|
Moro was born when chefs Sam and Sam Clark (yes, they’re married to each other) followed their dream of exploring the food of Spain and the Muslim Mediterranean. In the spring of 1997 they set off in a camper van on a three-month trip through Spain, Morocco and the Sahara, using a small gas hob to experiment with the techniques and ingredients they discovered. It was in fact their honeymoon, though hardly a conventional one.
Now, at Moro, you will find the authentic taste of these linked regions, aromatic with saffron and cinnamon, pungent with garlic or dried limes. The two Sams are fascinated by the cultural and historical background of the dishes they encountered – and continue to discover, since they now own a small house in Andalusia.
Visit the restaurant, in London’s pedestrianised Exmouth Market, and you will discover flavours and combinations that had never occurred to you before. The homemade sourdough bread is famous in its own right!
Rioja at Moro
Danny McSorley, general manager of Moro, says: ‘I have such a soft spot for Marqués de Vargas, Reserva 2001 - it straddles the Old and New Worlds, combining elements of both. It’s bigger than traditional Rioja, which can be quite light, and it has good acidity and extra weight to carry it with substantial meat flavours. It’s our best-selling Rioja.
‘We also have a Gran Reserva, Ontañon 1999, which is very traditional, lighter and very elegant, which I would put with a well-flavoured fish dish like our Tuna with Oloroso. It goes very well with the sweet, powerful flavours of the Oloroso-marinated fish and onions.’
|
|
|
|
Atún con Oloroso
(Tuna with Oloroso; from ‘Moro: the Cookbook’)
Serves 4
4 thick tuna steaks, about 200-225g each
1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with salt
200ml medium-dry Oloroso sherry
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
3 large Spanish onions, thinly sliced
Half a small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 lemon, quartered
Sea salt and black pepper
First marinate the tuna. Place the tuna in a dish and rub the garlic all over. Pour over a third of the sherry and leave to sit for an hour in the fridge before cooking.
Meanwhile, place a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the onion and a pinch of salt. When the onions have wilted, turn down the heat and continue to cook for a good 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown and sweet in smell and taste. Pour off any excess oil, add the remaining sherry, and simmer until the alcohol has evaporated and you have a nutty, rich sauce. Set aside.
When ready to cook the tuna, heat a clean frying pan until very hot. Add a drizzle of oil followed by the seasoned tuna, and fry briefly on both sides, depending on how rare you like it and the thickness of the cut. When almost cooked, add both the marinade and the onion sauce to the pan to warm through. You could use a griddle pan instead and warm the sauce separately. Serve immediately with the parsley sprinkled on top and the lemon.
|
|
