And the award for the best 'Arrocito de Castelló' goes to...(drum roll)
I already sang it Manolo Garcia , when he was a vocalist of the group The last on the line , in the famous song 'Like a donkey tied up at the dance door': “Take me to the movies, love, and eat a little rice in Castelló” . Land of ancient olive trees with the aroma of black truffles. Blessed by the breeze Mediterranean and for the beauty of Mastership . The perfect combination: sea and mountains. That's right ** Castellón , the great unknown of the Valencian Community .**
But today, may 14, 20 cooks They have taken their paella pans to the street to claim the richness of their gastronomy. The First International Contest ‘Arrocito de Castelló’ has taken place in the Grao , where a select jury made up of 14 members , of which eight are chefs endorsed by 7 Michelin stars and 9 Repsol soles , has decided that the winning rice is the chef's Borja Jesus Llido , from ** El Chato Gastrobar ,** from the town of Artana (Castellón).
Of the participants, eleven are in charge of restaurant kitchens in Castellón and eight have represented Valencian restaurants. Has been a single representative from Castilla-La Mancha: Guillermo Aguilar , chef of Guillermo's rice dishes (Argamasilla de Calatrava, Real city ), who has taken the Third award ! The second place it was for the chef Ferdinand Piris, from the restaurant The Sea Sala , in Cullera ( Valencia ).
The little rice that you can try at El Chato Gastrobar de Artana
The contestants, chosen to compete for the Castellón City Council, through the Municipal Tourist Board , and accompanied by their respective kitchen assistants, have put all their care to conquer with their rice the demanding palates of chefs : Michael Barrier , from the Cal Paradís restaurant (Vall d'Alba) ; Raul Resino , from the Raúl Resino restaurant (Benicarló); Kiko Moya , from the restaurant L'Escaleta (Cocentaina); Bernd Knöller , from the Riff restaurant (Valencia); Begona Rodrigo , from the restaurant La Salita (Valencia); Rafael Soler , from the Audrey's restaurant (Calpe); Nazario Cano , from the El Rodat restaurant (Jávea); Y Maria Jose San Roman , from the Monastrell restaurant (Alicante).
The other six members of the jury have been Patricia Door , Councilor for Tourism of Castellón; Ines Casanova , technician of the Municipal Tourist Board; Manuel Jose Rodriguez , President of the Academy of Gastronomy of the Valencian Community; Cuchita Lluch , academic of the Royal National Academy of Gastronomy; and food journalists Pedro Garcia and Paco Alonso.
Tasting the rice dishes of Castellón
Cooked over firewood and following the recipe of chef Miguel Barrera , the rice dishes have been made with extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, artichokes, sepionet de la punxa, king prawns from Castellón, monkfish, fumet prepared by the chef and Valencian rice J. Sendra. And not only has the jury been lucky enough to try this delicacy, but the remaining portions have been tasted by the attendees.
“ The idea is to value the 'Arrocito de Castelló' , which until now did not have a unified recipe. It is very typical to go eat rice at Grao, that is why the objective is to baptize it. We want people to know what they are going to eat if they order this dish. Let's create a brand from scratch ”, Chef Miguel Barrera tells Traveler.es.
One of the contestant rice
“At Cal Paradís we will introduce this 'Arrocito de Castelló' , that is characterized by using exclusively the products of our fish market, like the monkfish or sepionet from la punxa , and also from our garden, like artichokes,” he adds.
Michael Barrier he is the owner of the **Cal Paradís restaurant**, where he also cooks, and **executive chef of the ReLevante restaurant**. He has one Michelin star, two Repsol suns and more than 20 years of experience in the kitchen. His passion for gastronomy was cooked in his house, since he comes from a family of cooks. Barrera has revealed us the secret of a good fumet : “You have to use a good rock fish such as redfish, ratfish, conger eel, spider fish... or a crustacean such as the galley . First of all, little blue fish. The fumet comes out good if its ingredients are good”.
“You don't get anywhere for a specific event, but little by little it adds up. Castellón has a great product , is the second most mountainous province in Spain and has an important coastline. You can get products from the land, such as truffles or mushrooms, and you don't have the sea. This allows a great diversity and gastronomic offer ”, explains the Cal Paradís chef.