Repsol YPF

Cookery is an ever evolving field, always on the look out for new formulas which enable restaurants to surprise and please their customers. 

One of the essential factors that characterises a restaurant’s level is the quality of the raw materials from which the dishes are made. Market cuisine goes one step further and seeks to take advantage of the freshness of seasonal foods, the best the market offers. Restaurant professionals look for the top varieties when they are at their best, from a selection that will vary depending on the seasonal products. 

Fundamental, knowing what to buy
There is no doubt that working in the kitchen with fresh foods has numerous benefits. Nowadays, the strict seasons have disappeared and it is easy to get hold of almost any product, irrespective of the season, but the properties and their nutritional value are not the same.  

Market cuisine features the best seasonal products, quality foods which are full of flavour and have extraordinary textures and nuances with which to work in order to produce dishes that retain all of their natural properties. Likewise, the method respects the basic qualities and flavours of the ingredients. 

Expert chefs often check out the market stalls, they look, they smell and they check that the food on display meets the standards that they demand. However, this does not mean that it costs a fortune, because this concept of obtaining the best raw materials includes an extensive range of vegetables, meat and fish, which spans the most modest to the very highest prices. 

The interest in top quality fresh foods is such that, in some cases, restaurant owners have opted to grow their own fruit and vegetables, selecting seeds and using organic methods so that the results obtained guarantee a high level of quality that is not always easy to get hold of. Others make their own bread and even produce their own dairy products. 

In coastal areas, when the fishing boats enter the harbour, it is common for restaurant experts to take a look and buy some of the fish that has just been caught. That way, they can offer customers a product that is as fresh as possible, straight from the sea to the plate. 

It is an offering that will vary according to the daily catch. In the opinion of some of these chefs, “when customers come to the restaurant they should do so without having a preconceived idea, since when people speak of local fish, they don’t always catch them or they are caught in such small amounts that, once they are sold there are no more on that day”. 

A time of change
Seasonal change implies a change in approach when making dishes. Autumn is the time for vegetables such as cauliflower, Swiss chard, artichokes, peppers, pumpkin and thistles. Markets offer fruit such as tangerines, apples, quince, blackberries, grapefruits, grapes, pomegranates and figs, along with dried fruits and chestnuts. It is the ideal season for enjoying the intense flavour of game, such as wild boar, fish such as grouper and sole, and different shellfish. 

Autumn, in the run up to the cold winter days, is also the time for mushrooms. The numerous sorts provide a wide range of flavours and textures which will tip the balance depending on what you want to use them for. In principle, if they are used as a garnish, any variety will do, but if you prefer them grilled, Saffron milk caps are an excellent option with a little garlic, parsley and oil, whilst game dishes require aromatic mushrooms of a certain size and the Caesar’s mushroom is highly suitable for carpaccios, either raw or dressed.