Canfranc Express, the neo-Aragonese cuisine feast hidden in a train car

Forties, twilight of the Second World War. Europe, and specifically its train tracks, are an uncontrolled movement of goods, safe passage and meetings between political leaders. Railway stations become no man's territory, where spies coexist with refugees, smugglers and art dealers. That of Canfranc, more typical of a mystery plot due to its imposing classicist plan, surrounded by mountains and almost always fog, was, without a doubt, one of them. An idea that was forged in the mid-19th century with the desire to connect France with Spain through a small, easy valley in the Aragonese Pyrenees, but that would not see the light of day until 1928 with the approval of King Alfonso XIII.

The imposing façade of the Canfranc station, now converted into a luxury hotel on the Royal Hideaway Barceló line. Manolo Yllera

This mass of glass and iron that became the second largest station in Europe, witnessed the exchange of Nazi gold for Galician tungsten, with a customs controlled by members of the Gestapo and which they say could have witnessed the clandestine meeting between Hitler and Franco at the end of the European conflict. With the end of the war came the decline of the station and its lethargy, enhanced by the closure of the line between Spain and France in 1970 due to a suspicious collapse of a bridge on the French side.

Chef Eduardo Salanova and room director Ana Acín, creators of the gastronomic experience that can be enjoyed at Canfranc Express. Manolo Yllera

After decades of abandonment, the station is now shining again as a luxury hotel on the Barceló group's Royal Hideaway line, with a culinary gem to its credit: the Canfranc Express. Despite its short history, opened in July 2023, and having only four tables for a maximum of 12 guests, this restaurant already shines in the Michelin firmament, with a star that has given this border town of Huesca in a must-visit destination, beyond the snow and its historical burden.

His way of understanding sea borage, surrounded by other ingredients from the sea such as Galician barnacle and aerated Normandy sauce with clam, cockle and borage leaves. Manoloa Yllera

Its sudden success bears the seal of chef Eduardo Salanova and restaurant director Ana Acín, two experts in haute cuisine recognized for their work at La Venta del Sotón, an institution of Huesca gastronomy founded in 1967 that contains Espacio N, awarded another star in 2021 in recognition of a new vision of Aragonese cuisine. That avant-garde twist on their grandmothers' recipe book is now put at the service of a gastronomic experience impregnated, they confess, with all the magic of Canfranc, where there is no lack of the theatricality or the charm of another era. “Having been born in Canfranc and knowing the deterioration and history of the station since childhood, it was clear to me that our dishes were going to talk about it. It has been one of the main pillars within the creative process that has only just begun, we have been in direct contact with historians in the area to create field work in which to document ourselves,” explains Salanova.

The experience does not skimp on scenic details and nods to the golden age of the station, specifically, to 1943: It all begins in the old hall of the Spanish tracks, decorated with a work of art that represents the different social classes that frequented the railway. . From there it's time to go down the stairs and go through the tile-covered tunnel through which passengers bound for France passed, witnessing the most fascinating stories of smuggling and espionage. Here you can taste a first appetizer that pays tribute to the shepherds of the Arañones Valley at the end of the 19th century, when these lands were only a transit point for livestock. After crossing the station landing, now the hotel lobby, the magic continues on the platform. Here awaits an old original carriage from 1927, converted into a luxurious dining car very much in the art deco style of the Orient Express or the bill by filmmaker Wes Anderson, where the full experience begins.

The restaurant is hidden in an old carriage from 1927, very much in the art deco style of the Orient Express or the work of filmmaker Wes Anderson. Manolo Yllera

The theatricality that represents the buoyant years of the railway world continues; from the safe conduct that is granted upon arrival with the detailed steps of the menu to the plating in an old suitcase of the first

amuse-bouche

on the menu. Its name,

Liturgia de las migas

, already gives a clue to the local flavor that will happen next, and to Salanova's determination to recover the recipes of her land with avant-garde techniques, appealing to emotion through typical flavors and products. region of. “Traditional Aragonese cuisine and its pantry have been the main focus of my kitchen for more than 10 years. On many occasions we take a step back to begin the creative process of each season and we rely on old publications and historical Aragonese chefs, such as Teodoro Bardají or the friar Juan de Altamiras, to rescue recipes that have been lost little by little."

The succession of dishes with surprising cooking and strong roots in the land has only just begun: from the wild guinea fowl raised in Los Monegros to the trout from the Cinca River, the cheeses of O Xortical or the trilogy of ternasco, its sea version and a mountain of a dish that is never missing in the homes of Huesca on Sundays. This main dish, which it is difficult to choose as your favorite on the menu, has as its main ingredient Iberian agnei lamb, an almost extinct breed that has now been valued for its infiltrated fat and is considered among the world as the kobe of the Pyrenees. “We are very proud of our Sea Lamb, a dish in which both Loïc Thoraval, our head chef, and I pay tribute to the

pre-salé agneau du Mont Saint-Michel,

a recipe whose history we have known since we were children. We have given it a spin by maturing the ribs in seaweed, from Puerto Muñoz, in Galicia, which is reminiscent of the use of

kombu

in Japanese cuisine,” he details.

The dish in homage to the Aragonese beet trees of 1914: slices of pickled wild guinea fowl breast raised in Los Monegros and pickled beet salmorejo, among others, with thyme, rosemary and cilantro. Manolo Yllera

With no tables available until June (it will soon feature a dinner car called 1928, a nod to the station's opening year), Canfranc Express provides the opportunity to try almost unknown local treasures such as the brass pork from the Fueva Valley, which stands out for its juicy meat raised in freedom, the aquaturma ice cream, the artisanal black beer from Somontano or the sturgeon from the Yesa reservoir, with a unique fatty point of its kind that Salanova enhances with the unprecedented curing of Empeltre black olives. And although Aragon does not have a sea, this 'culinary train' is responsible for bringing its treasures to the station, such as the borage dish surrounded by other marine delicacies such as the Galician barnacle.

A menu that also links, as it did in the past, with the neighboring country, from Canfranc to Paris, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Pau. The French-speaking presence personified by Loïc Thoraval, a native of Versailles, starts from the appetizers in the form of a

macaron, French butter

brioche or a

croque-monsier-

style breaded ball ,

flavored (in this case) with winter truffle, to the dishes and delivered in the car, such as creamy sweet onion with

noisette

butter , duck foie and their version of Périgueux sauce. “The restaurant is less than 15 kilometers from France, so our cuisine is only understood as a cuisine from both valleys, the Aragon Valley and the French Bearn Valley. Additionally, one of my teachers was chef Juanlu Fernández [Lú Cocina y Alma, the one-Michelin-star restaurant in Jerez de la Frontera]. We coincided during his time in Aponiente, and his way of understanding French cuisine was a before and after in my professional career. Furthermore, I am extremely lucky to have Loïc Thoraval next to me, who has developed his entire professional career in France, so the French country will always have a great imprint on our cuisine,” he emphasizes.

The food car, which has only four tables for a maximum of 12 guests, will soon be expanded with another restaurant car for dinners. Manolo Yllera

With the sensitive and experienced imprint of Ana Acín in the pairing, both develop a well-rounded menu that at times becomes serious and political, like the first course with pickled beets, “a tribute to the great demonstration of 1914 supported by the beet growers of Zaragoza and his demand for the opening of the train line that would link the town with France,” explains Acín. In desserts, however, it acquires a more sentimental value that appeals to nostalgia, such as the Huesca version of the Russian cake that the Ascaso family has implemented since 1974 in local snacks; or the pumpkin empanadico, one of the most traditional desserts in the region. “My maternal great-grandmother and part of my grandmother's sisters live in a small town ten kilometers from Huesca. I remember that when they came by train to see us they always brought us this very, very fine sweet empanada made with anise and cinnamon, with a filling of laminated pumpkin and pine nuts. It was a pastry of use since in the orchards of this area what we find most in winter are pumpkins, and making a sweet dessert is a way to give way to overproduction,” explains the chef.

Without altering the traditional ingredients, Salanova wanted to give an unexpected twist to the recipe by changing its preparation; Here the pumpkin is roasted very slowly and without sugar, as if it were a fish through the salt crust. “This dessert reminds me of when I cooked as a child with my grandmother Angelina, she was the one who took me to the kitchen,” she recalls. This regression to his childhood, an apparently simple gesture, but as sophisticated and emotional as his stoves, represents, like the new era of the Canfranc station, a bridge between past and future.

Canfranc Express meal menu price: 170 euros (80 euros for the pairing).

You can follow EL PAÍS Gastro

on

Instagram

and

X.