Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The top 5 meals at Gusi’s

Gusi’s eatery and bar is nearly an institution amongst mountain sports people in Catalonia.  Casual atmosphere, Gusi serves unpretentious and absolutely authentic home cooking.  It also displays top athletes posters and trail running paraphernalia all over the place. 

David Torrecilla is the soul behind Gusi’s since he had the vision to transform it into a trail running-themed eating spot in the Pyrenees.  When not outdoors, he enjoys chatting and making customers smile.  And keeping updated his social media accounts, too!  Apart from the good food and lovely staff, we get the feeling that Gusi is a place to see and to be seen...  It is almost as if every time someone thrusts the door open, it could be a poster hero taking action in the real world.


Run and Tour was invited into the kitchen and we could learn the small things that make their food so great.  We’ve collected 5 classic Gusi’s dishes that you can make at home in 3 steps.  Are you ready?
 

Nº 1.  The humble ham and cheese toast, with a Catalan touch
  • Grill on both sides some slices of rustic bread pan and rub a ripe tomato cut in half.
  • Drizzle generously with olive oil.
  • Top with slices of ham and cheese to completely cover the toast.
It’s pretty basic, but once you do the tomato-rub, you won’t be going back!




Nº 2.  Toast with Catalan sausage

  • Cut the sausage lengthwise but be careful to not cut the casing all the way through.  Slap the blade of the knife to smash the sausage.
  • Place the open sausage on a griddle, with the casing side facing up to avoid the skin from bursting. When the bottom is golden, flip the sausage and drizzle with olive oil.  No need to salt. 
  • Serve immediately on a toast rubbed with ripe tomato.
A trick:  while the sausage is on the griddle, you can drizzle it, if you like, with a tiny bit of red wine.

Gusi’s secret:  Made especially for Gusi, these one-foot sausages are never older than 24 hours when they are cooked.  They are additive and preservative free, too.  Do not miss it.  Gusi can prepare up to 100 of these in a busy day.




Nº 3. Thick and delicious steak served with sauted beans and salad

  • Heat oil in a large skillet and quickly stir in 2 cloves of minced garlic.  Add cooked white beans and move them around gently being careful not to break them.
  • Meanwhile, preheat the griddle as hot as you can get it.  Sprinkle salt on the steak and add it to the griddle to sear it off.  Flip the meat often until done the way you like it. 
  • Serve with a side salad.
Gusi’s secret:  Steaks typically weighing in around 10 ounces, the diner only uses wet-aged beef.  This aging method only takes a few days , and it makes the meat more tender and flavorful.  You will be dreaming about this dish for days.

There are more versions for this:  lamb chops instead of steak, and crispy fries instead of white beans. 





Nº 4. Indulgent bread with hazelnut chocolate spread

This is Kilian Jornet’s favorite snack.

  • Cut half a baguette lenghtwise.
  • Spread generously each side with Nutella.
  • Eat immediately and forget the calories for a day.

Nº 5. Cap i pota

This dish is a lot more elaborate and its ingredients may be hard to find in some countries.  Instead of a 3-step recipe, we’re only sharing a couple of photos just to give you an idea.






Cap i pota is the most successful meal at Gusi’s.  It consist of  chunks of calf’s snout and trotters in the form of a thick stew.  Too adventurous for you?  People come here especially to order this dish.

To round off your meal, David recommends ecological red wine Collbaix 2008, de Celler El Molí. 

Run and Tour staff doing in-depth research and practical work

Side notes:

Located at the entrance of Ribes de Freser, this restaurant may look unremarkably from outside. The cog railway station is right in front.  This train takes you up just where the Núria Queral Ultra Trail starts. 


Gusi’s restaurant is well known for its beef and sausages, but there are some vegetarian offerings, too.  If they are not on the menu you can ask for a vegetarian dish.

 

We guarantee that our guests will be treated as VIP when they come to eat here during the Núria-Queralt Tour.




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