After working in illustrious kitchens such as those of Ferran Adrià and Andoni Luis Aduriz, Paco Morales found his own space in the modest Cañero neighbourhood of his native Cordoba. With the help of historian Rosa Tovar, he researched Arabic recipe books and explored the origins of the culture of Al Andalus, on which he built the pillars of Noor, a restaurant from which he conquers diners with the tasty essence of Andalusian cuisine. At Gastronomika, together with his right-hand woman, the young Italian chef Paola Gualandi, he showed the courage of his acclaimed proposal, which plays with history and flavour, in a presentation promoted by Cordoba Gastronomic Heritage.

Paco and Paola gave a practical explanation of the five bases on which their project is based, such as history and popular culture, 18th century confectionery, a selection of wines, also studied by sommelier Joel Prados, and the design of the objects that identify Noor,' explained Paola, showing some examples of wood, textiles and ceramics that will serve as an exceptional framework both for the decoration of the restaurant and to contain the creations that come out of the kitchen.

Andalusian tradition in avant-garde dishes

Ours is a cuisine of territory and emotion, with a strong base of historical research,' argues Paco, before beginning to recount the creation of three beautiful dishes that form part of Noor's menu. The first, two natural prawns with grapefruit jelly, rosemary oil and blue cheese snow from Fuenteovejuna, "to give it a spicy aftertaste". This was followed by a salad of tomatoes and pigeon breast 'marinated for 20 minutes in very ripe tomato water with virgin olive oil and caraway, a formula inspired by Juan de la Mata in his 18th-century treatise on haute patisserie', which was marked before being filleted and served on the plate with tomato sauce, salted bonito and sheep's cheese, seasoned with an Andalusian mixture of pomegranate water and drops of vinegar.

The third dish began the chapter on desserts with a dish of pineapple, 'a very elitist food in the 18th century, now so fashionable thanks to a famous supermarket chain', providing an ironic example of how popular culture conditions the gastronomy of the moment. There is a lot of chance in everything we do," says Paco, "and in the face of a sea of doubt, we always like to get involved and take risks. On a creamy basil and dill sauce, Paola placed cubes of pineapple in a vodka syrup for half an hour, adding sherry vinegar gel, crispy buckwheat and a slice of 'homemade' mascarpone. Our trick is to acidify the cow's milk using only natural lemon," the chef revealed.

Finally, they explained to the audience the meaning of the five petit fours on the menu, including a pistachio and cherry horchata and a mandarin tocinillo based on the concept of the spun egg, both inspired by Valencia; an Aragonese pan fruit in the form of a fritter filled with almonds; or the bombón stuffed with adobo, with a clear Andalusian essence. Finally, a video by sommelier Joel Prados explains the carefully studied pairing of these delicacies with oloroso wines and distillates, also carefully selected.