Chef Santi Santamaria – Introduced Authentic Catalan Cuisine to the World

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Chef Santi Santamaria is recognized for being a traditionalist chef who has introduced authentic Catalan cuisine to the rest of the world. His restaurant, Can Fabes, is considered as one of the best restaurants in the country that offer authentic yet contemporary Spanish cuisine. Chef Santamaria’s culinary skill has earned him Michelin stars year after year, and right now, it has also earned them a spot in the prestigious top 100 list of best restaurants in the world by San Pellegrino, landing at the 79th position.

Chef Santamaria was born in Sant Celoni in Catalonia on the 26th of July 1957. He came from a family who loves to cook and has made cooking a center of their home. In fact, he recalls that he has always been happy in the kitchens where he would sometimes help his parents or experiment with the ingredients. Fortunately, his parents would always let him be, and this greatly helped shape his culinary interest.

He took up Technical Drawing as well as Industrial Studies in college, and when he graduated, he found work in the car industry. However, his passion for food never diminished, and at the age of 24 years old, he opened his first restaurant, the Can Fabes.

Chef Santamaria never went to any culinary school nor had he worked at any restaurant to learn the art of cooking. Instead, he taught himself to cook, drawing his inspiration from his childhood memories and the recipes that he learned from his parents. In fact, he credits everything he learned about cooking to his family and the belief that all he needs to succeed as a chef can be found at Can Fabes. He also believes that, with time and with a lot of patience, the world will soon recognize him. And recognize him, it did.

What started out as an informal restaurant soon became into something much more mature and more much elegant than what it originally started out with. The gourmands soon found out about his exemplary cuisine, and they began trekking into his restaurant. Pretty soon, the food critics took notice of his restaurant, and then the praises came and the awards came. Can Fabes received its first Michelin star in 1988, and the second star was earned in 1990. In 1994, he received his third Michelin star for Can Fabes and has since retained a three-Michelin star rate, making him as the first Catalan chef to have ever received three Michelin stars. Aside from this very important recognition, he also gathered numerous awards for his culinary skill and effort. He also became a member of the very prestigious and highly-esteemed Relais & Chateaux in 1991.

Chef Santamaria became a very hot topic in the culinary world when he dismissed molecular gastronomy as nothing but a circus. In fact, he openly criticizes chefs who make use of this technique in creating unique dishes, stating that the use of chemical additives in the dishes is not good for the health of the diners. He believes instead in simplicity, that simplicity makes a better dish than theatrical cuisine does. He is also a firm believer that less is better than a variety of complex ingredients thrown in together just for the sake of creating a new dish. Chef Santamaria advices that, with the right choice in fresh ingredients, the natural flavor of a dish will come out without the aid of complex techniques.

Chef Santi Santamaria’s Saddle of Lamb

Ingredients:

1 Saddle of lamb
Mushrooms (forrest mix)
3 carrots
1 fennel
6 Brussels sprouts
1 zucchini
3 young leeks
Cauliflower
Butter
Olive oil
Shallots
Chive
Parsley
Coriander
Salt, pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare the mushrooms. Do not let them too long under water. Otherwise they will lose their taste.

2. Blanch the vegetables in salted water. They should be al dente.

3. Salt and pepper the saddle of lamb. Sear on a full flame. When the saddle is well-colored, add some butter and put it in the oven.

4. Saute the mushrooms in butter. Color them.

5. Finally, add the shallot. Then, when serving the dish, add the chive and parsley.

6. Take another pan. Prepare the vegetables in the olive oil.

7. When the saddle is cooked, take it out of the oven.

8. Cover it generously with a mixture of fresh coriander and olive oil.

9. Cut the meat and recover its juice. Deice the cooking plate.

10. Presentation: Place a bed of mushrooms in a circle in the middle of the serving dish. Cover with some sauteed vegetables. Lay the meat on top of it and sprinkle with some gravy. Serve.

Servings: Serves 4.

Image Credit: timeoutabudhabi.com

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