:: cover feature ::

42 santÉ march / april . 2009 Photograph by josé soto

flavor
crazy
like

By Ashley Brenon

As a kid in Puerto Rico, Chef Wilo Benet looked

forward to school lunches of rice and Spam served
with canned peaches.
“I would take the juice from the peaches and dress Just One Thing
the rice. The whole salty and sweet thing has to be It’s not easy to raise the culinary profile of the island’s
my most—my most—favorite flavor concoction,” he fare without forsaking the foods’ authenticity. Alter
says. Since those early days, Benet earned a degree them too much, and the dishes lose their ties to
from the Culinary Institute of America; founded the the culture. Luckily, Benet has developed a no-fail
critically acclaimed fine-dining spot Pikayo at the approach: “Change just one thing,” he professes.
Puerto Rican Museum of Art in San Juan; opened a Using just one of many possible approaches, Benet
more casual restaurant, Paya, in Guaynabo, Puerto has reconstructed countless classic Puerto Rican
Rico; and served as guest judge on Bravo’s Top Chef. dishes. He may see some room for improvement in a
His third restaurant, Varita Woodburning Rotisserie, dish’s ingredients and their proportions, for instance.
opened in February. “Maybe [the recipe] can be made with a cut of meat
All of these experiences have refined his palate, that adds more tenderness, or perhaps instead of
but not so much that he rejects his roots. While he doing a half a cup of oil, maybe it just needs a quarter
still appreciates many humble Puerto Rican favorites, cup,” Benet explains.
he admits that the island’s food has some way to go Or he may experiment with the technique. In
before achieving haute cuisine status. “Flavor,” Benet the past he has developed ways to make the island’s
exclaims. “We’ve got flavor like crazy. . . .Uniformity favorite fried whole red snapper crispier. And he has
and presentation are two of the needs of [Puerto transformed one of Puerto Ricans’ favorite restaurant
Rico’s] gastronomic culture.” Over his 26-year career, desserts, guava shells and cheese, into a soufflé.
Benet has made it his personal mission to bring the Finally, he may change only how the dish appears. For
more artful qualities of fine cooking to Puerto Rico’s instance, Benet borrowed a mold from classic French
traditional dishes. technique to make piononos (see recipe on page 46).

m a rc h / a p r i l . 2 0 0 9 santÉ 43
 Benet plates his Branzini with Sofrito Crust,
Shiitake Mushrooms, Spinach Saute, and
Duck Consommé in his kitchen at Pikayo.

Puerto Rican coffee Alto Grande and

to have found a local farmer, Ernesto
Bernardo, to produce the lettuces and
microgreens he needs. “We used to get
all of our fancy vegetables and lettuces
from the Chef’s Garden out in Ohio, and
I would love to continue buying from
Farmer Jones, but the cost of bringing
[them] from Ohio to here is just gigantic,”
Benet laments.
At the same time Benet has faced
major challenges when attempting to buy
ingredients locally. One such trial relates
to consistency. Benet cannot call one of
the island’s fish purveyors and ask for
50 pieces of red snapper prepared to his
specifications. “They can’t provide that,”
Benet explains. “They’ll have excellent,
beautiful fish, but one is 16 pounds.
The other one is 7.” According to Benet,
the industry is simply not organized for
his needs. “To me it’s sad, and almost
embarrassing, having to admit that I buy
all of my fish in the Fulton Fish Market
or in the Boston market . . . when we are
surrounded by water.”
Most often increasing the quality of the
ingredients translates into major success.
After Benet added a posh version of the
island’s treasured mofongos—a mash of
fried green plantains and garlic topped
with pork cracklings—to his fine-dining
menu, his patrons raved. “I had a flock
of everybody who was anybody, including
everybody who was outside the scope of
means to actually come to our restaurant,
The ingredients and technique are the same as those used in scrounging for change to pay for the mofongos.” According to
Puerto Rican kitchens, except each pionono appears identical on Benet, that experience was the beginning of his theory that both
the plate. And that uniformity, Benet claims, appeals to the eye. Puerto Ricans and visitors to the island crave artful versions of
Regardless of which one component Benet chooses to alter, traditional foods.
the results are both sophisticated and delicious. According to
the success of his restaurants, the combination is just the thing Where There’s a Wilo
to satisfy the well-healed tourists and the Puerto Rican elite. One of Benet’s favorite Puerto Rican dishes is whole fried fish.
Traditionally, the fish is crisped on the plancha—or flat-top
The Right Stuff grill—and laid in a sauce on the plate. Diners appreciate the
Like many other chefs, Benet often looks to improve his texture and the flavor of the accompanying sauce, but the two
ingredients by sourcing them locally. He is proud to serve the elements work against each other. “After you do all of this work

44 santÉ march / april . 2009 Photograph by josé soto

 “
We’ve got flavor like Picadillo
(Spiced Ground Beef)
crazy. . . .Uniformity and
Yield: 2 quarts
presentation are two of the Olive oil 3 Tbsp
needs of [Puerto Rico’s] Onion, finely diced 1
Red bell pepper, seeds and 1
gastronomic culture. inner ribbing removed,
—Chef Wilo Benet finely diced
Garlic, pounded to a paste 8 cloves
making this crispy skin, [you] just lay it on the sauce,” Benet Sofrito 11⁄2 cups
explains. Even without a sauce, by the time the diner is finished Spanish tomato sauce 13⁄4 cups
with the topside, the underside is soggy. “So I said, ‘We have to Cilantro, chopped 2 Tbsp
think of something,’” Benet remembers, considering different Oregano, chopped 1 Tbsp
techniques. His solution is elegant. Kosher salt 2 Tbsp
He begins with a good fish, usually red snapper or branzini. Ground sirloin 4 lbs
Then he scores it on both sides. “And that helps with two things.
First and foremost, we are going to be able to dress it in a way 1. In large saute pan over medium-high heat, warm olive oil.
that all the flavors are really going to reach some of the meat. 2. Add onion, and cook for about 2 minutes.
Second of all, we are going to be able to fry it in a way that, 3. Add red pepper, garlic, and sofrito and cook, stirring, for
because it is scored on both sides, you are going to be able to another 3 minutes.
take every square and just pull it out. . . . I can guarantee you 4. Stir in tomato sauce, cilantro, and oregano; season with
that this is going to have a lot less bones than you are used to,” half the salt, and cook for another minute.
Benet explains. Once he has scored the fish, he skewers it and 5. Add meat, and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring and
sinks it in the fryer. When the fish comes out, it stands on its breaking up beef as it cooks.
own. “First, it is convenient for you. You don’t have to turn it 6. Season with another tablespoon of salt and continue
around. You are just picking out these little squares. You’re not to cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until meat is
going to find as many bones, and everything is going to be crispy, cooked through, liquid has evaporated, and flavors have
from top to finish.” He forgets to mention how spectacular the concentrated.
finished dish looks with the whole fish upright, positioned in
the same way fish swim.

In His Own Words

“Pikayo has had its evolution. It started in 1990. At the time, I had just
gotten back from New York. I wanted to do something different than
what was already here, very classic Spanish or Italian restaurants. So
I came up with the idea of going Cajun/Creole, because the settlers
here and in Louisiana were the same. If you look closely into it, you’ll
see that we both like highly seasoned food. They have jambalaya, and
we have paella. There are some French influences in our local food. So
I decided that Cajun/Creole was the thing. Pikayo comes from New
Orleans’s Times Picayune. Originally, it was P-I-C-A-Y-O, and then I
came across a research paper done by Princeton as to the existence
of certain letters in very successful companies and name brands at the
time: K-Mart, Kodak, Kellogg’s, and a zillion others. So I said, ‘Okay, I
will change the C for a K for whatever little bit of luck that I can get in
this’, and so far, no complaints.”

Photograph courtesy of viviré m a rc h / a p r i l . 2 0 0 9 santÉ 45

 3. Grease six individual-sized ovenproof
Piononos molds with olive oil, and line bottoms with
(Ripe Plantain and Beef Mold) parchment paper. Line molds with the plantain
slices, pressing well against the sides of the
Yields: 6 servings molds. (You may have to cut some plantain
Vegetable oil for frying slices into smaller pieces to fit any empty
Ripe plantains, peeled 6 spaces.) Preheat oven to 350°F.
Olive oil for greasing 4. Distribute picadillo among the plantain-
Picadillo 4 cups lined molds.
Eggs, beaten 6 5. Pour beaten eggs over piononos. Bake
until eggs are set and piononos are golden and
1. In a frying pan, heat about 2 inches of springy to the touch.
vegetable oil to 350°F. 6. When piononos have cooled enough to
2. Slice the plantains into 1⁄4-inch-thick be handled but are still very hot, run a paring
rounds. Add to the hot oil, in batches, and fry knife along edges of molds to loosen. Turn
for 2 to 3 minutes until golden on both sides. upside down, and tap to remove piononos
Remove from oil, and set aside to drain on from molds. Discard parchment paper. Plate
paper towels. piononos and serve.

You’ve Got the Look

Although he is careful to explain that flavor is para- Benet puts the same ingredients into flex molds, which
mount, Benet admits presentation is an important part he freezes. “And then when you open them up, you have
of his culinary sensibility. He studied photography before perfect alcapurrias. There’s not a single ingredient that is
settling on a career as a chef. (In fact, photography still not in the authentic recipe, but I reshaped it so that they
occupies a big chunk of Benet’s relatively restricted free all can be the same size,” Benet explains.
time. His extensive portfolio reflects his interests in the With his personal assignment to combine his culture
island’s wildlife, native bird species in particular.) As he with his passion for artful cooking, Benet’s life is both
designs a dish, he thinks of symmetry and color and how very challenging and really fun. “Going to work is not
the diner’s eye will move through the frame of the plate. really going to work,” he expounds. “Going to work is just
“These are things that I learned when I was getting taught going to the workshop of your thing that you love to do
how to make a composition with the lens of my camera,” the most.”
Benet articulates. Artistic elements con-
tribute to the ultrachic aesthetic of both
his menu and his restaurants’ decor.
He is particularly interested in uni- Chef Wilo Benet’s award-winning Puerto Rico True
formity. “I love uniform things. I love to Flavors (Read Street Publishing, 410-837-1116,
see a row of chairs. I love to see a row readstreetpublishing.com, $44.95) reflects his goal
of dishes. I love them together,” Benet to merge fond taste memories and culinary skill. In it
gushes. It makes sense that he has he shares his family’s from-scratch recipes and even
adapted several recipes, so that they line concedes influences from public school lunchtimes
up beautifully on the plate. He makes and favorite street treats. “It’s all about the down-home
his point by describing his alcapurrias. foods of Puerto Rico,” Benet professes. “I wanted
Traditionally, Puerto Rican cooks put to keep everything in the book all rooted in the true
masa in an oiled grape leaf, fold it, and authentic elements.” At the same time he reveals artful
slide it into the oil. “And it looks like techniques and refined methods that have made his
you can do it, but you try it, and it is not restaurants some of the best on the island.
that easy.” In the interest of uniformity,

46 santÉ march / april . 2009