The richness of Ecuadorian gastronomy and the multiple ways in which each region of the country prepares its products around the fire is the premise of the web series our barbecue, whose first episode can be seen this Thursday night, August 25, starting at 8:00 p.m. through the social networks of premium-club.
The Ecuadorian brand promotes this production where Roberto Ayala, MasterChef Ecuador 2021, visits different parts of the country to discover ancient techniques (cooking with firewood, charcoal, volcanic rocks, banana leaves, etc.), as well as unique flavors and textures proposed by other chefs and entrepreneurs that appear in each chapter.
the guests are Paolo Realpe (Coast), Valentina Alvarez (Coast), Fabian Moreta (Saw), Karen Cave (Saw), Otto Mena (East) and Yajaira Reivadeneyra (East).
“Playing with fire is one of my favorite things and I like the grill a lot”, commented Ayala in an interview from Quito with this newspaper. “I like it because it brings together people, families and apart from that it is a way of transforming the products you have on hand in a very positive way.“, said.
“Personally I like long cooking times, that is, five, six or eight hours over low heat, in a well-made ember, that is not so strong, but that is very kind to the meat, that will give it a flavor and a texture that melts in the mouth”, he pointed out.
Gert Stepan, manager of Premium and Global Brands at Cervecería Nacional, considers that production is a way of approaching diners who choose their product to accompany their gastronomic encounters. “We allow ourselves to be enveloped and surprised by that good technique, ancestry and flavors that surround a barbecue (…) We bet on that commitment to rtravel the country to capture those stories, show those unique elements in a digital series with a spectacular production and cinematographic eye”.
How many places did the production of this series take you to?
It was between 15 and 20 days. We did a single section by plane and the rest was all by land. We started along the coast to the south, then we went up the Sierra and down again to the east, it was a kind of zigzag.
What learning did this journey leave you?
The main thing is that love for combining the things we have in Ecuador and being recursive. For example, we were in places where there is no access to a premium cut, let’s put it that way, but you find a way to make that meat look spectacular and not owe any other favors. As Ecuadorians we are very recursive, especially because of that love that one has for its flavors and how attached the chefs I met are to the traditions of their families and that they are leaving a legacy that should be known throughout the world. I have that learning that Ecuador has the ability to reach the world gastronomy elite without any problem.
What Ecuadorian ingredient do you feel the world has yet to discover?
my dream is that peanut sauce becomes the mother sauce of Ecuador and that the world knows it as an Ecuadorian sauce that goes well with various products. For example, a grilled seafood accompanied with that sauce would be amazing. The brown salt I would also like very much for people to know her much more and the chillangua, which is this kind of wild coriander.
How is a barbecue made in the Ecuadorian East?
You have the smoked flavor of the firewood and flavors so simple they are delicious. A lot of cassava and freshwater fish are used there and one that personally I like it is the paichewhich is delicious, and the tilapia itself, raised with small leaves and termites. You can’t imagine the taste of that! And the maito, which is a spectacular dish that I invite people to get to know and try because it is also very healthy.
How do you combine your taste for gastronomy today with your role as a pilot?
I take advantage of the fact that I travel to many places and I bring things to test, to merge. Condiments or some other meat, when you can. It is also an excuse to get together with the guys from the airline to share, we camp in sometimes very cold places where fire is our source of heat and where we also cook.
What can you tell me about Clandestine Cuisine?
It is my personal brand that emerged in 2018 and is still standingwhere I always seek to innovate and its star product is the Pizza of cassava bread, a product that I want to reach all of Ecuador and I’m looking for a way to achieve it.
How does the fame of MasterChef Ecuador continue to navigate?
I think you’ve got the key word that is navigate. You are sailing and you have control of your boat, but not of the tide and on many occasions that tide takes you to unthinkable places or situations. It continues to surprise me every time they ask me for a photo because it is something that I would not have imagined beforebut it’s nice to share with people and it is a relationship that remains intact if you also keep your feet on the ground. Sometimes I have been told why you don’t have ‘leftovers’, but I say that there is no reason for that to happen because the only difference is that now more people know me, but I’m still the same person. And if you’re going to know me, I want you to know me for who I really am.
The next episodes of the series our barbecue They will be published every Thursday at 20:00. The call of the brand to visit more grills in the country is still openyou can apply at nuestraparrillada.ec.
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
