I could eat this stuff on its own. It’s that tasty.
Its real purpose however is to thicken and flavour other dishes. It’s a Catalan recipe that you’ll find used in many Catalan dishes – it really finishes off a dish with it’s distinctive flavour and texture.
What you’ll need
- 1 tablespoon of almonds
- 1 tablespoon of hazelnuts
- 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic
- 1 slice of bread – even better, 4 or 5 slices of baguette
- A handful of chopped parsley
- Plenty of olive oil.
Blanch the almonds in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove, allow to cool and the skins should slide off easily between your fingers.
Roast the almonds and the hazelnuts in a hot oven (200c) for 5 minutes or so, making sure they don’t burn. Any skin on the hazelnuts should shake off after roasting.
For the bread – remove the crusts. Heat enough olive oil in a pan to cover the bottom with a few millimetres of oil. It doesn’t need to be extra virgin olive oil – it would be a waste. A decent, basic olive oil is what you need. Fry the bread pieces in the hot oil until browned on both sides.
Using a mortar and pestle start to work the fried-bread, nuts and garlic. Add a little olive oil to help it on its way.
This can take time – you need to work at it a while, making sure you get a well mixed paste. Add the parsley and some more olive oil.
Keep working until you have a thick, oily paste with each component mixed well. Season with a pinch of salt but you don’t need too much – give the picada a taste.
Try not to eat it all.
I’ll be posting some recipes using picada when I get a chance.
July 16, 2012, 9:02 pm
July 21, 2012, 11:25 am
Finding the picada recipe here has been a very pleasant surprise although it has made me feel slightly homesick. Will be making a fricando soon to make the blues disappear. THANK YOU!!!
July 21, 2012, 11:42 am
Hey – glad you liked it. I know there’s many different ways to make picada but hopefully my recipe will work as a decent base.
Fricando – oh yes, that’s definitely on my list.
Thanks again.
July 21, 2012, 10:51 pm
Your recipe has my Catalan approval, try it with pine nuts the next time. It gives an even nicer flavour 🙂
July 21, 2012, 12:20 pm
I saw this on TS and had no idea what it was! I thought perhaps it was something with anchovies…so wrong. It looks delicious and I’m curious to know if you flavor pasta or rice with it.
July 21, 2012, 2:08 pm
It’s really used as a thickener for stews and sauces but it does add a wonderful taste. Trust me though – if you make it yourself you’ll want to eat it on it’s own.. It’s a beautiful combination – the fried bread really gives it depth.
Thanks for you comments!