Ramiro Rodriguez Pardo
Sinclair, Buenos Aires, Argentina
taped at Restaurant Catalinas
Buenos Aires
http://www.sinclairresto.com.ar

Ramiro Rodriguez Pardo was born in Lugo, a province of Galicia in Spain. When still very young he entered the Jesuitical Seminar at Lugo, where he studied to be a priest. In the end Ramiro did not take his ordination, saying he changed “the black robes of a priest for the whites of a cook”.

As the younger son in a traditional Galician family, Ramiro was expected to  become part of the clergy, but he was more attracted to the aromas in the kitchen. There he learned the cooking arts that all Galician families pass from generation to generation. Ramiro escaped to the kitchen between his seminary lessons. When he finally decided not to be ordained, he took a break by visiting his uncle in Buenos Aires. He had no idea that journey would last so long.

His first restaurant was “el Palacio de la Papa Frita,” The French Fry Palace,” named in honor to his passion for French fries and eggs. He then became a partner at the restaurant-bar OTTO. By the beginning of the ‘60s he had started working with Gato Dumas, one of Argentina’s most famous chefs. They combined talents at the Drugstore in the Buenos Aires suburb of La Recoleta and the three Clark’s restaurants. These were special places where “tout” Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo went “to see and be seen.” Pardo was co-founder and partner of another hit restaurant in the Recoleta district, Lola, named after his grandmother.

Ramiro was the chef/owner of Restaurant Catalinas for over 20 years. The restaurant was painted and decorated by the famous Argentinean artist Rogelio Polesello, who made Catalinas a unique piece of art in Buenos Aires.

Completely immersed in his own art, Ramiro has made numerous professional training trips to Europe, working with Alain Chapel and Joan Marie Arzac, among others. Restaurant Catalinas won the  “Best Latin American Restaurant” award; Pardo won the 1996 international culinary competition in Singapore, and the Five Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences. He is an honorable member of the Culinary Academy of the Americas, and a member of the Bocuse Americas jury. For many years he hosted a culinary series, Los Cocineros, and later hosted Ramiro’s Culinary Magazine, a series seen throughout South America. Now he is at Sinclair, offering his culinary style in a new setting.

“Cooking constitutes one of the most complete fields of art because, if done with mastery, it culminates in art that demands all of the five senses,” he says.
 

Salmon Carpaccio
Ramiro Rodriguez Pardo
Restaurant Catalinas
Buenos Aires, Argentina

It´s easy to see why this beautiful array of crisp greens topped with salmon and shrimp carpaccio is so popular at Restaurant Catalinas. Healthy, low in calories, and full of fresh sea flavor, it is the perfect beginning for any lovely dinner. The nice thing is that you can prepare and set aside the salad plates ahead of time, and pack the carpaccio in molds and refrigerate them. At the last minute, turn out the molds, add the lemon slices and chives, garnish the tops, and you´re ready to serve.

Serves 4

Greens

• 32 – inner leaves of endive
• 20 arugula leaves
• 28 spinach leaves
• 20 dark red lettuce leaves
• 32 whole chives

1-3/4 pounds fresh salmon fillet, skin and bones removed

• 1 pound fresh shrimp, shelled and cleaned
• Juice of 4 lemons
• 2 – fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 4 sprigs fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of grated fresh gingerroot
• 20 to 24 fresh chives, minced
• 1 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 lemon

To prepare the greens: Wash green leaves thoroughly and pat dry. – Set aside on a paper towels.

Cut the shrimp and the salmon fillet into small square pieces, about 1/4-inch. Put them into a chilled bowl with the lemon juice. Add the tomato, dill, freshly grated ginger, and half of the minced chives. Toss to blend. Stir in the half of the olive oil and season with salt, and pepper. Stir in more olive oil, a little at a time, until the mixture holds its shape well. Taste; adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour in the refrigerator.

To serve: Cut the lemon into quarters, then cut each quarter in half. Set aside 8 of the smallest spinach leaves.

Arrange 8 endive leaves in a radial design in the center of each plate. Building up the radial design, arrange 5 arugula, spinach, and red lettuce leaves over the endive on each plate. Pack chilled carpaccio into a 2-1/2-inch mold or small bowl. Turn out the mold in the center of the greens on one plate. Repeat with the other plates. Garnish each salad with 2 slices of the lemon. Top each mold with a sprinkling of the reserved chopped chives and stand two of the reserved small spinach leaves in each. Insert the heavy end of 8 whole chives into the base of the mold on each plate, creating a radial design.

In the words of the chef, voila! Sit and enjoy yourself!