We shared one such simple and memorable meal in Barcelona at a restaurant called Can Majo. A full-on Nor’easter was blowing that night and it reminded us that Barcelona is a seaport town. We blustered into the nearly empty restaurant and the staff seemed somewhat shocked and maybe even impressed that someone had ventured out in this driving rain.

While the surf beat the pavements outside we received the menus (written in Castellano and Catalan) and set about trying to decode our choices. With the help of a young woman on the staff we made our first selections. The first dish that came out was Pescadito Frito: little bait fish that must have been gutted with miniature knives by miniature people in little teeny tiny rooms! With a squeeze of lemon, a little sea salt, and some perfectly ground pepper these little fishies were DELICIOUS. We sipped a simple Spanish Chardonnay and dug into a Spanish version of bruschetta: toasted rustic bread rubbed with tomato and drizzled with aromatic extra virgin olive oil. On the table there was a small plate of Spanish olives and cornichons.

The next plate to come out was Navajas a la Plancha-grilled razor clams. The treatment was so simple and flavorful with butter, parsley and light olive oil. They were slightly chewy and sweet as traditional clams. (BTW, do you know what they call the illegitimate son of a clam? A shellfish bastard!)

The Gambas de Playa a la Plancha -grilled whole shrimp- were bright red with their heads still on and were swimming in an herbed butter and olive oil. The shrimp were still cooking on the plate as they were brought out, and were sweet (with a hint of natural salt) and cooked to perfection. Things were starting to get sublime; we opened a second bottle: a Chardonnay Cosecha.

For our main course we stumbled upon one of the most delicious rice dishes I’ve ever eaten: Caldero de Arroz con Bogavante. Served in a cast iron cauldron, this was essentially a loose lobster risotto flavored with a delicious broth.

I didn't get a photo of the actual dish but this photo of Bogavente gives you an idea!

The waiter playfully placed this amazing dish in front of us and then lifted it up and walked away as if going back into the kitchen. This dish served in this place on this night was almost beyond description. The rice, which was intentionally served slightly underdone, finished cooking while we ate it. The broth had a hint of East wind and saffron. That sea flavor was imparted by a rouget based fume, or as the chef said, “we make the stock using an ugly red fish!”

Dessert was one of the most inspired celebrations of local ingredients in a night that surpassed expectations. I had fire roasted wild strawberries that were glazed with Spanish brandy and served on a chocolate covered tuile and topped with homemade vanilla ice cream. Unbelievable!

After a snifter of fine single malt (compliments of the house) we made our way back to the kitchen to congratulate the chef. He accepted our thanks with genuine humility and credited the freshness and quality of the ingredients for the success of the meal.

We said goodnight to our new friends and made our way into the night where the gale had backed off.  A walk around the seaport while puffing on Cohiba Pequenos concluded a pretty awesome evening.

Many thanks to my friend Nuria at Spanish Recipes  for the photo of her delicious looking Bogavente.

Thanks! Max

1. Marcona almonds
2. Regianno parmigiano
3. Fresh herbs: Rosemary, thyme, chives, Italian parsley, chervil, tarragon, basil, depending on season
4. Applewood smoked bacon
5. Frantoia Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6. My own homegrown fresh garlic
7. La Colombe coffee
8. Rojo’s coffee- From Rojo’s Roastery 243 North Union St Lambertville, NJ  (609) 397-0040
9. Organic eggs 
10. Claudio’s balsamic vinegar
11. Carnaroli Arborio
12. Fregola sarda
13. Brown Ghee –browned clarified butter
14. Homemade hot sauces
15. El Yacateco – salsa picante de Chile habanero ( if you can’t get my own hot sauce!)
16. Flaky salt from Cyprus
17. Hellman’s mayonnaise

]]> http://www.maxhansencaterer.com/archives/723/feed 0 http://www.maxhansencaterer.com/archives/662 http://www.maxhansencaterer.com/archives/662#comments Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:52:33 +0000 admin http://www.maxhansencaterer.com/?p=662 Continue reading ]]> Join Max Hansen as he cooks, forages, gardens, and meets and feeds amazing people. In this episode, part II of his interview with Noel Barrett, Max recounts how his grandfather taught him an appreciation for locally sourced food in Bucks County. This enthusiasm for exceptional ingredients was developed even further on Martha’s Vineyard where he prepared amazing fresh seafood and locally grown food for fun people such as Carly Simon, James Taylor, Mike Wallace and Morley Safer. Later, in Manhattan, Max worked with Chef Thomas Keller where he expanded his techniques and imagination in the preparation of haute cuisine. Max and his wife Andrea reside in Carversville, PA.

primaltweet.com

                                                                                                                      primaltweet.com ]]> http://www.maxhansencaterer.com/archives/618/feed 0 http://www.maxhansencaterer.com/archives/554 http://www.maxhansencaterer.com/archives/554#comments Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:36:15 +0000 admin http://www.maxhansencaterer.com/?p=554 Continue reading ]]> The white truffle, which hails from Alba in the Piedmont region of Italy, is one of my favorite ingredients. Resembling a lumpy dusty potato, it is rather unassuming- even homely. When sliced, the white truffle reveals an ivory and tan marbled interior that looks almost meaty. The aroma is complex, earthy, woodsy, and redolent with garlicky high notes. I keep my truffle in a bin of eggs. The truffle outgasses its sublime flavor right THROUGH the shell of the eggs, the result is a truffle perfumed egg! Yum.

I cooked a truffle feast for friends this past December. When cooking with this ingredient I try to keep it simple and really feature the flavor of this extraordinary culinary treasure. The first course was incredibly simple; creamy, slow cooked scrambled eggs are the perfect base for a generous portions of shaved truffle. The second course was a Northern Italian classic: Carnoroli Risotto with Reggiano Parmesan, Shaved White Truffles and Brown Butter. Simple perfection!! The Entrée Course was a Roasted Veal Chop with a Wild Mushroom Ragout and homemade Potato Gnocchi with Baby Spinach, Garlic Butter, and Shaved White Truffles. The veal melted in your mouth and the gnocchi were the perfect accompaniment.

I use an olive wood handled truffle slicer that I bought in San Gimignano when my wife and I were in Italy during the peak of truffle season a few years back! It is a functional piece of art, there is nothing more sensual, food-wise, than seeing a delicate shower of truffles settle on a beautiful egg dish or risotto. You can use a single edge razor and a cutting block to shave truffles if you are in a pinch.

I will post the menu from this truffle feast in another blog. Thanks, Max

Siam Thai
Favorite dish: chicken and lemongrass soup –sublime
61 North Main Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530-1724
(609) 397-8128

Ooka
Favorite dish: crunchy roll with shrimp tempura and avocado
110 Veterans Lane, Doylestown, PA 18901-3412
(215) 348-8185

Hamilton’s Grill Room
Favorite dish: grilled rib eye steak w/ frites. A classic meal at Hamilton’s starts with chilled Blue Point oysters from Cape Cod
8 Coryell Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530-1727
(609) 397-4343

Bell’s Tavern
Favorite dish: chicken sandwich with roasted eggplant and spicy aioli – succulent and tender
183 North Union Street,  Lambertville, NJ 08530-1629
(609) 397-2226

Carversville General Store
Favorite dish: turkey cheddar, bacon, and avocado sandwich on a Crossroads Bakery baguette with mayo
6208 Fleecy Dale Road, Carversville, PA 18913-9703
(215) 297-5353

Sneddons
Favorite dish: classic grilled cheese with tomato and bacon.  Simple pleasure!
47 Bridge Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530-2144
(609) 397-3053

Fred’s Breakfast Club
Worth the wait – made from scratch- fresh baked goods. The best!
13 E Randolph Street, New Hope, PA 18938-1325
(215) 862-7024

Elements Princeton
I can’t stop thinking about the foie gras torchon- Chef Scott Anderson is the most talented chef in our area. Period.
163 Bayard Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540-3043
(609) 924-0078

Visually, La Boqueria is stunning, shocking and thrilling.  Vendors’ stalls are specialized and represent the culinary vocabulary of the city Barcelona and the region of Catalonia.  One stall is dedicated to ingredients foraged from the forest such as the treasured mushroom known as rovellos, as well as porcini, chanterelles and an encyclopedic variety of other woodland bounties.

The egg stall, for instance, doesn’t just have prosaic chicken and duck eggs, but a huge variety of eggs from the ridiculous (ostrich and black emu) to the sublime (quail).

Some of the stalls are not for the squeamish. There is a cornucopia of tasty horrors such as baskets of skinned rabbits with bloody bald heads and denuded ear holes. Fresh sides of cabrito (young goat) and other small farm animals are displayed with pride in all their gruesomeness. The fish mongers’ displays are SPECTACULAR with shimmering masses of fresh anchovies and cuttlefish, stacks of razor clams, fresh shrimp with the heads on, and monsters from the deep with bizarre features and scary teeth.

This is also the place to get the specialties of Catalan cuisine such as bacalao (dried salt cod belly) and Pata Negra, an air cured Iberian ham made from black Iberian pigs that forage on acorns.  These are only some of the “go to” ingredients that show up in various interpretations in the tapas bars around town.

The energy of the crowds, the sights, the friendly faces, the passion of the vendors, the variety and the history of La Boqueria all contribute to an atmosphere of celebration. In this sense, La Boqueria has the feeling of a culinary cathedral; it is definitely worth a pilgrimage for anybody who loves food.

Thank you for reading, Max.