Delicious discovery - cured duck! (Madrid)

We found this at Degusto gourmet store one day while shopping - it's incredibly flavorful, rich and perfectly salted. A great find and a beautiful addition to our tapas dinner below:

Olives and cocktail pickles skewers, croquetas, smokey cheese spread, tortilla, bread and breadsticks, mixed cheeses and cured meats, and zesty salads with feta.

Cupcakes from Cosmen & Keiless, Madrid

After a particularly bad meal out, we decided to redeem the day by stopping by Cosmen & Keiless for some cupcakes. Both are vanilla and delicious!

buy canned tomatoes, get new shoes?

We were grocery shopping in Corte Inglés last week and saw this deal: buy a few cans of tomate frito (tomato sauce) and get a pair of flip flops - FREE! Only in Spain...

Museo Sorolla

Nat & I have been to Madrid twice since we lived here, and never went to the house of the artist Sorolla, even though it was very close to our hostparents' piso. We finally got there today and it was fantastic! I didn't take any photos of his work, but here are some images from his house (this is for you, Dad!).

Very interesting window

Alcove on the lower level

Fountain in the garden

Tile detail

Garden view

Embassy, Madrid

In the median on the Paseo de la Castellana, this bar terraza serves up drinks in HUGE Beefeater glasses. Beefeater & tonic on the left, Jameson & ginger ale on the right.

Wagaboo, Madrid

tartare de langostas (prawns with avocado) and a selection of dim sum (not pictured)

Japan noodles Tsuyo no moto

Tagine Casablanca

Texas pecan pie & Bomba de chocolate (as suggested by our waiter)

tapas at the piso

Tapas on Monday night... bread, chorizo, salchichón (cured sausage), goat cheese, lomo (cured pork loin), queso tierno, breadsticks, la salsita deliciosa de José, tortilla, stuffed olives, cherry tomatoes, pickles and cocktail skewers, fried peppers, tuna and marinated sardines. And of course, Sweppes Orange Spirit.

tree blossoms on the street

Cumbres Ecuatorianos, Madrid

This is very near the piso we are staying in... The food is delicious and the people there are very sweet! Definitely worth your time and money. Here's what we had...

Ensalada de la casa - house salad

Seco de chivo - goat in an amazing sauce

Pollo asado con menestra y ensalada - roasted chicken with a bean stew and salad

Tarta de queso & tarta de whiskey y helado - cheesecake and whiskey cake with ice cream (in the back)

Gino's, Madrid

Salad with smoked salmon.

Maccheroni al forno in the front & bolognese in the back.

tapas with Kay & José

Dinner last Friday with Kay & José, our favorite madrileños... From the back of the table, left to right, marinated sardines, mussels with a delicious sauce, empanadas, potato salad, croquetas (ham), ham & cheese, tortilla, fried peppers, stuffed olives, AMAZING sautéed chicken with mushrooms, croquetas (cod), ham, delicious sauce that went on the mussels, and breadsticks. Delicious!!!

adventures in Ukrainian cuisine :: aventuras de la cocina ucraniana

When I studied last year in Madrid, I lived with a Ukrainian/Long Island girl. Since Nat and I lived with a family, we weren't able to cook our own food. Therefore, I heard a lot about Ukrainian food, but wasn't able to taste a bite! Over winter break, we headed back to Spain for a few weeks. Since we were flying out of JFK, I spent a few days at her house on either of the trip. These few days were my introduction to (and the source of a budding obsession with) Ukrainian food.

While I was staying at my roommate's house, I enjoyed muliple bowls of borscht, delicious sauteed mushrooms in a silky sour cream sauce, and many servings of "Russian" salad (or Ukrainian salad, if you prefer).

The week after we returned from Spain, I embarked on my own adventures, creating pot after pot of borscht (although my version is quite a bit darker than that of Nat's mom), and numerous bowls of Russian salad. My biggest obsession, however, is the mushroom dish. I cannot get enough of them!

***

Cuando estudié en Madrid el año pasado, viví con una chica ucraniana que vive en Long Island, en Nueva York. A causa de que vivimos con una familia española, no pudimos cocinarnos ningún tipo de comida. Por eso, supe mucho de comida ucraniana, pero no pude saborear ni un bocadito. Pero... durante las vacaciones de Navidad, nos fuimos otra vez a España para pasar un par de semanas. Esta vez, como viajamos por el aeropuerto JFK en Nueva York, pude pasar un par de días en la casa de mi compañera, ambos antes y después de estar en España. Durante esos días me introducieron a (y fueron la obsesión con) comida ucraniana.

Cuando estuve en su casa, tomé muchos boles de borscht (una sopa famosa de Ucrania y Rusia), un plato delicioso de champiñones (salteados y con una salsa suave de crema agria) y muchos bocados de ensaladilla rusia (o ensaladilla ucraniana, si se quiera).

Durante la semana despues de regresando, empecé con mis propias aventuras en la cocina, cocinando ollas y ollas de borscht (aunque mi versión parece más oscura que la de la madre de Nat) y haciendo boles innumerables de ensaladilla ucraniana. Sin embargo, mi obsesión principal son los champiñones. Parece que no puedo tomar bastante. =)


***


Nat's mom's amazing borscht :: Bol de borscht de la madre de Nat















My own borscht :: Mi propia receta de borscht















My own Russian salad :: Mi propia ensaladilla rusia

Cosmen & Keiless' New Location!

Madrid-based bakery and bread shop Cosmen & Keiless recently opened the doors of their second location (c/ Príncipe de Vergara, 15).

Here are some shots from the new shop:













































Check out their flagship store here in English, or here in Spanish.

Pizzería Cervantes (Madrid)

Located on Calle de León, 8, Pizzería Cervantes serves up a delicious selection of salads, pastas, risottos, meats, savory crepes, and of course, pizza pies! Almost all of the items cost less than 10,00€.

In the foreground, my Pizza Rúcola (tomato, arugula, parmesan and olive oil) and in the background, Nat's Pizza Cervantes (tomato, mozzarella, anchovies, roasted red peppers, ham, olives, and oregano -- but Nat got it sin anchoas).

La Nicoletta (Madrid)

Nat and I had lunch one day at La Nicoletta (C/ Orense, 4). It was the fourth or fifth time we had eaten there so we already had a favorite.

We started off with the insalate florentina (mixed lettuce, emmenthaler, edam and ricotta cheeses, walnuts and cherry tomatoes, all dressed with sherry and honey vinaigrette). Delicious!











For our main dishes, we both ordered pasta. At La Nicoletta, you can choose from a list of more than 20 pastas (dry, fresh, or filled) and more than 15 sauces (including amatriciana, carbonara, vongole, provenzal, and pesto).

I ordered orecchiete and Nat ordered gnocchetti di patate, and we both ordered salsa salmone (salmon sauce).

Apple Pie Overseas

A few days after New Year's (in Madrid), Kay had Nat and I over for her mother-in-law's famous meatballs and gravy.

Kay made an apple pie for dessert, and it was the perfect bit of American cuisine to make us feel at home. The apples were perfectly cooked and the crust was delightfully crispy with cinnamon & sugar.

The Spanish make a dessert (called tarta de manzana) similar to our good ol' fashioned apple pie, but it's not quite the same.

Mughul (Madrid)

After discovering that Siam (c/ San Bernadino, 6 -- Metro: Plaza de España) had the same menu as Bangkok (c/ Bordadores, 15 -- Metro: Sol or Ópera‎), we set out to look for some different flavors. We decided on Mughul, an Indian restaurant only a few doors down (c/ San Bernadino, 10).









I ordered shrimp korma, and the combination of sweet and savory was perfect! Nat got chicken vindaloo curry (spicy!), and of course, we ordered rice and a selection of breads. We washed it all down with slightly sweet mango lassis.

Bangkok!

Over break, Natty and I had dinner one night at Bangkok in Madrid (c/ Bordadores, 15 -- Metro: Sol or Ópera‎). (Side note: One night, we decided to visit Siam (c/ San Bernadino, 6 -- Metro: Plaza de España), only to find out that it has the EXACT same menu as Bangkok. Just go to the one closest to where you are!) We'd been to Bangkok a couple of times before (see this post for more info on Bangkok and other Asian food in Madrid).

This time, Natty got the old stand-by:












... sweet pad thai with roasted peanuts.













I got noodles Siam.

And finally, a dream was realized...

















...mango with sticky rice!!!
I've been ordering this for YEARS (including a few tries at Bangkok) and NO ONE has ever served me it. They're either "out" of mangoes or they are "not in season". Finally, I got to taste the dessert that has been a mystery for so long! It was well worth the wait. =)

In addition, Bangkok is one of those Asian restaurants that has taken on a Spanish tradition by offering a menu-of-the-day: their's is Full-screen11,50€.

Restaurante Taj

In my recent post about Pep Restaurante (Barcelona), I expressed that my favorite part of Spanish cuisine is the menu-of-the-day. In addition to the places that serve traditional Spanish fare, those that serve international fare have jumped on the bandwagon.

For example, you can even find Asian restaurants that offer a menu-of-the-day.

Restaurante Taj (C/ Cruz, 13 -- Metro Sol or Sevilla) offers more than 40 Indian delicacies, including a set menu-of-the-day for only 11,95€ (Monday-Friday). They also do "take-away" orders, which is Madrid-speak for "take-out".

Your menu of the day will include:

A first course (for example, a few bites of chicken tandoori and a spiced croquette-type patty)

--all the first courses arrive with a trinity of delicious sauces--














A main dish (for example, chicken tikka masala)














+ naan bread, a beverage, and coffee or dessert

Dinner @ Gino's #......4?

I think this may have been the fourth time eating at GINO'S (click on GINO'S link at top of page). This time we headed to the one near Metro Sevilla (C/ Alcalá, 23).

On the menu...






...a difficult-to-eat caprese salad.













...spaghetti al frutti di mare.













...and delicious maccheroni al forno (studded with chorizo).

Check out my earlier mini-post on GINO'S here.