Els Casals

Els Casals | The Joy of a Family-Style Sunday Lunch A couple of years ago, I asked my dear friend and brother Oriol a simple question. What if, instead of Els Casals’ famous tasting menu, we enjoyed the best Catalan meal he would cook for his own family and closest friends? It took Oriol about two seconds to answer. YES! He loved the idea. And we never looked back. Since then, family-style dining has become our way of enjoying his extraordinary cooking. Generous dishes arriving at the table, everyone sharing, helping themselves, passing plates around, just as you would at a Sunday family gathering. And there is Oriol again, welcoming us into his kitchen with that familiar smile, proudly holding a magnificent piece of aged beef from his family's farm. For me, this is what Els Casals is all about. The land, the family, the ingredients, and above all, the joy of sharing wonderful food with people you love. Today, we're back for another unforgettable Sunday lunch. Let the feast begin!

Cal Rovira | The Art of Curing Sobrasada A fascinating glimpse into the Rovira family’s charcuterie tradition. Hundreds of sobrasadas hang patiently in the curing room, maturing for anywhere from six months to three years, depending on their size. Oriol explains that their red-pepper-seasoned sausages must mature separately from those made with black pepper, because their microbial cultures differ. Behind this extraordinary display lies generations of knowledge, patience, and respect for the ancient craft of preserving pork.

Cal Rovira | The Purity of Traditional Charcuterie Another extraordinary room at Cal Rovira, filled with sausages slowly developing their character beneath a natural white bloom. Oriol explains the family’s uncompromising philosophy: only salt and pepper, without synthetic additives or chemical shortcuts. In a world where industrial charcuterie often relies on preservatives, this approach demands patience, craftsmanship, and careful control of the curing process. A wonderful expression of the Rovira family’s commitment to traditional methods and honest ingredients.

Sobrasada de Cal Rovira | Warm Sobrasada with Tomato Bread and Honey The perfect beginning to our family-style feast. Oriol serves the family's own sobrasada warm, allowing its rich pork fat to soften and its red pepper aromas to blossom. Alongside, traditional Catalan bread with tomato and a little honey create a wonderful balance of savory richness, sweetness and freshness. A simple preparation, deeply rooted in the family's charcuterie tradition, and a delicious reminder that great ingredients need very little embellishment.

Amanita Caesarea | Caesar’s Mushrooms, Two Ways One of the Mediterranean’s most treasured wild mushrooms, Amanita caesarea is celebrated for its delicate flavor and beautiful golden color. Oriol prepares it two ways: the stems and trimmings cooked underneath, with thinly sliced raw mushrooms arranged above. The contrast of textures is wonderful. Usually associated with warmer months, this exceptional mushroom has appeared again in October, bringing an unexpected autumn treasure to our family table.

Smoked Eggplant with Marinated Horse Mackerel | A Salad Full of Character A beautifully refreshing dish with a distinctly smoky soul. Oriol combines smoked eggplant with marinated horse mackerel, onion and mustard, creating a wonderful interplay of acidity, freshness and depth. The eggplant recalls Catalonia’s beloved tradition of cooking vegetables over fire, while the marinated fish brings a delicate coastal character. A colorful, generously shared salad that beautifully connects the countryside and the Mediterranean Sea.

Esqueixada de Bacallà | Traditional Catalan Cod Salad One of Catalonia’s most beloved cold dishes, esqueixada takes its name from the Catalan word for tearing, referring to the traditional way of preparing the salt cod. Oriol uses exceptional cod from the Faroe Islands, combining it with freshly grated tomato, onion and black olives. The result is wonderfully refreshing, with the cod’s delicate texture and savory character balanced by the sweetness and acidity of ripe tomatoes. Pure Catalan tradition.

Arròs amb Gambes de Palamós | Catalan Rice with Palamós Red Prawns What a magnificent centerpiece for our family-style Sunday lunch! A huge paella pan filled with richly flavored rice, crowned with beautiful Palamós red prawns, delivered fresh on Friday. Oriol prepares seven generous portions, made for everyone to share. The prawns bring the unmistakable sweetness and intensity of the Mediterranean, while the rice absorbs their wonderful marine flavors. This is Catalan cooking at its most generous, convivial and irresistible.

Pollastre Rostit a la Cocotte | Slow-Roasted Farm Chicken A magnificent expression of Catalan Sunday cooking. Oriol uses one-year-old, castrated farm chickens weighing around 4.5 kilograms, slowly roasting them in a cocotte for three hours at just 140–150°C. Cooked in their own fat alongside seasonal vegetables, carrots and turnips, the birds develop wonderfully tender, flavorful meat. Served generously in their rich roasting juices, this is exactly the kind of comforting family feast we dreamed of when creating these special lunches.

Mitjana de Vaca Madurada de Ca l’Rovira | 55-Day Aged Beef Chop From the Rovira family's own farm comes this magnificent beef chop, taken from an eight-year-old cow and matured for approximately 55 days. Oriol prefers not to age his beef much longer, preserving its distinctive character. Deeply flavorful, firm and relatively lean, the meat arrives beautifully pink, simply seasoned with coarse salt and accompanied by piquillo peppers. A wonderful celebration of the family's livestock and Oriol's respect for exceptional ingredients.

Pimientos del Cristal | The Rovira Family’s Garden Peppers These beautiful, intensely red peppers come straight from Oriol’s family garden. Smaller and more intensely flavored than piquillos, they offer a wonderful balance of sweetness and gentle heat. Grown through the summer and harvested in September, they are preserved for enjoyment throughout the winter. Oriol particularly loves serving them with grilled meats or cod stews. Another lovely example of the family’s commitment to growing and preserving its own ingredients.

Flan amb Nata i Gelat de Nata | Caramel Flan with Whipped Cream and Cream Ice Cream Oriol’s obsession with flan is legendary, and this beautiful dessert explains why. Made fresh daily with just milk, eggs and sugar, his traditional flan is served at room temperature, never refrigerated. Alongside are two expressions of the same cream: one whipped, the other transformed into ice cream. The contrast of silky custard, bittersweet caramel, airy cream and cold ice cream is irresistible. A wonderfully comforting ending to our family-style feast.

A Beautiful Sunday to Remember There is something wonderfully liberating about sitting around a table with people you love, knowing that an extraordinary meal is coming, but having absolutely no idea what will arrive next. That is the magic of our family-style lunches at Els Casals. No individual tasting menus. No elaborate procession of tiny plates. Just generous dishes meant to be shared, passed around the table, and enjoyed together. But what makes these meals truly special is the man behind them. Oriol’s cooking tells the story of his family and the land they have cared for over generations. The cured sausages patiently maturing in their cellars, the vegetables grown in their garden, the chickens raised on the farm, and the magnificent beef from their own cattle. Even the beautiful Palamós prawns remind us how closely Catalonia’s countryside is connected to the Mediterranean. And through it all, Oriol remains wonderfully generous, proud of his ingredients, deeply respectful of tradition, and happiest when everyone around his table is eating well. I will never forget how quickly he said yes when I first suggested replacing the tasting menu with the kind of meal he would cook for his family and closest friends. Two seconds. Sometimes the best ideas really are that simple. My dear brother Oriol, thank you for another beautiful Sunday, for your friendship, your generosity, and for making us feel so completely at home. We came for a family-style lunch and left with another memory to treasure. And that, for me, is what The Hungry Tourist is all about. Dudi

Solergibert de Matacans | Pla de Bages, Catalonia

A magnificent local red from Celler Solergibert, a family winery in Artés with roots dating to 1730. Made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grown in the Matacans vineyard, this expressive wine is aged in five different types of French oak. Rich red fruit, mature tannins and beautifully integrated wood give it remarkable character. A wonderful Catalan companion to our generous family-style lunch at Els Casals.