Taking Spanish cuisine to the next millennium

Visiting chef dares to disprove that our

repertoire is limited, staid or worse,

caught in a time warp

LA GRAN Cocina Espa?ola, Great

Spanish Cuisine, is a geographic affair,

says Chef Sergio Arola.

The cooking is linked to the produce

from the earth and the sea. The cuisine is

of excellent quality because of the

Mediterranean climate and soil.

The ingredients are complex but

combined with care. This is why it's hard to find a good Spanish

restaurant outside of the Iberian peninsula.

Frequent travelers comment that our local Spanish restaurants

have not only been caught in a time warp but also have a limited

and staid repertoire.

If you want the real Spanish cuisine suited to the next

millennium, Hotel Inter-Continental's Prince Albert Rotiserrie

features La Gran Cocina Espa?ola of Chef Arola.

Mango pasta

Arola studied under masters Ferran Adria of El Bulli, a Michelin

three-star restaurant, Roger Verge and Pierre Gagnaire. In 1996,

Arola was the champion in the Campeonate de Espa?a de

Cocineros Jovenes. His award-winning repertoire took him

several days to prepare. His consomme of Jabugo ham was

complemented by a flan of mushrooms, crunchy artichokes, a

gelee of truffles and cubes of duck liver.

The main course was a risotto with mildly tangy Idiazabal

cheese, and red mullet, squid ink vinaigrette and crunchy

paprika. Idiazabal cheese is made by the Basques from the milk

of their long-haired sheep. It is cured and smoked by the sheep

farmers.

The dessert was mango ravioli filled with tomatoes and

caramelized basil. Finely sliced mangoes were packed with

tomatoes and folded into triangles.

''Mango makes the best vegetarian pasta,'' says Arola.

For Intercon's food festival, the star chef of Madrid's La Broche

Restaurant--which is famous for creative cookery and world

cuisine--will show his innovations in Catalan cuisine. He says

that if he were to liken his cooking to a song, the Catalan

influence is a leitmotif.

Arola says that for so long, Spaniards had been looking up to

the French for inspiration and technique. Today there's a new

generation of chefs who are reverting to La Gran Cocina

Espa?ola.

Arola says the main role of food in Spain is to sustain the

human being. It keeps him warm and protected from the cold

weather and the parchness of his land so he can pursue his

dreams like Don Quixote.

Minimalist

Before arriving in Manila, Juan Rocha advised him on what

foods titillated the Filipino palate. These are mainly the

guisados, pork-based dishes or greasy spoon stuff.

''Most of the foods are from the earth,'' says Arola. For the main

courses, he will serve popular dishes of La Broche --pigeon

risotto, beef fillet, lamb loin, monkfish soup, lapu-lapu

escabeche and sea bass with black pudding. ''These are enjoyed

by everyone around the world,'' he says.

Here lies the power of Mediterranean cooking, it is natural and

its subtlety is derived from the fusion of ingredients, the basic

mixture itself.

The 31-year-old chef says his cuisine is deceptively simple. The

procedure is time consuming and very technical but the result is

simple for the diner to understand. The plate, he says, tastes

and looks ''minimalist'' akin to the purity of Japanese cooking of

which he is partial to.

For instance, the Tuna Fillet Roasted with Eucalyptus, Shallots

and Cassis, is an example of contrasting tastes and cleanliness.

The berry or cassis gives a concentrated flavor. When

combined with tuna, its essence removes the fish's grimy taste.

True to Spanish cooking, the ingredients are not camouflaged

and never heavily spiced to change the fundamental tastes.

Innovations

The entrante, Seafood Timbale with SeaWater Gelee and

Marinera Vinaigrette, has a difficult procedure. The mollusk is

boiled in seawater for four seconds. When it is opened, the meat

should neither be raw nor fully cooked.

Since Catalan cooking eschews waste, the seawater on which it

is boiled is made into a gelee spread on the bottom of the

timbale or little bucket. The seafood is delicately placed inside

the timbale and flavored with red pepper vinaigrette.

This dish belongs to a tapas bar. Tapa is not the tough and

greasy meat we Filipinos know it. It means hors d'ouvre.

Arola says French restaurants, especially in Spain, had

alienated people when they catered to an exclusive clientele

--the rich American and Japanese tourists.

The new breed of Spanish chefs is developing a cuisine

accessible to everybody. Dishes are derived from popular food

but brought to a higher level.

One of the most challenging dishes in the menu is the Coca of

Duck Liver with Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables, Spanish

Olive Oil and Herbes de Provence. Coca is a traditional food in

Spain similar to Italian pizza. It has a cookie-thin base laden with

meat, vegetables and herbs and roasted on a big pan.

Arola uses pastry crust as the base. Mashed tomato, red and

green peppers and legumes accompany the slivers of duck liver.

They are grilled and doused in olive oil. When the heat is

reduced, it is topped with burnt sugar and onions.

Desserts

The young chef draws inspiration from history for his desserts.

Pan Con Vino y Azucar or Red Wine Ice Cream with Sweet

Croutons brings back memories of his childhood. This postre or

dessert was always served in his house. It was inspired by a

postwar dessert--a round, sweet bread cut in small portions.

Arola flavors this postre with regular red wine, not the sweet

one.

The ingredients of the Helado de Melimato con Gelee de

Moscatel or Ice Cream of Cheese and Honey with Moscatel

Jelly were derived from the foods of the ancients in the

Mediterranean--wine, cheese, plums and honey. These are the

foods often mentioned in Old Testament.

Le Espuma Quemada de Crema Catalana or Catalunian Cream

Mousse is concocted from white cheese and honey.

Arola enjoys the simple pleasures of Spanish food. His favorite

Catalunian breakfast is bread and tomato.

Thick slices of crusty bread, scrubbed with the face of sweet

tomato and garlic, are sprinkled with a few drops of light olive

oil and topped with slices of unsalted tomato. This dish tastes

better with Jabugo ham. Once you eat it you'll know why it has

such eminence in Cocina Espa?ola.

He says there's nothing like ham from Jabugo in Huelva. Touted

as the best ham in Spain, it is crunchy and combines the

complementary tastes of saltiness and sweetness. It can take as

long as five years to cure those pata negras or black legs in the

mountain ranges.

The food festival will run through May 22 at Prince Albert's

Rotiserrie. Chef Sergio Arrola will hold a cooking demo on May

18 at 10 a.m. at Intercon's Le Boulevardier. He will show how to

make a three-course menu of Lobster Carpaccio, Beef Filet and

Lychees Roasted with Cantaloupe Soup. For reservations, call

814-8711 local 776 and 777.