Bocadillo Catalán de Botifarra

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Charcoal grill, gas grill, plancha, or heavy grill pan
• •Tongs
• •Mortar and pestle or small bowl and whisk
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Bread knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the allioli

   Pound the garlic and salt in a mortar until completely smooth; leave no hard bits, or the sauce tastes raw in patches. Work in the egg yolk if using it, then add the 150ml olive oil first by drops and then in a thin thread, turning the pestle or whisk without rushing, until thick and glossy. A few drops of lemon juice or cool water loosen it if it tastes too fierce.

   The older all i oli is garlic, oil, and salt alone. Leave the yolk out if you want that version, but add the oil drop by drop and expect a sharper sauce that is less forgiving.
2. 2

   Prepare the bread

   Split the rolls lengthwise, leaving a hinge if you like. If the tomatoes are ripe enough to eat raw, rub the cut sides over the bread until the pulp catches in the crumb, then add the 2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of salt. If the tomatoes are pale and hard, leave them out; bad tomato is not Catalan, it is just wet bread.

3. 3

   Grill the botifarra

   Heat a charcoal grill, gas grill, plancha, or heavy grill pan to medium. Lay on the botifarres and cook for 14 to 18 minutes, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, until the casings are browned, taut, and just beginning to split in places. Do not prick them. They are done when the centre reaches 71°C, and the outside is glossy with its own fat.

   For an indoor pan, use the extra tablespoon of oil only if the sausages are sticking. Keep the heat at medium-low for the first half, then raise it slightly to brown the skins.
4. 4

   Toast and rest

   Move the sausages to a board and let them rest for 3 minutes. Toast the bread cut-side down on the grill or plancha for 1 to 2 minutes, just enough to crisp the surface while the inside stays able to drink in the juices. Resting is not fussiness; it keeps the first bite from spilling everything the grill worked to keep.

5. 5

   Build the bocadillos

   Spread each roll with a spoonful of allioli. Lay in one botifarra, whole if the bread fits it or split lengthwise after resting if the roll is narrow. Close the bread around it and eat at once, while the casing still has a little snap under your teeth and the allioli is catching the sausage juices.

Chef Tips

• •Buy botifarra crua if you can, the fresh Catalan pork sausage, pale, coarse, and simply seasoned. Longaniza fresca is the closest Spanish substitute. A plain butcher's pork sausage works if it has no fennel, sage, smoke, sugar, or chilli.
• •Do not use chorizo here. Chorizo is its own good thing, full of pimentón and curing, but it is not botifarra and it will turn this into another sandwich.
• •The bread matters. Use a crusty roll, barra, or a piece of pa de pagès with enough chew to hold allioli and sausage fat. A soft sweet bun collapses and makes the whole thing taste wrong.
• •Tomato belongs only when it is worth eating raw. In winter, skip the pa amb tomàquet part and use olive oil, salt, and allioli; that is better than pretending a hard tomato has flavor.
• •If using raw egg yolk in the allioli, use a very fresh egg or pasteurized yolk for children, pregnant people, older guests, or anyone with a weakened immune system.

Advance Preparation

• •The allioli can be made up to 24 hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Bring it out 10 minutes before serving so it spreads easily.
• •The bread can be split a few hours ahead, but rub the tomato on only at the last minute or the crumb turns soggy.
• •Take the botifarres out of the refrigerator 20 minutes before cooking so they lose the hard chill; do not leave fresh sausage sitting out longer than that.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 325g)