Interior layout

a tour of Lolita

First we have Jaime, the executive chef and owner of Lolita. The terraza is on the second floor, as seen both facing the kitchen and facing out to the street. Last is the main dining room with waiter Tony waiting for the guests to arrive.

Escarcha

Nice compliment to a fruit plate, this is an herb sorbet. Let it get hard and then scrape it out with a fork as you need it.

50 g. Hierba Luisa (lemon verbina)
50 g. Romero (rosemary)
50 g. Tomillo (thyme)
1 g. pimienta negra (black pepper)
2 litros h20
150 g. azucar (sugar)

Semisphera de Foie

Served as a first course at Senzone, this is foie formed in a half circle mold, with strips of caramelized apple and sliced almonds and Foie ice cream. Apple glaze.

Menu de Mercado, October 08

4th course

Tocinillo de romero con queso de cabra y caramelo balsamico de frutos rojos.

Named tocinillo after tocino, the belly fat of pork, because of its similar texture. With a delicate flavor of rosemary, it is an interesting combo with the goat cheese ice cream. The sweet balsamic helps to cut through it.

Menu de Mercado, October 08

2nd course

Fabes verdinas con bacalao confitado.

Simple dish of fava beans, cooked with the veg and jamon, poached in olive oil bacalao with garnish of pil pil.

Menu de Mercado, October 08

Third course

Lasana de patata crujiente y cordero, setas, aceite de cebollino y espuma de menta.

Layered with dark bechamel made from the pan drippings of the roasted lamb, also shown on plate.

Menu de Mercado, October 08

1st course

Mouse de Roquefort, fondo de manzana con bastones de apio y grissinis de pipas

Mousse of Roquefort cheese over caramelized apples, arugala, toasted sliced almonds and house made breadsticks. Drizzle of Arbequina olive oil.

Grisinis

Basically long snappy breadsticks.

380 g. harina de fuerza (bread flour)
1 cucharadita de sal (small spoon of salt)
25 gramos levadura fresca (grams of fresh yeast)
2 cucharas miel (tablespoons honey)
2 cucharas aceite oliva (TBL olive oil)
200 cc agua templada (room temperature water)

mix some batter with black olive paste, some with peeled sesame seeds (pipas de girasol), add anything. 15 min or so at 165°c.

Caldo Perdiz-Kappa

1 litro caldo perdiz (partridge stock)
4 gramos kappa (bulli powdered sea algae gelatin)

this has added meat of the perdiz (partridge), other reserved meat heated with it, and then spooned on top of a salad in a ring mold to keep it into a solid flavorful shape. When the stock cools just a bit, the kappa kicks in and holds the greens in place.

Simple syrup, rosemary

2 ramas romero (sticks rosemary)
1 litro h2o
800 g. azucar (sugar)

Crema Calabaza

Roasted Squash
Strain out h2o
aceite oliva (olive oil)
sal (salt)
cardomomo verde (green cardomom)

spoon on plate and pull

Gelatina - Discos

We are making gelatin from burned leek stock. Basically we take the leeks and place them directly on the burning fire and let them completely char. Some we take and puree into a dust in the Thermomix, and the rest we infuse into water and reduce into a stock. Strain it several times and then follow instructions. Pour 1/2 liter of stock into each full plastic hotel pan and let set up. Cut out discs and we are using it on the apperitivo this week. Which is served in a small stemmed bowl: steamed cauliflower drizzled with oil of the nora pepper, the gelatin disc on top, a flake of poached cod, minced red pepper, a water soaked slice of spring onion, drizzled arbequenia olive oil, and a smidge of sal maldon (flaked crystal salt).

5 g. kappa
2 g. agar agar
por 1 litro, frio (for 1 liter)
levantar a 85°c (bring to 85°c on the stove)
pour out, 500 ml for a hotel pan
let rest
cut

Kappa para Arroz

This is a neat trick to set the rice in a mold, just strong enough to break with a fork and it collapses.

1 litro caldo (liter stock) = 5 g. kappa; paint inside of mold with mixture

Caldo Pichon

Pichon is a wild type of pigeon, tasty and served very med. rare.

Hibisco (hibiscus)
Frambuesas (raspberries)
Agua rosa-drops (rose water)
ajo (garlic)
romero (rosemary)
tomillo (thyme)

Espuma Queso de Cabra

500 g. nata (heavy cream)
300 g. queso de cabra (goat cheese)
2 hojas gelatina (gelatin sheets)
10 min. @ 60° slow speed thermomix; as not to mount the cream
Sifon

This is served in a spoon on the side of the lamb sweetbreads starter.
Mollejas (sweetbreads) sauteed in garlic oil, add sliced ajo tierno (spring garlic), caramelized onions and lamb demi. Season and place in ring mold, garnish with fried ajo tierno. Some agridulce uvas (grapes marinated in vinegar and sugar).

Agua de Azafran - Xantana ratio

Azafran (saffron)
H2O
en vacio (in vacuum), 3-4 horas (hours) @ 65°c

4 gramos de xantana para 250 ml liquado (4 grams xanthan gum for 250 ml liquid)
Add xantana and mix well with a burr mixer, hot or cold. Nice plating texture.
This ratio can be used with any liquid.

Mojito

Sorbete de lima (lime sorbet)
first in glass

Gelatina de Ron, cubed (rum gelatin) on top of sorbet
250 g sugar
900 ml h20
350 ml rum, heat and add:
15 sheets gelatin

Espuma de menta, dispense with isi
infuse mint in water, add 7 sheets of gelatin for each liter.

Sal de lima (dried lime salt) sprinkled on top

Cabrito, what to do with a baby goat?

Cabrito, en vacio

Paella, the basics

Can you smell it?

Paella, what is it all about?

Sure, I thought I knew how to make a paella. That was back in the old days, living in Orlando, fresh out of culinary school with issued recipe in hand. I even rewrote that faithful diction down in my bible of need to know recipes. Then, in 2002, I went to Valencia and was treated to a true 'campo' paella...at a family's out of the city chill out spot. Amazing...this huge pan with rabbit, vegetables and that ever present Nora pepper in some form or another. Then, on subsequent visits there came the restaurant visits, at the beach or in the mountains. But it was not until I started working over here did I make my first one at home....which are always the best. First at Monastrell and then at Senzone did I learn to make and then get good at making them. Nothing beats a Sunday paella!!!!

finally some peace and quiet at work

arrived today and it was sooooo quiet. A big change from the last couple of weeks. Tonight I started a veal glace, called either fondo or jugo de carne here. Some big bones today, roasted'em up real nice in the oven, leeks, celery, onions....no carrots used in this one, even though that is what I prefer. Also simmered with champinones, tomate, and shallotas after the initial straining of the bones. On the last go around its infused with rosemary and thyme.

Roscón de Reyes

Yesterday was my first Reyes, or Kings day here in Spain.....so Mette and I got a Roscón de Reyes, a special cake for the day. Inside there were three surprises, a king figurine which Mette found, making here king for the day :-), and I found the dried haba, meaning that I had to pay for the cake :-(. The other surprise was truely a surprise, a little Maggie Simpson figurine. Good cake, dipped in hot chocolate....I like some of these spanish traditions. The night before there was a huge parade in the city, on Alfonso el Sabio; unfortunately I decided to go to El Corte Ingles and got caught on the other side of the city for over an hour, trying to find a place to cross and get back home. The parade had a lot of floats with kids on them, throwing candy and small toys out to the thousands of people lining the street.
Now, we are enjoying a pleasant 3 day weekend at home together, after a long holiday 10 day seguido work week. Things should slow down a bit now, but we are also in for some interesting changes at the hotel next month, when Carmen the exec chef is going out on maternity leave for 4 months.