Swordfish & Ricotta

An idea from London's Polpetto.

best quality sliced smoked swordfish

best quality ricotta

sea salt

grated lemon rind

EVOO

chopped chives and/or dill

1. mix lemon rind, ricotta and salt to taste together
2. spread inside a slice of swordfish
3. roll up swordfish like a cigar
4. assemble rolls on a platter with a drizzle of EVOO and chives
5. serve right away, or add a bit more EVOO and let marinate a few hours in the fridge before serving (take out 15 minutes prior)

Home-Cured Cod

I got this idea looking at someone else's dish at another table at Paco Meraldo, but also remembering the fabulous cured cod at Bar Boulud.

fresh cod

sea salt

tomatoes

tiny capers

garlic cloves, quartered

parsley, chopped

EVOO

S&P

red wine vinegar

1. confit the tomatoes ahead of time, let cool
2. cure cod by rubbing with salt and letting sit for 6 hours; rinse off well when done
3. either sous-vide or confit the cured cod ; when done break into chunks and put in a bowl
4. toss with tomatoes and other ingredients; let garlic infuse a bit then remove

Cinnamon Butter

This accompanied our little Spanish muffins at breakfast. Why haven't I thought of this before?

french butter

caster sugar to taste

cinnamon powder to taste

1. let butter soften
2. mix sugar and cinnamon into butter
3. pipe with your favorite design onto small, individual plates
4. spread on toast, muffin or all over your body

Patates Braves

The key thing here--aside from cooking the potatoes to perfection-is the spicy tomato sauce that accompanies the aioli. The recipe for this sauce comes straight from the kitchen of Fonda Gaig.

best quality potatoes

aioli using best quality eggs (orange not yellow yolk!)

spicy tomato sauce:

ripe tomatoes

guindillas

pimenta

garlic, crushed

EVOO

1. potatoes are boiled then deep fried (home version is boiled, coated with EVOO, baked until crisp)
2. make aioli, set aside
3. make sauce by frying up tomatoes and other ingredients to taste; blend and pass through sieve
4. serve potatoes on a platter; plop a couple of tblsp on individual plates, drizzle the tomato sauce on top of the aioli, with potatoes on the side

Barcelona Observations

Some good discoveries this time around, and not one vanilla-licorice foam in sight. Traditional Catalonian fare was the key focus, with some good finds here:

• Fonda Gaig: Carles Gaig--the Barcelona institution-- opened this more relaxed restaurant a few years ago; hands down the best patates braves ever; the house specialties of cannelloni with truffle cream and macarones del cardenale (baked macaroni in a creamy sauce with tomato confit, serrano and pork shoulder); lleugera amb gelat de toffe (toffee ice cream with a sabayon mousse); mandonguilles amb sepia (meatballs with sepia); freshly picked ceps sauteed simply sauteed with smoked pork belly.
• Paco Meralgo: a quality tapas establishment with a smart crowd to go along with it; highlights included filet & black pepper and baba au rhum with coffee cream.
• Bar Mut: a bit too cool for school; reminded me of a tapas bar version of Chateaubriand in Paris, where its all gone to the chef's head; the food has taken a hit as a result. Still nice for drinks and simple tapas, love the disco ball.
• Dos Palillos: El Bulli alumni doing their Japanese thing; if you're a regular at London's Dinings, this is an easy skip as it does not come close.
• Tapas 27: tapas bar of star chef Carles Abellan; the highlight here is his signature bikini, a lip-smacking serrano, mozzarella and truffle toast.
• Bar Pinotxo: no trip to Barcelona would be complete without the requisite trip here, more for the charming patron than the food itself. Cuttlefish and cocoa beans is the signature dish.
• Other: although we didn't try, I gather that some foam & sous-vide restos include Abac (2 stars), Moo (1 star) and Alkimia.
• Oriol Balaguer: Barcelona's Artisan de Chocolat.

Smoked Eel & Leeks

Another tasty dish from Koffman's but I think I can do it better by caramelizing the leeks rather than just serving them boiled (use Leeks Vinaigrette David recipe). What I really liked about the dish though was the cute little side salad of frisee with tiny julienned radish from a Japanese mandolin. I can see the Alsacian influence of including radish in a green salad.

leeks

best quality smoked eel

frisee

radish

vinaigrette (rapeseed oil, dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, S&P)

1. make Leeks Vinaigrette David
2. julien radish, dress salad
3. assemble leeks and filet of smoked eel on a plate, with bundle of frisee alongside

Artichokes & Foie Gras Salad

Another number from Koffman's Knightsbridge.

artichoke hearts, cubed

green beans

bibb lettuce

best quality terrine of foie gras

vinaigrette:

EVOO

walnut oil

lemon juice (or red wine or sherry vinegar)

egg yolk

mustard

shallots

sea salt

pepper

1. steam and de-beard artichoke; soak hearts in lemon water before cutting into small 1-2 cm cubes
2. steam haricots verts, slice in half lengthwise
3. cut foie gras into same size cubes as artichokes
4. make dressing with a blender (egg yolk will make this more of a thing mayonnaise)
5. dress all ingredient and serve on a nice white platter