Max
Rocha is that rare phenomenon, a chef without an ego, despite the fact that he
comes from a family of high achievers, his father John Rocha and his
sister Simone are fashion designers on the world stage.
Max’s first career was in the music management industry. He was desperate
to succeed, and this led to bouts of depression as he struggled to fulfil the
expectations of the bands,
‘All I seemed to be able to do was compare myself to my successful family and
friends’ – quite the pressure…
So at 24, with memories swirling in his head of many happy times making soda
bread and scones in his mother Odette and his grandmother Margaret’s kitchen,
he decided to follow his own dream.
He heard about a French baker Alex BETTLER of E5 Bakehouse in London, who was
making bread in his basement and delivering it round to local cafés in the
basket of his bike. Max loved baking and really enjoyed working with his hands
in the kitchen environment. He longed to cook some savoury food too.
As luck would have it, he managed to get a week’s work experience at Spring,
Skye Gyngell’s restaurant in the West End.
Never having been in a professional kitchen before, he remembers how he
was filled with anxiety. ‘It took me 20 minutes just to pick up courage to walk
through the door, buoyed up by a long call with Mum and two coffees”. Nonetheless,
‘despite how chaotically panicky and messy I was’ Skye saw something special in
Max and offered him a commis chef position, he stayed for three years.
Next on to Mangia in Copenhagen, cooking exquisitely simple Italian food. A
small menu, homemade pasta, risottos, one meat main…
Meanwhile, Max read and reread Fergus Henderson’s Nose to Tail
Cookbook, loved the ethos so back to London for a stint at St. John’s
Bread and Wine which led to head chef Farokh Talete offering him a job and
becoming his mentor. Max also speaks fondly of his time at the legendary River
Café and the inspiration and kindly support of Ruthie Rodgers.
In 2020, lockdown forced restaurants to close, eventually Max did supper clubs
and takeaway picnics which became a roaring success.
Despite the hard physical work, Max was in his element and eventually the idea
of a café grew. It took ages to find a location, but eventually they found a
perfect spot facing a waterway and stream in Hackney, close to the city centre
by train and also residential.
Café Cecilia, named for Granny Cecelia, opened its doors on the 1st of August
2021 just as Covid restrictions were lifted.
Family and friends were very supportive, but Max and his team were
scarcely prepared and almost floored by the hype and enthusiastic response of
the general public. It was a steep learning curve.
Folks flocked to Café Cecilia for Max’s simple, seasonal food with Irish
influences. His ethos is to keep things simple and delicious; I love his
food…
Max’s first book, Café Cecilia has just been published. It’s full of recipes I
long to cook and recipes for many of the dishes that I’ve enjoyed at Café
Cecilia.
Look out for Max’s cookbook in your local bookshop and add Café Cecilia to your London list – you’ll need to book ahead but definitely worth it, one of my absolute favourites!
Recipes from Café Cecilia Cookbook by Max Rocha is published by Phaidon
Guinness Bread
Makes 1 loaf
butter, for greasing
400g strong wholemeal flour
100g plain flour
16g fine salt
5g bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
100g pumpkin seeds
200ml buttermilk
300ml Guinness
1 egg
20g jumbo oats
Preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 and grease a 900g loaf tin, buttering well into all the corners, otherwise your bread will stick.
Put all the dry ingredients, except the oats, into a bowl and combine. Pour all the wet ingredients into a separate bowl and stir together with a whisk until totally combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then mix with one hand while keeping the bowl stable with the other, until all the ingredients are well combined and a wet dough forms.
Using your dough-covered hand, put the dough into the loaf tin, then wash your hands thoroughly. Sprinkle over the oats, then score a short, shallow line in the middle of the dough using a small, sharp knife.
Bake the bread in the oven for 1 hour, then remove and tip out of the tin. Return the bread to a shelf in the oven and bake for about another 10 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
This bread will keep for up to 3 days.
Pork Chop and Colcannon
Serves 2
1 x 300–400g large organic pork chop (fat on)
2 tbsp neutral-flavoured oil
small piece of butter
salt
1 quantity Colcannon (see recipe), to serve
For the sauce:
40g butter
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 sprig thyme, leaves picked
150ml dry cider (we use Strongbow)
150ml pork stock
100ml cream
salt and pepper
Take the pork chop out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.
When ready to cook, score the skin and fat of the chop with a serrated knife and season liberally with salt. Heat the oil in a cast iron frying pan until hot, then add the chop fat side down and cook over high heat until all the fat has rendered but not burnt (you may need to hold it in place with tongs to do this).
Lay the chop down in the pan and sear for 4 minutes on each side, then add the butter and baste until cooked through (the internal temperature should reach 65°C/149°F on a meat thermometer). Remove the chop from the pan with its cooking juices and leave to rest.
Meanwhile, wipe out any excess fat from the pan, add the butter, garlic and thyme for the sauce and cook for 3 minutes until softened, then pour in the dry cider and cook for 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and reducing the liquid by two-thirds. Pour in the stock and simmer for 2 minutes, then stir in the cream. Bring to the boil, then reduce to the consistency of pouring cream, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve the pork chop with the sauce and Colcannon.
Colcannon
Serves 2
500g large floury (baking) potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
150g butter
½ Savoy cabbage, thinly sliced
100ml milk
salt and pepper
Put the potatoes into a saucepan of salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 20 minutes, or until tender when pricked with a sharp knife.
While the potatoes are cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a saucepan, add the cabbage and cook over a low heat for 8–10 minutes, or until soft, then season with salt and pepper and set aside.
In a
separate saucepan, heat together the remaining butter and the milk. Drain the
potatoes and return to their saucepan. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes
until smooth, then stir in the warm milk and butter. Add the cabbage and
combine, then adjust the seasoning and serve warm.
Deep-Fried Bread and Butter Pudding with Cold Custard
Serves 5
6 plain brioche buns, halved
4 eggs
370ml milk
180g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
370ml cream
sunflower oil, for deep-frying
1 quantity Custard (see recipe), chilled, to serve
Line the bottom and sides of a 900g loaf tin with baking (parchment) paper, then lay the bun halves on top of each other in the pan.
In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, sugar and cream, then pour over the bread so everything is submerged. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge overnight.
The next day, preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.
Remove the cling film and bake the pudding for 45 minutes, then leave to cool. When cool, cover with another piece of baking paper and cut a piece of cardboard to put on top of the pudding in the tin. Add something heavy on top, like a food can, to press the pudding and chill in the fridge overnight.
The next day, turn the pudding out onto a clean work counter and cut into 5 thick slices. Put enough sugar into a shallow bowl for coating the slices after they have been deep-fried.
Heat the oil in a deep fryer or deep, heavy pan to 180°C/350°F, or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Carefully lower 2 slices of pudding at a time into the hot oil and deep-fry for 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown on the outside and warm on the inside. Remove with a fish slice (spatula) and drain on a plate lined with paper towels for a few seconds, then coat the slices in sugar on
all sides.
To serve, pour the cold custard into 5 serving bowls, then top with the warm bread and butter pudding.
Custard
330ml milk
330ml cream
1 vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped
160g egg yolks (9–10 eggs)
170g caster sugar
Makes 750ml
Method
Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan, then add the vanilla bean and seeds and heat to just before boiling. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice and set another heatproof bowl or container on top.
Put the egg yolks and sugar into a heatproof bowl and whisk together until combined.
Slowly pour a large ladleful of the warm mixture over the egg yolks and sugar, whisking constantly so it does not curdle, then return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over a medium-low heat, stirring
slowly with a rubber spatula, until it reaches 83°C/181°F on a sugar (candy) thermometer.
Remove from the heat, then immediately pass through a chinois sieve into the bowl set over the ice bath and leave to cool.
When cool, cover and place in the fridge until you need to use it. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
