If you haven’t seen the fabulous film about elBulli, Cooking in progress, you should urgently do so. All others will surely still have the pictures of the always very lively kitchen of the elBulli in front of their eyes. Directly at the door to the restaurant Ferran Adrià always had his place and looked at each plate with wary eyes. In the same way, the extensive staff dinners are likely to have remained in the head. Every day the whole team got together to eat three small, quick courses together before the service. But, what do you actually eat in the kitchen of what was once the best restaurant in the world?
Information is provided by the bookDas Familienessen – Zu Hause kochen mit Ferran Adrià, published by Phaidon in 2011: Every day at 5:20 p.m., the elBulli staff stops what they’re doing, clears the countertops, sets them, and sits down together to eat. These “family dinners” consist of three courses, usually simple dishes such as fish soup, salad or grilled chicken. It’s the time of day when the team pauses and gathers before heading into the stressful evening. For Ferran Adrià, a very decisive moment.
And the recipes are completely different from what you would expect: mostly quick, often simple, typically Spanish and so richly illustrated that actually everything is perfect and cookable without much risk. The book distinguishes between basics, i.e. basic recipes, and the individual menus.
The basic Bolognese recipe particularly appealed to me the first time I read through it under the Christmas tree, not least to compare it with my own interpretation.
The quantity of ingredients is significantly reduced, but even with the Ragù al elBulli, at some point after almost 90 minutes on a low setting, that magic moment occurs when the sum of the ingredients suddenly creates the desired symbiosis. The most interesting thing about this version is that the ground beef and pork are browned first, while the vegetables (carrots, onions and celery) simmer in another pot and are combined later.
Conclusion: A great book with many beautiful, mostly easily adaptable recipes from the kitchen and pen of the master.
