El Celler de Can Roca - Girona

www.cellercanroca.com

I was looking forward to our lunch at El Celler de Can Roca as I have some well traveled good friends who rated it as their best ever restaurant meal.  Coming to a restaurant with such high expectations is usually a mistake as they tend to cloud you perceptions of the experience.  I find myself frequently disappointed at an otherwise great experience because I was expecting too much.


However nothing could have prepared me for the sheer brilliance of this restaurant.  Everything from the decor to the table settings was the result of careful thought.  Several of the dishes left me speechless.


El Celler de Can Roca is the work of three brothers: head chef Joan Roca, maitre d’ and head sommelier Josep and pastry chef Jordi.  It is a masterwork and should not be missed if you have the chance to visit.


Girona is a town about 90mins north of Barcelona by train.  Whilst there make time to visit the stunning Cathedral.

Stuffed olives hanging from a miniature olive tree.

Tapas: Chicken mouse biscuit, anchovy bone, rice tempura

Broth with steamed dumpling, truffle.

Calamari, batter - deconstructed.

Pidgeon mousse

Oysters, cava sauce.

Foie gras and cepe soup, orange oil.

Grilled fish, various sauces

Bacalao

Suckling Iberian pork loin - This was incredible, with a very thin, crunchy skin and very soft flesh.

Lemon flavours, milk.

My favourite desert of all time.  Intense vanilla ice cream, caramel, olive, cocoa.

Chocolates to finnish.

La Tupina - Bourdeux

www.latupina.com

La Tupina is a classic Bourdeux restaurant.  I first learnt about the restaurant when it was featured in Rick Steins French Oddessy. I love Rick Steins food shows.  He has a great passion for produce and the people and traditions that create it. 

The initial entry to the restaurant is almost too good to believe. A heavy wooden table ladened with all description of Terrines, small goods, meat and poultry. Behind is a roaring fire over which an elaborate iron rotisserie turns, and Tupina (iron kettle in Basque) of duck fat bubbles.

The restaurant had a wonderful smell of wood smoke and grilled meat.  It was a very good meal, simply cooked with good produce and closely linked to the cooking traditions of the region.

Terrine, saucisson, radish appetiser

Pigs blood pancake.

Bayonne ham, onions.

Duck fat fried potato

Asador Etxebarri

The village with the pastures and mountains behind.

www.asadoretxebarri.com

After our visit to Carrasco we travelled North into the Basque Country.  The landscape is dramatically different from central Spain with dramatic hills and mountains covered in forest.


Etxebarri is situated in the small mountain village.  Surrounded by forrest, pasture and towering mountains, it is extremely beautiful.

Etxebarri is on the second floor.  The first floor is  the local bar.

Chef and owner Victor Arguinzoniz has become famous for the use of the grill.   It's a cooking method that is used delicately and widely throughout his menu.

Pumpkin soup - simple but rich and delicious.

Smoked goats butter with black truffle.

Grilled Palamos prawns.

Grilled sea cucumber with beans.

Grilled baby octopus.

Chistorra sausage on grilled polenta.

Truffle with grilled egg yolk.

Grilled baccala. 

Grilled steak.

Fresh goats cheese ice cream.

Smoked ice cream, pan perdu

It sounds too much to have everything grilled, but such a light and expert touch has been applied that it never becomes boring.   The grilled flavour is strong in some dishes but light in others.  The application of heat is controlled expertly as well. 

It was an excellent and interesting meal.

Carrasco Jamon Iberico de Bellota

Carrasco is the oldest Jamon producer in Guijuelo (the most famous town for it's production)

As I mentioned in my previous blog, we were very privileged to be invited to Carrasco. They are undoubtedly one of the very top producers of Iberico de Bellota in Spain. There products are feature in many of the worlds best restaurants and are regarded with reverence across Spain. The Carrasco family has been in the business for over 120 years. They continue to seek perfection in their ham. Our visit was a remarkable experience.

The process of making Jamon Iberico de Bellota begins with the birth of Iberico pigs only during a certain part of the year. These are pigs that will reach maturity during the season of the Bellota, when the acorns have ripened and fallen. This is so the pigs will fatten on the natural feed available to them on the Dehesa (the name of the open feilds where the pigs are raised).

Each pig is allocated over 1 acre of forrest in which to roam. Incredibly the acorn trees need to be at least 100 years old to produce acorns, so there is a very finite amount of Iberico de Belotta that can be produced.

Iberica pigs roam free in the Dehesa

Once the pigs have been slaughtered the hind legs are used for Jamon and the front legs are used for Paleta. The remaining meat is used for highly prised chorizo, lomo and cantimpalo. We cannot import these products into Australia. Luckily we do have some excellent locally made alternatives to Spanish smallgoods, many of which have been produced in conjunction with Ortiga.

A very simple out line of the process for producing Jamon and Paleta is as follows.

1. Preparation of the Raw Jamon and Paleta
The meat is quality checked, cleaned and trimmed. The traditional cut is made to the skin.

The hams showing the traditional V cut to expose the fat.

2. Salting
Salting depends on size but usually takes 10 - 12 days and is conducted at 4-5C.

Hams are stacked for the salting phase.

3. Post Salting
Post salting allows the salt already applied to the meat, to fully penetrate the paleta and jamon. This takes 3 months and is conducted at 3-6C

A Paleta during the drying stage. By the end of this process the meat will only weigh around 2kg.

4. Drying and Maturation

Ham's are moved to the "secadero" or drying room and are kept between 15-30C. Guijuelo's special climate allows Carrasco to use only natural ventilation.

Open windows of the secadaro allowing the breeze in.

5. Bodega Phase
In the Bodega the hams are stored at 10-20C for a minimum of 24mths. Here they develop the amazing aroma and intensity of flavour famous for Carrasco Iberico de Bellota.

Jamon and Paleta hanging in the Bodega where they will stay for a minimum of 24 months.

The owner of Carrasco cutting a ham which he begun making nearly 4 years ago.

Jamon grades explained

One of the highlights of our trip has been the visit to Carrasco.  It was a rare privilege which I am happy to share with you.

Carrasco is one of Spain's most renowned producers of Jamon Iberico de Bellota.   In my opinion it is one of the worlds greatest food products.

Sadly I can't share the wonderful taste but happily you can now buy Carrasco's Jamon in Australia.  It is served in many of our best restaurants around the country and is available from good delis.  But before you do, I will try to explain all the different grades of Jamon.  There are a lot of inferior Jamons on the market and you will need to know what to ask for.

What is Jamon?  Jamon is the Spanish name for a cured leg of pork, similar to proscuttio.

What are the different grades of Jamon?

Jamon Serrano: Is basic cured pork leg from a normal pig, fed on commercial animal feed.  It can be good but more often then not it is extremely average.  I have tried some appalling serrano in Australia.  At this grade you are far better purchasing a good quality Proscuitto di Parma (in my opinion).

Jamon Iberico Cebo: Is made from the Iberico pig, raised free range but feeds legumes and grain.  It's curing time is far less then for Jamon Iberico de Bellota.  Make sure you do not get this product passed off to you as real Bellota. If the ham is called just Jamon Iberico it will be Cebo grade. Carrasco produce no Cebo grade.

Iberico pigs roaming in the Dehesa (open fields of acorn trees).  Over an acre is allocated to each pig! The acorn trees take a minimum of 100 years to produce bellota (the acorns)!

Jamon Iberico Recebo: Is made from the Iberico pig which is raised free range in the same country as the Bellota but some of it's fattening is completed with grain and legumes.

Jamon Iberico de Bellota:  This is the premium ham.  It is made from the Iberico pig, which is raised free range and eats naturally occurring acorns (bellota).  It's curing and handling are strictly controlled.  Fino only sells Bellota grade Jamon Iberico.

Palleta Iberico de Bellota: Pallet simply means shoulder, which comes from the same animal that produced the Jamon (leg).  It is much cheaper then the Jamon but it cured in the same way.  In my opinion it makes excellent buying and is every bit as good as the Jamon.  The Palleta Iberico de Bellota has become very popular with many of our better restaurants.

Restaurant Botin - Madrid

Pablo from Ortiga recommended we visit Botin for the suckling pig.  


Botin is the worlds oldest restaurant and was started in 1725.  For an Australian that is mind blowing.  


I did not like all our dishes but they did perform where it counted.  The suckling pig was perfect, as was the lamb.  It is prepared simply and served even more simply.  As you enter the restaurant you see in front of you a great wall of roasted pig (Cochinillo) in earthenware dishes.  Obviously they sell a lot of pig!


Botin is a must do for a culinary visit to Spain.


www.botin.es

Suckling pig ready for service.

Suckling pig served simply with roasted potato.

Roasted lamb from Burgos.

La Dolores - Madrid

Another great recommendation from the guys at Carrasco Jamon de Bellota.  La Dolores is a farly unassuming looking bar but it was absolutely packed for sunday lunch.  We could barely fit in but quickly found a spot beside the bar.  The tapas was quick and tasty, most being based on little bread rolls with the filling ranging from Carrasco's Bellota to Tuna del Norte.  With a couple of beers it made a very quick, tasty and inexpensive lunch.

It's just up from the Prado art museum so pop in after a visit.

Puro la Dolores
Plaza Jesús, 4
28014 Madrid, Espagne
914 292 243

Carrasco Jamon Iberico de Bellota on roll, Bonito del Norte on roll, and ventresca (tuna belly) with pimento on bread.

Mercado de San Miguel

Right near the centre of Madrid is the Mercado de San Miguel and it is the sort of thing every city centre should have.  It is essentially a covered food market but at lunch and in the evening the stall holders sell tapas made from their wares.  The food is exceedingly fresh, varied and tasty.  Most of the stalls sell wine or beer and you can move from stall to stall.  It is packed with people who all seem to be enjoying themselves emensely, as I did.

http://www.mercadodesanmiguel.es/

Here are a few of the most interesting things we ate.

This stall specialised in Galician seafood which was incredible.

Little red prawns.  They were very sweet with a dense flesh that was very different to Australian prawns.

Large red prawns, grilled.  Most of the grilled seafood was served with a liberal amount of  coarse sea salt, lemon and olive oil.

Angasi Oysters from Galicia

Mussels, grilled with garlic.

Raw clams.

Goose Barnicals - Strange but delicous.  They are just  steamed for a few minutes.  To eat you simply break apart then remove the meat.



Navajas - Rasor claims grilled, with lemon and olive oil.





Steamed octopus with praprika, lemon and olive oil.