Starting a New Year can take a while. In my case, after a Christmas break in Barcelona, my home town, I’ve been developing new ways to share my skills with all my fellow foodies. I often try my first workshop in a specific field with friends and family. This was the case with my pasta class, which I’d been putting a lot of research and develop into over the last few months. Another class I’ve added is the Paella one, which I’ve been doing throughout my whole career in London, with some improvements. I’d like to invite you all to...
Alchemy of natural colours
Our last supper club was magical , my intention was to experiment as much as possible with as many colours as possible on a simple, familiar pasta shape: ravioli. The colour added a playful dimension that transported some of the club foodies to their childhood memories of playing with Play-Doh. People often can’t believe that colours can be achieved without additives. In actual fact, all the colours I use come from pretty basic natural ingredients. It’s the cooking process -the alchemy- that brings out the intensity. Given adding colour to pasta can only add to its nutrients without altering its flavour, there...
Vegetables for every season
I’ve been wanting to write about vegetarianism for a while. I find it fascinating that it goes back so long in history – from ancient Greece Pythagoreans, whom believed that a meatless diet enabled better aging of the body, to ancient India, where it has always been part of the culinary culture. In western culture, however, it’s never been more established than now. From the 70s onwards the awareness of the importance of using recipes with higher levels of protein increased. With this came a wave of ingredients such as peanuts, beans, seeds and grain. It’s now an exception to the...
A celebration of life
Though I’ve been lucky enough to cook in very special London homes I can’t help but feel excited when a home county private dining opportunity comes my way. More so when it’s in someone’s country home. One of my clients lives in Hunton, in a converted barn. A couple of weeks ago I visited her very special place for a very special occasion, her 50th birthday. When space is less of an issue as it is in London there is usually a wider choice of ways of hosting. In this case, my client’s house was beyond ideal but most of...