The 10th edition of the Saborea Lanzarote festival, which has been very successful during the weekend, celebrated the 'II Russian Salad Contest' on Sunday. A second edition in which eight participants were presented, in which María Dolores Delgado, a young woman from Arrecife, 20 years old, was the winner.
The student of the Higher Degree in Cooking at CIFP Zonzamas, has revealed to La Voz how she made the star dish and the ingredients that have made her win the first prize. "I made the salad at home the night before and then took it to the contest," she said. A dish that has become special for all the typical products of Lanzarote that the girl has included. "I don't like to overload the dishes, what I do is choose the best products of the land", she revealed.
For her salad, she used the ingredients that were available to all the contestants and were provided by the organization and the sponsors of the company Grupo Chacón: Lanzarote onion, tuna from Conservera de Toledo, potatoes from Los Valles and salt from Salinas Janubio. But the garlic prawns, the tollos, a fish from the traditional Canarian cuisine, mayonnaise with mojo rojo, and the combination of potatoes and roasted sweet potato, is what has made the salad stand out. In addition, the presentation was very original, in which she decided to give it a square shape and add olive oil to the base of the salad.
"When they gave me the award I couldn't believe it," she told the newspaper. "I'm still assimilating that I won," said the future jury member of the 'National Salad Championship' at the 'San Sebastián Gastronomika', which will be held next year at the Fairgrounds of the capital of San Sebastian. Being a jury member in this important national contest has been the prize that the young cook has won.
After the contest, she says that she will "return" to present herself to the different gastronomic competitions on the island and will continue training to finish her higher studies in cooking, with which she does internships at the Hotel Fariones. A professional education in which she has specialized in pastry, which shows that she moves easily in different records.
To become a winner, it was necessary to comply with several rules set by the contest: the original presentation of the dish, its flavor, the texture of the ingredients and the explanation and subsequent presentation of the gastronomic creation. With some basic ingredients to which each participant could add what they wanted, in addition to being able to bring the salad ready, make it completely at the moment or finish it there during the championship.
Some dishes that were tasted first by the five members of the jury and then by the attendees as spectators to the contest. The contestants were taking out five portions of salad for the jury, which was composed of: Miriam Bescos, Carlos from Grupo Chacón, Vanessa Rocha from Grupo Vocento, Fran Belín and Román Méndez, among them, some journalists specialized in gastronomy.
An event that lasted an hour and a half and was also attended by prominent personalities from Lanzarote such as the president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote Oswaldo Betancort, and the councilor of the Centers of Art, Culture and Tourism Ángel Vazquez, who accompanied the winner during the contest and the award ceremony. In addition, the presence of the secretary of the jury, Rita Martín, who was in charge of attesting to the final result, stood out.