Although it may sound strange, ash can be a very interesting culinary condiment, and not altogether alien to tradition. We have been investigating this for some years, both in a theoretical and purely practical way. On the one hand, searching for references to ash in gastronomy and, on the other hand, accidentally, when ash formed after a product became burnt and blackened.
The historical references are from different cultures and countries around the world.
In Catalonia, the dish calçots, literally blackened, covered in ash, is a pure delight and very popular.
Its feast, the calçotada, is associated with Vals, a Catalan town to the north of the capital Tarragona. This fun festival and popular feast is a ritual established around a unique grill. Calçots – spring onions – are placed on the grill one hour before serving, then wrapped in newspaper and plastic to conserve their heat, so that they are soft and the completely scorched layer comes off with relative ease. Finally, they are served at the table piled up in the hollow of a rustic clay tile to keep them warm.
Our French neighbours still use ash in the production of certain cheeses, by covering them with ash, and our Mexican compadres make their moles with burnt garlic.
For our first recipe on this theme – already a few years old – and well known, Sea Bass in Leek Ash, we carried out many laboratory tests and, of all the foods we burned, what we liked best was leek. The preparation is easy, but we needed a good grill. The leeks are washed and placed on a rack over a grill until completely burnt. The burnt leeks are pulled apart and crushed with olive oil and other seasonings.
This ash sauce is poured through a cheese cloth, and is ready to use. It tastes of leek but you mustn’t use too much of it. We use it to accompany sea bass, usually adding a droplet or a small line of this black sauce. In a new recipe with the expressive title Firebrands, the ash is aubergine (eggplant) and, in homage to ancestral fire, branches of unique black toasts are simulated as firebrands.