Gastronomy
D.O. Pla del Bages
The character of Bages wines is provided by the rigours of the climate, its scarce rainfall and the undulating land. All this determines low grape yield but exceptional quality.
The planting of new grape varieties with worldwide recognition combined with the region's traditional varieties that maintain their presence and mark continuity and tradition result in wines with a singular character.
The most commonly grown varieties are tempranillo, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and sumoll for red wines and macabeu, chardonnay and picapoll for whites, the latter being a native variety from the county providing fruity wines with a good aroma and splendid texture and character.
Also grown, but not so widely, are pinot noir, grenache, malbec, sauvignon and syrah.
A total of eleven producers make up the Pla de Bages Denomination of Origin.
For information:
Casa de la Culla
C/ de la Culla, s/n
08240 Manresa
Tel. and Fax: 93 874 82 36
www.dopladebages.com
info@dopladebages.com
Our dishes
Ingredients:
- 4 slices (portions) of salt cod
- 4 medium potatoes
- 2 dl of allioli sauce
- 1 egg yolk
- 50g cooked apple purée
Preparation:
Boil the potatoes with the skins on, allow them to cool, peel them and cut them into slices. Heat the cod with water to boiling point. When it is just cooked, take it out and drain it. Heat the potatoes with a little of the cod cooking water. Drain them, put them into a clay casserole and put the cod on top. Mix the allioli with the apple purée and egg yolk, put it on top of the cod and brown it under the grill.
Ignasi Domènech
The current golden age of Catalan cuisine has its roots in characters who expanded the popular recipe book while introducing the doctrines of the great chefs of Paris and London.
The Manresan Ignasi Domènech took his first culinary steps when the city was experiencing gold fever. He was the first Catalan who combined mastery of the culinary with publicising them in books. A follower of Auguste Escoffier in London, he worked in Paris at the beginning of the century. He then moved to Barcelona, where he wrote books that today are collectors' items. Dishes such as "poti-poti", roast chicken with tomato and pepper sauce, Benedictine-style macaroni, Prince's style or flame-grilled partridges with Olesana sauce, kid casserole and Catalan-style lobster show his effort to recover recipes that often reflect the cuisine of his homeland, El Bages.
For more information:
http://www.ignasidomenech.com
