JORDI CRUZ'S PATATES BRAVES - ORIGINAL RECIPE & TM

Patatas bravas is on of the most famous tapas dish in Spain. You can find them in almost every single tapas bar and they are super delicious. However, like many other traditional dishes, every one seems to have their secret ingredients when making the tomato sauce - salsa brava. This recipe is from a famous Catalan chef, Jordi Cruz, who was awarded his first Michelin star when he was only 18. I have adapted his recipe because I was short of time, but would love to confit the potatoes next time I make this recipe. I must admit, the sauce is to die for, it's heaven on the plate.

INGREDIENTS

For the salsa brava

- 1 kilo of ripe tomatoes or 3 x 400g cans crushed tomatoes
- 300 g onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 red chillies
- Nyora (optional) soaked in hot water, and pulp scraped
- 2 g of sweet paprika
- 3 g of hot paprika
- 10 ml Worcestershire sauce
- 100 g of double concentrated tomato
- Salt and pepper

For mayonnaise foam (or, if we want, just mayonnaise)

- 100 ml of sunflower oil
- 250 ml of Arbequina olive oil
- 1 whole egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 blanched garlic without the germ
- 6 g of salt

For potatoes

- Potatoes
- Olive oil
- Salt

METHOD

To make the sauce:

1. Put a good splash of olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté a couple of finely chopped cloves of garlic over a medium-low heat. When you see that they are starting to golden, add the finely chopped red onion. Stir well and add a little salt, stir again and leave to fry over a medium-low heat for about 30 minutes. The onion will stick to the bottom of the pan, but don't worry, it will add an intense flavour to the sauce.

2. Once the onion is well poached, you will need to add both paprikas. Stir for a few seconds to prevent the paprika from burning and becoming bitter, and quickly pour in 50 ml of water to dissolve anything that has stuck to the bottom.

3. Next, chop up 2 or 3 cayenne peppers depending on how hot you want the sauce. Remember to stir well each time you add a new ingredient to integrate it. Add also the nyora meat (if using), the tomato concentrate and stir again. Add a little black pepper and salt and stir again.

4. Add all the chopped tomatoes, the Worcestershire sauce and stir. Cover the pan and leave the sauce to cook on a medium-low heat for 2 hours. But remember to keep an eye on it every 15 minutes to stir and prevent it from sticking. After 2 hours the sauce is ready, just pass it through a sieve to remove the seeds and skins from the tomatoes. Set aside.

Using the Thermomix to do the sauce:

1. Put the onions in the bowl and chop 5 sec / speed 5. Remove and keep in a bowl.

2. Add the garlic and the oil and saute 3 min / 120C / speed 1. Add the onion and cook 30 min / 100C / speed 1.

3. Add the sweet and hot paprika to the bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cook 1 min / 100C/ speed 1.

4. Add the tomatoes, the tomato paste, the chillies, the nyora pulp (if using) and the Worcestershire sauce. Chop 10 sec / speed 5. 

5. Cook for 1 hour / 90C / speed 1.

6. Change the measuring cup for the simmering basket and cook for 1 hour / 120C / speed 1.

Preparation of the potatoes

1. Preheat the oven to 120 ºC. Peel and wash the potatoes and cut them in half lengthwise. Then, you have to cut each half in 3 pieces to form 3 wedges.

2. Soak the potato wedges in cold water for 15 minutes. Then dry them with absorbent paper and place them on a baking tray with parchment paper and olive oil. Do not pile them up, as all the wedges should be completely covered with oil.

3. Confit the potatoes in a preheated oven at 120 ºC for 1 hour. But bear in mind that this time is only a guide, as it will depend on each oven. What you should do is check the baking time by pricking a potato with a toothpick until you see that they are tender.

4. When they are ready, remove the potatoes from the oil and allow them to drain in a colander. Do not discard the oil, as you can use it to fry the potatoes. To do this, put it in a frying pan and heat it. When the oil is very hot, add the potatoes and fry them for between 2 and 5 minutes, depending on how golden brown you like them. Remove them on kitchen paper to remove the excess oil and salt them.

Variation:

If you do not have much time to confit the potatoes, you can also cook them in the oven. Cut them into wedges and put them in a large bowl. Add about 2 Tbsp of olive oil and mix well. Put on a large tray with baking paper in a single layer. Cook in a preheated 180 ºC oven for about 30 - 40 minutes or until golden and crunchy.

The mayonnaise:

1. First of all, so that the garlic is not so potent, remove the germ and blanch the garlic for 20 seconds.

2. Then put it in the blender with the eggs and a pinch of salt. Add half of the olive oil and half of the sunflower oil to the blender and start blending.

3. When it starts to emulsify, add the rest of the oil very slowly, while continuing to blend. 

4. Pour the mayonnaise into the siphon, seal it tightly and add a couple of pumps according to the manufacturer's instructions. Shake vigorously and leave to stand in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Variation:

I didn't make the foam. Here is the easiest way to make the allioli. 

Ingredients:

300ml extra virgin olive oil

1 whole egg

2-3 garlic cloves, germ removed

a pinch of salt

a splash of white wine vinegar

Put the garlic, whole egg, salt and vinegar in the bowl of a hand blender. Add the oil. Put the hand blender at the bottom and pulse at a small intervals. Do not move it until the oil is almost blended. Here is a video to see how it is done. It takes about 3-4 minutes and it is fantastic!

Finally, to serve, arrange the wedges in a flower shape on a shallow plate. Place a couple of tablespoons of salsa brava in the centre and a generous amount of the homemade mayonnaise that we had reserved in the siphon. Sprinkle with a little sweet or spicy paprika and... Enjoy! 

Here is the a short video of his recipe:

I served mine as a part of a tapas meal together with Mini chicken pies and Cheese and ham croquettes. It was an excellent and delicious dinner!

Notes: 

A nyora, is also known as pimiento choricero and are sometimes referred to as the paprika pepper. They are closely related to bell peppers and its appearance is somewhat similar to cascabel chiles, with a heart-shaped body and a glossy, wrinkled flesh that is dark red in color. They are native of the Valencia region and they are widely used in the traditional kitchen, especially to make sauces such as romesco, xató, etc. They are used when they are dry and must be soaked in hot water. You can then scrape the pulp from the inside skin and use it in your recipe.