WORLD TAPAS DAY IN LAVAPIÉS
2022/06/14
Lavapiés celebrates World Tapas Day!
From Thursday 16 to Sunday 19 June, 20 bars and restaurants ( FIND THEM HERE ) in the most traditional Madrid neighborhood serve croquettes for one euro, in homage to our most international gastronomic format. Its varied palette includes both exotic and traditional, also vegan and kilometer 0: pumpkin, peccorino and truffle, salmorejo, chicken curry, leek and gorgonzola, boletus and spinach, cassava and salmon, padrón peppers, chorizo, black pudding and also, don't miss it… ham!!
As a starting signal, chef Rebeca Hernández reinvents the croquette in a gourmet showcooking that combines organic and km 0 cuisine, oriental street food and traditional products. The appointment, the same World Tapa Day (Thursday 16 - 2:00 p.m.) on the terrace of the 100% sustainable space Ecooo (Escuadra, 11).
Vegan, exotic, traditional... The incredible world of croquettes opens its doors to us for four days: pumpkin, peccorino and truffle, salmorejo, chicken curry, leek and gorgonzola, boletus and spinach, cassava and salmon , padrón peppers, chorizo, blood sausage and also, don't miss it… ham!! "The croquette is a tapa for all tastes, essential in a bar because it combines many flavors and accompanies any drink," explains Rebeca Hernández.
Each establishment serves its croquette on its own schedule. “Through the croquette we also travel to the kitchens of distant countries”, points out the godmother of World Tapas Day. For example, to the markets of Norway and the traditional 'lojas' of the deepest Portugal. Thus, the creamy croquette from Tostas & cod (Argumosa, 29), winner of the last edition of Tapapiés, blends superior Portuguese dried cod with the Nordic touch of smoked salmon, accompanied by leek, nutmeg and dill.
Not to fall short, the centenary Café Barbieri (Ave María, 45) has prepared an unbeatable quartet of croquitalianas bambinas with products from old Italy: the first one made of guanciale, typical non-smoked cured meat or pork cheeks; the second, pistachio, guanciale and dried tomato; the third, pumpkin, peccorino and truffle; and of the fourth we only reveal that it is called Caponata and it is the most mellow… Mamma Mía!!!
Exotic, vegan, gluten-free ...
Among the organic, vegan and Km 0, the Boletus Edulis from Viva Chapata (Ave María, 43) stands out, with oat milk instead of cow's milk and chickpea flour instead of eggs. Rich and peaceful. Boletus is also the artisan croquette from López & López (Cabestreros, 4). Matilda Café (La Encomienda, 4) prepares it with leeks and spinach seasoned with nutmeg, garlic and parsley. Version for celiacs with rice flour and lactose-free milk.
Other participants opt for lifelong homemade recipes, such as the croquette with spicy chorizo from La Musa de Espronceda (Santa Isabel, 17) and the Iberian ham from El Jamón (Lavapiés, 47). Ham is also not lacking in the delicious and daring Cordovan salmorejo croquette at El Rincón Guay (Embajadores, 62). Tapioquería (La Fe, 1) combines it with smoked salmon in a cassava flour croquette, rich in carbohydrates and suitable for celiacs.
La Buga del Lobo (Argumosa, 11) recovers its croquetÓN with black pudding and caramelized onion, a Spanish-Caribbean tapa chosen as the best pairing with Estrella Damm beer last year in Tapapiés. Taberna Filomena Social Club (Olivar, 54) winks at Indian cuisine so present in Lavapiés with an aromatic chicken croquette with curry and other spices. In honor of his name, Chulo (Embajadores, 24) dares with a croquette of padrón peppers (some are hot and others are not), with light béchamel.
A roll? A rocket? A tiger?
True to her reputation as a transgressor with respect for tradition, Rebeca Hernández reinvents the croquette in five surprising versions: two Asian-inspired, one organic, and another two Spanish. Thus, from his passion for oriental street food comes a croquette in a crunchy spring roll or crab neem with hints of citrus. Its nigiri-croquette uses the fat of the Iberian ham to flavor the classic tuna mojama, a fusion of sea and mountains with Japanese packaging.
Rebeca Hernánez assures that "we can make an eco croquette without losing an iota of flavor and texture, with a zero kilometer and sustainable product." His vegan proposal uses lentil cream, with three types of boletus: in béchamel, in tripe and in dehydrated powder. "Veganism is here to stay," he explains.
For his tinted squid-croquette, he first cleans the squid and cuts it into rings. “Then I fill it and fry it like a normal croquette”, he continues. The result, a skewer or rocket of seven or eight bites "that is nice to eat." Finally, it recovers the essence of a recipe "that has been transformed over time into a battered stuffed mussel". His reinterpretation of the 'tiger' separates it into phases into sofrito, béchamel, mussel juice and a thin panfrito batter.
Organized by the Lavapiés Merchants Association, World Tapas Day is also consolidated in one of the most cosmopolitan neighborhoods in Spain. All the information from Monday the 13th at www.enlavapies.com .