Crunchy Cow Tail Raviolis, Sweet Corn Bread and Vegetable Broth

Raviolis Crujientes de Rabo de Vaca y Pan de Maíz con Caldo de Legumbres
Azurmendi
Chef: Eneko Atxa
Country: España
City: 48195 Larrabetzu (Vizcaya
Address: Barrio Legina s/n
(+34)944558866

Eneko Atxa’s style is clearly defined. On the one hand, he updates and reinvents traditional recipes –like in this case. On the other hand, he uses avant-garde techniques to reinforce natural and chromatic aspects. The most brilliant of them is the dry ice: apart from creating mist and nebula in the dish and at the table, the chef has been able to get the most of many aromas (iodine, herbs flowers and an infinity of other ingredients) that captivate and fully satisfy the olfactory organ.
The chef proposes numerous dishes with historical memory that boast about redefined academic sauces. Apart from preserving traditional exquisiteness and gelatinousity, they show off unprecedented refinement, harmony and slender density. This original vision of the classical oxtail is a good example of those stocks Eneko is so attached to. A traditional deboned ragout converted into a terrine, cut into dices that are decorated with some melting and crunchy raviolis made with pork fat slices and sweet corn bread that are lain over another similar stock prepared with chickpeas, pumpkin, pig’s trotters and shoots that refresh both the eyes and the palate. Clairvoyant and unanimous gastronomic revival.



The Recipe



4 servings

Cow tail
1 kg cow tail
1 onion
1 carrot
1 leek
1 tomato
10 g flour
100 ml red wine
Meat stock

Salt and coat the tail with flour. Fry. Use the remaining oil to fry the vegetables lightly. Once tender, mash the vegetables together with a generous splash of meat broth.
Put the fried tail into a pot with the wine, reduce for a couple of minutes and add the vegetable sauce. Cover and cook.
Allow to cool, debone and introduce into a terrine mould together with the sauce.

Ravioli
10 g pork fat
Deboned tail cut into dices
Sliced sweet corn bread
Make the shape of a cross with the pig fat, wrap some dices and cover with the sweet corn bread (previously cut into very thin –almost transparent– slices with the slicer). Set aside.

Vegetable broth
200 g chickpeas (soaked into water for 12 hours)
20 g pumpkin
½ pig’s trotter

Cook all the ingredients in a pot, strain and reduce to half. Strain again and set the broth aside.

Finishing and assembly
Toast the ravioli on both sides for 2 minutes in a frying pan. Pour the vegetable broth into the plate, add two or three ravioli and finish with some sprouts.