Table Of ContentP
rologue
It isn’t particularly difficult to explain the intention of this book to curious
readers. The title is highly significant. The idea of culinary secrets takes us back
in time to an outdated belief in jealously guarding recipes and culinary formulae,
as if they were ‘cloths of gold’. This secrecy was so great that in many
restaurants, individuals, mainly apprentices, were forced to give back or hide any
sauce or dish, invented by the chef of the house, that they had finished off or
flavoured in a personal way. One story reveals this perfectly. Everyone knows
about Russian salad, a dish that has long been popular in many places, not only
here but throughout Europe. This salad was known as ‘Salad Olivier’, as it still is
in classical recipes. It seems that in 1860 the French chef Lucien Olivier, who
was co-owner of the Hermitage, a trendy restaurant in Moscow’s Trubnaya
Square, created a motley salad that was an immediate success. But following the
guidelines of the time, the chef kept secret, not only the ingredients in his recipe,
but also all the spices and seasonings. What’s more, he went to the grave (I
believe he is certainly buried in the Moscow cemetery) with the secrets of that
salad. Only after questioning many Hermitage diners, who had enjoyed the dish
at the time, could the Olivier salad ingredients and different dressings be
unravelled in a more or less verbal way. Today this is unthinkable. At any event,
the secrets of our cookery can be said to be ‘open secrets’, constantly
disseminated through works like this, newspapers and magazines of all kinds, as
well as countless websites and internet blogs, providing information to the entire
planet in seconds. Far from being a handkerchief, the world is now a tablecloth.
Therefore, ‘the secrets’ mentioned in this book are nothing but the wide open
doors of our kitchen. Particularly our research laboratory, discovering many,
many small cookery products and new techniques, ideas for fun combinations,
visual explosions that help with the understanding of the cuisine’s recipes,
which, without denying the complexity, sometimes opt for simple, but not
simplistic, solutions, in that what really matters is the very occurrence of their
creation. All this is based on the apt words of the great artist Javier Mariscal,
‘when in doubt, simplicity’.
‘when in doubt, simplicity’.
Furthermore, I do not have sleepless nights trying to summarize the secret of the
newness of Arzak’s cuisine, as you can infer from reading this book.
It is a cuisine with a very specific personality, responding to the taste and
expertise of those who make up the team that researches and produces this
cuisine. But of course, we are not Martians, and it is a Basque cuisine with
concrete roots and above all tastes, that can be called idiosyncratic tastes (ways
of being, in this case, eating, collective ownership, Basque), to be respected and
not thrown overboard. Another key facet of our culinary work is that of research,
an important factor in the development of all enterprises and, of course, the most
creative. I like to emphasize that Arzak is no longer a lone person, who, in his
day, why not say it, was a precursor, travelled, courageous, always with great
boldness. It is a team, who investigates, tastes and tests everything and gives the
best, i.e., shows diners eager for new experiences, only a small percentage, the
minimum best of that which has been investigated. Precisely because this is an
evolutionary cuisine, not a culinary success dying or living off the greatness of a
series of perfect formulas in technique or taste. And it needs to be constantly
moving forward in order not to stagnate. And that brings us to the end of these
definitions: it is an avant-garde cuisine, which is not cloning other leading
cuisines or has few that are similar, surrenders to no-one, but prefers to lead,
with all the risks involved, and, along with other great chefs, to keep Basque
cuisine and therefore also Spanish cuisine, at the spearhead of permanent
renovation in the world.
I believe this work is a small sample of the above. Especially in the aspect I wish
to highlight. Teamwork. Thus, in the creation and practical development of these
recipes, as always, the entire team has bent over backwards. From my daughter
Elena, who contributed many ideas, thoughts and suggestions; to chef, Pello
Aramburu (and everyone around him), above all with their practical
qualifications, and, of course, at the heart of responsibility, Xabi Gutiérrez,
creative head of our research laboratory, and another key person, his right hand
man, the young Igor Zalakain, who painstakingly synthesized all creations into
practice. We cannot forget the importance of the visual element today and,
through the front door, here comes the hugely professional photographer and
close friend, Mikel Alonso, who unusually in the graphic collaboration of many
close friend, Mikel Alonso, who unusually in the graphic collaboration of many
less impressive books, takes us stunningly through the eye to the essence of each
recipe. Nor can I fail to include in our team, the pen of another great friend and
collaborator Mikel Corcuera, who can interpret what I think better than anyone,
and with whom once again, I have easily been able to provide the glossary to our
unique cookbook with precision and depth.
I also have to thank my good friends the Spanish publishers Bainet Editorial,
who again bet on us to produce a complex work that will hopefully enjoy
success to be shared for the good of all. And to Grub Street, the publishers of the
English edition.
Juan Mari
Oils, new colours, aromas and flavours
About twenty years ago, I started to experiment with smoothies or vegetable,
herb and fruit juices, incorporating them into different types of oils. From the
start, and also in later research, the cookery team and I prepared and tested many
combinations.
It is undoubtedly common in cookery, above all in the Mediterranean (especially
in the most modern cookery – and the author’s), to use these oils in profusion.
Aromatic oils increase the taste quality of a dish. They are easy to prepare, in
terms of combinations of ingredients, because there are hundreds of them... just
unleash the imagination of each cook. Basil or parsley, tarragon or rosemary,
with spinach or garlic, with lemon, orange or tangerine peel, passion fruit and
other exotic fruits, with oils sweet or spicy. Also with cardamom, green pepper
or cinnamon. I recall some dishes that gave almost more attention to these
details, and the taste of the aromatic oils in sauces and, especially, in
vinaigrettes, that enhanced the raw material of the dish. Base oils: of course, our
fantastic extra virgin olive oil but also walnut, peanut, corn, hazelnut or
sunflower oil.
Prawns en escabeche, marinated with a striking and equally tasty beetroot oil.
Baby squid grilled in corn oil with a sweet corn smoothie, or a squid oil to
enhance a mackerel with chive vinaigrette. A unique olive oil with chorizo for
