Hi everyone, welcome to Pathlock Food Talks. I'm here with my homey pill, the pill pill and
yoyer.
What are we talking about?
Okay, I enjoyed.
You know, talking about pill pill.
Not so long ago, I saw a video of a pill pill like from the 60s.
And for me that was really interesting because it was like a pill pill today would be unacceptable
to serve like that. You know, like it was completely separated. There was like this
fish protein floating on the oil. It was not a modified at all. And then I thought like,
oh, like the pill pill we know is a direct aftermath of the new Basque cuisine. You know,
like this, Basque chefs that took traditional recipes and they refined them technically.
And they said new standards that became new generations. And I was like, wow, that's really interesting.
That is really interesting. It's cool that like, you know, because we're the pill pill. You kind
of have to think with it's kind of like, well, oh, it's been like this for, you know, a long
time. And you know, a lot of the things that we take for granted, that we just take a tradition,
they've actually evolved quite a lot. And they're actually not necessarily the way that we know
them for that long of a time. You know, yeah, I had this conversation with John Regervalk
and he told me, like an Italy is the same. Like, they're like this traditional recipes,
pastas, for example, that you see they're cooked in a certain way in the restaurants and
in these things are standard in restaurants. Everybody does it like a specific way. But then
you don't do to any Italian grandmothers house and and they do like a more and more rustic,
simple way. And that's the way it's always has always been, you know? Yeah, totally.
Or like with Carbonara, you know, I had a conversation the other day with my son Shayfus from Italy.
And I went to him and I was like, hey, I only just realized that Carbonara means coal worker.
Ah, yeah, because of the pepper. Yeah, and like because it's like, apparently it was like supposed to be,
I don't know, it's like so many stories about these things, you know? But that it's like rich and
kind of like with the Ganchal and the cheese and it's like nourishing, it's like you do power and stuff,
you know? And then you was like, yeah, and you know, like actually Carbonara is not that old and
comes from America, like it was made by Italian's in America that then it came back easily.
And you kind of like, well, okay, really? Wow, and it's crazy, you know? Because like,
I would have to fuck check that. Yeah, exactly. I don't buy it like at the first time, but I would
fuck check that. Yeah, yeah. But that could be super interesting. Yeah, but it's like that with like a
lot of things, you know? I mean like, what was the other thing? The other thing that I heard about was
kind of like, well, this is not like an old thing. Like mayonnaise. Like mayonnaise went to
France and then back to Spain exactly. Yeah, yeah, we we've talked this in the condiment episode that
it was originally Mao Nessan and then the French called it mayonnaise. And now the Spanish
you say mayonnaise, so it was translated back from French to Spanish even though there was already a
Spanish word before. Yeah, it's really funny. It's really funny when you see the fluctuations
and the movements of food and culture and how connected it is. And it's like, it's really interesting.
You know, I mean, for me, talking a long time actually, even though I grew up in Spain,
took me such a long time to realize what a huge influence from the Arab countries, there is
in Spain, you know? And if you look at that and the trade routes and the exchange of cultures and stuff,
you know, it tells you a lot and it's like we need like it's very, very obvious in food.
That's incredibly interesting, man. Like if you think about it, the Arabs were in Spain,
longer than the Christians are back since they left. Yeah, like they were for eight
fucking centuries, tracing, occupying 80% of Spain. And there are a lot like of traditional,
you know, stews that you see in the south that if you truck them back, these were like recipes
that were developed for Iranian, like a Persian king or something like that, you know, like,
and then they traveled through all these spice routes and everything and then they're
up in Spain and now they're, you know, like a traditional chicken and spinach to the,
everybody does and nobody knows where it comes from. That's super cool. Yeah, that's super super cool.
Man, talking about chickpeas stews, I ate one of the like the most delicious tapas the other day.
And for me, it was like again, one of the most telling things of sort of like Spanish cuisine being
one of the most underrated and one of the most delicious in that simplicity. It was like, um,
kind of like a, like a, a Baba, yeah, but with green peas. So it was fresh green peas,
cooked with more silla and to see none, which is a blood sausage and a sort of like anchetta,
kind of ham. In a like thick broth and you know, it made me think of sort of like only in Spanish
cuisine, there are these very type of sort of like reduced, like kind of gelatinous broth, you know,
that really kind of make you lipstick together. Obviously there's like other things that are like that,
but this like, you know, kind of like a soup head in a, in a, in a rice that's like really
reduced down or, um, you know, those sorts of things. And it was so delicious in its like simplicity.
And I've never seen that before. There's like a phababa, you know, it's like a white bean stew
from where's it from originally? A studious. A studious. Yeah. But with green peas, fresh green peas.
I was like, well, super nice. Yeah, I mean, that's super typical. I remember, uh, when I was working
on mogaris and Donnie was one like a free styling at this because there was a table that had come
too many times, like in the same week, they already had like the whole menu.
Done. He did, he took that like this super, how, how are they called the Guinçambta?
Szilagri Ma. Yeah, tiered rock peas. tiered rock peas. Like it kind of like a vegetable
caviar, like this super delicate mini peas. And so he would like mix it down with, with a, a stock
made of all that was very thick and who would serve it like with deep-owned, paved tails that were also
like slowly, that was, you know, like, amazing. It's very like these flavors and textures are very
common sense to to to the Spanish countryside, but that way it's just putting it on the highest level.
Like doing something like that. Absolutely. Talk about chickpeas before we move to something else.
I also my recent trip to Barcelona. I went to Bozegan, Posta, it's a place where you're going to
have super nice catalan food. And I had there, one of the classic they have is a chickpea stew that
comes with a cabinero on top. So you, the cabinero, put the whole head and so you squeeze the head of the
cabinero and all the coral mixes up with the, with the chickpeas and that's just, you know,
glory made food. That sounds amazing. I thought absolutely amazing. Honestly, I am one of the
like biggest champions of Spanish food. I think it's, it's so underrated how incredibly high level,
like even like, like traditional Spanish cooking is, you know, and it's like most simplistic form.
So, so smart and so, so good. Before we go into the topic, I don't replace that. I went in Barcelona,
it's a place called the Verna, Gastro-Taverna, Teoric. Man, I think it's my new favorite place in Barcelona.
This guy is called Oriol Casals. He's a graduated from Barcelona in Center and actually that place
what, what's it, is a bachelor or project thesis that restaurant and it's a restaurant that
has been running for the last at least, I don't know, seven years, eight years maybe. And so I
wanted to go there, like I got to be recommendations and when I was there, I was so jealous, man,
because that was, that's kind of like the restaurant concept I always wanted to open and I was never
able to do it. What they did is they took like a super simple place and you get this
fine dining or tasting menu experience, but it's not, it's actually, well, you have like an
ice-coat, Larry, like good service, you know, every time the dishes are changed and everything,
but what you're getting is basically tap as one of the other, like, you know, like just one
super nice croquet with Boutifarrera, which is this Katalan's massage, with with Purchini mushrooms,
you know, with with with Bolletus set or like a minister tartar or, you know, like just this little
delicacy, just one bite and like a long manual, it can be 10 or 13 courses and I really, really recommend
it super nice and it can sound amazing. But we wanted to talk, what we actually gave you to talk of
it was, what what we were going to talk about? We wanted to talk about cooking cooking shows,
TV cooking shows, but competitions, right? Like TV cooking competitions? I don't know,
it didn't general, you know? Okay, in general, because I was thinking about like,
the other day I was talking to somebody about, you know, iron chefs and like the old,
Jamie, like the old Jamie Oliver shows, like not the old old ones, but did you ever see like the
Jamie Oliver show when he was like in his house and the countryside with a big garden?
Yeah, the original one, right? Like what he would invite friends over and he would cook for his
friends and everything. Yeah, but not the ones where he's in like his like fake slats in London.
Like, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, yeah, because that's like the original one,
and they were kind of cool, right? But then there was like one which I found various
racialized kid, which is where he was in his countryside house and he had this like huge garden,
this like huge beautiful garden, you'd go outside and like harvest vegetables and make something with it.
Yeah, I feel like that was like the high time of Jamie Oliver, I really lost that show.
And nowadays he's like, he's like a bit nuts, isn't he? He's kind of gone a bit cool cool.
I don't know, he became like this school food activist, which is something that I think is very
honorable, and scraped. Like that juicy, you know? But yeah, I'd be honest, I don't follow him
to my child, I don't know exactly what he's up to. I think he's really funny. He's like, you know,
I'm sure you've seen that scene where he's like showing kids how chicken nuggets are made.
And he's like, yes, so you guys like kicking nuggets and he's like really hating on McDonald's.
Right? He was like, so against McDonald's. I do it. I mean, I have enough chicken nuggets. He was like,
yeah, we're going to show you what's inside of them. He takes like chicken bones and he's like, yeah,
okay, it's like, oh, that's gross. It's like, yeah, and you know what where this goes into,
you chicken nuggets. And they're like, oh, no, oh, shit. No, it's disgusting. And he like puts all the
bones in the rubber cool, he blitzes it up. Like he's like shows them the pure and they're like,
oh, it does cuff thing. He makes little chicken nuggets out of it. Panes it fries it and he's like,
and now who wants to eat this chicken nuggets and all the kids are like, me, me, me.
Yeah, and he's just standing there like. Like,
It didn't work.
No, it didn't.
Yeah.
Kid can change their mind really quickly.
I mean, remember just before starting cooking, I watched for the first time with
Sander, the Iron Chef competition, the first American Iron Chef where the Japanese
go to America and they battled American chefs and there was like, who was the, it was
Wolfgang Park, I think Mario Battale.
And I don't know who else and I remember it was, I could feel so much adrenaline watching
that and I was like, oh my god, what was going on with this thing like it was so cool.
My little show was so good.
Like when it was original, it was so good and there was so many legendary moments that you
know, actually talking about Jimmy Oliver, I only found this out like a week ago, you know,
that he did the Iron Chef episode.
I saw the intro of it and in the American one, I'm not sure, but like I saw the intro of
it and I thought it was satire.
I actually thought it was a joke.
I kind of feel having seen something from the American for sure, not the Japanese one
and my memory.
No, it must have been the American one, yeah.
But like, I mean, the Japanese one also with the French Michelin Star chefs that they
invite, so cool.
I think that's my favorite cook show ever.
You know, I think it's a two here.
I mean, like when Pierre Gagnier was there, you know, like, that is like, that is actually
really cool story because I mean,
Pierre Gagnier's restaurant, he had a restaurant in the countryside and he went bankrupt.
And there was actually a huge, push of support from the restaurant industry in France
to, you know, help them back on his feet and then he opened his restaurant Paris and
became, he got three stars again and then from there, like it went and he built his empire,
right?
But as far as I know, when this, I was informed, this thing of him, there was like a
iron chef France special and Gagnier got invited and the jury was like, Jouer,
Roubou Shah, one of the trucker all guys and sort of like he's like big French names.
And they did like a super special episode where they had to go through France and pick
up like certain ingredients.
I think the ingredient of it was lobster.
Yeah, I remember his rival was a Hilo-Joukisaka, which was my favorite iron chef,
legend.
And yeah, he went to the fish market and he travels to La Rochelle, which is the
region after he named his restaurant, his restaurant and Tokyo's called La Rochelle.
So he goes there to have like this connection with the original place of the restaurant
and everything.
Everything was so overdramatic in that series, but yeah, it was like you have 24 hours
to get your ingredients and they're just fucking go into a car and stop driving.
But I mean like one of the best parts of the show is the present and for sure, you know?
Of course, yeah, yeah.
What a legend.
What is it doing now?
Is he still alive?
No idea, man, that's a good question.
Like I'm turning to Japan and I actually took my time to see if one of these iron chefs
still have the restaurant opens.
So you know, I would like to go at least to have like a fried rice or a chain can eat
you display or something like that, you know?
Of course, yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, I know that Morimoto opened the place and be at it.
Like, you know, you just have an hour from here from San Sebastian, like, yeah,
like a Japanese, well, he does like this crazy Japanese progressive mother and kind of sushi.
Yeah.
Also also a little bit of a key, right?
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, because he worked for a while at Nobu and Nobu also has like a lot of a key
in Flenji.
He actually, you know, Nobu has a restaurant and and Lima and Peru, that bird.
You know, like, I mean, he loves everything.
Oh, down.
Yeah.
So he moved to San Francisco and suddenly he began one of the world's richest chefs.
You know, like, I mean, Nobu really is a champion of the K.
Oh, like, I mean, he really championed.
I think.
Yeah, but I mean, that episode with Gagné was so cool because like, you know, I mean,
there was so many legendary moments in there where he like, it doesn't he like drop
like a piece of meat under sort of floor and just because he's so stressed because he's
cooking like four dishes at the same time, he needs to play it the more or the same
time.
I remember he was like the butter with his hand.
And fat of like a big part, like, he's just not caring about anything, you know?
No, no, no.
And like also like, yeah, he's just he's making like this weird stew like lobster and
pigeon with like, um, what was it like?
Um, um, um, on why granites?
Yeah, something like that.
And he's just like stirring it with his hand.
Yeah.
Absolutely amazing.
Yeah.
Mario Batali, that's also like a figure that had like a crazy recent history, you know, like he got involved in one of the sexual misconduct
Andals a few years ago. Yeah, I heard about that. So he got really disgraced, you know, like this was also one of the
The greatest chefs in terms of business owners and you know the TV
Positioning and everything, you know, he had like TV shows like dozens of restaurants all over the country
Like, like, like, like, many of them very good restaurants and completely diverse
Then he got involved in this scandal and
He really screwed up by me like house to pick up you be man. He wrote like a
Like an apology letter that sounded not so convinced, you know, like okay, I'm sorry
This was really bad
I'm very ashamed and by the way here is my recipe of a cinnamon roll and blah blah blah
You know like no really the letter is a positive letter at a recipe
You can find more recipes like this in my piece of book
That was it man. He's completely buried you know like he had like a
Come back and not so long ago. I would say like six months ago
He started like posting again after seven years on his social media
But he's like no one anymore. Like it's crazy. Yeah, it's crazy. He was so big. You know
I mean he was really good at selling himself. He was like I mean, especially in the American market
I think I always thought he was like very over the top and
Yeah, I also think it's like like a little bit weird just for like Italian American sort of like thing where it's kind of like
Sometimes you like raw calling yourself Italian is a bit of a pushman
Yeah, yeah, it was like you know how Italian is a cheeseburger, but yeah, have you ever
participated in some sort of
TV
Contest or this kind of things you did the color where the one of these contests right or you were like advisor to it or something like that
Yeah, I did a I did a a
Guest appearance in the Spanish master chef program where I taught the contestants a
class
Okay about it was a little bit weird to be honest with you
So when they asked me like if I was interested in it I was like yeah, absolutely it sounds like fun
It was a cool experience. I've never done anything like this before and
then I got the
Requirements and stay had a very specific set of techniques that they wanted to be featured
so they had
They wanted
The shes that included that were Asian Asian and less an American
Which already is a strange mixture, you know, I mean and
They wanted steam
Steam techniques for both and and something else and I think like they wanted like a tempura also
I was like, we're at okay, so I did steam buns and I did like like a
Was it I think was chicken was some sort of protein that I I made like an adorble or sort of a
Chiotic kind of marinade so I presented like exactly different product also so it was kind of difficult to puzzle it together
Right like I was kind of like okay how am I going to take all these requirements and
And what do we together so I did like in a Chiotic marinade and then I wrapped like protein and banana leaves and like a put it in steamer
I've and made like a little thing and then I did like you know steam buns that you could like open and fill it with the shredded chicken and
What else was this like vegetable tempura those sorts of things you know like and
So it was fun. I think that the Spanish master chef is a little bit like
More low budget than like other countries
Because it was just like in like this little kitchen studio
I was like on the side of the road and they just like all hang there. It was like only one camera guy and
Let me shop in it. But yeah, it was funny
I feel like what I enjoyed about it was that I felt like the contestants they were much more relaxed and friendly than like in other
Master chef programs. I have a friend that's work as an advisor
I don't know if Master chef or top chef or some of these contest, but it's really funny because he he tells me the first of all that every time that everybody has to stop
You know hands up before the camera has come he would go there and correct all the dishes
You know to see that that were at least decent and then they were the camera would come and so man here
Phil made this blah blah blah
You know like and the other thing that I thought it was super fun is that there was also like a special edition
What celebrities and and they had to sign like a special agreement that they wouldn't be exposed as idiots
Because they buy you know like you're a senior and you're invited to one of these things and maybe you say something really stupid
Because you're not a cook and you don't know you know or you do something
So they asked like if if it was something like really you know
I'm really I think to cut it off. It's pretty funny
Honestly, well Spanish Master chef has not on my favorite cooking to any moments ever and that's
Leon coming up a moment. Oh my god
So hilarious. So what happened there? It's been a while since I watched it, but like it's basically so it's like
You see it like this guy present a dish, you know, it's like jury time and he like brings the dish of
And you look at it. It's just like a fucking mess and it's like is it like a potato that he dressed up as like a
Lion because he says that yeah, this is my dish Leon coming up with which means lions eating shrimp
Yeah, but I mean it's like a big potato and he just with some pink pepper corns
But some ice and a nose
And sorry, actually looks like a mice not like a lion which is also for it
And he's like that potatoes a lion and it's eating like a prawn and
Like the guy like like if I remember correctly the guy like really freaks out and he seconds it's just grace the potatoes like a raw
And each like freaks out of him and the guys like about a crying. Oh yeah, like they started eating
Jory Cruz was one of the jury who is at a three star chef here in Spain and he takes a piece of the potato and says the plate is raw and you know
That's already absolutely unacceptable, you know
The raw potatoes that doesn't exist in any culture like that's just wrong period
But the best part is that he was saying so everybody was saying that I don't have character
So I did this dish to showcase my character in the kitchen so I did a lion eating a prawn. Oh, yeah
How did you think that was a good idea?
Yeah, it is like this potato with a face that looks like a little mice. That's a lion
Didn't he like put like chili strings like as like the whisking? Exactly. Yeah, yeah, it looks like about you know
And I just remember the guy like the the judge like actually getting really angry. Yeah, yeah, he got like I think not of the other dishes were
Examine he got kicked out right away with the ditch
Imagine
So that that it was like this whole I mean that there's so mean like this TV presenters
Then that there wasn't this whole after drama scene where they come and said so you went to the clear you love to to girlfriend
You went to that now you was like I hate my life. I don't want to cook it again
Leave your love and you start to subscribe
Okay, and the jury crew goes back and he he kind of helps him out like don't ever say that again
Just then I'll be stronger and cooking and something like that as literally my favorite TV moment of all time
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