Luis Blasco
Irene Fernández Jubitero (Video) Madrid
Madrid
Updated Thursday, March 28, 2024-12:51
Mythical Dishes (I) The secrets of Lhardy consommé: 48 hours of cooking, thousands of liters a year and a ritual of almost two centuries
Mythical Dishes (II) The divinely inspired dessert that they embroider in this restaurant with 60 years of history
Mythical Dishes (III) The tortilla that earned a place on the menu of the Romero brothers' gourmet restaurant
Mythical Dishes (IV) The century-old pastry shop that sells thousands of torrijas every Easter: "The secret is in the bread"
Ninety-six hours. This is the time that passes between the tripe from La Tasquería entering the kitchen and being ready to serve. Because the time for
Javier Estévez
, his chef, is not trivial.
The cuisine of this Madrid native, exemplified in his tripe, is a
crossroads
between the past, the present and the future.
Determined to break down the
taboo
around offal, this dish is the spearhead of a movement to recover that cuisine of yesteryear, that of
chup-chup
, that of always keeping an eye on the casserole and that of 'no waste here nothing'.
"The rush has killed certain types of cuisine, that cuisine of patience," explains Estévez. Cuisine like the one that he and his team have recovered, reinterpreted and offered to an audience that was not used to eating criadillas, liver, tendon and, of course,
tripe
, the star dish of the offal.
The starting point of Javi's interest in offal began at
Doña Filo's inn
, where he worked for six years. "I realized the possibilities that these products have when brought to a kitchen and a slightly more informal restaurant," he explains.
And by being more friendly, Estévez means adapting the recipes so that
novices and experts
alike can enjoy flavors and textures that were common on the tables of yesteryear but that were being lost over time. "We try to make it a reinterpretation that is suitable for all audiences," he says.
Javi Estévez preparing the tripe ingredientsIrene F. Jubitero
Their tripe is a good example of this adaptation to an audience that wants
to try new things
but without giving up the classic. "The original recipe uses Asturian chorizo and blood sausage," he says. "We have changed it for
Iberian chorizo and blood sausage
," she points out.
The other key piece of this new version of such a traditional recipe are the
spices
. To the usual paprika, Estévez adds another mixture. "We use cloves, nutmeg, cumin, thyme, oregano and even curry," he lists.
A subtle, but noticeable touch that results in "spicier than usual" tripe. A deep defatting and a
long rest,
up to four days, make them more pleasant and accessible to palates unaccustomed to the forcefulness of this dish.
Among that audience are people who have never eaten offal. Some
young diners
who saw their parents or grandparents consuming it, but it didn't catch their attention. "It's nice to be able to bring all these products to people who have never tried them," he says.
An approach that does not leave aside lovers of this type of food. "Many people also come who are fans of this product," he adds, attracted by a different way of eating
criadillas
, tendons or sweetbreads.
Estévez, like other chefs, take advantage of the potential of offal to bring to the present
recipes from yesteryear
passed through a patina of innovation. "We have realized that offal allows us to develop a type of recipes that require much more knowledge when cooking," he explains. "It is a product with
tremendous possibilities
," he adds.
All despite the clichés that these dishes may have, such as that it is made with a
cheap product
. "It may be cheap in origin compared to a steak, but the loss it has is terrible," he says.
Eat everything from everyone
One of the missions of La Tasquería, and of El Lince, Estévez's new location, is precisely to break down those walls and taboos around a product that he describes as the most
sustainable
. "There is nothing more sustainable than cooking with offal," he says.
Where others see
waste
, Estévez sees opportunity. "Before, other uses were made that had nothing to do with restoration," he adds.
"What we have to do is
eat the whole animal
: brains, tongue, kidneys, cheeks, blood sausages, livers... we cannot sacrifice an animal to eat only the loin, the top, the stifle, etc.... we must absolutely consume everything," he adds. And of "all animals." In La Tasquería there are cows, calves, rabbits, pigs...
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"We have to go for real and easy sustainability," he summarizes. Estévez does it in his restaurant, but also asks that the administrations
promote the consumption
of this type of products.
On the verge of 41 years old, he has been in the kitchen all his life. "When I was little, cooking caught my attention, I don't know why," she recalls. After passing the selectivity, he went to
study cooking in Galicia
, where he "fell in love" with the profession. "I did the first year of school and I was amazed," he remembers.
Upon leaving "that university of life and profession," he ended up at Cenador de Salvador, a
Michelin-starred
restaurant . "From then on I haven't stopped," she says.
He has worked in the kitchens of Tragabuches, El Bohío, Villena and Mesón de Doña Filo, which he combined with the television competition
Top Chef
. "It was a before and after in my life," she admits. "It puts you on the map for a lot of people," she adds.
In 2015 he decided to take the leap of opening his own restaurant and doing so with something as special as
offal
. With Tasquería he has earned his first Michelin star.
"The Guide was brave," he says, "he gave us a star for having taken a risk and
being faithful
to this proposal and improving it over time," he acknowledges. "It is a responsibility because we are leaving the model," she believes. Now, when changing locations (they move to Modesto Lafuente 82), he has to get it back. "Something logical," says Estévez.