It is said there is an infinite variety of tapas, the Spanish bar snacks that inspired the grazing craze. That proposition is being tested at Cafe Ba- Ba-Reeba!, 2024 N. Halsted St., where a new kitchen team that includes a
”guest chef” from Spain is revising the menu.
”We`re trying to introduce more authentic Spanish tastes for two reasons,” said executive chef Karen Garipay. Garipay, who started cooking at Ba-Ba-Reeba! when it opened seven years ago, moved up when chef/partner Jennifer Smith departed to create The Corner Bakery at Grand and Clark Streets that is scheduled to open Nov. 10. ”Our customers are more willing to try something new than they used to be. They`ve even accepted salt cod. And it`s easier for us to get authentic Spanish ingredients like cheeses and olives. For a long time we had to use Greek olives,” she said.
The kitchen team isn`t banking blindly on customer sophistication, however. Dishes are added to the menu only after being tested successfully as daily specials.
To place the stamp of authenticity on the new dishes is the job of 26-year-old Jose Manuel Gallego, who comes from a restaurant family. His father and brother both are chefs and a sister is in the business as well. He also comes from Valencia, the birthplace of paella, a credential he needs if he is to convince Chicago that the elaborate rice preparation featuring seafood and chicken they are used to is tourist chow. In Valencia, the real thing is considerably simpler and does not combine seafood and poultry.
”His paellas are really nice,” said Garipay. ”He makes lots of variations, but all of them have only a few ingredients, bake real fast and are very light.”
There will be about a dozen other new dishes on the permanent menu, explained Gabino Sotelino, the Spanish-French chef who oversees both Ba-Ba-Reeba! and Ambria.
”I searched in Spain for an ambitious, curious young chef who wanted to see the States first-hand. Jose Manuel will be here for at least a year, making authentic Spanish dishes and training our chef how to recreate them,” Sotelino says.
So far, Gallego seems happy in his new environment. He says he admires the organization of the kitchen, which produces many more meals than would a restaurant in Spain. But he shakes his head when asked if he likes our produce. American vegetables, he says, ”are big and beautiful, but they have no flavor.”
No fear of Gallego going hungry, however. The chef`s colleagues say he quickly developed a fondness for hamburgers, cheesecake and chocolate tarts.
Here are two of his new Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! dishes, adapted for home cooks. CATALAN VEGETABLE SALAD (CATALUNA ESCALIVADA)
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
1 pound eggplant, cut in half lengthwise
2 medium red bell peppers, cut in half, seeds removed
1 large onion, cut almost all the way through twice to form quarters
1 pound ripe tomatoes
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
5 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt, black pepper to taste
12-16 black olives for garnish
4 hard-cooked eggs, quartered
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Rub eggplant, peppers, onion and tomatoes lightly with 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange eggplant halves and onion in a roasting pan and place in the oven. Bake 10 minutes, then add red pepper halves, tomatoes and 4 of the unpeeled garlic cloves. Continue baking until vegetables are tender and edges begin to char, 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Remove tray from oven. When vegetables are cool enough to handle, peel the eggplant, onion and peppers; peel and seed the tomatoes. Cut the vegetables, except the garlic, into fine strips and place in a bowl.
3. Peel garlic and place in a mortar or food processor. If desired, peel fifth (raw) garlic clove and add to the mortar along with the parsley and blend well. Stir or blend in the lemon juice and remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. 4. Pour garlic dressing over the vegetables, season liberally with salt and black pepper and toss to mix well. Cover and refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving.
5. If desired, transfer to a serving dish or plate. Garnish with olives and egg sections before serving with freshly sliced bread as an appetizer or first course.
STUFFED PEPPERS RIOJA-STYLE (PIMIENTOS RELLENOS A LA RIOJANA)
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Yield: 26 to 30 pieces
2 cans (9 1/2 ounces each) roasted piquillo peppers, see note
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 whole peeled clove garlic, plus 2 cloves, minced
1 pound piece boneless pork butt (with some fat), cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 hard-cooked egg, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon each: salt, freshly ground black pepper
1 raw egg
2 cups whipping cream
1. Drain peppers and pat dry. Heat oil with whole garlic clove in a skillet; cook until garlic begins to brown. Remove and discard garlic. Add peppers and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once. Transfer peppers to a strainer set over a bowl.
2. Toss pork cubes with flour in a bowl. Return skillet to the burner. Add floured pork in single layer; cook over medium-high heat to brown the meat on all sides. Add the minced garlic, onion, parsley and nutmeg. Cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent. Add chicken stock and heat to a boil, scraping brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. When mixture thickens, simmer 5 minutes, stirring often; remove from heat and cool.
3. When cool, transfer to a food processor or hand grinder. (If using a processor, grind mixture by the off-off pulse method so it will retain a coarse texture.) Stir in hard-cooked egg and season with salt and pepper.
(Recipe may be prepared to this point one day in advance. Refrigerate until needed.)
4. When ready to cook, heat oven to 350 degrees. Stir the raw egg into the stuffing mixture and, using a small spoon, fill the peppers with it.
5. Place stuffed peppers in a single layer in a casserole, preferably earthenware. Heat cream to boil in medium saucepan. Pour into the casserole until it comes halfway up the peppers, then place the uncovered casserole in the oven to bake for 30 minutes. Serve warm, allowing three or four peppers for an appetizer portion.
Note: Alcazaba brand piquillo peppers are available in 9.5-ounce jars at Marshall Field & Co. and some other specialty stores.
