Recently, I spent some time in Madrid with my husband. I accompanied him (ahead of business he had the following week) so that we could enjoy this lovely city before I headed home. We were treated to a week of incredibly beautiful weather (70s in the daytime, 50s at night), and so we did what we always do when we travel: Walk our feet off! For long hours each day, we explored neighborhoods, enjoyed tapas, wine, and beer, geocached, ambled through botanical gardens, public gardens, museums, and tried to speak Español whenever we could :) Late afternoons we would return to our hotel to put our feet up, take a siesta, and plan where we would have dinner. That pretty much sums up our itinerary... it was exhaustive, but looking back, I think we have a very positive feel for 'la ciudad que nunca duerme.'
On our first morning there, we headed out to La Puerta Del Sol, the heart of Madrid's historic center, for breakfast. As the most important meal of the day (in my opinion), Madrid fell short for me. Could it be that when Madrileños awaken, it's already lunchtime? One thing that softened the blow, however, was the fabulous coffee con leche that could be had almost anywhere at anytime. Beautiful!
But back to that first breakfast... In the center of the square stood a 20-ton bronze statue of el oso y
el madroño (the bear and strawberry tree). There are a few theories as to the significance of this sculpture to the city of Madrid, and judging by the number selfies being snapped with el oso in the background, it is a miracle that I was able to reach in and grab a photo without some human appendage joining the shot :)
Nearby, we found a tavern open for breakfast, featuring coffee with either a churro, tostada (toast), or pan (bread). We both chose coffee with the tostada. Taking a seat outside on a gloriously sunny day, here is what came to our table:
Expecting butter and jam to accompany the toast, I was a bit surprised. But not for long. The combination of tomato pulp, olive oil, and salt on toast was fabulous! Though humble, this breakfast combination is the most widely eaten Spanish tapa (I am assuming tapa is the singular form of tapas). We enjoyed it again on the morning I was flying home, but this time the bread was rustic, dark, and not toasted. Equally awesome-tasting.
Though I have yet to make this recipe since leaving Spain, Serious Eats has done a fine job describing the process, particularly the idea of extracting and using the tomato pulp and discarding the skins. This recipe also makes use of a clove of garlic in its preparation.
Buen provecho!
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