The Flavour of Elegance, published by Montagud Editores, analyses Begoña Rodrigo’s cuisine through the story of her life and her understanding of concepts such as flavour, technique and beauty.
Begoña Rodrigo has been cooking for twenty years. Half of this time has been spent in the kitchen of her restaurant La Salita (Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain). This chef now takes stock of all of this while looking to the future in The Flavour of Elegance. This work is published by Montagud Editores, a publishing house that has been exclusively producing books on gastronomy for 110 years.
Begoña Rodrigo’s new book divides her culinary concepts into four main pillars. Each of these contain, in equal measure, the most significant creations and recipes from her two decades in the kitchen. ‘Flavour’ takes a look at dishes such as “Glazed tuna brain”, “Muscatel carbonara with porcini mushrooms and figs” and “Plankton fideuà”; while the section devoted to the ‘Techniques’ used by the chef does the same with “Hot-and-sour onion soup with squid”, “Garrofó and rabbit” and “Squab”. ‘From global to local’ analyses the international journey taken by the food prepared by Rodrigo, starting in kitchens in different parts of the world and ending up in Valencia with dishes like “Prawns in an aromatic sauce”, “Cabbage-wrapped shrimp tails with coconut” and “Yellow curry with vegetables”. Finally, the self-evident chapter entitled ‘The Aesthetics of Elegance’ presents dishes such as “Red mullet, fennel and dill” and the crown-like “Salad of pickled and salted preparations” – possibly the most emblematic dish at La Salita – with the latter featured on the front and back covers of the book.
“You have before you a book by Begoña Rodrigo that disentangles what for many are the rules of contemporary cuisine,” adds Jãvi Antoja de la Rosa, head of Montagud Editores publishing projects and editor of this book. “The defined flavours, the exquisite beauty of her creations, the use of technique at the service of taste and an excellent choice of produce (local and international) make this book you have in your hands the perfect manual to use in your restaurant.