Championship Canary
good cooks
Critica Carlos Maribor in his blog on the ABC and a jury member.
I do not like being sworn at all. Decide what is best and what is worse, which is well and what is wrong, when people and careers at stake is always complicated. Something similar to what happens with the criticism. But I understand that someone has to. So I accepted the kind invitation of the Cabildo of Tenerife and organizers to chair the jury of the 6 th Regional Championship Absolute Chefs de Canarias, which as I told you was held this week, Tuesday and Wednesday in Santa Cruz. The organization had previously selected the ten finalists on the basis of their CVs and recipes that had been sent. This selection system has its drawbacks, and the proof is that in the end there were two or three cooks with a very technical level below the rest. It also happens that when a championship in the Canary Islands is expected to be the widest possible participation of islands. However, as I come from telling a couple of years of frequent visits to that region today Tenerife culinary supremacy is unquestioned. This food plan orchestrated by the council over several years has paid off. And not just because the island has now a large group of leading chefs, also because the average level of quality in any store in the north or south has risen dramatically.
in quality, product handling, cleaning, facilities ... A patient who has been working results and shows that institutional support (not talking about subsidies) is critical for culinary development, development that is inextricably linked with tourism. Also because the plan has not only raised the standard of restaurants, pubs and bars, and the level of cooks. He has also served to restore native products and traditional recipes, which are now the basis of the work of many chefs. Books and pamphlets on potatoes and many types of herbs and plants, the mojos, on cheese on honey, about wine, about fish and seafood, on native meats such as rabbit, goat, pig and peculiar black sheep Canary hair, known pelibuey popularly ... The wealth of Tenerife is great and has defended the plan in some cases and retrieved in many others. Remaining dishes and products, as they remain on other islands, almost hidden from the visitor, replaced by an international cuisine with no roots and no meaning. If you have a chance to go forth with the book Tenerife, AN ISLAND WITH FLAVOR through Tenerife Infoturismo page or some of the pamphlets have been published over the years. All very interesting. However, satisfaction was seeing the ten finalists cooks used, with few exceptions, the Canary Islands products. In the mandatory prescriptions because the main ingredient was the rabbit in the country, so this in island lore. And because there were free wreckfish, sama, haddock, mackerel, lamb or pork pelibuey black reinforced with local products like potatoes, peas, chickpeas, goat cheese, the mojos, fruits , the honey wine of Malvasia.
Perfect organization, with the schedule followed to the letter and a scenario that could work simultaneously to five cooks with a huge range, equipped with all imaginable means. An example for other championships we've seen in Spain, with chefs boxed and almost hidden from the public and what is worse, to the jury. Were nine members, with the presence of cooks, representatives Tenerife academies (in this case the president) and Gran Canaria of food, a gourmet and a couple of food journalists. And we could all move with complete freedom by the spacious work area, without disturbing or interfering with the work of cooks and their assistants. Meanwhile, a member of the organization explained to the audience in the stands the progress of the championship, which were the cooks and was marking time. As I say, one of the best organized tournaments I've seen. Too bad the winner is not in the championship after Spain, which requires a very high amount for registration, which must be added the costs of moving to a cook, assistant and a member of the team several days from the Canary Islands to Madrid. I say shame, because the winner of this year I'm sure would make a great role in that championship year after year regional register notable absences, such as Catalonia, the result left lame. Test
great moment in Tenerife cuisine is that six of the finalists were from this island and contained as La Gomera, was born there, but work in Tenerife. Besides them, a representative of Gran Canaria, Lanzarote another and another of La Palma. Participated in two sessions, one for the morning and afternoon, trading each day. The first course was with rabbit. The second, free. Although the level two or three exceptions, was very high, from the first day was that there were two serious candidates. In their technique, by the way you work, the tools employed by the complexity of his dishes. And among them was the final thing, with a narrow margin of points: one was Miguel Navarro, a cook who works at the hotel ABAMA, gastronomic reference in southern Tenerife, the other Ignacio Hernández Altamira, SAFFRON restaurant in Santa Cruz , a site I do not know yet (on this trip, logically impossible) but which had good references, now seeing increased their dishes. Working both with creative, imaginative, perfect treatment product, final and very simple clean flavors. Navarro did something better rabbit loin stuffed his sausage with creamy sweet apple and fennel salad, as opposed to "Spring in the mountains of Tenerife" based on chops, chicken liver pate of almonds, wild herbs, and honey Malvasia Tajinaste. Slight advantage not served the second day. While Navarro was a central vacuum pollack soup pot (made the clarification on the stage flawlessly) with tartare of shrimp and a touch of lemon and cilantro, Nacho Hernandez filed a muddy pelibuey lamb loin with mint mojo, dates , vegetable and juice infused couscous with mint tea, clearly inspired by Moorish. Two superb cuisine, the highest level, although perhaps the second as clean presentation influenced the vote. But either chefs deserved the award.
There were many more good things. For example, see work with rigor and professionalism to the third ranked, the only woman in the final, which was Patricia García Liz. Interestingly an unemployed cook who seems to have already solved your problem with your outstanding performance, especially great regularity: hat rabbit confit with black potato chips, and three textures cod delight with aromatic risotto. The third place narrowly missed another great home cook Austrian Thomas Leeb, Essencia Restaurant, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. A delay in the delivery of your plate on the first day penalized him too, but the royal mackerel with tomato, almonds and wasabi that had the second day was worthy of an award. Of the rest, I liked the rabbit dish Hans Joachim Figge, the oldest of the participants, FINCA Montimar hotel in southern Tenerife, with a very academic central European cuisine, while the second day was not at the same level. The youngest of all, Henry Montes, the GOM (a good place in Santa Cruz which I talked about a couple of months), cook with a great future, was too nervous and that happened bill. Finally the great haddock ceviche with papaya's Juan Carlos Rodriguez, chef of the Parador de Turismo de La Palma. There were also prize for the best assistant, who went to Ruben Perez, a fellow of the winner, to the great disappointment of Sebastian Fernandez of Abama, who also did a great job. You see, in the Canary Islands in Tenerife in general and in particular, there are many gastronomic level
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