La Tía Rica
May 24, 2017
Francisco Javier de la Parra: "Chile was too small for me."
Even as a child, Francisco Javier de la Parra knew that he would leave Chile to travel the world. De la Parra is a man of action, so in 1981, he left for Munich. The 19-year-old wanted to study at a hospitality trade school in Germany. It would have been difficult to study such a trade in his home country. He trained as a cook and a hospitality specialist and - as the son of an Italian mother and a Chilean father - took over an Italian restaurant. However, Munich grew to be too small for him, and he and his family moved back to Santiago de Chile. But he just couldn't sit still - he had to keep moving. In 2012, he realized his dream and opened his own Chilean restaurant in the German capital.
La Táa Rica in Berlin's Charlottenburg district
Before the opening of La Tía Rica, there was no Chilean restaurant in the German capital. Chilean cuisine is also generally unknown in Germany. Francisco Javier de la Parra and his daughter, Bianca, aim to change that: he as the chef and she as the host.
Pastel de Jaiba
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 600 g fresh crabmeat (jaiba)
- 10 slices of white bread without crust
- 6 garlic cloves
- 4 large onions
- 400 ml milk
- 2 t merquén (smoked chili)
- 2 t cumin
- 2 T paprika powder
- 2 T oregano
- 200 ml white wine (Chardonnay)
- 250 ml fish stock
- 2 T butter
- 100 g grated parmesan cheese
- Cream
Preparation:
Pour milk into bowl and soak bread in milk. Allow to soften for 30 minutes, then purée with a hand mixer. Peel and dice garlic and onions. Heat sunflower seed oil in a pot and sauté garlic and onions until transparent. Then add paprika powder, cumin, and oregano. Stir in crabmeat, mix thoroughly, and deglaze with 100 ml of Chardonnay. Add fish stock and butter, stir at medium heat, and allow to simmer for several minutes.
Add milk and bread mixture, and briefly bring to a boil. Add a splash of cream, if desired. Season with salt, pepper, and merquén, add half of parmesan cheese, mix thoroughly, and simmer for an additional ten minutes.
Ladle crabmeat cream into terracotta bowls and cover with parmesan cheese. Preheat oven to 180°C. Place terracotta bowls in oven and allow to bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese melts. Serve with bread.
Restaurant La Tía Rica
Knesebeckstraße 92
10623 Berlin
Tel.: +49 30 31518693