Panuchos with Octopus and Coletto Mole. Photography courtesy Milpa Collective. A part of Milpa Collective hospitality group, Casa Merida draws its inspiration from the palatial elegance and Mayan ancestry of Mérida, the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán. The restaurant showcases traditional Mayan cuisine while utilising the best in local produce.
The venue, which opened in Potts Points last year, sits alongside Milpa Collective’s eight other outposts, Santa Caterina, Londres 126, Calita, Carbon, Taqiza, Sonora and La Palma in Sydney, and Mexico City-based MUX. Created by owners and chefs, Liber Osorio and Pablo Galindo Vargas in 2017, the hospitality group is dedicated to bringing traditional and contemporary Mexican and Latin American cuisines to life. Each venue is inspired by a different region of Mexico, showcasing their distinct cooking methods and flavours.
We sat down with Casa Mreida’s Head Chef Santiago Sabogal to find out what’s inspiring him at the moment, how he unwinds after service, and what Josh Niland has taught him about seafood.
On becoming a chef…
Since a was a child I loved to cook and tried any recipe that I found in magazines or TV shows. Then I was helping my parents when they were busy, working. Then I started in the school selling catering like desserts, entremets and all type of food for any kind of events. Finally at university I did my internship in the best restaurant in Colombia at that time. It all started there – the heat, the pressure, the passion, and I just fell in love with this industry.
On life before Milpa Collective…
When I arrived in Australia it was difficult to find a full time job, due to my student visa. I started at the bottom as a kitchen hand, then I started climbing as a chef de partie in a Greek restaurant in Newtown, and then a new opportunity came as a chef assistant in a Spanish restaurant called Born Tapavino, in Barangaroo. After that I was a sous chef at Yan, the hatted Asian restaurant in Wolli Creek. Then I started as a head chef here in Casa Merida. Already three and a half years!
On what drives him each day…
Giving people satisfaction on a plate is a great source of inspiration, even more when it’s a kind of food that is really traditional and rich in flavours and textures. Aiming to serve beautiful and tasty food is something that challenge us every day. It’s just exciting.
On unwinding after service…
I get a beer, sometimes have a little chat with the guys and have some rest.
On what he’s enjoying experimenting with…
I love to work with any kind of fresh fish. I think it’s a really beautiful product that we can take advantage of – a part from the flesh of the fish, we can use the skin to create a crunchy garnish or bake it to decorate the plate. The bones are for a beautiful and herbal fumet that give us multiple options for sauces and soups. I really love this beautiful ingredient.
On cooking at home…
The food that I consume the most is seafood. From risottos to pastas and even tacos. I need lot of cheese on top. Not negotiable.
On what he’s excited for at Walter Café…
We are building an amazing Mexican culture in this company, bringing the most typical Mexican food,with the traditional and fresh ingredients that we found through some amazing providers. In the last year, we have already opened three new venues of just Mexican food, from different parts of the country. At Casa Merida we are representing Yucatan, one of the richest places in the world for food and unique ingredients.
On the chefs who inspire him…
I’m a big fan of Saint Peter by Josh Niland. This guy is insane; he can do magic with just a single fish! It would be an honour to work with him one day. A new project that our company just released last week is the restaurant Londres 126 in Circular Quay. It has an amazing menu by the chef Juan Camilo Hurtado.
Panuchos with Octopus and Coletto Mole
Makes 10
Octopus
3kg octopus
2 bay leaves
½ white onion
3 garlic gloves
5g salt
Spiced Pickled Vegetables
500g dutch carrots
450ml Sherry vinegar
3 bay leaves
1 jalapeno
200g white onion
5g salt
½ bunch of dill
3g oregano
3g thyme
5g garlic
Bean Sauce Filling
1kg black beans
10g epazote
1 white onion
3 garlic cloves
1 jalapeno chilli
40ml olive oil
15g salt
Panucho
1kg corn masa
30g salt
120ml olive oil
1L water
Coleto asado
10 black peppercorns
2g thyme
3g cinnamon powder (or 1/4 cinnamon stick)
50g onion
4 garlic cloves
2 roma tomatoes
3 ancho chilli
20ml white vinegar
4 bay leaves
1 tomatillo
Wash and clean octopus thoroughly. Bring a large pot of water to the boil, and add the bay leaves and onion. Add octopus tentacles into the boiling water for 10 seconds and remove, repeat the process three times. The tentacles will curl slightly. Add the octopus back to the pot and let it cook for 50-60 minutes. With the tip of knife, pierce the octopus. There should be no resistance, and be easy to pierce.
Cut dutch carrots in quarters, slice the jalapeno and thinly slice the onion. In a small pot, add the sherry vinegar, salt, dill, peppercorns, oregano, thyme and minced garlic. Bring to a boil until salt dissolves. Turn off the heat, add the carrots and set aside until cold.
For the coleto asado adobo, fry roast the onion, garlic, tomato, tomatillo and ancho chillies. Soften the ancho chilli once roasted in warm water. Blend these ingredients, and add to the cooked octopus and bay leaves. Let cook, stirring occasionally in medium heat until the mix changes colour to a dark red colour. Remove from sauce, and grill over high heat briefly.
Clean and rinse black beans. Add to a large pot 2.5L water, half an onion, garlic cloves and black beans. Cook for 10 minutes on high heat. Lower the heat and let cook for two hours or until beans are soft. Once beans are soft, add the salt and epazote.
In a pan, drizzle olive oil. Add the other half of the onion and then the beans. Smash them, stirring continuously, to make bean paste. Stir until smooth.
In a large bowl, mix all the panucho ingredients together to make a dough. Leave it to rest for 5 minutes with a damp cloth draped on top. Each small balls of dough in your handy (around 30g each), and will a tortilla press, press them as thin as you can. Add a spoonful of beans sauce to the centre of one tortilla, and add another tortilla on top. Close the borders with a touch of water. Fry each panucho.
To assemble, grill the octopus with some oil and salt until just coloured. Dip octopus in coleto mole, serve on top of the tortilla, and garnish with the pickled carrots. Enjoy an explosion of textures and flavours from Merida!
