Dubai, United Arab Emirates – 04 March 2021 – Crossing borders without moving from home highlights the creative ways people reach out to and connect with their favourite destinations. Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona reaches out to travel and food lovers through a shared passion towards authentic cuisine. Helping them create their own Catalonian flavours at home, the hotel’s executive chef, David Romero shares his recipes and promise to transport you on a culinary adventure without leaving your kitchen.
Chef Romero grew up in the hospitality business where his parents’ restaurant represented his first exposure to Catalonian cuisine and served as his practical lab. He enrolled in the Girona Catering School at the age of 14 and has moved on to expand his knowledge alongside Chef Salvador Brugués and in the El Celler de Can Roca, and after that as the admiral’s chef in Cartagena during his military service at the age of 19.
After acquiring international experience in several countries such as the United Kingdom and Vietnam, and receiving several prizes such as the Statue of Friendship between Spain and Vietnam, awarded by the Spanish Ambassador in Hanoi. Chef David Romero joined Chef Nandu Jubany, one of the great ambassadors of Catalan cuisine, forming the duo with Jubany as consultant chef and Romero as executive chef of the Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona in 2013.
Chef Romero has cultivated authentic menus for Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona’s guests, and with travel restrictions still implemented, he wanted to share the taste of Barcelona with all those who can’t wait to travel to this mesmerizing city, presenting a selection of his favourite Catalonian dishes, rich in taste and tradition to warm their dinner tables.
SCALLOP TARTAR WITH PRAWN, SOY, AND SESAME
Ingredients for 10 people:
10 prawns
5 fresh scallops, shelled
200 g ripe red tomatoes, skin and seeds removed
200 g red onions, peeled
5 g coriander leaves, chopped
25 ml soy sauce
30 ml lime juice
Olive oil
10 g white and black sesame seeds, toasted
10 slices of Peking duck – Can be replaced with roast duck
Method:
Peel the prawns and remove the black entrails. Finely chop and set aside, keeping them cold. Repeat with the scallops, chopping them to the same size as the prawns and set aside, keeping them cold.
Chop the tomato into cubes. Repeat with the red onion.
Cut the Peking duck slices using a 90mm pasta cutter and fry in olive oil until crunchy but not brown as they could become bitter.
Put the prawns, scallops, tomato, onion, and coriander in a bowl and mix well. Add the soy sauce and lime juice. Season with salt to taste. Serve on top of the crunchy duck wafers.
SLOW-COOKED EGG WITH POTATO PARMENTIER AND MUSHROOMS
Ingredients for 4 people
4 units of fresh good quality farm eggs
600 g of potatoes
180 ml of whole milk
170 g butter
1 piece of Porcini mushrooms, about 30 g
250g mixture of bunch baby carrots, zucchini and green asparagus crowns
180 gr mixture of seasonal mushrooms
Tip: leave the fresh eggs with the mushroom for 24 hours. Eggs are porous, and with time, they will take on the mushroom’s aroma.
Method:
Heat the water to 64°C [147ºF] and place the whole eggs in for about 22 minutes (as long as the temperature does not exceed 64ºC, they can be left inside to stay warm). If using a Thermomix, the simmering basket can be used to control the temperature.
Peel the potatoes and cut roughly, wash them, and cook in salted water about 20-25 minutes (until they are cooked but not overdone). Drain them to remove all the water and pass through a food mill.
Clean the mushroom with a brush and water to remove all dirt completely, and peel with a sharp blade. Reserve the skins and warm them in milk. Once the milk is flavored with the truffle skins, remove the skins and add the butter into the milk to soften. Season with salt and white pepper and add to the potatoes, mixing and amassing the puree to make it soft.
Peel the carrots and cut all the vegetables into cubes. Sauté with a little oil and leave them al dente. Clean the seasonal mushrooms, cut, and sauté.
Assemble the dish, laying a base/nest of mashed potatoes, crack an egg over it, add the mushrooms and vegetables on top and slice the peeled truffle very thin over the egg.
TOASTED BREAD WITH TOMATO
This is one of the simplest and most delicious Catalan receipts around. Whether it’s for breakfast or for lunch or dinner with cheese for example.
Ingredients:
4 medium tomatoes
½ loaf of whole-wheat, rustic, or unleavened bread, sliced medium-thick
1 clove of garlic
extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
Method:
Toast sliced bread on a baking sheet at 250°F until evenly browned, flipping halfway through.
Cut tomatoes in half and grate them into a small bowl on a box grater, discarding the stem and skins.
Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt to the bowl.
Cut the clove of garlic in half and rub the raw garlic on the toasted bread.
Spoon the tomato mixture onto the slices of garlic toast, and top with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.