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CNN
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
14 Spanish dishes everyone should try – from churros to jamón
(CNN) – It's fair to say Spain was late to the table when it came to recognizing the global superpowers of food. While Italy and France have spent years in the limelight, Spain was biding its time. In recent years, however, people have come to celebrate the extraordinary flavors and variety of produce the cuisine has to offer. High-profile chefs such as Ferran Adrià, mastermind of the now-closed El Bulli restaurant, and the Roca brothers, founders of the El Celler de Can Roca, have brought Spain's alta cocina international acclaim. And in 2023, Spain had more restaurants on the World's 50 Best list than any other country. But the heart of Spanish cooking remains its rustic, homespun nature, a legacy of a time when hard-pressed Spaniards had to work the land for everything it would offer. These 14 dishes – from seafood and meat to rice and pastries – are essential to sample when you travel to Spain. Paella is perhaps the most famous Spanish dish of all, and certainly one of the most abused. Authentic paella originates from the region around Valencia, and comes in two varieties: Paella Valenciana, with rabbit and chicken; and seafood paella. Saffron gives the rice its color, and the base should be left to crisp into a mouth-watering black crust, called the socarrat. Spaniards only eat it at lunchtime. A staple among the small dishes that make up a classic tapas menu, patatas bravas – 'brave potatoes' – is named for its spicy sauce, rare in a land that generally shuns fiery food. The potatoes are cubed and shallow fried and served the same everywhere. The sauce can come in any number of ways, from spicy ketchup to garlic mayonnaise with a dusting of pimiento (smoked paprika), or both. One theory holds that the dirtier the bar, the better the bravas. This tomato-based Andalusian soup is most famous for being served cold. This can be quite a shock for those who aren't expecting it, but in the searing heat of a Seville summer, the attraction becomes clear. Its principal ingredients, aside from tomato, are peppers, garlic, bread and lots of olive oil. A common dish on tapas menus, pimientos de Padrón are green peppers that hail originally from the town of that name in Galicia, in Spain's lush, rainy northwest. Pimientos de Padrón are fried in olive oil and served with a deep sprinkling of salt. Though generally sweet and mild, their fame stems from the fact that the occasional pepper will be fiery hot – lending a Russian roulette element of surprise to eating them. Less well known to tourists, fideuà is a type of Spanish pasta similar to vermicelli. It's popular in Catalonia and Valencia in seafood dishes that rival paella for their taste and intricacy. Fideuà is typically cooked in a paella dish. Jamón, or cured ham, is the most celebrated Spanish food product. Legs of ham were traditionally salted and hung up to dry to preserve them through the long winter months. Jamón Serrano (of the mountain) is the most common kind and comes from white pigs; the more expensive Jamón Iberico (pictured) comes from black pigs. The best ham should be enjoyed in thin, melt-in-your-mouth slices on its own, with a little bread. 'Jamón is the staple of the Spanish table,' says chef José Pizarro, the brains behind José Tapas Bar, Pizarro and José Pizarro restaurants in London and a handful of other eateries. 'We eat it before we eat; its salty, acorn-laden taste is the perfect accompaniment to sherry and Cava, and it gets your juices flowing for the meal that is yet to come. 'It's brilliantly good value and a leg can last ages as long as you cover and store it properly. Look for 'waxy' fat: when you rub it, it should melt into your skin like candle wax.' The humble Spanish omelet can be made with chorizo, peppers and onions, among other ingredients, but purists will tell you it should only contain potatoes and eggs. The potatoes are diced and lightly fried before being added to the egg mixture and fried on a high heat; the trickiest part is when you have to flip the pan over to turn the tortilla. If you get it right, someone should shout 'Olé!' Get it wrong and you'll have gooey half-cooked tortilla everywhere. Churros are a popular snack made from fried dough, cut into sausage shapes and doused in sugar. They're a favorite at fiestas, or street parties, when they're sold by roadside vendors. Dipping them in hot melted chocolate is pretty much the law. Another typical item on a tapas menu, croquetas are tubes of bechamel sauce encased in fried breadcrumbs, but a lot more tasty than that sounds. Jamón croquetas and salt cod croquetas are common varieties. They're tricky to make and are perhaps best enjoyed at a tapas bar, along with a cold beer. A classic tapas item, albondigas, or meatballs in tomato sauce, are served all over Spain. A tasty variation serves up the meatballs drizzled in an almond sauce, minus the tomatoes. A legendary dish spoken of in almost hushed tones by Spaniards, migas is a good example of how much of Spain's cuisine has evolved from peasant food. It's essentially dry breadcrumbs torn up and fried in a variety of combinations – often served with chorizo or bacon. Migas, handed down from agricultural laborers who had to be thrifty with their ingredients, is comfort food supreme – and in recent times has found its way onto fancy restaurant menus. A prized dish in Spain, bacalao, or salted cod, was brought back for hundreds of years by Spanish fisherman from as far afield as Norway and Newfoundland. The fish is not found in local waters, and it was salted to preserve it on the journey. It has to be left to soak in water for at least 24 hours to remove all but the slightest tang of salt. Bacalao is served in all manner of dishes; one of the most popular is with pil-pil sauce, made of olive oil, garlic and the juice of the fish, and typical in the Basque Country. A favorite of the northwestern Asturias region and based around the white fabe bean, fabada is a one-pot feast usually served with a mixture of pork meats. Chorizo, pork belly and bacon are common accompaniments, as is morcilla, Spanish blood sausage, which tastes far better than it should. Think it's impossible to fry milk? Think again. Leche frita, or fried milk, is a popular dessert made by whipping up milk, egg yolks and flour. This is left to chill and solidify, before being coated in breadcrumbs and fried. It can be served hot or cold.
Telegraph
06-05-2025
- Telegraph
The 22 best restaurants in Barcelona
Barcelona's impressive food scene covers all manner of cuisines. Head to the maritime district of Barceloneta if it's paella you're after, but if you want traditional Catalan dishes it's best to stick inland, in, for example, the Barri Gòtic or Gràcia, where you'll find tiled dining rooms and plenty of pa amb tomàquet (bread rubbed with tomato) and hearty stews. Tapas are not a Catalan speciality, but can still be found – from time-honoured classics on charming squares to deconstructed versions at those restaurants created in the aftermath of the gastronomic revolution spearheaded by superchef Ferran Adrià. Below our expert shares her favourite restaurants in Barcelona, including affordable menus and five-star venues. Do note that many restaurants close for a period in August, and occasionally the whole month. Find out more below, or for further Barcelona inspiration, see our in-depth guides to the city's best hotels, bars and nightlife, attractions, shopping and things to do for free, plus how to spend a weekend in Barcelona. Find a restaurant by type: Best all-rounders Can Culleretes The second-oldest restaurant in Spain, with a mention in Guinness World Records. Can Culleretes has been around since 1786, and many of its waitresses act like they have too. These redoubtable matrons chivvy customers into one of three main dining rooms, tiled and hung with oil paintings and photos of happy patrons, and then serve them no-nonsense but tasty Spanish dishes at really good prices. Try the wild boar stew, the suckling pig or the seafood 'pica pica' of plates to share. It can get busy with tourists, however, so you might want to book a later table. Area/neighbourhood: Barri Gòtic Contact: Prices: ££ Reservations: Recommended Casa Delfín Casa Delfín used to be something of a Mediterranean greasy spoon, serving deep-fried fish to workers, and there was much hand-wringing when it was sold and spruced up. The new owners did a great job, however, and preserved the spirit of the menu as well as many of the features of the bright and airy interior. Try chickpeas, spinach and black pudding to start, perhaps, followed by liver and onions with sherry or roast lamb with rosemary and thyme. The terrace is the place to sit, if the weather allows, and is open year round. Agua There is a line of similar restaurants along the seafront here, but Agua is the most fun for its laid-back atmosphere, sunny, split-level dining room and large, lively terrace. It does get quite busy, but there's a comfortable reception area with a bar, where you can order something to nibble on while you wait. The main menu covers the Mediterranean basics, from paella to spankingly fresh fish, along with really tasty steaks, creative salads and plenty of child-friendly dishes. Book well ahead for a table on the terrace, which sits right on the edge of the sand. Back to index Best for families Bella Napoli di Raffaele A hugely popular Italian restaurant, known for its pizza but it's a crime not to try its other dishes (the gnocchi, for example, or the linguine con bogavante – lobster) and a range of Italian craft beers. The Neapolitan waiters move adeptly through the packed dining areas, and are famous for their charm – they will guide you through the menu, but it's hard to go wrong. The Sofia Loren pizza is a favourite, with provolone, rocket and bresaola, and the house pizza with aubergine, basil and parmesan is also good. Leave room for the homemade tiramisu, which is superb. You can also get pizzas to go. Area/neighbourhood: Montjuic and Poble Sec Contact: 00 34 93 442 50 56 Opening times: Mon-Sun, 1.30pm-4pm, 8pm-11.30pm Prices: ££ Reservations: Recommended Pepa Tomate A sunny corner café and restaurant, with a cheerfully eclectic approach to décor. There's a short list of dishes that manages to cater to most tastes, whether you're after a fat burger and chips, a toasted sandwich or something a little more sophisticated – truffled tortilla, for example, or cod tempura with padrón peppers. Portions are generous, but leave room if you can for the creamy tiramisu, served in a Kilner jar. It's a great place to come with children, with a playground just outside and friendly waiters who will provide crayons to draw on the paper placemats. Envalira The place to come for good old-fashioned cooking in an unpretentious setting. It's not going to win any design awards, but Envalira can't be faulted on value. The speciality is paella and other rice dishes (such as arròs negre, the Catalan version made with squid ink), but this is also a good place to try dishes from all over Spain, particularly Galicia. Try, for example, tarta de Santiago, the Galician answer to bakewell tart. The restaurant is brightly lit and austerely (un)decorated, but if you book a table at the front near the bar you'll feel a little less hemmed in. Area/neighbourhood: Gràcia Contact: 00 34 93 218 58 13 Opening times: Tue-Sat, 1pm-11pm; Sun, 1pm-5pm Prices: ££ Reservations: Recommended Gelateria Italiana Deliziosa The last few years have seen a tidal wave of ice cream parlours opening in Barcelona, but for most people this family-run gelateria will always remain unbeatable. A refurb saw away with the olive-green wood panelling and 1960s fonts, sadly, but the ice cream is still made and sold fresh every day, with the purest ingredients. It's hard to pick a favourite, but the fig is a speciality, and the liquorice is good for novelty value. There is a second, smaller branch in the Born at Placeta de Montcada 12, near the Picasso Museum. Back to index Best for cheap eats Les Quinze Nits The Andilana group now owns an impressive nine restaurants around town, and though they all have different names, they all work on the same principles – extremely elegant dining rooms in attractive old buildings, with creative Mediterranean dishes at budget prices. These include all manner of fish and meat dishes, and some colourful salads. Les Quinze Nits was the first branch and continues to be the most popular, with queues snaking across the Plaça Reial (there is a no-bookings policy), but you can always try your luck at nearby branch La Fonda (C/Escudellers 10), which may have a shorter queue. Bormuth A split-level tapas bar that opens out on to two streets. Bormuth is friendly, lively and has reliably good food. The selection of tapas includes fresh options such as lentil salad and tabbouleh, along with all the classic croquetas, tortilla and so on, but my favourite is the fried aubergine drizzled with honey (a Cordoban recipe). Get there early for the tables on the street or in the open-fronted section facing the handsome façade of the Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria. Mosquito Mosquito seems to change its identity every few years, but the basic concept is cheap, quick and good Asian food. For the time being, that means Chinese dim sum, with a few other dishes from around the continent – Japanese gyoza dumplings, Thai curries, and noodle dishes – thrown in for good measure. My favourite is the Vietnamese pho (a steaming beef broth into which you stir herbs, chopped chilli and beansprouts to taste), though sadly this is only available at lunchtime. It can get quite chaotic in the cramped bar area – book one of the tables at the back if you can. Elisabets Elisabets is a wonderfully old-school place, with little by way of decoration but for a few old radio sets dotted around the walls. It specialises in the sort of food your grandmother used to make. No-frills, huge portions of osso buco and other stewy delights are served up as part of the fixed-price menu, though there is an à la carte menu, too. Note that Elisabets is only open until 5:30pm. Back to index Best for fine dining Shunka An excellent Japanese restaurant hidden down a side street near the cathedral. Time was, you would often see Ferran Adrià in here. However, a shake-up a few years ago meant that some of Shunka's finest chefs were moved to a new branch round the corner, Koy Shunka, which promptly gained a Michelin star, and this one was slightly relegated to second position. This one is far cheaper, however, and does what you'd expect – all varieties of sushi, tempura, teriyaki, noodles and plenty more – and well. Reserve a seat up at the bar surrounding the kitchen for a really good show. Area/neighbourhood: Barri Gòtic Contact: Prices: ££ Reservations: Recommended Alkimia There is a kind of alchemy going on at this restaurant where the deconstructed, theatrical takes on Catalan standards show Ferran Adrià's influence. An opening salvo of deconstructed pa amb tomàquet (the traditional bread rubbed with tomato) in a shot glass is just the beginning. Jordi Vilà is a serious chef, with a Michelin star to prove it, and his dining room has a serious air. The restaurant sits within the microbrewery and gastro space of the Fábrica Moritz, and has a separate dining area – Al Kostat (At The Side) – with a simpler, more accessible (read also: cheaper) menu. Area/neighbourhood: Eixample Contact: Prices: £££ Reservations: Recommended Compartir Little sister to the distinguished Disfrutar (currently at the top of the World's Best Restaurants list and at which you are unlikely to secure a table without some serious forward-planning), Compartir is run by the same team and has a similar approach to playful haute cuisine – at a lower price tag. Its cavernous dining room is fun and relaxed – driftwood is suspended from the ceiling and elegant deco curves are balanced by rustic Catalan tiling – and a complement to dishes that look as good as they taste. The marinated sardines with emulsions of carrot and coconut are a standout – a Pollock on the plate and a flavour explosion on the tongue. Area/neighbourhood: Eixample Contact: Prices: £££ Reservations: Recommended Cinc Sentits Every accolade – including two Michelin stars – has been deservedly heaped on Cinc Sentits and its haute take on Catalan cuisine. To maximise the diner's experience of what chef Jordi Artal can do, these days the restaurant only serves fixed menus – eight courses for €185 (£154) or 10 courses for €200 (£166). Expect dishes such as pigeon served three ways, including a paper pouch containing 'false rice' made from its thigh, and some table-side theatre. The restaurant is also known for its wine selection, and wine pairings are available for each menu. There is a chef's table for those that like to watch the action close up. Back to index Best for walk ins Milk Milk performs all sorts of functions. It's a stylish but relaxed place for a late-night drink, a restaurant that feels more like a really good pub (with grub to match – from homemade burgers and steak sandwiches, to smoked salmon fishcakes and the occasional foray into Asian cuisine), and it's a great place for a relaxed brunch with the papers. Choose from eggs Benedict, banana and walnut pancakes or just a good old-fashioned fry-up, and maybe treat yourself to a bloody Mary or a mimosa. Best of all, you can rock up for brunch any time up to 4:30pm. El Atril Here, you can sit in the stone-walled dining room or under umbrellas on the little Plaça de Sant Cugat. In season, one of the best things to order is a big bowl of moules et frites, but there's plenty more to choose from, including sea bass with truffle, tuna tartare with a tapenade of sundried tomatoes and olives, and pork with quince alioli. Light and healthy options include inventive salads and a vegan burger. Brunch is served at weekends. Quimet i Quimet Everybody's favourite tapas bar is about the same size as a large wardrobe, and it can be a struggle to abide by the 'no standing on the pavement' rule. It's still worth it, however, for the wonderful montaditos – delicate little arrangements balanced on a slice of French bread and made in front of your eyes. Highly recommended is the smoked salmon with cream cheese, soy sauce and honey, but there's no real list. The bar also specialises in wine (bottles of every vintage line the walls) and conservas (tinned seafood), most of which is surprisingly good. Chez Coco This is the place to come for a date, if you can get one of its cosy high-backed booths. It's a charming space, with many original features such as oak panelling and a tiled mosaic floor. More recent decorative additions include plunging chandeliers, cobalt blue upholstery on the booths, and an open kitchen hung with copper pans, where various kinds of bird roast slowly on rotating spits. The menu is French and fairly ambitious, but the best bet is to stick to the fried poussin and fat wedge chips, which are excellent and reasonably priced. Back to index Best for seafood Cal Pep Not quite a tapas bar, not quite a seafood restaurant. Cal Pep does have a cosy dining room at the back and a terrace to the side, but if you sit there you'll miss all the fun. Better to stand at the bar (or wait your turn patiently behind those at the bar) and watch the cooks working the stoves. There is no shtick here apart from superbly fresh seafood, served simply and on plates designed for sharing. Non-fish eaters will also find plenty to eat, however – try 'the tortilla trampera' with chorizo and alioli. Can Solé Another of Barceloneta's excellent paella restaurants, this one a little more upmarket than most (with prices to match), and attentive waiters – there can't be many restaurants that provide reading glasses to diners. There are two specialities: paella in various forms, and what is known as 'grandmother's spoon food' – steaming hotpots of chickpeas with chorizo, lentil and potato stew, onion soup with a poached egg and Emmental stirred through it, and so on. There is a quiet dining room upstairs, but the best place to sit is downstairs by the open kitchen where you can watch the action. Set Portes An elegant old paella and seafood restaurant, under an arcaded walkway down near the port. It's been around since 1836, and the great and the good to have graced its tables are immortalised in little plaques on the backs of the chairs. Despite its vast size – there are several dining rooms – and history, sympathetic lighting and accommodating waiters make it feel both cosy and friendly, something quite unusual in a restaurant of this stature. The food is excellent, respecting old recipes while occasionally adding a new twist. If you're feeling extravagant, go for the zarzuela – a tasty casserole with lobster. Back to index How we choose Every restaurant in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighbourhood favourites to Michelin-starred restaurants – to best suit every type of traveller's taste – and consider the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest opening and provide up to date recommendations. After stints living in Seville and Madrid, in 2001 Sally Davies settled in Barcelona's El Born, a stone's throw from Ciutadella Park and the Santa Caterina market, two of her favourite places anywhere.
CNN
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Try the simple, Catalan stew that Eva Longoria describes as an ‘explosion of flavors'
Sometimes, the simplest dishes are the most satisfying. Suquet, a traditional Catalan seafood stew, is that kind of dish. Its origins are humble — fishermen on the crystal clear waters of Catalonia's Costa Brava historically prepared it on their boats with the catch of the day, making for a quick and easy meal to fuel a hard day's work. Fishermen still make suquet on their boats today. Over the years, as Spanish cuisine underwent a gastronomic revolution, the dish has also come to embody a tension at the heart of Catalonia's distinct culture: between el seny, the practical, and la rouxa, the innovative. The acclaimed chef Ferran Adrià transformed the humble suquet into a gourmet experience at El Bulli, the avant-garde Catalan restaurant that was voted the world's best a record five times and where Adrià served as head chef. Suquet was the first dish that Adrià learned to cook professionally, infusing traditional ingredients and methods with the creative spirit of modern Catalan gastronomy. The version he served at El Bulli until it closed in 2011 was made with red prawns, potato balls and seawater from the neighboring Cala Montjoi. But in the first episode of the CNN series 'Eva Longoria: Searching For Spain,' Adrià returns to suquet's roots and prepares the stew on a boat, with his signature elevated twist. 'That particular dish is so simple, but when you're eating it, you're like, 'What's happening in my mouth?'' Eva Longoria tells CNN. 'It's an explosion of flavors.' What makes suquet stand out, Longoria adds, is the quality of the ingredients. Even if you don't have the saltwater and fresh fish of the Mediterranean Sea at your fingertips, you can still give Adrià's adaptation a whirl at home. Just use the freshest seafood and produce you can find and maybe get a little creative — in the true Catalan way. This recipe is courtesy of Ferran Adrià. Makes 4 servings Ingredients For the shrimp, essence and broth 28 shrimp (2.5 ounces each) Olive oil For the potatoes 24 small potatoes For the aioli 3 cloves of garlic Salt 150 grams olive oil (5.3 ounces) For the suquet 24 turned potatoes (from previous preparation) 20 grams aioli (0.75 ounces) 150 grams shrimp broth (5.3 ounces) shrimp essence 4 cloves of garlic 20 grams chopped parsley (0.8 ounces) 1 ripe tomato, around 65 g (2.3 ounces) 5 grams sweet paprika (0.2 ounces) 100 grams saltwater (about 2/5 of a cup) 60 grams butter (about 1/4 cup) 50 grams liquid cream, 35% m.g. (1.8 ounces) 50 grams olive oil (1.8 ounces) Salt For finishing 24 sprigs of fresh parsley Olive oil Salt Instructions For the shrimp Separate the heads from the shrimp tails. Peel the tails and remove the intestines from each tail. Using a sharp awl, make a 2 cm long incision in the widest part of the tail. For the shrimp essence Sauté the shrimp heads in a hot pan with a little oil. Press the heads one by one to extract all the juice. Strain the juice through a strainer and store in the refrigerator. Save the heads to use for the broth. For the shrimp broth Put the heads in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Strain and save the broth. For the potatoes Peel the potatoes. With the help of a sharp awl, turn the potatoes until they are as round as possible. Store covered with water at room temperature. For the aioli Place the peeled garlic cloves in a mortar and pestle and pound to a fine puree. Add a little salt. Combine with the mortar and pestle and add the oil in a thin stream. (The consistency should be similar to mayonnaise.) For the suquet Peel the garlic and cut into 0.2 cm brunoise slices (tiny cubes). Make two superficial cross-shaped incisions on the bottom of the tomato. Using a skewer, remove the base of the tomato stem. Immerse in boiling water for 15 seconds. Remove with a skewer and cool in water and ice. Peel, quarter and remove the seeds. Cut the tomato into 0.3 cm brunoise slices. Whip the cream. Sauté the potatoes in a hot frying pan with olive oil for 15 minutes. Do not let them brown. Add the chopped garlic, brown lightly and add the tomato and parsley. Brown for 1 minute and add the paprika. Moisten the potatoes with the sea water and the shrimp broth. Bring to a boil, and when the potatoes are cooked, remove from heat. Add the butter, 30 grams (a quarter cup) of whipped cream, the shrimp essence and the aioli. To serve In a hot frying pan with a little oil, cook the shrimp with salt. Place 7 suquet potatoes and 7 shrimp each in four bowls. Ladle the suquet broth into each bowl and grill lightly over a grill pan. Finish each dish with 6 sprigs of fresh parsley.
CNN
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Try the simple, Catalan stew that Eva Longoria describes as an ‘explosion of flavors'
Sometimes, the simplest dishes are the most satisfying. Suquet, a traditional Catalan seafood stew, is that kind of dish. Its origins are humble — fishermen on the crystal clear waters of Catalonia's Costa Brava historically prepared it on their boats with the catch of the day, making for a quick and easy meal to fuel a hard day's work. Fishermen still make suquet on their boats today. Over the years, as Spanish cuisine underwent a gastronomic revolution, the dish has also come to embody a tension at the heart of Catalonia's distinct culture: between el seny, the practical, and la rouxa, the innovative. The acclaimed chef Ferran Adrià transformed the humble suquet into a gourmet experience at El Bulli, the avant-garde Catalan restaurant that was voted the world's best a record five times and where Adrià served as head chef. Suquet was the first dish that Adrià learned to cook professionally, infusing traditional ingredients and methods with the creative spirit of modern Catalan gastronomy. The version he served at El Bulli until it closed in 2011 was made with red prawns, potato balls and seawater from the neighboring Cala Montjoi. But in the first episode of the CNN series 'Eva Longoria: Searching For Spain,' Adrià returns to suquet's roots and prepares the stew on a boat, with his signature elevated twist. 'That particular dish is so simple, but when you're eating it, you're like, 'What's happening in my mouth?'' Eva Longoria tells CNN. 'It's an explosion of flavors.' What makes suquet stand out, Longoria adds, is the quality of the ingredients. Even if you don't have the saltwater and fresh fish of the Mediterranean Sea at your fingertips, you can still give Adrià's adaptation a whirl at home. Just use the freshest seafood and produce you can find and maybe get a little creative — in the true Catalan way. This recipe is courtesy of Ferran Adrià. Makes 4 servings Ingredients For the shrimp, essence and broth 28 shrimp (2.5 ounces each) Olive oil For the potatoes 24 small potatoes For the aioli 3 cloves of garlic Salt 150 grams olive oil (5.3 ounces) For the suquet 24 turned potatoes (from previous preparation) 20 grams aioli (0.75 ounces) 150 grams shrimp broth (5.3 ounces) shrimp essence 4 cloves of garlic 20 grams chopped parsley (0.8 ounces) 1 ripe tomato, around 65 g (2.3 ounces) 5 grams sweet paprika (0.2 ounces) 100 grams saltwater (about 2/5 of a cup) 60 grams butter (about 1/4 cup) 50 grams liquid cream, 35% m.g. (1.8 ounces) 50 grams olive oil (1.8 ounces) Salt For finishing 24 sprigs of fresh parsley Olive oil Salt Instructions For the shrimp Separate the heads from the shrimp tails. Peel the tails and remove the intestines from each tail. Using a sharp awl, make a 2 cm long incision in the widest part of the tail. For the shrimp essence Sauté the shrimp heads in a hot pan with a little oil. Press the heads one by one to extract all the juice. Strain the juice through a strainer and store in the refrigerator. Save the heads to use for the broth. For the shrimp broth Put the heads in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Strain and save the broth. For the potatoes Peel the potatoes. With the help of a sharp awl, turn the potatoes until they are as round as possible. Store covered with water at room temperature. For the aioli Place the peeled garlic cloves in a mortar and pestle and pound to a fine puree. Add a little salt. Combine with the mortar and pestle and add the oil in a thin stream. (The consistency should be similar to mayonnaise.) For the suquet Peel the garlic and cut into 0.2 cm brunoise slices (tiny cubes). Make two superficial cross-shaped incisions on the bottom of the tomato. Using a skewer, remove the base of the tomato stem. Immerse in boiling water for 15 seconds. Remove with a skewer and cool in water and ice. Peel, quarter and remove the seeds. Cut the tomato into 0.3 cm brunoise slices. Whip the cream. Sauté the potatoes in a hot frying pan with olive oil for 15 minutes. Do not let them brown. Add the chopped garlic, brown lightly and add the tomato and parsley. Brown for 1 minute and add the paprika. Moisten the potatoes with the sea water and the shrimp broth. Bring to a boil, and when the potatoes are cooked, remove from heat. Add the butter, 30 grams (a quarter cup) of whipped cream, the shrimp essence and the aioli. To serve In a hot frying pan with a little oil, cook the shrimp with salt. Place 7 suquet potatoes and 7 shrimp each in four bowls. Ladle the suquet broth into each bowl and grill lightly over a grill pan. Finish each dish with 6 sprigs of fresh parsley.
The Guardian
17-02-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
A perfect boiled egg in 32 minutes? Don't let science ruin the joyful imperfection of home cooking
To make pearls of balsamic vinegar, first chill a good amount of olive oil in a tall glass. While it waits in the fridge, in a small saucepan over a medium heat, bring the vinegar and agar-agar to the beginning of a boil – just until the agar-agar has dissolved. Let this mixture cool, remove the oil from the fridge, and use a pipette to drop balls of the agar-stiffened vinegar into the oil to form the pearls. Drain into another container using a small sieve to catch the pearls. Reserve the oil for another use. I remember making these, my first and only foray into what is known as 'molecular gastronomy', in 2013. It was already a bit passe at that time, but the science experiment aspect of creating a simple acidic garnish for a chocolate and strawberry cupcake that Valentine's Day was undoubtedly fun. The lesson influenced how I'd go on to use agar-agar, a seaweed-derived vegan gelatin, in dishes like panna cotta or flan, but I never made the pearls again. They were a novelty, and now I have a fond memory of cosplaying as Ferran Adrià, a Spanish chef who popularised these sorts of processes through the restaurant El Bulli. The pearls came to mind while reading about an experiment conducted by Ernesto Di Maio at the University of Naples in Italy. His team found that if you swap an egg between boiling water and 30C water every two minutes for eight cycles, totalling 32 minutes, the egg will be perfectly evenly cooked between white and yolk. New Scientist reported on this finding rather credulously, as though home cooks are truly perplexed about how to boil an egg to their liking. Rather than cooking science that's about making something pretty and fun, like the vinegar pearls, this experiment was about making an instance of everyday cooking labour intensive, water-wasteful and time-consuming. I could see someone doing this experiment once, the way I made the vinegar pearls, and then going back to their tried-and-true method. (For what it's worth, dropping eggs into already boiling water and letting them cook for seven minutes is how I get my preferred texture of jammy orange yolk.) In the long history of the relationship between cooking and chemistry, there's often been this kind of push-pull between what is actually going to enliven and enlighten a home cook, and a pursuit of perfection – whether in technique and taste or in nutrition. Indeed, cuisine in the US throughout the early part of the 20th century was defined by a divide between gourmands, who were interested in food and wine for the pleasure it gave them, and the 'scientific cooks', who were obsessed with eating as a means of ingesting the proper amount of vitamins, minerals and calories without any interest in the joys of the table. 'Food science' differs from the restaurant-driven style of molecular cooking because it's usually focused on nutrition, flavour chemistry and shelf stability to the most common ends of creating industrial products. Molecular gastronomy, a term coined in 1988 by Hungarian-born British physicist Nicholas Kurti and French physical chemist Hervé This, has been focused on culinary applications of scientific principles and processes: sous-vide cooking a steak by sealing it in a vacuum bag and cooking it slowly in a water bath; using liquid nitrogen to create a carrot foam; or transforming the texture of olive juice through spherification. These techniques were popularised through El Bulli, Wylie Dufresne's New York City restaurant wd~50, and Grant Achatz's Chicago restaurant Alinea – and the latter is the only one of these still open and wowing diners with apple candy filled with helium that arrives to the table in the form of a balloon. (I've eaten there, and it inspired me to sous-vide slices of rutabaga – swede – again, just once.) Rather than these kinds of perhaps gimmicky tasting-menu ideas, 'innovation' in food these days tends to come in forms that are focused on an ideally sustainable future: plant-based faux meats; chef-driven proprietary seed companies like Dan Barber's Row 7; or strawberries grown indoors year-round by the company Oishii. These are more in line with what food science has always been about, which is precision, uniformity and replication: products that can scale and turn a profit, but retain the culinary considerations learned from molecular gastronomy. If there is to be a scientific touch to food, it's come to be understood that there should be an element of that higher-minded gastronomic purpose afoot in order to convince people of its worth. While it's always been fun to mix scientific approaches with home cooking, what worries me about a focus on 'innovation' for the sake of a 'perfect' squash or strawberry, a profit-driven soy patty, or new techniques for simple things like boiling eggs is that they could have the effect of deterring people from cooking. Learning how to pick fruit or vegetables at the market and getting into the kitchen to cook them will always be acts of trial and error, and they should be fun. Cooking is an experiment, every day, in how water, oil, salt and so many other elements can come together for the purpose of making something delicious. But unlike a laboratory or a factory, the result doesn't need to be the same every single time, or held to a precise scientific standard. Weather, moods and attention all influence how a human cooks – and there's a lot to enjoy in the imperfections. Alicia Kennedy is a food and culture writer and author of No Meat Required: The Cultural History and Culinary Future of Plant-Based Eating, and a forthcoming memoir On Eating: The Making and Unmaking of My Appetites
