CHEFS mallorca gourmet

From the Serra de Tramuntana she would gather herbs, snails and, in autumn, wild mushrooms. Prawns from Sóller, cheese, local organic lamb and wine from local producers, are all of an excellent quality. Mallorcan cuisine is appetising, sustaining, delicious and also intelligent, in the sense that it uses every last part of the product in preserves, jams, charcuterie ... Marga Coll’s mastery lies in her ability to share and impart the profound love and reverence she has for cooking. Marga Coll has made cookery both her passion and her profession in her native town of Selva, where she grew up. To the surprise of her parents, she decided to go into catering from very early on. She started her training at the “Escola d’Hoteleria de la UIB” (“School of Catering at the University of the Balearic Islands”), being one of the first year of student chefs there. After eleven years as Head of Catering at Amadip- Esment, we find her in what used to be the kitchen when she was young, converted since 2012 to a dining room in her very own restaurant, Miceli, in Selva. It is a dream which she has achieved with the unfailing support of her husband, Javier Arés. She tells us that, since opening For those of us who like to have a go at cooking gourmet food, Marga Coll has supplied the recipe: Snapper with piquant vegetables Marga Coll - The taste of tradition the restaurant, she goes to the market daily and while there decides what her customers will eat that day. Without doubt Marga Coll plays her part in the conservation of Mallorcan gastronomy - its tradition, simplicity and expertise. It is a culinary culture born of freshly picked local fruit and vegetables and the finest, freshest ingredients. Aromas reminiscent of childhood pervade, as she prepares the recipe she has chosen to cook for us: snapper with piquant vegetables. As she does so, she speaks to us - with a great sense of pride - of the excellent, indigenous products available locally. “As in any traditional kitchen, we prepare a variety of seasonal dishes each day using the best produce to be found in Inca market, where we shop every morning.” “We have the great good fortune to have products from land, sea andmountain - available to us fresh every day. This enables us to cook seasonal, local cuisine.” Olive oil is the one versatile and indispensable ingredient without which she couldn’t cook. “Perhaps it is because I was born in an olive-producing area!” She explains that many private fincas here produce their own olive oil.