Ask Chef Ramón Freixa what he thinks of rice, and he'll make his opinion very clear: it deserves more respect. Often considered a background ingredient, rice is rarely given a prominent role in upscale cooking, something Freixa is working hard to change through his podcast "Los Domingos Son de Arroz" (Sundays Are Made of Rice) and his namesake restaurant, Ramón Freixa Madrid, which has received two Michelin stars. Located in the Hotel Único, the elegant eatery has a menu that celebrates the bounty of Spain in a blend of the traditional and avant-garde, applying new ideas to foods people think they're familiar with—like rice.

Download the recipe: Socarrat_rice_sheet_with_mushroom_veil_and_garlic-oil_sauce
 

Equal parts inviting and innovative, Freixa's restaurant represents the culmination of a long culinary journey. As a child, he loved helping out in his grandparents' bakery in a small village near Barcelona, where he interacted with customers and learned the basics of food service. When his parents opened their own restaurant, the aspiring chef became determined to discover everything he could about cooking while developing his own personal style.

The result of his dedication can be tasted in this truly unique recipe for socarrat rice sheet with mushroom veil and garlic-oil sauce. Socarrat is the word for the deliciously caramelised crust of rice that sticks to the bottom of the pan in dishes like paella, and it serves as the centerpiece in this dazzling recipe.

"Despite its international fame and enormous popularity, rice doesn't always occupy its rightful role in haute cuisine, which is why I create recipes like this," Freixa says. "Elegant and sophisticated, it takes the experience of rice further while respecting the essence of one of the great dishes of the national cookbook."

For Chef Ramón Freixa, this delicate yet comforting recipe is more than just a menu item.

"It is a sample of my love for rice, one of the iconic dishes of Spanish gastronomy," he explains. "It admits infinite elaborations linked to the heritage of so many regions and ways of cooking it, and it's constantly evolving."

Chef Ramón Freixa's Socarrat Rice Sheet with Mushroom Veil and Garlic-Oil Sauce

Servings: 4

KITCHEN TOOLS

• Cutting board
• Cooking pot
• Pan
• Knife
• Blender
• Strainer

INGREDIENTS

Stir-fry

1 onion

2 tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

60 grams Iberian ham

Bay leaf

Boletus cream

50 grams onion

150 grams boletus

30 milliliters brandy

150 milliliters water

Chicken stock

5 chicken carcasses

5 chicken thighs

1 onion

1 leek

1 carrot

1 bulb garlic

1/2 stick cinnamon

Thyme

Rosemary

Bay leaves

2 peppercorns

3 liters water

Socarrat rice sheet

120 grams rice

90 grams stir-fry (previous preparation)

280 milliliters chicken stock (previous preparation)

40 grams boletus cream (previous preparation)

20 milliliters white wine

80 grams Manchego cheese

Mushrooms

160 grams mushrooms

Garlic-oil sauce

1 clove garlic

1 egg

1 egg yolk

250 milliliters olive oil

Salt

Boletus water

30 grams sun-dried boletus

200 milliliters water

Finishing touch

Borage flowers

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Finely chop the vegetables. Sauté the onion together with the garlic and a bay leaf. Add the tomato and continue cooking. Add the chopped ham and finish sautéing. Keep in the fridge.
2. Sauté the onion in julienne strips. Add the mushrooms and continue poaching. Add brandy and flambé, cover with water, continue cooking, and blend.
3. Place the mirepoix cut vegetables in a pot with the rest of the ingredients. Cover with cold water and simmer for 6 hours. Infuse off the heat for 3 more hours and strain.
4. Mark the rice with the sauce. Add the white wine and sauté until the alcohol evaporates. Add the chicken broth and the boletus cream. Cook the rice until it is "al dente" and add the grated Manchego cheese, salt, and pepper. Spread a thin layer of the rice on small pans. Cool the base of the pan in ice water and remove the socarrat sheet.
5. Clean the mushrooms and sauté them in a pan, leaving them just to the point of salt.
6. Mix the garlic with the egg and the yolk in a blender glass. Emulsify with the oil, adding it in a thread until a thick texture is achieved. Add salt.
7. Heat the water with the boletus. Once it comes to a boil, remove from heat and infuse for 6 hours.
8. Boil the boletus water. Add the vegetable gelatin and dissolve it by mixing with a rod. Spread a thin layer of veil on a tray, previously heated to about 70ºC. Keep in the fridge and punch in a circular shape.
9. Place a sheet of socarrat rice at the base of the plate, next to the sautéed mushrooms along with the veil and the garlic oil. Finish with some borage flowers.