7 Michelin Stars, 7 Magical Courses

SPECIAL events, where two highly acclaimed chefs with seven Michelin stars between them, join forces in Manchester to cook a gloriously memorable seven course dinner, don’t come along very often. Although thanks to a suggestion from Iberophile blogger Bacon on the Beech, who came up with the notion of inviting world renowned chefs to showcase modern Spanish cuisine, 'Nacho & Friends' is set to become a more regular event.

Ashes Rice was preceded by the heady aroma of truffle oil wafting its way over to diners like a highbrow Bisto commercial

Nacho Manzano, who runs two Michelin starred Casa Marcial in Arriondas as well as owning both one Michelin Starred La Salgar in the coastal city of Gijon, and Casa de Comidas Gloria in Oviedo, is Executive Chef at Ibérica Restaurants. Through an interpreter he explained to a sold-out venue that his aim is to inspire dishes and events which show Ibérica’s commitment to Spanish cuisine via their more casual dining concept.

The first ‘Nacho & Friends’ event welcomed one of Spain’s most innovative chefs, Quique Dacosta, whose eponymous restaurant in Denia has been awarded three Michelin stars and has been named 39th in the Top 100 Restaurants in the World. He is one of the few heavyweights of top end Spanish dining, also owning one starred El Poblet in Valencia.

 

Quique Dacosta (speaking) and Nacho Manzano address the restaurant in Manchester

Quique (pronounced Kee-Kay) and Nacho flew over to cook two exclusive multi-course menus; firstly at Ibérica’s Victoria branch and the following evening at Ibérica Spinningfields (fitting in a seven course private paella lunchtime event for specially invited guests at Ibérica Leeds in between). Nacho said, “I want people to enjoy the food with an evening to remember in London and Manchester. These are two different types of cuisine, but at the same time they share commonality.”

He added, “Cooking along with Quique is a joy for me. He is one of the best chefs in the world and a long-time friend of mine. Every new season he starts from scratch, creating a new menu. He gets his inspiration from everything.”

The superstar chefs took it in turns to present alternating courses from across their renowned portfolio of restaurants, with sherry and wines to match from Bodegas Mustiguillo, Valencia.

Crushed tomatoes (Quique Dacosta)

Quique kicked off proceedings with Crushed Tomatoes; a simply named dish from Quique Dacosta Restaurant, involving a series of intricate cooking techniques inspired by the local ripe tomato varieties found in Denia. Hidden under a delicate sheet of scarlet-hued tomato paper scattered with sesame seeds, was a light emulsion dotted with intensely sweet and rich semi-dried tomatoes, garnished with tiny rings of pickled shallot. It would be criminal to overlook the garnishes on a dish created by a chef with four stars to his name, so I shamelessly ran my finger round the plate so as not to miss the sprinkling of tomato powder and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Both chefs presented dishes for the second course; From his menu at Casa Marcial, Nacho utilised the last of the season’s sea urchins. Usually served raw, these were gently cooked until creamy and served in the spiny half shell with a slice of poached globe artichoke, broad beans, apple and celery.

.Sea Urchin (Nacho Manzano) and 'Lemon Fish' (Quique Dacosta)

Along with this, Quique served a magical dish from his menu over at Vuelve Carolina in Valencia. Lemon Fish, served in a half lemon, sported a pale yellow halo of foam under which were cubes of salt cured fish ceviche bound in a light sauce made from oil, vinegar, lemon juice and fennel with a slight heat coming through from yellow aji chilli peppers. Both dishes were accompanied by a chilled glass of eight-year-old dry Dos Palmas sherry with a deliciously long and rich finish. The lemon course was just showing off how easily folk in that region can reach out and pick ripe citrus fruit off nearby trees as easily as we can pick empty beer cans out of a Mancunian park on a Sunday afternoon.

Chilled Emilio Brut Cider was poured in readiness for the next course from Nacho’s restaurant Casa Marcial, as the Principality of Asturias in North West Spain, has a long tradition of producing cider which they like to pour dramatically from above. Cider and crab make happy partners so Soft Shell Crab was bound in a light mayonnaise emulsion, and topped with seaweed. A green tea dusted tapioca crisp acted as a shell while ‘legs’ were drawn in the form of cider sauce.

Soft shell crab (Nacho Manzano)

Quique’s next course, one of his signature dishes from Mercatbar, will be available at Ibérica over the next month. A celebration of spring with wild flowers and traditional herbs, this gazpacho was made using the first of the season’s cherries rather than the more traditional tomatoes (main image). He described it as ‘a sensual course, an erotic dish’ due to its silky texture and deep magenta colour. The idea was to pour it into the bowl and tip in the flowers, herbs, prawns, flying fish roe and spherification of cherry decorating the rim, resulting in a delicate, fresh and sweetly savoury few mouthfuls.

Hake salad is a very popular but humble lunchtime dish on ‘daily menus’ in Spain, but Nacho wanted to re-create it in his own inimitable style for the next course, Hake salad with hollandaise sauce and dried eggs. Steamed instead of the more usual fried hake was enriched by a white emulsion of its own juices, dressed with a lettuce gazpacho and dotted with buttery accents of deliciously rich hollandaise.

Hake salad (Nacho Manzano)

Quique’s dramatic final dish was accompanied by a Finca Terrerazo red wine made from the native Bobal grape. Ashes Rice was preceded by the heady aroma of truffle oil wafting its way over to diners like a highbrow Bisto commercial. The recipe, which spans two pages of an accompanying leaflet, reveals over eight separate components including gelatinous meat stock, woodcock livers, truffle juice rock, crispy truffled rice powder, duck stock, horn of plenty base and truffled rice. My rapidly diminishing word count only allows me to explain that it was a wholly satisfying and luxurious dish inspired by local rice fields which are burned following each annual harvest. I could happily eat a bucket of the stuff.

Ashes rice (Quique Dacosta)

Nacho’s final course returned once again to the apples of Asturias which had been roasted, served under a cider cloud and garnished with apple blossom. This was accompanied by an intensely sweet and dark Tintella de Rota sherry which was so good I couldn’t work out if the dessert wine was accompanying the dessert or the other way round.

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