NAVARRA GOURMET

Vegetables ... language, evolution, subtlety

Josean Martínez Alija “Guggenheim Bilbao”

“There are still many things to be discovered about vegetables”

Josean Martínez, the controversial chef of the Guggenheim restaurant in Bilbao, pays particular attention to vegetables when creating his menus. "We are aiming to create a language with vegetables, by seeking an interaction and a provocation between the known and the unknown” he explained. According to this young chef, "there are still many things to be discovered about vegetables and great things to be achieved".

First of all Martínez prepared "Iodized chickpeas with a sweet cod and curry stock", chickpeas are "a humble vegetable used here to create an interaction" between traditional cuisine and the aroma of octopus, through the stock. The curry enhances the flavour of the chickpeas, which would otherwise disappear with the octopus" he explained.

His second dish was "Green celery marrow with lemon and cucumber juice" in which celery is understood as cardoon. "The celery principally represents the aroma", the chef explained, who indicated that "the texture and aromas of this dish are reminiscent of a dish of game". "We are presenting the aroma of the celery, but fighting against its disadvantages", he affirmed.

Martínez also prepared "Avocado... vegetable foie with acidic squid juice and coriander” a special dish in which the avocado is vacuum-cooked with pepper and nutmeg, as if it were foie. Here the temperature is of utmost importance: "Everything we're doing is related to warm and lukewarm, two temperatures which are quite different. Lukewarm is between 36 to 40 degrees, whilst warm is around 50 degrees". The idea behind his dish, like the majority of the dishes on his menu, is to surprise: "We're looking for products that are not widely used or which are used in different recipes, we want to play with the surprise factor".

Finally, this chef from the Guggeheim cooked a steamed dish, a cooking technique which, according to him, "achieves many flavours"; and a dish with carrots in which he plays with their flavour and texture, by combining the raw vegetable and its juice.

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