Hannibal chopping meat: what happiness he exudes
January 30, 1991 . It was the day that The Silence of the Lambs premiered (that's right, twenty-two years have passed). The day the horror thriller was born, we discovered that brown beast named Anthony Hopkins and maybe also the day we grew up for a couple of years in a movie theater. All scared as chickens.
It was the day that wonderful troubled gentleman named Hannibal Lecter; a fascinating guy who we didn't know whether to fear, admire, vote for as president of the government or lock up in an adamantium cell. Underground. Very low. The day also when we added a (curious) new word to our adolescent vocabulary: cannibalism. And perhaps, why not, the day a little foodie was born in us when we heard that wonderful statement: "I ate his liver accompanied by broad beans and a good Chianti". And now a confession, the first thing I did when I got home was to look in the Espasa Calpe (uh-huh) what the heck Chianti was. Many years later, I couldn't help but think of Dr. Lecter's phrase downing a Chianti (without liver) in some joint in Montalbano.
It is not known for sure if Thomas Harris , the mind -and the pen- behind all this he is a big foodie (he should, right?) and we don't know because he hasn't spoken to the press in twenty years. We do know that he began his journalistic career airing stories about murders -aha- in the Associated Press and that the dr Lecter has been leaving small traces of his love for the highest food in the following sociopathic vade mecums (The Red Dragon, Hannibal and The Origin of Evil...) .
Eating at Doctor Lecter's table is a ritual
Grilled scallops, cheese and cheeks.
We also know that fans of (good) cinema and gastronomic cannibalism are in luck because a very particular guy (follow his Twitter) named Bryan Fuller is turning NBC upside down with that wonderful series called Hannibal . And it is that the first thing Fuller did when taking the reins of the series was not talk to Thomas Harris or Sir Anthony Hopkins. No. He chose José Andrés (yes, our José Andrés) as gastronomic advisor to help him with questions as subtle as, "What can we cook from the human body?" Our friend (who is from Asturias) did not cut a hair, of course: "Everything, meat is meat", is more "You could even emulsify the pupils or fry the cheeks, like crispy slices of bacon" . And also.
Foie gras design by José Andrés for an episode of the series
The triangle works because to the wonderful character that is (yes, I'm crazy) Hannibal Lecter and Fuller's talent we must add the universe of nuances, silences, tempo, looks and fucking class that he has that weird piece of Dane that is Mads Mikkelsen. I can no longer imagine another Hannibal. He is Hannibal.
sauteing
Sorbet of brains and gastronomic winks.
The couple Fuller & Andrés is plaguing the series with **coquinero winks (without spoilers, promised) ** more and more, they are going to more. There is no going back in the kitchen of our favorite gourmet cannibal. And it is that the love of food sneaks from the titles of the episodes:
1."Aperitif"
2."Amuse-bouche"
3."Potage"
4."oof"
5."Coquilles"
6."Enter"
7. "Sherbet"
8. "Fromage"
9."Trou Normand”
10. "Froid Buffet"
cutting ham
Until each one of the dishes that are “cooked” (and I can read this far) in the series; works by José Andrés such as his particular vision of foie gras, our essential acorn-fed Iberian ham or a creation by Fuller's own mother, some noodles that really are... who cares.
Do not miss it.
toasting
Better not to know what those sausages are made of