Is this the best sandwich in the world? Mortadella, burrata & pistachio pesto schiacciata
Is this the best sandwich in the world? I think so. But I am open to being proven wrong. Prove me wrong. Please.
The Baix Empordà, "The Tuscany of Spain"
Everyone's heard of the Costa Brava. Not enough have heard of the Baix Empordà, the region in which part of the Costa Brava lies. This is why there is much more to the region than the coast, (although the coast is breathtakingly spectacular!).
Roll away from the coast and you are driving through beautiful countryside, with the silhouettes of the spires of the churches of scattered villages adorning every undulation. The whole mood shifts. The crowds thin out, the pace drops, and suddenly you're winding through honey-stone villages that look like they've been carved out of a Renaissance painting. People have been calling it "the Tuscany of Spain" for years, and once you're standing in the main square of Peratallada at golden hour, you'll understand why. Medieval walls, cobbled lanes too narrow for cars, ivy creeping up 900-year-old stone: it's the kind of place that makes you lower your voice without meaning to.
Big Greek Melon Salad
This is a classic salad with a summer lift. Melons are at their peak right now, and the weather in case you haven’t noticed is hot, hot, hot. So here is a soothing recipe to cool you down.
My first proper chef's job was in 2004, working at a restaurant inside a windmill in Skiathos, a romantic island in the East of Greece. I made a lot of Greek salad, as you had to have it on the menu or the locals were offended. This recipe is a riff on those days. The melon brings an extra freshness that complements the salty tangy feta and olives so well. For me this salad is about taking your time with the cutting of the ingredients; try to make sure that they are in cubes of a similar size. Be generous with the amount of fresh mint and basil that you use, as always.
Willy’s White Ragu Pappardelle
There's a certain kind of ragu that gets all the attention: deep red, slow bubbling, thick with tomato and time. This is not that ragu. This is its quieter, creamier cousin, no tomato in sight, just sausage, sweet soffritto, a splash of wine, and a whisper of milk, simmered low and slow until it turns silky, savoury, and impossible to stop eating.
‘Meet the Makers’ - Maren Termens, Flower Farmer, Horta de la Viola
Maren worked as an architect in Barcelona for many years before finally committing to her true dream of becoming a florist. She studied in the US at Floret and in the UK with Green & Gorgeous before transforming the family vegetable farm into a flower farm, alongside her husband Raimon Costa, and her daughter Violeta. There is a poetry in her words in striving to grow flowers that are “different, beautiful, with curves and their lovely imperfections” because of “their behaviour in a vase, and their ability to express the character of each season”.
Elderflower Pavlova with Red Fruits and Flowers
For Eloise and Javier’s wedding in May 2026 we were requested to make a series of big, beautiful tiered pavlovas, full of red, orange and yellow colour, to match the colours of the wedding, and covered in edible flowers, with the sauce poured over at the table. Eloise’s favourite ingredient in the world is elderflower so the request was to bring the flavour of elderflowers in, to echo the Hugo cocktails from the aperitivo.
Pavlova is potentially our favourite dessert. So we said yes. Crunchy, chewy meringue, sumptuous cream, tangy fruits, and a spectacle to behold.
MFJ Guide to Cadaqués
MFJ Guide to Cadaques - What and where to eat, places to go and what makes it magical.
Stracciatella with Courgette, Pistachio, Basil & Honey
Stracciatella with Courgette, Pistachio, Basil and Honey
No Knead Overnight Focaccia Barese
One of the best breads I know in terms of the time and effort to delicious results ratio! Just mix and prove, then rise and bake. No kneading. No slapping. Just a little bit of thinking ahead.
Recipe - Crema Catalana
Like a creme brulee, but Catalan. So the cookbooks of history tell, crema catalana actually came first; in 1324 in the medieval Llibre de Sent Sovi, compared to the first French mention in Le Cuisinier Royal et Bourgeois in 1691. The main difference is that Catalan cremas use thickened milk flavoured with cinnamon, orange and lemon, whereas French cremes use double cream, and are usually flavoured with vanilla and cooked in the oven. Of course in this day and age there are many variations of both recipes, and you can flavour your milk as you please. Some people also like to add other fruits or nuts, or flavourings such as coffee or chocolate.
MFJ guide to Girona
Our list of where to stay, what to do and most importantly where and what to eat!
Calçotada - The Catalan Obsession with the Onion
There is a winter obsession in Catalunya. An obsession with onions. More specifically, a type of onion called the calçot. This obsession runs so deep that there is a name for the rampant Dionysian gatherings celebrating these onions: the calçotada. Catalans gather together and imbibe hundreds of thousands of calçots every weekend, roasted until blackened over an open fire then slurped up with a rich nutty sauce similar to romesco, paired with lashings of local wine, and followed by an array of barbecued meats.
Maria Cake - Almond, Orange & Lemon
Squidgy, sweet and nutty with a bitter jammy edge, somehow simultaneously soft and light, definitely absolutely delicious. Maria is the much loved housekeeper at Torre Ronsat where we run our retreats, always smiling and hard working, and an exceptional cook.
Can you cook with olive oil?
Some of the questions that we often get asked are - Can you cook with olive oil? (YES!) Isn’t that bad for you? (NO!) Which fats are best to cook with? (Extra virgin olive oil!)
In the world of nutrition, specialist and public opinion waxes and wanes on subjects such as this. However, we would like to settle things once and for all, and to back it up with some scientific evidence.
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is a delicious cooking medium, full of flavour, the fats in there are good for you, and the other “purities” even better. EVOO is a stable oil that can be heated to relatively high temperatures, without impairing flavour and health.
Recipe - The best jamon croquettas
Crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside, homemade croquettes are a delight. Arguably the best ones you can make are made from that most famous of Spanish ingredients: Jamón Iberico. A salted and cured leg of ham made from the Iberian pig, the best of which finish their lives roaming around acorn strewn forests, giving a deep marbling of rich fat which has the flavour of the forest.