Cover Feature: Wilo Bennett

8/14/2019 Cover Feature: Wilo Bennett

1/5

sant m c/ p i l . 2 0 0 942

: : cover feature : :

PhotograPh by jos soto


2/5

m c/ p i l . 2 0 0 9 sant

I would take the juice rom the peaches and dress

the rice. The whole salty and sweet thing has to be

my mostmy mostavorite avor concoction, he

says. Since those early days, Benet earned a degree

rom the Culinary Institute o America; ounded the

critically acclaimed fne-dining spot Pikayo at the

Puerto Rican Museum o Art in San Juan; opened a

more casual restaurant, Paya, in Guaynabo, Puerto

Rico; and served as guest judge on Bravos Top Chef.

His third restaurant, Varita Woodburning Rotisserie,

opened in February.

All o these experiences have refned his palate,but not so much that he rejects his roots. While he

still appreciates many humble Puerto Rican avorites,

he admits that the islands ood has some way to go

beore achieving haute cuisine status. Flavor, Benet

exclaims. Weve got avor like crazy. . . .Uniormity

and presentation are two o the needs o [Puerto

Ricos] gastronomic culture. Over his 26-year career,

Benet has made it his personal mission to bring the

more artul qualities o fne cooking to Puerto Ricos

traditional dishes.

favorlikecz

Just One ThingIts not easy to raise the culinary profle o the islands

are without orsaking the oods authenticity. Alter

them too much, and the dishes lose their ties to

the culture. Luckily, Benet has developed a no-ail

approach: Change just one thing, he proesses.

Using just one o many possible approaches, Benet

has reconstructed countless classic Puerto Rican

dishes. He may see some room or improvement in a

dishs ingredients and their proportions, or instance.

Maybe [the recipe] can be made with a cut o meat

that adds more tenderness, or perhaps instead odoing a hal a cup o oil, maybe it just needs a quarter

cup, Benet explains.

Or he may experiment with the technique. In

the past he has developed ways to make the islands

avorite ried whole red snapper crispier. And he has

transormed one o Puerto Ricans avorite restaurant

desserts, guava shells and cheese, into a sou.

Finally, he may change only how the dish appears. For

instance, Benet borrowed a mold rom classic French

technique to makepiononos(see recipe on page 46).

As a kid in Puerto Rico,Chef Wilo Benet lookedforward to school lunches of rice and Spam servedwith canned peaches.

b al bnn


3/5

sant m c/ p i l . 2 0 0 944

Puerto Rican coee Alto Grande andto have ound a local armer, Ernesto

Bernardo, to produce the lettuces and

microgreens he needs. We used to get

all o our ancy vegetables and lettuces

rom the Ches Garden out in Ohio, and

I would love to continue buying rom

Farmer Jones, but the cost o bringing

[them] rom Ohio to here is just gigantic,

Benet laments.

At the same time Benet has aced

major challenges when attempting to buy

ingredients locally. One such trial relatesto consistency. Benet cannot call one o

the islands fsh purveyors and ask or

50 pieces o red snapper prepared to his

specifcations. They cant provide that,

Benet explains. Theyll have excellent,

beautiul fsh, but one is 16 pounds.

The other one is 7. According to Benet,

the industry is simply not organized or

his needs. To me its sad, and almost

embarrassing, having to admit that I buy

all o my fsh in the Fulton Fish Market

or in the Boston market . . . when we aresurrounded by water.

Most oten increasing the quality o the

ingredients translates into major success.

Ater Benet added a posh version o the

islands treasured mofongosa mash o

ried green plantains and garlic topped

with pork cracklingsto his fne-dining

menu, his patrons raved. I had a ock

o everybody who was anybody, including

everybody who was outside the scope o

means to actually come to our restaurant,

scrounging or change to pay or the moongos. According toBenet, that experience was the beginning o his theory that both

Puerto Ricans and visitors to the island crave artul versions o

traditional oods.

Where Theres a WiloOne o Benets avorite Puerto Rican dishes is whole ried fsh.

Traditionally, the fsh is crisped on the planchaor at-top

grilland laid in a sauce on the plate. Diners appreciate the

texture and the avor o the accompanying sauce, but the two

elements work against each other. Ater you do all o this work

The ingredients and technique are the same as those used inPuerto Rican kitchens, except each pionono appears identical on

the plate. And that uniormity, Benet claims, appeals to the eye.

Regardless o which one component Benet chooses to alter,

the results are both sophisticated and delicious. According to

the success o his restaurants, the combination is just the thing

to satisy the well-healed tourists and the Puerto Rican elite.

The Right Stu

Like many other ches, Benet oten looks to improve his

ingredients by sourcing them locally. He is proud to serve the

Benet plates his Branzini with Sofrito Crust,

Shiitake Mushrooms, Spinach Saute, and

Duck Consomm in his kitchen at Pikayo.

PhotograPh by jos soto


4/5

m c/ p i l . 2 0 0 9 sant

Weve got favor likecrazy. . . .Uniformity andpresentation are two of the

needs of [Puerto Ricos]

gastronomic culture.Chef Wilo Benet

making this crispy skin, [you] just lay it on the sauce, Benet

explains. Even without a sauce, by the time the diner is fnished

with the topside, the underside is soggy. So I said, We have to

think o something, Benet remembers, considering dierent

techniques. His solution is elegant.

He begins with a good fsh, usually red snapper or branzini.

Then he scores it on both sides. And that helps with two things.

First and oremost, we are going to be able to dress it in a way

that all the avors are really going to reach some o the meat.Second o all, we are going to be able to ry it in a way that,

because it is scored on both sides, you are going to be able to

take every square and just pull it out. . . . I can guarantee you

that this is going to have a lot less bones than you are used to,

Benet explains. Once he has scored the fsh, he skewers it and

sinks it in the ryer. When the fsh comes out, it stands on its

own. First, it is convenient or you. You dont have to turn it

around. You are just picking out these little squares. Youre not

going to fnd as many bones, and everything is going to be crispy,

rom top to fnish. He orgets to mention how spectacular the

fnished dish looks with the whole fsh upright, positioned in

the same way fsh swim.

Picadillo(Spiced Ground Beef)

Yield: 2 quarts

oli il 3 tponin, nl dicd 1

rd ll ppp, d nd 1inn iin md,nl dicdglic, pndd p 8 clsi 112 cpspni m c 134 cpCiln, cppd 2 tpon, cppd 1 tpK l 2 tpgnd ilin 4 l

1. In large saute pan mdim-i , wm li il.

2. Add onion, nd ck 2 min.3. Add red pepper, garlic, and sofrito nd ck, iin, n 3 min.4. Stir in tomato sauce, cilantro, and oregano; n wil l, nd ck n min.5. Add meat, nd ck 4 min, iin ndkin p i ck.6. Season with another tablespoon of salt nd cnin ck 20 min, iin ccinll, nil m ickd , liqid pd, nd cncnd.

In His Own Words

Pik d i lin. I d in 1990. a im, I d n ck m Nw yk. I wnd d min difn nw w ld , clic spni Ilin n. sI cm p wi id in Cn/Cl, c l nd in Liin w m. I lk cll in i, ll

w lik il nd d. t ml, ndw pll. t m Fnc innc in lcl d. sI dcidd Cn/Cl w in. P ik cm m Nwoln Times Picayune. oiinll, i w P-I-C-a-y-o, nd n Icm c c pp dn Pincn xinc cin l in ccl cmpni nd nm nd im: K-M, Kdk, Kll, nd zillin . s I id, ok, Iwill cn C K w lil i lck I cn ini, nd , n cmplin.

PhotograPh Courtesy oF vIvIr


5/5

sant m c/ p i l . 2 0 0 946

Chef Wilo Benets award-winningPuerto Rico TrueFlavors (rd s Pliin, 410-837-1116,dpliin.cm, $44.95) c i l m nd mmi nd clin kill. In i

i mil m-cc cip nd ncncd innc m plic cl lncimnd i . I ll dwn-md P ric, bn p. I wnd kp in in k ll d in nic lmn. a m im l lcniq nd nd md md in m n ilnd.

Piononos(Ripe Plantain and Beef Mold)

Yields: 6 servings

vl il inrip plnin, pld 6oli il inPicdill 4 cpe, n 6

1. In a frying pan, 2 inc l il 350F.2. Slice the plantains in 14-inc-icknd. add il, in c, nd 2 3 min nil ldn n id.rm m il, nd id din n

pp wl.

3. Grease six individual-sized ovenproof

molds wi li il, nd lin m wipcmn pp. Lin mld wi plninlic, pin wll in id mld. (y m c m plnin

lic in mll pic n mppc.) P n 350F.4. Distribute picadillo mn plnin-lind mld.5. Pour beaten eggs over piononos. bknil nd pinn ldn ndpin c.6. When piononos have cooled enough ndld ill , n pinkni ln d mld ln. tnpid dwn, nd p m pinnm mld. Dicd pcmn pp. Pl

pinn nd .

Youve Got the Look Although he is careul to explain that avor is para-

mount, Benet admits presentation is an important part

o his culinary sensibility. He studied photography beore

settling on a career as a che. (In act, photography still

occupies a big chunk o Benets relatively restricted ree

time. His extensive portolio reects his interests in the

islands wildlie, native bird species in particular.) As hedesigns a dish, he thinks o symmetry and color and how

the diners eye will move through the rame o the plate.

These are things that I learned when I was getting taught

how to make a composition with the lens o my camera,

Benet articulates. Artistic elements con-

tribute to the ultrachic aesthetic o both

his menu and his restaurants decor.

He is particularly interested in uni-

ormity. I love uniorm things. I love to

see a row o chairs. I love to see a row

o dishes. I love them together, Benet

gushes. It makes sense that he hasadapted several recipes, so that they line

up beautiully on the plate. He makes

his point by describing his alcapurrias.

Traditionally, Puerto Rican cooks put

masa in an oiled grape lea, old it, and

slide it into the oil. And it looks like

you can do it, but you try it, and it is not

that easy. In the interest o uniormity,

Benet puts the same ingredients into ex molds, which

he reezes. And then when you open them up, you have

perect alcapurrias. Theres not a single ingredient that is

not in the authentic recipe, but I reshaped it so that they

all can be the same size, Benet explains.

With his personal assignment to combine his culture

with his passion or artul cooking, Benets lie is both very challenging and really un. Going to work is not

really going to work, he expounds. Going to work is just

going to the workshop o your thing that you love to do

the most.

Documents

Cover Feature: Wilo Bennett