Unfashionable mecca

[vserna]

For more than 15 years, when I've felt a craving for great Castilian-style roast lamb in Madrid my most frequent choice has been the utterly unfashionable Asador Tierra Aranda (calle Padilla 56, phone 914 013 826). Like other 'asadores', it's the local outlet of a restaurant group headquartered in Aranda de Duero, the heart of Castilian lamb country, on the Duero river 100 miles north of the capital. Rather dark, cramped, with uncomfortable wood-and-leather rustic Castilian chairs, some photos of Aranda and the Castilian plateau as the only 'decoration', a middle-class public with no taste for modernity. But a good semicircular baker's clay oven and total reliability of the produce, most of it sent down from Aranda, including the delicious shallow, round, crusty local bread, the 'torta arandina'.

Today, we had the usual, reliable fare, as good as ever for a family lunch. The usual amuse-gueules: uncommonly tasty, deep-fried Burgos black sausage (studded with rice), a salad of roast red peppers, some just-fried small 'croquetas' filled with ham-studded béchamel, thinly sliced Ibérico ham, and the redoubtable 'picadillo', minced pork loin that's marinated in paprika and herbs, then fried in olive oil. Then the two quarters of small, milk-fed baby lamb of the 'churra' breed, which have been roasted/baked in the low-heat wood-fired baker's oven for hours, deftly doused with a little water every time it's needed, so it won't dry up. The texture resembles only that of some méchoui lambs in north Africa - so tender you almost don't need a knife, but intensely tasty. This is traditionally accompanied by a perfect (because it's lip-smackingly fresh, as is the norm here) Spanish salad of romaine lettuce, tomatoes and onions in an olive oil and red wine vinegar vinaigrette.

The restaurant has a very conventional, truly boring wine list. That hasn't changed, either... Viña Pedrosa Reserva (DO Ribera del Duero) and Remelluri Crianza (DOC Rioja) are probably the best bets.

Some traditional home-made desserts. The 'flan', caramel custard, is promisingly irregular in appearance, with holes and cracks: usually a good sign. And indeed it's way above average. Acceptable coffee.

Price per person, with tax and tip: 35 euros.

Spanish comfort food, this.

Edited February 29, 2004 by vserna (log)

[Bux]

There seem to be several Asador Tierra Arandas in Madrid. Is this your favorite for special reason, or just the most convenient? This must be the lamb I had in Burgos. It would be hard to imagine there is any that is much better. In our case, a half lamb fit on a large plate, or to be more honestly believable a small platter. Just enough for two after a generous lobster rice dish. Both the rice and the lamb were split between the two of us. It was a Sunday lunch at the rather upscale but unstarred Landa Palace. The was one of the early clues we had about the relevance of stars when dining in Spain. I forget who suggested we stop here for the lamb, but it was a suggestion we were happy we listened to and one we've passed on, although Victor may have better places to recommend in that area. Maybe next time I'm in Burgos I'll take the detour south to Aranda de Duero.

Are you sure the holes and cracks are necessarily a part of a great flan? A poorly calibrated oven serendipitously taught us to bake flan at a lower temperature for a longer time and the result was an exceptionally smooth custurd with no air bubbles. It may be that the cracks and holes are a good sign only in that they're some assurance you're not getting a factory produced flan supplied to the restaurant.

At any rate my mouth is watering at the mention of the lamb and the flan.

[vmilor]

How do you compare churra with merino breed? I had the latter in Posada de Javier which was also memorable and they told me they prefer it over churra but we did not have a common language to explore further.

[vserna]

There seem to be several Asador Tierra Arandas in Madrid.

Nope. Just one. The others are 'Asador de Aranda' - the fashionable ones. There's also a couple of of outlets of 'Asador Aranduero' - the semi-fashionable ones. Asador Tierra Aranda lives in utmost, glorious anonymity, which is just as well with us, its faithful customers...

[vserna]

How do you compare churra with merino breed?  I had the latter  in Posada de Javier which was also memorable and they told me they prefer it over churra but we did not have a common language to explore further.

I always thought these people at the Posada de Javier were a bit eccentric, and if they serve merino instead of churro, then they are somewhat wacky, if you ask me. For these reasons: 1) there are very few merino sheep in Segovia, and they'll have to travel 300 miles, to Extremadura, to get them; 2) the small, lean churro lamb is ideal for the Castilian style of roasting extremely young (six weeks maximum), milk-fed lamb, while the larger merino is less tasty at that age but instead makes a fine, flavorful roast in the more familiar (to Britons, Frenchmen and other lamb eaters) format that we call 'recental' in Spain, i.e. up to four months of age.

I like merino for that type of larger (30 pounds instead of 18) lamb that resembles fine French 'pré-salé' more than it does Castilian lamb, and can probably be successfully cooked in more diverse ways. But it's simply a different animal for a different cuisine that I associate with Extemadura, not with Castile. The merino (most famous, of course, for its wool, here and in Australia) has been successfully promoted as a gourmet breed by an important merino flock owner, Alberto Oliart - the only man in Spain, and perhaps the world, who is both a notable poet and a former secretary of Defense! The great torta del Casar cheese comes from merino sheep milk, of course. (This breed gives very little milk, so it's pretty precious.)

While we're on the subject, there are a diversity of gastronomically interesting breeds of sheep in Spain. The other main ones (I'm no great specialist!) are the manchega breed in Castilla-La Mancha (giving us Manchego cheese and the roasts and pot-roasts of the older lamb, merino-style), the castellana breed throughout southern Castilla y León (also good milk for cheese - the Castellano and Zamorano hard cheeses, similar to Manchego), and the latxa breed in the Basque mountains - small, hardy, and the main provider of milk for the sensational Idiazabal cheese (extremely nutty and complex, both the usual smoked version and the superior unsmoked one.)

See how some of these sheep (adult ones!) look here: http://4w.cajaduero.es/agro/public/Cap3ov2.htm

And the other breed, the Basque latxa sheep, in their beautiful Pyreneees surroundings (now you know why Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming used to be full of Basque shepherds...):

http://www.mendikoi.net/artzaieskola/resumen2.htm

[vmilor]

Thanks vserna. The pictures as well as your remarks clarify too many things for me.

Merina is what we call merinos in Turkey. Used primarily for wool. Turcs typically slaughter it at 6 months of age and I prefer it for shoulder or leg rather than chops. It is strongly flavored and in this sense I guess you compare it with "pre-sale". On a side note I was surprised that Cenador de Salvador at Muralzarzal(I do not have my books so excuse for spelling errors) served French pre sale when there is outstanding lamb in Spain.

Churra is what we call "kivircik" or curly. To my taste, when it is milk-fed at 6 weeks, it can be outstanding in terms of subtlety and range of flavors. I believe the wonderful baby chops I had at Zalacain came from this breed. In Istanbul you have to go to top butchers and specifically ask for this and it is expensive.

The best meat resturant in Istanbul, Beyti, uses only this breed which comes from the mountains of Trakia--just north of Istanbul.

I wonder what happened to Basque shepherds in the US. As far as I am concerned eating lamb in the States is the functional equivalent of, say, drinking a wine made from cabernet grapes in Vosne Romanee. It does not exist or should not be allowed to be marketed under the name "lamb"

[bobsdf]

I've eaten wonderful lunches a couple of times in Aranda del Duero at place called El Meson de la Villa. I enjoyed the roast lamb leg immensely, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The other dish that looked great--I didn't try it--are the little chuletos. They're brought to the table on a self-standing grill after being cooked in the big wood burning ovens (I assume this is a fairly typical preperation).

Both times I started with an order of morcilla. I hate the fact that we don't get decent morcilla here in Canada. I assume the morcilla is generally of quite a high standard anywhere close to Burgos.

I'm wondering at what age they would be slaughtering the lambs they use for the roasts? I have a friend who raises lambs and from whom I buy when available. The problem is that they harvest them at quite a large size--in my view too large. I always request the smallest of the batch, which works out to to about 120 lbs (54 kg) live weight. One of these legs would feed about 6 people. It would be nice to try cooking some smaller ones. I've had quite good luck preparing roast leg of the larger ones in the spanish style, it's not quite the same but still pretty good.

This is making me hungry. I think I'll go home now and eat some pata negra a friend of mine just brought back from Madrid and was kind enough to give me.

[vserna]

Bob: As stated in my post above, 'churra' breed milk-fed lambs ('cordero lechal' or 'lechazo') are slaughtered at the tender age of six weeks and weigh about 18 lbs, while the older, 'manchega' or 'merino' breed lambs ('cordero recental', sometimes called 'pascual'), ideal for pot roasts and stews, are slaughtered at four months and weigh about 30 lbs. Frankly, the 120-lb animals you describe wouldn't qualify as 'lamb' in Europe - more like English mutton!

[Adam Balic]

Interesting. I grew up in a sheep raising family in Australia (not a unique experience) and these were all Merino or Merino X. We slaughtered a sheep maybe once every week, these were generally hoggett (1-2 years of age) or mutton (2 years and above). In general the Merino were considered inferior to the British breeds in terms of meat flavour etc, but this could have much to do with the age of the sheep. Are older sheep eaten in Spain and how are then considered in terms of preference (or are they used in any specific dishes?)?.

A 120 Ib sheep would be hoggett or mutton and these do not taste very much like lamb at all. In my experience very young lamb (or kid) cannot be compared in flavour to older lamb as at this stage they are still milk feeding only, the flesh is very pale pink, almost white.

[vserna]

Are older sheep eaten in Spain and how are then considered in terms of preference (or are they used in any specific dishes?)?.

Except for imported New Zealand lamb, which I think is older, few lambs older than four months are marketed ('cordero recental'). But in some regions 'cordero pascual' up to 12 months old is still popular. The youngest lamb. 'cordero lechal', is easily the most prized one.

[Adam Balic]

So no mutton equivalent, makes me wish I was raised in Spain, not Australia.

[Marco_Polo]

Rather dark, cramped, with uncomfortable wood-and-leather rustic Castilian chairs, some photos of Aranda and the Castilian plateau as the only 'decoration', a middle-class public with no taste for modernity. But a good semicircular baker's clay oven and total reliability of the produce, most of it sent down from Aranda, including the delicious shallow, round, crusty local bread, the 'torta arandina'.

Zero atmosphere? It sounds like wonderful atmosphere to me. Your excellent and evocative post brings back fond memories of hornos de asar in Castilla y Leon and Rioja.

Favourites include the archetypal (and very basic) Casa Rafael Corrales (Obispo Velasco 2) in Aranda de Duero for an unchanging feast of lechazo, lechuga, pan y vino. We've also enjoyed great (if predictable) lamb feasts at Meson de la Villa (Plaza Mayor 3) and Asador El Cipres (Plaza Primo de Rivera 1).

But my favourite of all time is in Rioja: Casa Terete (Lucrecia Arana 17, Haro). Come to this winegrowers' favourite, pass by the downstairs wood-fired baker's oven, and climb upstairs to enjoy an unchanged menu off scrubbed wooden communal trestles, elbow-to-elbow alongside smart bodega owners and workers in blue overalls. Start off with such Rioja favourites as alubias con chorizo, menestra de verduras, pimientos asados, morcilla y chorizo before feasting from earthenware cazuelas of the most tender and delicious cordero lechal asado you're ever likely to eat.

Best of all: this simple, basic, humble joint has the most sensational wine cellar with bottles of old Riservas and Gran Riservas from the best wine producers of the Rioja. This is food to rip into with your bare hands, to mop the grease off your mouth with good crusty bread, and to wash down with tumblers of excellent oak-aged wines.

MP

[Bux]

I always request the smallest of the batch, which works out to to about 120 lbs (54 kg) live weight. One of these legs would feed about 6 people.

A leg of the lamb I had in Burgos was more of a snack for one person, albeit a very tasty snack.

[vmilor]

But my favourite of all time is in Rioja: Casa Terete (Lucrecia Arana 17, Haro). Come to this winegrowers' favourite, pass by the downstairs wood-fired baker's oven, and climb upstairs to enjoy an unchanged menu off scrubbed wooden communal trestles, elbow-to-elbow alongside smart bodega owners and workers in blue overalls. Start off with such Rioja favourites as alubias con chorizo, menestra de verduras, pimientos asados, morcilla y chorizo before feasting from earthenware cazuelas of the most tender and delicious cordero lechal asado you're ever likely to eat.

Best of all: this simple, basic, humble joint has the most sensational wine cellar with bottles of old Riservas and Gran Riservas from the best wine producers of the Rioja. This is food to rip into with your bare hands, to mop the grease off your mouth with good crusty bread, and to wash down with tumblers of excellent oak-aged wines.

MP

Your excellent account echoes my feeling. 2 years ago we drove there from Donostia. I asked the lady in the hotel for directions. She knew that we had eaten at Arzak and Akelare, etc. "Are you sure you want to go ?", she asked. "Why should I not go?", I said. She quipped: "it is a very primitive place.

Since then, in my lexicon, the adjective primitive has a special meaning. I use it to heap praise on restaurants and some other things. And Terete is indeed primitive.

They serve something like 64 Riscal Riserva with a water cup rather than Riedel--and for a more than fair price. Fortunately there are still too many "primitive" restaurants serving authentic cuisine with impeccable ingredients are left in Spain, Italy and Turkey.

[MiguelCardoso]

Yummy!

The best lamb I've ever had - and Spanish lamb is the best in the world - was in the skiing resort of Baqueira, in the Spanish Pyrenées - "cordero lechal" slowly braised on an open fire.

According to the locals, these luscious, almost sinful lambs are killed by pushing them off a small cliff, so they don't know what's happening to them and the meat remains tender.

The best restaurant (with a wonderful atmosphere), where I've been every winter for the last nine years is right in Baqueira and is called La Borda de Lobato.

Edited March 3, 2004 by MiguelCardoso (log)

[CFW]

Vserna, How do you compare the cordero asado at Asador Tierra Aranda to that in the Asador's in Segovia such as Jose Maria?

[Boris_A]

Zero atmosphere? It sounds like wonderful atmosphere to me. Your excellent and evocative post brings back fond memories of hornos de asar  in Castilla y Leon and Rioja.

Favourites include the archetypal (and very basic) Casa Rafael Corrales (Obispo Velasco 2) in Aranda de Duero for an unchanging feast of lechazo, lechuga, pan y vino. We've also enjoyed great (if predictable) lamb feasts at Meson de la Villa (Plaza Mayor 3) and Asador El Cipres (Plaza Primo de Rivera 1).

But my favourite of all time is in Rioja: Casa Terete (Lucrecia Arana 17, Haro).

I'm going to visit Rioja in May.

Oh, how I love places with zero atmosphere. Some of the best parties of my life have been in places with zero atmosphere, where the light of self-reflection and standards created by mass media doesn't shine too brightly.

Thank you, Marco Polo, and thank you, vserna for the explanation of Spanish lamb.

Until today, I can't make up my mind about my preference for baby lamb or for baby goat.

I'm looking forward to visit the Iberian continent again.

[vserna]

Vserna, How do you compare the cordero asado at Asador Tierra Aranda to that in the Asador's in Segovia such as Jose Maria?

Similar level. Same raw materials, same roasting technique by a veteran 'maestro asador' who's been repeating the same ritual gestures for 30 years...

I am pretty versed by now on the subject of places where 'lechazo' is good: while Terete is a great, wonderfully atmospheric place, it's still outside the 'lamb's triangle' which goes from Burgos to Sepúlveda to Segovia. What's best about Terete is that the menu is a diverse one, with the great Riojan vegetables among other things. Same with José María in Segovia or the Mesón de la Villa in Aranda, where they are also masters of another great Castilian technique: pickled, cold fish or meats ('escabeches'), while José María also makes a fearsome suckling pig.

In the 'triangle', the asadores are much more basic: a few first courses, a mixed salad, roast lamb cut into quarters (and, sometimes, grilled milk-fed lamb's cutlets, 'chuletillas de lechazo').

The greatest Castilian-style roast lamb I've ever eaten has been (several times) in one of those very basic places: Asador Zute el Mayor, a.k.a. Tinín, in the small medieval town of Sepúlveda. A primitive treat in a 15th century building. I know people who drive 700 miles from Paris to eat there...

[Marco_Polo]

I am pretty versed by now on the subject of places where 'lechazo' is good...

In the 'triangle', the asadores are much more basic: a few first courses, a mixed salad, roast lamb cut into quarters (and, sometimes, grilled milk-fed lamb's cutlets, 'chuletillas de lechazo').

The greatest Castilian-style roast lamb I've ever eaten has been (several times) in one of those very basic places: Asador Zute el Mayor, a.k.a. Tinín, in the small medieval town of Sepúlveda. A primitive treat in a 15th century building. I know people who drive 700 miles from Paris to eat there...

Thanks for this, vserna. Would love to find an excuse to visit Sepulveda and the Asador Zute el Mayor.

A question: you speak of the lamb triangle. Within this Spanish heartland, is there a similar or defined area where toston takes pride of place over lechazo?

Many on this list may have visited the theatrical Meson de Candido in Segovia, which I understand is actually a 'declared national monument'. Last time I was there, I did enjoy that wondrously succulent delicacy, theatrically sliced with the edge of a plate by, I think, Candido's grandson. But there was undoubtedly something of a 'food tourism for the masses' feel about the place that is the complete opposite of the atmosphere enjoyed in the most basic hornos de asar such as you describe.

Sucking pig is good, but nothing can beat lechazo when, done simply and well. And I agree, you don't really need anything else: just lamb, lettuce, bread and wine.

MP

[Bux]

Sucking pig is good, but nothing can beat lechazo when, done simply and well.

I'll not argue the point. Given the choice, I'd probably pick the suckling lamb myself, if only because it's a rarer delicacy to me. Nevertheless I'll put in a good word for the pig. In Lizarra/Estella, at a not particularly auspicious looking place, the waiter recommended the gorrin, the local baby pig. I believe each pig offered four to six portions and we were told there were only a few servings left. It was a treat. I will say that Lizarra is somewhere between San Sebastian and la Rioja, but it depends on the exact route you take. Anyway, I believe it is in Navarra. I am a novice when it comes to eating roast animals of this age and size and I"m enjoying my education.

[vserna]

A question: you speak of the lamb triangle. Within this Spanish heartland, is there a similar or defined area where toston takes pride of place over lechazo?

I'd say the triangle moves west somewhat: it would comprise Segovia, Avila and Arévalo, a small town northeast of Avila where suckling pig is a religion. Two very good places for it: El Tostón de Oro (what else?) and, particularly, La Pinilla.

And while we're at it, we could complete the trilogy with the third great roast of Spain: milk-fed kid...

[bobsdf]

And while we're at it, we could complete the trilogy with the third great roast of Spain: milk-fed kid...

vserna, please continue. My mouth is watering!

[Marco_Polo]

vserna, please continue.  My mouth is watering!

Yes, please! Mine is too and I'm a million miles from the nearest horno de asar.

Continuing on the subject of tostón and lechazo, I wonder, are there possibly geographical, cultural or historical reasons why certain areas preferred to raise and consume baby lambs rather than pigs and vice versa?

As for sucking kid, where would that triangle be? Possibly moving towards Estremadura? And where should we go to sample the best? I have enjoyed kid stews but never had the chance to sample sucking kid. What is it called?

MP

[pedro]

Víctor, please, my memory starts to betray me. The ovens to roast suckling pig and milk-fed lamb are different (or ideally, should be different), aren't they? Something to do with the source of heat, if I recall properly...

PS: My father was born in a small town in Burgos, and they used to use the oven of the town's bakery to roast the lamb in special occasions. A common Castillian tradition some time ago. Which was the deal made with the baker, that I don't know.

Edited March 3, 2004 by pedro (log)

[vserna]

Re Pedro's question: Tomás Urrialde Garzón, the former chef at Cándido who went from there to a Segovia hotel, installed two separate ovens for suckling pig and for baby lamb in his new place. If I remember his explanations to me (that was some 20 years ago, and he is now retired), the lamb needed the low heat from underneath and the pig needed it from above, to toast the skin to a crackling golden brown (a necessary element in suckling pig). But don't quote me on this - I have a rather vague recollection.

Re kid: The Spanish name is 'cabrito', it's close in taste and texture to baby lamb but leaner and with a slightly spicier taste. There's no precise 'triangle' that I know about, since this is really more widespread than either suckling pig or baby lamb, but the general region would go from the Guadarrama mountain range north of Madrid to Salamanca to the north and then to Extremadura to the east. But in the Guadalajara/Cuenca region of Alcarria, east of Madrid, it's also a local specialty. Many restaurants will serve all three roasts. I know one in Las Navas del Marqués, in the Avila mountains, where they always serve kid but call it baby lamb, "because the Madrid tourists are more familiar with lamb"!

Kid is delicious, and the better modern chefs are often interested in it. Mario Sandoval, the 26 year-old 'boy wonder' of Coque, at Humanes de Madrid (the up-and-coming star near the Spanish capital), has a "cabrito asado en leche ahumada con migas y trufa", i.e. a roast kid in smoked milk with 'migas' (fried bread crumbs) and black truffle". What's 'smoked milk'? I'll have to ask Mario...