Although I don't believe in miracles, miracles exist. Good proof of this is the book "The cuisine of the Canal de Navarrés, between the plain and the mountains." A Christmas gift for the senses, as it offers us the opportunity to visit an unexplored territory of the culinary heritage of the Community. It is a corner of the interior of the province of Valencia with the same population density as Siberia, but with a pantry as authentic as it is interesting.
Its authors, Amalia Ferrer and Enrique Pallás. She, a retired civil servant, was interested in the traditional cuisine of the Canal from a very young age. Amalia learned slowly and with good handwriting from her mother, aunts and grandmother the secrets, conservation techniques and traditions that she had previously captured in the book, “Gastronomic Culture of Bicorp” (2010).
He, Enrique Pallás, is a Renaissance man, communication professional, popularizer, photographer, musician and lover of gastronomy. He had to reinvent himself a few years ago to take the hospitality bull by the horns. Between them they have created this delight that has me dazzled. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is the first time that Drassana, in its collection “Tastaolletes", dedicated to gastronomy, goes beyond the mere recipe book or the opportunistic adventure.
This is a fairly choral book, where one of its authors, Enrique, assumes wearing up to four different pairs of boots: those of an editor, layout designer, photographer and writer. In this way, paving the way for the region, its region, it shows the beautiful and human side of the austere cuisine of the Canal de Navarrés. He does it because he masters the skills necessary to carry out a publication with a lucid final result.
The first thing that catches your attention are some of the names of the dishes and many of the ingredients that go into the recipes, as sonorous and predictable as "Escaldabarbas", soupy rice made simply with "rosillas" (poppy plant), garlic, oil, water and salt. The most archaic dish of our cuisine also appears in the book, the griñones, described by Ruperto de Nola, in the Llibre de Coch; wheat grains with frisuelos (beans), wild herbs, collejas and ravanicias. Cereal and legume, a compendium of nutrition.
Curiosities aside, of which there are many, is the pragmatism that readers who are fond of cooking look for. From the perfect description of the marinade for olives, through the vegetable brine, to the ajoarriero in its first chapter. The second is dedicated to spoon dishes, whether they are for vigil or slaughter; humble soups, delicious pots with balls or “pilotiquias”, which is the most enjoyable stew you can imagine; the mojete (stew with cauliflower, cod, garlic, potatoes and herbs, topped with a fried egg per diner), a true spectacle. Stews with stalks, lamb stews... For those who love spoons, this book opens a door to another dimension. Rice dishes also enter the hall of fame, especially baked rice, marked by the intensity of the sausages from this region, an example, the "sobisangre." We found “bridal rice”, so called because it was served at the weddings of humble families, typical of Anna and Bolbaite. It is rice baked in a clay pot with lean minced meat and little else.
The most recognizable dish of the Canal de Navarrés is undoubtedly the gazpachos. Described in first person with great detail and emotional charge: "The grandfather lit the bonfire while the fire consumed the “fornilla”. On a goat skin spread on the ground he piled up the flour and made a crater in the center, incorporating water , salt and knead..."
In the sweet section I will only invoke three divinities: sweet potato cakes, anise rolls and rosegons. No panettone here.
Saving traditional cuisine should be a priority, because it allows us to know where we come from and reinforce our identity as a people. In reality it is the only flag capable of uniting Valencians.
Merry christmas.
