Chef, writer and Spanish food and wine expert Blanca Valencia shares her life in food
Chef, writer and Spanish food and wine expert Blanca Valencia on her life in food, from her earliest memories to her favourite flavours and culinary inspirations.
Speaker, writer, cook and consultant Blanca Valencia was born in Spain and spent her childhood in Central America. A Spanish wine specialist, Blanca is hosting a number of events as part of the Eat Spain Drink Spain in Dublin this month.
What are your earliest memories of food?
Eating the leftover briny conservas (tinned fish and seafood) and olives after my parents’ parties at our house.
How would you describe your relationship with food?
Obsessive. It is the one thing I think about all the time. Every single day.
What was the first meal you learned to cook?
Chicken Paella. I was in university when I started cooking in earnest.
How did food become a part of your career?
I was in management consulting for ten years when I decided to go to Cordon Bleu in London and train as a chef. I moved on to working in Books for Cooks in London and then went to Alambique cooking school in Madrid.
What’s your go-to breakfast?
Oatmeal or scrambled eggs on weekdays and bread with tomato and Ibérico ham or tortilla on the weekend.
If you’re impressing friends and family at a dinner party, what are you serving up?
I am past impressing anyone anymore. In fact, I have standardised my menus, as this allows me to focus on entertaining rather than being at the stove. I now love cook-ahead recipes, so if you came to my dinner party you’d find me serving seasonal gazpacho, chicken Paella with green beans, and caramel flan.
Who is your culinary inspiration?
At the moment I am obsessed with Diego Velázquez paintings of kitchens in Seville like Kitchen Maid with the Supper at Emmaus (1699) at the National Gallery of Ireland. As part of Eat Spain Drink Spain this October, I hosted a Spanish Art and Gastronomy event at the Cervantes Institute, pairing my favourite ones with Spain’s most iconic foods and wine varieties. I love to showcase all parts of our culture.
What would your last meal on earth be?
My grandmother’s chicken soup, made with serrano ham bones and croquetas.
What’s your go-to comfort food?
I dream about the ham croquetas that my mother made with a molten bechamel centre, so easy to eat and near-impossible to perfect, but my go-to comfort food varies and sometimes it’s embarrassing: I adore Spanish sunflower seeds and corn nuts, which you can get at A Taste of Spain stores in Dublin.
What’s the go-to quick meal you cook when you’re tired and hungry?
Baguette bread with avocado puree, tomato slices and Spanish tinned sardines drizzled with extra virgin olive oil or sourdough with early harvest extra virgin olive oil from Finca La Torre or Castillo de Canena.
What is one food or flavour you cannot stand?
I love everything (even tripe and goose barnacles) although I did try drisheen the other day and did not love it. I am an adventurous food nerd.
Hangover cure?
I hate being hungover, so I drink tinto de verano, which is essentially a Spanish red wine spritzer well into fall.
Sweet or savoury?
Savoury.
Fine dining or pub grub?
Fine dining. I do love a white tablecloth but also love the casualness and friendliness of an Irish pub. In fact I hosted the Eat Spain Drink Spain Spanish Food and Beer Quiz with food writer and journalist Ali Dunworth, author of A Compendium of Irish Pints, and sponsored by Spanish beer company Estrella Galicia at Instituto Cervantes.
Favourite restaurant in Ireland?
So many but I especially love Goldie in Cork, Uno Mas and Las Tapas de Lola in Dublin.
Best coffee in Ireland?
Shoe Lane in my neighbourhood of Dun Laoghaire.
Go-to beverage accompaniment?
Gilda, a pintxo from the Basque country which is essentially a skewer composed of a briny anchovy, a manzanilla olive and a piparra pickled pepper. I love using El Capricho anchovies imported to Ireland by Vera Foods.
What are your thoughts on the Irish foodie scene?
Ireland’s food scene has evolved so fast in the last ten years. I was able to explore this through the Spice Bags podcast that I co-hosted with food writers Mei Chin and Dee Laffan. It is amazingly varied and at the moment is flourishing with a lot of talented chefs, writers and producers.
What’s your favourite thing about cooking?
I love how it connects us to our ancestors and their traditions, plus I appreciate how my own relationship with it is evolving. These days I am mulling over the role that food plays in art, and I spend many afternoons day-dreaming about a menu inspired by paintings from the National Gallery of Ireland like Harry Kernoff, Francisco ya or Gerard Dillon. My friend Santina Kennedy and I, in our collaboration Art Plate (@artplate_ireland), have developed a tour of food in art for the Gallery and are currently busy exploring new projects.
What does food — sitting down to a meal with friends, mindfully preparing a meal, nourishment, etc — mean to you?
For me, food is all about connection. Sitting down to a meal with friends or family creates a sense of togetherness and allows us to share stories, gossip and celebrate moments. Eating together is an essential aspect of the Spanish attitude to life. It’s less about the food itself and more about the relationships it helps sustain. It’s why I rely on “standard” menus for dinner parties because when I sit down to a meal, I want to hang out!
Food for thought — Is there room for improvement within the Irish food/restaurant/hospitality scene?
I would love to have a food market or two in Dublin city and community cooking classes that are accessible to everyone. They could serve as platforms for food producers and for chefs looking to test ideas. The reinvention of the traditional food markets of Madrid into community and tourist hubs is inspirational. Cork as a food destination with the Butter Museum, Marina Market and the English Market too!
Chef’s kiss — Tell us about one standout foodie experience you’ve had recently.
Goldie in Cork blew me away. Aishling is an ingredient polyglot who manages to fuse so many techniques and create perfect dishes. And to think she is so young!
Compliments to the chef — Now’s your chance to sing the praises of a talented chef, beloved restaurant or particularly talented foodie family member.
I love the food of Southern Spain so I am in eternal awe of chefs like Paco Morales, Dani García and Pedro Sánchez. My aunts in Granada are all brilliant cooks: Maria Gertrudis, Popi, Maria Luisa and Tati.
Secret ingredient — What, in your estimation, makes the perfect dining experience?
A diverse group of fun friends and acquaintances.
Blanca is part of the team hosting Eat Spain Drink Spain 2024, a vibrant celebration of Spanish food and drink taking place across the country from 1-19 October that includes tastings, wine dinners, tapas trails and interactive workshops. To find an event close to you, visit the Upcoming Event section at foodswinesfromspain.com.
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