As part of its Recovery programme, 50 Best produced Home Comforts: simple lockdown recipes from the world’s best chefs and bartenders to raise money for the hospitality community. The e-cookbook, which contains 50 recipes from leading chefs and 25 paired cocktails from top bartenders, is available for a minimum donation of $10 (£8) here. Today, we share Joan Roca’s recipe – a family friendly vegetable platter with a salmorejo dip that makes the perfect centrepiece at multigenerational celebrations
When he was nine years old, Joan Roca pulled on his first chef’s jacket, rolled up his sleeves and went to help his mother in the kitchen of the family restaurant. Today, Roca runs Best of the Best restaurant El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain, along with his two brothers: Josep, the sommelier, and Jordi, the pastry chef.
For Home Comforts, Joan contributed a dish that he serves at parties for the whole family to enjoy. “We love this dish as it can be adapted to any seasonal availability of fresh and local greens – and also to take advantage of what is left in the fridge,” he says. “Zero-waste and sustainable farming are involved here, while it is also fresh and very healthy. It’s easy and open to new versions combining different vegetables, but it also allows the kids to take part in the cooking, plating, as well as in the degustation. It’s fresh, light, and colourful.”
Like what you see? Click here to make your donation, receive your very own copy of Home Comforts and do your bit to help the hospitality industry in the process. If Roca’s dish inspires you to get cooking, check out #50BestRateMyPlate, an Instagram challenge that could see your dish endorsed by some of the world’s best chefs and give you the chance to win tickets to The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony in Antwerp, Flanders, next year.
SALMOREJO DIP WITH VEGETABLES
SERVES: 5
PREP TIME: 6 hours
COOKING TIME: 30 mins
Ingredients
For the salmorejo
800g ripe tomatoes, diced
300g rustic bread, crusts removed
1 garlic clove, chopped
150g mild olive oil
Method
Dice the tomatoes and remove the crusts of the rustic bread, then mix the tomatoes and bread with the garlic and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Place all ingredients in a blender or similar device and blend at maximum power for 2 minutes. Reduce the speed and emulsify by slowly pouring in the olive oil.
For the vegetables
Joan’s tip: “This is a recipe that allows us to add the vegetables we have stored in the fridge to avoid food waste. Cut the vegetables you are using into sticks or batons of similar size.”
8 small, tender carrots
12 asparagus
4 small courgettes
8 spring onions
1 small beetroot
4 radishes
Method
Boil the vegetables together for around 15-20 minutes until they are cooked but al dente.
For the black olive ‘sand’
300g black olives, stones removed
Method
Spread the pitted olives on a tray and dry them in the oven at 90C / 194F for 6 hours. Allow to cool, blend and set aside.
Finish and serve
Create a base of salmorejo sauce, cover with the olive ‘sand’ and finally decorate with the other vegetables in an attractive and creative way.
In Home Comforts, Roca’s dish is paired with a vermouth- and sherry-based cocktail designed by Miriam Wilke and Melanie Da Conceicao from Salmon Guru, Madrid, No.19 in The World’s 50 Best Bars 2019. Click here to buy a copy and learn how to make The Guru to pair with this vegetable platter.
Visit the Restaurant Recovery Hub and the Bar Recovery Hub to explore useful resources during the coronavirus pandemic and read the stories of chefs and bartenders around the world. Follow 50 Best on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for the latest news and videos.
