Travelogue: A home in Barcelona.

By Sybil Kot

This is a selection of photos of my trip to Spain. We stayed in an amazing apartment in the centre of Barcelona where we found the best kitchen in the world. During our 4-day stay in the place, we tried two really good Jamie Oliver recipes – thus the #foodporn photos (you can find them in the year book.) This post is really personal and is nothing more than to share with you some beautiful images. If you are visiting Barcelona and might be interested in booking the place, contact the host here. 

Cooking with Sam and Syb Vol.1

The #foodporn you’re looking at now is the result of a collaboration between Sam and I. It allows Sam to advance her knolling skills, and allows me to take advantage of her beautiful prop styling and-painting-like-photography while trying out new recipes. This is completely experimental so we would really appreciate some feedbacks!

I have selected two really simple dishes, one from The Moro Cookbook and the other from the newly published Moro East. They are the secrets to a truly enchanting exotic dinner party. I’ve tried them many times and they haven’t failed to impress. If you are struggling with finding the right herb, try SpiceBox Organics (HK only).

While #foodporn is amazing on its own, I do wish to contribute more to its content, be it a recipe review, party ideas on food and styling or even my original recipes. We are listening : D

Barley, grape and sirloin salad
– from The Moro Cookbook

serves 4

2 cups pearl barley
1 beef stock cube
Olive oil
500g 2.5cm thick sirloin steak
350g white seedless grapes
1 bunch flat leaved parsley

Marinade
1/2 small onion
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon ground coriander

Dressing
1 small garlic clove
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
4 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoon sumac
Pinch of allspice and ground coriander

Mix the marinade and rub over the steak – leave for an hour or more if you have time.
Simmer barley and stock cube in a litre of water for 45 mins until tender, then drain and leave to cool.
Blend the dressing ingredients and cover.
Rinse the parsley and pick off all the leaves, discard the stems or use for soup.
Wash and halve the grapes.

Heat a barbeque or grill pan until smoking.
Rub a little oil on both sides of the steak, then place in the pan and sear each side for 30 secs each.
Remove, sprinkle on a little salt and leave to rest for a minute.

Mix the barley, grapes and parsley leaves in a bowl, and mix in the dressing well.
Check for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
Cut the steak into thin slices across the grain and mix half in with the salad,
and lay the other half on top.
Serve immediately.

Feta, chicory and orange salad
– from Moro East

Serves 4

2 large oranges, or 3 blood oranges
3 heads of white chicory, any damaged outer leaves removed, whole leaves or sliced across into 2cm pieces
1 small bunch (about 20g) of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, coarsely chopped  if large
1/2 very small red onion, sliced as thinly as possible
100g good-quality feta cheese
150g walnut halves
50g oily black olives

Dressing
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus a pinch of caster sugar if the vinegar is very acidic

Whisk the dressing ingredients together until they have more or less emulsified,
seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. With a small sharp knife, preferably serrated,
cut the rind and all the pith off the oranges, keeping the oranges whole.
Now slice into 5mm-1cm rounds and place in a large salad or mixing bowl.
Add the chicory, parsley, oregano and onion, pour on the dressing and gently toss together.
Crumble the feta on top, then sprinkle over the walnuts and olives.

Styling and photography by Sam. Food prepared by Syb.
Buy Sam & Sam Clark’s The Moro Cookbook, Casa Moro and Moro East.