Mario Sandoval, with his cuisine decidedly focused on flavors and innovation, and with his permanent commitment to providing a global gastronomic experience that appeals to all the senses, gave a master class on the third day of the Murcia Gastronomic Region (RMG). The chef of Coque (in Madrid, two Michelin stars) began to fall in love with cooking and its secrets at the age of ten in the family restaurant, as part of the third generation of chefs to which he belongs.
And he came to tell how Coque works to be able to support all that creative work while maintaining it as a sustainable business. “Curiosity, determination, the relationship with other disciplines, traveling to inspire you, are key aspects in the training of a chef,” according to the chef. “In the end we have structured creative methodologies that allow us to give the best of ourselves.” One of them is the fermented ones. “We can make miso with chickpeas, with other legumes, not just soy,” he explained. Another technique is sauerkraut: a special preparation for cruciferous vegetables – collard greens, cauliflowers… – looking for “those metallic, saline flavors that accompany our dishes.” Kombucha, a Japanese mushroom that transforms sugar into alcohol, is also used to make a drink with a carbonated touch.
“In short,” he explained, “we have to look for the origin, where we come from.” And everything comes from the solar dust from which the Earth was created… then the bacteria (prokaryotes) – the first living organisms that appeared -, and the lichens… and, in a long way, to the microbiota, our second brain, the intestine. “We look for unlikely, strange, new textures… thanks to our collaboration with CSIC scientists.”
«Humility, work and product are the three values that I learned working with Joaquín»
Pedro Buitrago
Tandem Chef
But that search continued with yeasts, all with the intention of obtaining a large wardrobe for his creations. In the end, “knowledge gives you power, being able to do things that others don’t do, getting ahead…”. He told how “from that knowledge we have arrived at a unique product, Wovo: drinks and soft drinks made from egg white, without lactose, without gluten, without added sugars.”
From a small town bar to the most innovative scientific research, a long but fruitful path.
The counterpoint was provided by the next speaker. Sacha Hormaechea dazzled the audience with a direct, honest, brilliant speech full of an intelligent sense of humor. He entered the world of cooking because he needed money for a typewriter. Until then, his training had followed very different paths, although they ended up coming together: photography and cinema were his background. Today he is one of the chefs and gastronomic entrepreneurs with the most coherent, sincere and critical voice on the Spanish scene. Oblivious to culinary fashions, from his historic Madrid restaurant he practices essential cuisine, far from eccentricities and focused on the product, the season, the territory and gastronomic memory with the client as a point of reference.
“Technique, research, philosophy, the avant-garde and the rear, which is where I am… are important, but, in my opinion, what is missing in the kitchen, whatever it is, is fun.”
And speaking of fun, he proposed two fun creations. “To begin with, I receive my friends with the ironing board open: it is a bar and I serve them their aperitif there.” A can of cockles, with a pinch of oil, a few drops of lime and chopped cilantro. “According to Gastón Acurio –one of the greats of international cuisine–, it is the best ceviche in the world.”
«Abundance on the plate, technique and patience are the differences between both cuisines»
Quim Gabarró
Alviento Chef
And the other, slices of salted lemon fish with a few drops of oil with almonds and grated tuna heart mojama as if it were truffle. “And I do this at my house so that it is clear that we do it here and this has as much value as having a Japanese explain to us how tuna is cut.” And he gave his particular mnemonic rule to differentiate two types of cuisine: “Two palillos is oriental cuisine, one palillo is Spanish cuisine.” And he finished: “We are the only country in the world where if you give someone a toothpick, they think of food.” Cooking, indeed, has to be fun.
A perfect tandem
Pedro and María José, creators of the Tándem restaurant, have been subscribers to the congress motto since its beginning. Pedro was accompanied yesterday by Joaquín Madrid, who embodies the strange figure of the farmer who supplies figures like Martín Berasategui who ended up becoming a cook. And success. Because his Rincón de Joaquín, in San Cayetano, has been filling its rooms for many years. ‘Past, present and future’ was the title of his presentation: «Past because of what we lived together –Pedro said–, because I fell in love when I was starting with what Joaquín was already doing, with a great treatment of the product and with the clients. ». And speaking of Joaquín, the artichoke had to come out, “there are already some good ones in the Jumilla area.” Some artichokes with seafood was the traditional starting proposal. “My cuisine also starts at the core of the traditional, although with a different ending,” said Pedro. His version of the dish started with a pumpkin arrope – a product of the Region that is being lost – from which he extracts a syrup with which he created a good dark base, a sauce in which he submerges the artichokes and seafood and on top that the heads of the shrimp are squeezed.
«Good cooking begins with knowing the product well. If you don’t know how to peel an artichoke or cry with an onion, you won’t know the product,” said Joaquín. “Work, humility and product,” Pedro added. The young creative’s respect for someone from whom, he assures, he learned everything, was very noticeable. Another lesson.
Another couple – in fact and in law – practice their profession as chefs from two proposals that straddle that congress motto: Tomás Écija, with his futuristic restaurant La Maíta, in Molina, the basis of a “garden-Japanese” fusion cuisine, like he says, and Cundi Sánchez, at the head of El Albero, in Ceutí, with a more traditional base. Yesterday they used the mullet as a canvas to draw that shell game that connects tradition and evolution. “We have always appreciated the roe of mullet, but the gastronomic development of the fish itself is scarce, beyond traditional preparations,” explained Tomás. “We have given it a spin by making a Mar Menor cauldron but with the preparation of a wheat stew.” A stir-fry with vegetables, a fish stock and hydrated wheat – everything as always. But – and here comes the new thing – “we have taken the loins, we have opened them and we have filled them with their eggs and covered everything with nori seaweed. This Japanese-inspired roll is confit at a low temperature and served over the stew. From this preparation, which links traditional pantry with contemporary cuisine, three avant-garde preparations come out: a semi-cured mullet nigiri with its own caviar – an explosion of the sea in your mouth – which is like a cauldron in a bite; a mullet pâté – pure culinary R&D – on a Murcian chicken yolk; and a mullet roe coated in kombu seaweed and another layer of nori seaweed that ends with a heavenly bacon texture. Something truly unique. Mullet taken to the extreme.
Quim Gabarró, chef at Alviento, shared the stage with Pedro Moreno, from La Marquesita, also in Cartagena. Once again the tradition-avant-garde game. ‘The sea and its versatility’ was the title of his presentation. “There are three basic things that differentiate between traditional cuisine and avant-garde cuisine: abundance on the plate, technique and patience.” They started by cooking some scallops. “Here it is very important to have good funds prepared,” Pedro said, “because the scallop is done in a moment.” Quim gave the version with a yolk sauce, marked scallops and a gelatinous sheet of parmesan and a jowl cooked at a low temperature.
Two very different results on a plate, but both extremely attractive and appetizing. A sole a la meunière and a cod pil pil in both versions were the next games. It was a fascinating sight to see them cooking together, with perfect coordination, as if they had been doing it all their lives.
#thousand #faces #kitchen