Reign in Spain
What an extravaganza the latest techniques, culinary creations and ideas were presented by inspirational avant-garde chefs from east and west, under the umbrella of culinary fusion.
Spain is in the vanguard of a culinary revolution, spearheaded by the energetic alchemist Ferran Adria at his legendary El Bulli restaurant on Spain's west coast. Adria is a technological innovator, a truly brilliant chef who has succeeded in applying many industrial techniques to restaurant production in a revolutionary way.
Over the three days, I watched one excellent frenzied chef after another do wild and exotic things.
Angel Leon from Casa del Temple Restaurant in Toledo, in the heart of La Mancha, is intrigued by fish.
For the past few years he has been studying the chemical and organic composition of fish. Apparently, fish eyes have an amazing flavour - he told us that seven eyes yielded enough for a delicious sauce to accompany one of his fish dishes. He then went on to make a stone soup, for which one needs a rock from the bottom of the sea he was quite specific, 35-40 metres below sea level; apparently, there's no pollution at that depth.
We didn't get to taste the soup but by all accounts it was delicious.
Daniel Garcia and Paco Roncero did magic with olive oil, Daniel uses liquid nitrogen, or what we call dry ice. He poured olive oil onto the dry ice through a strainer the result resembled cous cous. He added a little sprinkle of salt.
He is fussy about the variety of olive oil - this one was made from Arbequina olives. The resulting product melts in your mouth, and is delicious with a little bread and garlic flakes for breakfast.
Paco Roncero from El Casino in Madrid has also been experimenting with olive oil. He began his presentation by making a hot mayonnaise with an emulsifier called santan rubber. He then went on to make spaghetti with olive oil, through a syringe into iced water. Next came ravioli made from olive oil which doesn't melt. He filled it with a cauliflower puree and browned it with a blow torch and served it with salmon caviar on spoons. Finally, he added honey water to the olive oil, whizzed it in the Theromix and, hey presto, there were gum drops which he coated with citrus zest and sugar.
Senen Gonzalez, the brilliant young chef from Sideria Sagartoki in Vitoria, has revolutionised miniature cuisine and has made a name for himself with his use of the grill and hot coals.
There was only one woman chef Elena Arsack, daughter of the much loved Basque chef Jean Mari Arzak. But aside from her, it was all very macho stuff. I wondered if this type of cooking was less appealing to women. Boys with their toys Bamix, Theromix, Pacojet, siphons, syringes, eye droppers, misters, liquid nitrogen. Many of these chefs have followed Ferran Adria's lead and now have a laboratory beside their kitchens where they experiment with flavour combinations and textures and special effects. They have stretched the boundaries of 'accepted' gastronomy, forcing us to let go of our preconceived notions. In the process, they have come up with some astonishing, startling and fun result. Sweet and or savoury dishes, ice-cold on the outside, hot in the centre. Combinations of sweet and savoury flavours hitherto unheard of.
Having watched Andreas Madrigal, a crazy young chef from Madrid, career his way through seven or eight revolutionary tapas in a half hour demonstration. I was so excited by his food and creativity that I mitched the lunch and took the 20-minute taxi ride to Balsac in Moreto, one of two restaurants he owns in Madrid. The food was sensational, combinations I would never try. I particularly remember a delicious anchovy ice cream, served as part of a mixed tapa; also an unctuous sherry vinegar ice-cream.
Spain is definitely where it's at.
500g (18oz) peeled, toasted almonds
12 eggs
575g (1lb 5oz) castor sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1 teasp. ground cinnamon
150g (5oz) white flour
1 teasp. ground cinnamon
50g (2oz) icing sugar
Finely grind the almonds in a mixer or food processor and set aside.
Beat the yolks of the eggs with the sugar, lemon zest and cinnamon until everything is thoroughly mixed. Beat the egg whites until stiff and then add the almonds as slowly as possible. Then add the flour and stir very lightly, otherwise the egg whites will fall. Finally add the eggs and sugar. Beat everything together very quickly.
Take a circular mould with quite high sides and grease with butter, then sprinkle with sugar to prevent sticking. Put the mixture into the mould and bake in an oven, preheated to 225C/425F/gas 7, for about 15 minutes until golden. Leave to cool. Meanwhile, mix the icing sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the cake using a shaker, or cut a pattern out of a piece of paper, place over the cake, and shake the cinnamon and sugar over it separately for a two-tone effect.
Many people are familiar with the tomato version of gazpacho but this white version comes from Cordoba and is very nutritious.
Serves 4-6
250g (9oz) blanched, peeled almonds
4 tablesp. extra virgin olive oil
4 slices of stale bread with the crusts removed
2 cloves of garlic
salt
2-3 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 apples (or 1 bunch white grapes, or 2 slices of melon)
Mash the garlic and salt in a mortar, gradually adding the almonds until a smooth paste is attained. (This can be done much more easily in a food processor.)
Soak the bread in water and mix into the paste along with the oil and vinegar.
Mix everything thoroughly, then add four cups of cold water. The soup should have a thick, smooth consistency. Add ice cubes if desired.
The fruit should be added just before serving.
Apple or melon should be diced and grapes should be whole.
The proportions of garlic, olive oil and vinegar are entirely a matter of taste.
This will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge.
Serves 10-12
This delicious dish would be excellent for a large party
500g (18oz) chick peas
500g (18oz) chicken or turkey
500g (18oz) black pudding
250g (9oz) fatty bacon unsmoked, streaky
250g (9oz) lean pork
4 leeks
4 carrots
4 potatoes
4 white turnips
4 pears
½ white cabbage
4 sweet potatoes, optional
1 chicken liver
100g (3½oz) ground almonds
100g (3½oz) lean pork, minced
white breadcrumbs
zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
pine kernels, toasted and chopped
cinnamon
1 clove
pepper
nutmeg
salt
Soak the chickpeas overnight in boiling water. (Always use boiling water for chickpeas.) The following day strain the water off the peas. Fill a large pan with plenty of fresh water and bring to the boil. Put chickpeas into a bag, add to the pot when water boils. The chickpeas must not be taken from the heat before they are cooked, nor must the temperature of the liquid drop, otherwise the chickpeas will be hard. If more liquid is needed, ensure it is boiling. After a while, add meats and bacon, followed by vegetables. Cook cabbage separately in some of the liquid from the chickpeas.
Mince the chicken livers finely. Remove a chunk of bacon from the pot, chop it up and mix it thoroughly with the liver. Soak the bread in the chickpea stock, drain it and add to the mixture. Grind the pine kernels in the mortar along with the lemon zest, spices and salt. Mix with the other ingredients and the ground almonds. Mince the pork and mix in along with the egg. Mix everything together thoroughly, then wrap the mixture in a single large cabbage leaf to form a parcel, or in smaller leaves to form little balls. Add to the stew.
Group the ingredients on the plate in the following way: meats, vegetables, balls and chickpeas together at one end of the plate. If one large ball or parcel has been made, cut into 1cm slices.
Use the stock to make a soup by adding some noodles. Serve everything at the same time.
THIS is a fresh tangy light ice cream, easy-peasy to make and a delight to eat at the end of any meal winter or summer.
Serves 4
1 free range egg
250ml (9 fl oz) milk
130g (5oz) castor sugar
Zest and juice of 1 good lemon
Fresh mint leaves and borage flowers
Separate the egg, whisk the yolk with the milk. Keep the white aside.
Gradually mix in the sugar. Carefully grate the lemon zest on the finest part of a stainless steel grater.
Squeeze the juice from the lemon and add with the zest to the liquid. Whisk the egg white until quite stiff and fold into the other ingredients.
Freeze in a sorbetière according to the manufacturer's instructions or put in a freezer in a covered plastic container.
When the mixture starts to freeze, remove from the freezer and whisk again, or break up in a food processor.
Then put it back in the freezer until it is frozen completely. Meanwhile, chill the serving plates.
Scoop the ice cream into curls, arrange on chilled plates or in pretty frosted glass dishes.
Decorate with borage flowers and fresh mint leaves.
Diploma in speciality food production: This course runs at UCC from April 11 to May 19. For details, contact Mary
McCarthy-Buckley or Michele Daly, at the Food Industry Training Unit, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, UCC. Tel 021-4903178, email: fitu@ucc.ie.
National Food Fair, April 810, Main Hall, RDS, Dublin: A showcase for food producers and cookery demonstrations with some of Ireland's top chefs. To book a space, contact S&L Promotions, tel 01-6761811.
New Sunday market: 10am-3pm, Emily Square, Athy, Co. Kildare. Contact Bernadette McHugh, 086 9191680.
Molly Malones: Fresh fish market seafood stall, much loved by patrons of Carlow Market, can now be found in Tullamore Sq outside Bank of Ireland, Thurles, Parnell St carpark on Thursday; Port Laoise, Leicester Square, outside AIB Bank, and Market Square, Tipperary and Clonmel on Friday. Bagnelstown, Co Carlow, Thursday morning, and Bunclody, Thursday afternoon.
