Argentine Celebrity Chef Francis Mallmann Explains Why His New Book, “Green Fire,” Is Really A Gui...

Photo Credit: Excerpted from Green Fire by Francis Mallmann (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2022. Photographs by William Hereford.
Francis Mallmann, arguably the most famous chef in South America, has done it again. The man behind Siete Fuego at the Vines Resort & Spa in Argentina’s wine country; Patagonia Sur in Buenos Aires; El Garzón in Uruguay; 1884 Restaurants in Mendoza, Argentina (named one of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants); and Los Fuegos in Miami at the Faena hotel — as well as the recent Netflix documentary series Chef’s Table — is back with a new book. Green Fire: Extraordinary Ways to Grill Fruits and Vegetables, from the Master of Live-Fire Cooking — out today from Artisan Books — is the follow-up to previous books Seven Fires and Mallmann on Fire, and marries the world-renowned Argentinian chef’s techniques, creativity, instinct for bold flavors, and decades of experience to the idea of cooking vegetables and fruits over live fire. Green Fire is rooted in his childhood passion for vegetable gardening, innovation and experience with live-fire cooking, and driven by the belief that we must all cut down on consuming animals to ensure a healthier future for both people and the planet. Here, Haute Living sat down with the popular chef to discuss his latest effort and the ethos behind it.

Photo Credit: Excerpted from Green Fire by Francis Mallmann (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2022. Photographs by William Hereford.
What can you tell us about your new cookbook?

The new cookbook is a celebration of vegetables, fruits and grains. It’s a tribute to all the people who love eating vegetables, and the vegans as well, because it’s a mix of both. It has recipes very related to my cooking, so it’s not that I went searching into new things, I’m just using all the techniques that I know and I love, focusing on vegetables and fruits. It’s a very nice book and it took us a long time to create. I am very proud of it.

Which recipe would you recommend everyone try and why? What specific wine would you pair it with?

One of the recipes I most like is the eggplant milanesa. It’s a milanese of aubergine that has thyme and garlic in the middle, and it’s cooked with fresh breadcrumbs very slowly in olive oil. It’s not fried, just cooked in a plancha or a pan slowly until it is crunchy. I really like that recipe, it’s very succulent and a nice dish for lunch. I think that the wine for a milanesa aubergine is a young sauvignon blanc, perhaps from 2018, or a very old chardonnay.

Photo Credit: Excerpted from Green Fire by Francis Mallmann (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2022. Photographs by William Hereford

How does cooking vegetables with fire differ from other methods? Why do you prefer it?

I think that the main difference in cooking vegetables and fruits with fire is that you get the smokey flavor, especially with one of the many techniques we use. Imagine, for example, whole cabbages we cook from a string on top of a fire for six hours. You can also achieve this in an oven at home, followed by cutting them into steaks and putting them on a grill, but I think that’s the beauty, you know. Burying things in ashes with coals and cooking them slowly, all these techniques give an incredible taste to the vegetables.

Which vegetable really responds best to live fire cookery?

The best vegetables for fire cooking are all the pumpkins, all the onions–reds and blondes, heads of garlic, fennel is very very good, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Those are the vegetables I most like.

Photo Credit: Excerpted from Green Fire by Francis Mallmann (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2022. Photographs by William Hereford

What’s a perfect summer grilling recipe?

I certainly think that for summer, a beautiful recipe would be a festival of vegetables. Zucchini, sliced thick like steaks, grilled with olive oil and thyme, onions done the same. Pumpkins cut in round big slices. All the vegetables you imagine can be grilled slowly–like tomatoes–until they are charcoaled. Then make a nice summer sauce with sage, a peel of lemon, lemon juice and olive oil with just a hint of vinegar. Serve with a nice cheese like goat, ricotta, or mascarpone that you can burn a bit on the plancha. That would make an incredible summer dish.

What projects/collaborations do you have coming up for the remainder of the year?

The rest of the year is very busy. I’m visiting my restaurant in France, going to Scotland for a tented camp experience for two weeks, events in Portugal, and beautiful events in upstate New York. It will be a very busy summer, and I’m looking forward to it.

Photo Credit: Excerpted from Green Fire by Francis Mallmann (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2022. Photographs by William Hereford

What is one quality that you would say defines the Argentinian outlook on food and wine?

I think the most important ingredient of food and wine in Argentina is the care and love that people put into cooking on the weekends and sitting at the table. We spend a lot of time sitting with friends and having lunch, staying beyond the meal at the table having conversation. It’s beautiful and romantic, we love to be with friends at the table.

Do you have plans to open another restaurant in America any time soon?

No new projects in America, but I am very happy with our restaurant in Miami. People travel from all places to try our food and I’m very proud of it.

What do you love about Miami?

Miami is a city of freshness and joy. Very related to the beach. I love its products. The spirit of people in Miami is happy so that all contributes to our big terrace overlooking the sea. I have a great time in Miami and I really like it

Photo Credit: Excerpted from Green Fire by Francis Mallmann (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2022. Photographs by William Hereford.

What are your go-to restaurants when in the Magic City?

I’m a bit ashamed to say when I go to Miami I spend a lot of time in our restaurant, I barely go out. I have to go and visit more restaurants, but when I’m there I like to be in the hotel and the restaurant.

What do you consider to be the greatest luxury in life and why?

For me the greatest luxury alive is to be outdoors under the stars or under the sun. I also appreciate silence very much. And time – time to be able to enjoy life. But for me, outdoor life is very very important.

Photo Credit: Excerpted from Green Fire by Francis Mallmann (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2022. Photographs by William Hereford.