NAVARRA GOURMET

Vegetables and oil

David Yarnoz “El Molino de Urdaniz”, in Urdániz

The perfect match

Does an oil exist for each particular dish? David Yárnoz, from the El Molino de Urdániz restaurant experimented with the different oils made by Trujal Artajo in order to find the perfect match for his dishes. "Each oil is different and each dish changes completely with each oil variety", the chef explained.

To arrive at these combinations, Yárnoz worked with four varieties of oil, tasting the product as a liquid, in emulsion and as powdered oil. "Each oil produced different sensations with regard to taste and mouth feel", he indicated.

The oil flavour depends on many factors, given the fact that "everything affecting the fruit's quality also affects the oil", as Pedro Abad, from Trujal Artajo explained. In this way, the soil marks the character of the oils, as does the drip irrigation system employed. "The degree of ripeness is extremely important to the final result", he affirmed.

The chef started to work with the Arbosana variety, one of the most delicate oils and generally associated with the preparation of sweet dishes. Yárnoz used it in a dish of mussels, treated as an appetiser in pickled sauce and with a hazelnut praline, finished with some herb shoots and flowers.

“We could see that the dish needed oil and that it improved as we added the oil, working according to the diner's taste", he affirmed. This Arbosana variety, which originated in Catalonia, has a cloudy yellowish green colour with an intense fruity aroma, sweet tones and almonds and hazelnut notes. On the palate it is creamy and has a gentle, elegant peppery taste.

Yárnoz also prepared a lobster dish with Manzanilla oil from Caceres in emulsion and an Arbequina oil in sand (prepared with toasted flour, powdered milk and oil)."The powdered Manzanilla from Caceres oil gives a sensation of heat, but we don't know what this is due to", he indicated. The Manzanilla is a variety from Extremadura with a low fat content. On the palate it is dense with an elegant bitterness and a persistent, light peppery taste.

Finally Yárnoz used the Koroneiki oil variety for a dessert named "Pollen, flowers and herbs", with which he reflected the progression of nature. "It's very surprising to find this oil in this dish, but it's a great flavour enhancer", explained the chef. This oil comes from Greece and has herbaceous aromas and a very intense green colour.

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