A different ingredient for your salads….

Salads are usually related with diets but I prefer to relate it with freshness, summer & creativity. During Madrid's hot summer I almost have anything else than salads for lunch...
Salads is a world of imagination! most of the times you just need to go to your fridge and look for what you have to create different one from the day before.  Today I’ tell you a tip of a different ingredient, at least I think it is…

Grilled Aubergine in vinaigrette

To prepare it peel the Aubergine and cut it in slices, grill it and put it in a Tupperware to conserve it covered by vinaigrette sauce. And it is ready to be used during the following days. I  prepare the vinaigrette sauce with extra virgin olive oil, vinegar in a 3:1 proportion, salt & black pepper and in this case I use oregano.

Try it!

White Lady, a fresh cocktail for the summer...

I must confess I'm a passionate about "cocktails world". There are thousands of possibles combinations, each one with different intensity, power or flavour in other words an excellent way to explore your creativity...

Today I'll tell you my first recipe from Javier de las Muelas book, one of my favourite presents from last Christmas.

White lady, is a very elegant and fresh cocktail, perfect to serve with a sea food starter like shrimps or oysters...

Ingredients:

1/4 of lemon juice 

1/4 of Cointreau

2/4 of Gin

Shaker

Put all the ingredients into a shaker with a lot of ice, shake it and serve it in a Martini glass

Delicatessen Burgers to eat... at home!

I've discovered "Hamburguesa Nostra" a couple of years ago, on the first time that I went to Mercado de Charmartin, It was curious as I was looking for something different to cook on a very lazy day, (my intention was to go running from home but in reality I just went walking all the way...). I didn't think twice: different kinds of burgers and flavours and all I needed to do was grill and eat it...

In Hamburguesa Nostra, you can find about 30 different types of burgers, all made of excellent quality meat, and also mini-burgers that can be perfect if you want to invite your friends to have a snack.

Due to the great success it is having, there are now several places where you can buy it Madrid and very recently also in Marbella.

If want to try it, but don't want to cook it, no problem! There are three places, (by now...) where you can try it in Madrid: Las Rosas (Európolis), Gourmet Experience (El Corte Ingles de la Castellana) & in Mercado de San Miguel (next to Plaza Mayor).

Where to find it:

www.hamburguesanostra.com   

http://www.facebook.com/hamburguesanostra 

C/ Bolivia, 9, 28016 Madrid, Spain (and some other places...)

C.C. Hipercor Marbella, C/Ramón Aceres S/N

How much?

The most expensive are 3€...

Quick and easy garnish...

Another Jamie Oliver excellent recipe, this time a different garnish which went perfect with Iberian pork chops.


It is so easy that just with the photo you can perfectly prepare it!


Ingredients:
Asparagus 
Black Olives (I used Jaén Olives )
Cherry Tomato, ripe, small & sweet
Extra virgin Olive Oil
chopped Garlic
basil
salt & black pepper


Mix all the ingredients in a oven tray, and cook it on the pre-heated oven (225ºC) for about 12 minutes and it is ready.


It is impossible to be easier... 

Cook it by yourself!

A restaurant where you are the chef!

We had been in other similar places previously but "Canto da Doca", has very special details that makes it unique.

Everything is cooked on a hot stone, so if you go there don't expect alternatives because they simply don't exist...                               For dinner we shared Tuna and Fillet Mignon and for drink we had white wine from the neighbour Pico Island - Frei Gigante. The perfect ending came with the desert, regional pineapple also cooked on the hot stone.

As restaurant frequently visited by sailors, who normally Stop in Faial on their way to Europe/America, we met a charming Dutch couple who, after years spending some days in Faial during their sailing trips, decided to come living there after they got retired. 

The quality of the raw material and the attention of the waiters are just excellent!

A "Must go" in Faial Island!

Where to find it:
Canto da Doca
Rua Nova Angustias, 

Horta, Faial Island - Azores, Portugal

*351292292444


How much:
Average price: 25€

An interesting option in the middle of the "Guiri Zone"

Kaixo is a really interesting option in the middle of the "Guiri Zone" in Madrid. An area where if you are not the tipical tourist that lets himself to be hunted by any restaurant employee would never stop to eat...
Kaixo is a Basque style tavern where you can have good salads or pintxos to share with your friends. 

It has a nice terrace although in summer you may prefer to eat inside to protect yourself from Madrid's hot weather...


It's a pity the service that not always is at the food level...

Where to find it?

Taberna Kaixo

Calle de Barcelona 12

Madrid, Madrid provincia, España

+34 915 23 21 33

Metro: Sol 1 2 3

www.tabernakaixo.com

How much?
Average price 15€

Plant your own aromatic herbs!

If you think you are not good with plants, don't worry! Aromatic herbs are so easy that almost anyone can plant it... 

This is surely a cheaper and more tasty option comparing to buy it frequently in a supermarket as you can collect it when you are cooking or wish to prepare a cocktail as a mojito for instance.

In the picture you can see my short kitchen garden: basil, parsley, coriander, chive, thyme, rosemary, mint, fennel and celery...


Try it and you will see everything will start to taste much better!

The best piglet I tasted in Spain...

Duque is a traditional Spanish grill, divided in dining rooms all with a very typical decoration.

I recommend you to begin by the regional starter (Entrante Segoviano - beans, and different types of sausages) and then  choose between piglet or lamb, both cooked in wood oven, the major "stars" in this restaurant.

Nevertheless I must confess that in Duque the piglet, with only 21 days... is my favourite.

If you ask me what do I prefer, the way they prepare it in Bairrada, (Portugal) or here, I'll surely tell you "depends on where I am..." as despite the raw material is very similar they have very different flavours what makes both experiences completely different. 

 

Where to find it:
Duque
C/ Cervantes, 12
Segovia, Spain
+34 921 46 24 87
www.restauranteduque.es


How much:
Average price: 40€

Segovia, you must try the 152 steps to feel it!

Segovia, city declared world heritage by Unesco is a very interesting destination just one hour away from Madrid (about 85 kms)...

Nevertheless I must confess that the main reason that drove me there was to taste its famous piglet.

Must see:

The aqueduct, an impressive Roman construction is the typical postcard of city.

The Cathedral, the last gothic cathedral built in Spain

 The Alcazar. The Royal Palace is the best way to prepare your Stomach for the lunch in a great restaurant in the city center. It's only 152 steps to reach the Tower Top

Finally, for lunch I recommend you piglet or Lamb in Duque Restaurant.

Summer is back!

Summer is just around the corner and to demonstrate it the high temperatures this week, which forced me to begin using the air conditioning at home ...

Today's recommendation could not be other than salad, the only thing I can have for lunch when I come home and outside the temperature is again above 30ºC... 

Today, I just went to the fridge and mixed what I've found and the result is what you have in the picture, which pretty tasty: 

Ingredients:
Chickpea
tomato
Pimiento del piquillo
sweet corn
dried tomatoes
Chives, Cilantro, and Oregano
Extra virgin olive oil and vinegar (in the ratio 3:1)
salt

For meat lovers...

La Cabaña Argentina is a must go for Argentine cuisine lovers of  in the city of Madrid.

Clearly one of my favorite places to eat meat in Madrid.  Yesterday we returned with a group of friends, as starters we ordered three classics: Chorizo ​​Criollo, empanadas and provolone that were excellent as always, and then the inevitable steak La Cabaña of 500 gr! that simply fell apart when cutting ... 

The only non positive comment, the service could be better ...

Where to find it:

Restaurante la Cabaña Argentina
C/ Ventura de la Vega, 10
Madrid, Spain
+34 913 69 72 02
Metro: Sevilla 2
www.lacabanaargentina.es

How Much?
Average Price  30-35€