teresa's blog
February 16, 2009


Everybody knows about the Napolitanos' pizzas and the Provençals' pissaladières. The Catalans, however, seem to prefer to keep their cocas on the DL. (Below, a pastry shop owner puts his sweet coca under wraps.)
Coca is a flatbread made in sweet and savory versions depending on the occasion and strewn with different toppings depending on the season or on where you are in Catalonia. I love a savory coca de recapte, a Tarragona-leaning combination of roasted and peeled eggplant, red peppers, and onions found in bakeries all over Catalonia. "Recapte” means provisions, and in that spirit, a savory coca can be topped with whatever is on hand, but it is never slathered with tomato sauce nor draped with cheese.
It's hard to find a bakery coca that's as good as a homemade one. Fortunately, they're a cinch to throw together.









Step away from the red gazpacho. Red means canned tomatoes or tomato juice have gone into the hopper. Both lend a distinctly cooked flavor to a soup that is supposed to be all about fresh summer produce. Here's the thing: Gazpacho's true colors range from pink to orange to white, never red.

