding narrow streets, large medieval walls, and grand stone buildings.   The church of Sant Pere is a key landmark in Pals and dates back to the 11th century.   We had a great time wandering through this ancient town and taking in the magnificent views.

For today’s recipe, we decided to make a couple of our favorite tapas dishes.  Tapas is a Spanish culinary tradition of small, varied dishes to share.  We’ve been eating a ton of tapas during this trip and want to recreate some of our favorites.

We’ll start with patatas bravas.  Patatas bravas is a dish we can’t pass up when we see it on any menu.  These crispy fried potatoes topped with a slightly spicy sauce are a must-have for any tapas spread.

Start by cutting and par-boiling your potatoes.  Bring some water to a boil and cut the potatoes into about 1-inch cubes.  We’re using a potato with a very thin skin here, so I’m not going to peel them.  However, if you are using a potato with a thicker skin you’ll want to peel them first.  Once the water is boiling, add in your potato cubes.  Allow them to boil for just 3-5 minutes, just until they are a bit soft.  Then drain them from the water and set them aside to cool completely.

While you’re waiting for the potatoes to cool, prepare the bravas sauce.  Heat ⅓ cup olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat.  Then add 1 ½ tablespoons each of sweet paprika and spicy paprika and stir to combine.  Then, add 1 cup of chicken broth while stirring.  Then add the flour, start with one tablespoon.  If the sauce isn’t thickening, you can add a little more.  Reduce the heat and allow the sauce to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring it occasionally.  Now let’s set that aside while we finish our potatoes.

Heat about a small layer of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan.  Add the potatoes and cook until they are browned on all sides.  Be careful not to crowd the pan, you might need to do this in batches.  Remove them from the oil and place on a paper towel and season them immediately with salt.  Drizzle the potatoes with the bravas sauce, and enjoy!

Another classic and extremely simple tapas dish we’ve come to love is pan con tomate, or bread with tomato.  Exactly as it sounds, this dish is simply good bread, fresh tomatoes and a bit of garlic and oil.

Let’s start with the bread.  Traditionally this is made using Coca bread, a flat bread with a thin crust.  You’ll probably have trouble finding this bread outside of Catalonia, so ciabatta would be the best substitute.   I’m drizzling my bread with a bit of olive oil and browning it in a pan.  You could also toast your bread and then add the olive oil after toasting it.

Next comes the garlic, simply rub the garlic clove over the toasted bread.

Then add the tomatoes, cut them in half, and rub the inside of the tomato all over the bread.  Season with a bit of salt, and your pan com tomate is ready to enjoy.

We have one more dish to share with you, and it’s the simplest one!  We’ll finish our tapas platter off with some padron peppers.  These bite-sized peppers are as delicious as they are simple.  Just heat some olive oil on medium-high heat, add the peppers to the hot oil and cook them for a few minutes until they blister, stirring occasionally.  Remove them from the pan and immediately season them with salt.

We rounded out our tapas platter with some local cheese, olives and a glass of cava and now we’re ready to feast!

Patatas Bravas Recipe

Ingredients

• 3-4 large potatoes
• Olive oil
• 1 ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 ½ teaspoon spicy paprika
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1-2 teaspoons flour
• Salt

Method

Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Chop the potatoes into small, bite-sized pieces.  Carefully place the potatoes in the water and allow them to boil for 3-5 minutes.  Drain them from the water and set them aside to cool completely.

While the potatoes are cooling, prepare the sauce.  Heat ⅓ cup olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat.  Then add 1 ½ tablespoons each of sweet paprika and spicy paprika and stir to combine.  Then, add 1 cup of chicken broth while stirring.  Then add the flour, start with one tablespoon.  If the sauce isn’t thickening, you can add a little more.  Reduce the heat and allow the sauce to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring it occasionally. 

Finally, pan-fry the potatoes.  Heat about a small layer of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the potatoes and cook until they are browned on all sides.  Be careful not to crowd the pan, you might need to do this in batches.  Remove them from the oil and place on a paper towel and season them immediately with salt.  Serve with the bravas sauce and enjoy!

Pan con Tomate Recipe

Ingredients

• Coca (or ciabatta) bread
• Olive oil
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 1-2 large tomatoes, cut in half
• Salt

Method

Cut the bread in half, drizzle with olive oil and place in a pan on medium heat untl it is toasted.  Remove the bread from the heat.  Rub the crusty side of the bread with garlic, then rub it with the tomatoes.  Season with salt and enjoy!

Padron Peppers Recipe

Ingredients

• 500 grams padron peppers
• Olive oil 
• Salt

Method

Heat some olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat.  Add the peppers to the hot oil and cook them for a few minutes until they blister, stirring occasionally.  Remove them from the pan and immediately season them with salt.