The strong "personality" of La Boqueria is clear this year, which celebrates its 180th anniversary. Not 175 or 200, no ... 180.
Among the different events that will serve to celebrate this peculiar aanniversary it is "El xef convidat", a space where renowned chefs go to the market for making a master class.
And the first was by Romain Fornell, a Michelin-starred chef (Caelis in Barcelona, for example) who manages different culinary projects (such as the renaissance of Casa Leopoldo or Caelis's younger brothers at the Ohla Hotel).
His masterclass was a tribute to vegetables. All of the dishes he cooked spinned around vegetal elements. And with truffle perfume, as truffle was well present in every dish.
First, an onion soup homage to Paul Bocuse, as it was a version of the one that the culinary myth cooked for Valéry Giscard D'Estaign.
Then came an artichoke with a truffled white butter sauce. A marvel that absolutely respected the taste of the vegetable, not hidden by the fat of the butter.
The leek with green sauce that we ate later was delicious. Remembering the "calçots", because it was roasted, the leek had a soft texture and the sweetness was balanced by the sour point of the sauce.
Personally, the surprise came with the fake celery risotto. Fake risotto because there was no rice: the small cut celery was the base of the dish. Romain Fornell showed that it was possible to make a risotto (with a trick: to cut the vegetables before), in a short time, since the celery does not take as much as the rice for being cooked.
Mixing raw beets with cooked ones, he presented us with a very nice beet tartar. And, well, a way I can eat beets without much trouble.
Finally, the wonderful "llàgrima" peas of the Maresme took center stage, with a plate where they were lightly cooked in a vegetable stock and covered with a vegetable veil that gave it a special look.
As we finished the dishes, Romain Fornell defended the local products, the season products and the importance of the market as an agent to get good material.
Among the different events that will serve to celebrate this peculiar aanniversary it is "El xef convidat", a space where renowned chefs go to the market for making a master class.
And the first was by Romain Fornell, a Michelin-starred chef (Caelis in Barcelona, for example) who manages different culinary projects (such as the renaissance of Casa Leopoldo or Caelis's younger brothers at the Ohla Hotel).
His masterclass was a tribute to vegetables. All of the dishes he cooked spinned around vegetal elements. And with truffle perfume, as truffle was well present in every dish.
First, an onion soup homage to Paul Bocuse, as it was a version of the one that the culinary myth cooked for Valéry Giscard D'Estaign.
Then came an artichoke with a truffled white butter sauce. A marvel that absolutely respected the taste of the vegetable, not hidden by the fat of the butter.
The leek with green sauce that we ate later was delicious. Remembering the "calçots", because it was roasted, the leek had a soft texture and the sweetness was balanced by the sour point of the sauce.
Personally, the surprise came with the fake celery risotto. Fake risotto because there was no rice: the small cut celery was the base of the dish. Romain Fornell showed that it was possible to make a risotto (with a trick: to cut the vegetables before), in a short time, since the celery does not take as much as the rice for being cooked.
Mixing raw beets with cooked ones, he presented us with a very nice beet tartar. And, well, a way I can eat beets without much trouble.
Finally, the wonderful "llàgrima" peas of the Maresme took center stage, with a plate where they were lightly cooked in a vegetable stock and covered with a vegetable veil that gave it a special look.
As we finished the dishes, Romain Fornell defended the local products, the season products and the importance of the market as an agent to get good material.
