Verdinas with braised Burela skewered hake and Marcano white prawn
How easy it is to make ourselves happy: a good stew and a spoon to take it to the mouth . That's the only thing we need. However, this apparently simple pleasure hides much more... because in the spoon dishes , as it happens with the human being, the important thing is in the background.
And of funds, good and consistent funds, you know David Marcano . The cook has been putting his long teeth in his restaurant on Doctor Castelo street in Madrid three years. And three winters. Oh, the low temperatures, the icy winds, the gusty rains... Bad weather is not fought with a good face, no: they spoon fight and warming up the body to the rhythm of the chup chup of the bread in the ring of Marcano . Shall we start?
At the gates of Marcano's brutal spoon
David is a true student of broths, of the substance of the dish ... He is he background alchemist . He once he manages to find the perfect balance of flavors for his plate of meat, fish or vegetables , add the key element: a legume which, whatever it is, will always be a Denomination of Origin.
David Marcano
But beyond having a good product on the table, to find the Valhalla of the spoon, time, love, a good product and calm are needed. The proof? How many broths (yes, plural) would you say are needed to prepare the Marcano de Verdinas with braised Burela skewered hake and white prawn ? Starts the Show :
- A first broth of hake and monkfish
- A second broth white shrimp and red shrimp 50%
- A third broth of head of snuff , two slices of conger , leek, carrot, red pepper, tomato and saffron.
Three broths to reinforce an excellent spoon dish , in which the hake is treated with the delicacy of a bed of fine salt on which the piece is marked; the green , with its heat, will cook the white prawns until they reach the perfect texture. The three broths and David's special vinaigrette ( leek, piparra and arbequina oil ), they do the rest.
Verdinas with braised Burela skewered hake and Marcano white prawn
But let's go further, let's keep looking deep down: another of his star dishes, the Moncayo white beans with Iberian pork jowls at low temperature, chorizo and deep-fried cod loin.
Impressive texture games In a single spoonful, from the strong broth to the softness of the Moncayo bean, passing through the Iberian jowl (cooked at low temperature and salted) and the cod loin that melts in the mouth...
We continue practicing spoonfuls with a third legume, the Caparrón from La Rioja, accompanied by a suckling lamb terrine and scalded turnip tops , very crispy, an explosive touch in the mouth that completes a round dish.
The caparrón (a pinto bean from the La Rioja area) is cooked with desalted Iberian chorizo, a long, careful process... as much as those broths from Marcano's kitchens.
Caparrón from La Rioja, accompanied by a suckling lamb terrine and scalded turnip tops
David tells us that at the end of the week, during the spoon season, in these stoves you can cook over low heat some fourteen broths . Fourteen different flavors for each specific dish.
Tip Traveler: all the Wednesday you will find their delicious verdines in Marcano . It is rumored that they had to dedicate a day exclusively to this legume to avoid the daily calls from diners asking about them. That is the brutal level of Marcano's spoon. Book and do not miss the appointment!
*Practically all of its menu is suitable for coeliacs.
Address: Doctor Castelo 31, Madrid See map
Telephone: 91 409 3642
Schedule: From Monday to Saturday from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. and from 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 p.m. Sunday closed.
Half price: €35