Madrid… A Food Lovers Paradise

Madrid… A Food Lovers Paradise
Flat of Figs in Spain
         It all began with a fig……. I was at work doing my usual task of recieving food orders to check in and I saw a flat of figs. Staring at the small figs, squished into the plastic mesh containers with bruises my mind began to wonder. I reminisced back to over a month before when I was in Madrid, Spain and stopped dead in my tracks staring at a flat of large, gorgeous figs. Thats when all of the wonderful food memories came back.

               There have been very few times in my life where I was speechless when it came to terms food. This was a time where it was the case. Never have I ever been to a place where I felt so inspired and happy to see what was going on around me. Now, I have been to Spain before and was well aware about the special care they take into their food. However this time was different. Unlike my past time in the country, I actually cooked meals. I had to go to the shops and grocery stores to purchase food and that was the difference.

Cherries stacked neatly….blew my mind
Even the meat looked great!
Presentation is key!

                                       

              Walking into the grocery stores, fruit stands and supermarkets, I was amazed by the presentation of the produce, fish, meat and cheese stands. No customer was allowed to pick up any item. There were workers for every station which picked up (with gloved hands) the item that you want and placed into a bag for you. They took pride in their work and nobody was going to mess it up. All of the produce were neatly arranged- by color and food group. The seafood section was a sight to see. First of all, there were fish, mollusks and shellfish that I have never seen before. All of the items were arranged going the same way and grouped by species. The colors and overall freshness of it made me so excited that I would be cooking.

Pan con Tomate & Pan con
Serrano


Fresh Figs with Goat Cheese & Balsamic
Reduction
Mussels in White Wine, Butter
Sauce

  
 I came to Madrid with the Nomad•ness Travel Tribe and that was our home base in Spain before we went up to Pamplona to run with the Bulls. Before we embarked on our trip it was known that we were going to have a group dinner in which members Blue, Kyla and myself would do the cooking. On the day of our special group dinner, the three of us ventured off to one of the many food markets in Madrid to shop. We had a long list of ingredients to buy and was happy and excited about the food we were going to prepare. Our theme was traditional Spanish food. The menu that we came up with was: pan con tomate y jamon (toasted bread with tomatoes and serrano ham), figs with goat cheese & balsamic reduction, mussels with white wine herb sauce, potato salad with tuna, white asparagus salad, seafood paella, braised chicken with fennel, caramelized peach tart and passion fruit flan. 
Seafood Paella 


          The meal that fed fifteen people took us about 4 hours to complete. Of course there were tons of talking, laughter and sips of wine in between but we made it happen. It was such a joy to be in a country unlike our own when it come to food culture and actually prepare food. 


Potato Salad with Tuna
Passion Fruit Fl 

    
       
Braised Chicken with Fennel


Caramelized Peach Tart




           Upon returning back home to NYC, I was a little saddened. Going food shopping wasn’t the same, supermarkets did not have the standard for products like the ones in Madrid. Here, you can go to places like Whole Foods, farmers markets other and specialty markets where the upkeep of food is priority. In Spain that was the normal everywhere. From the local fruit stands to the supermarkets there was a sense of pride in all products that was showcased. I have since come to the realization that it will never be the same so I should stop comparing. Whenever I get into a food funk….. I just think that I will always have the memories of Madrid.


*photos of the dinner courtesy of Antoine Kinch*

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