Mealtime in Madrid

By AMY PATUREL

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EARLIER IN THE WEEK, we toured Osborne’s Malpica winery. Just 60 miles southwest of Madrid, Malpica is one of the largest vineyard projects in Europe, with more than 2,500 acres of planted Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Merlot. And now we’re sipping on fruits from that vineyard.

As if tapping into our thoughts, Señora Carmen astonishes our senses with course after course of decadent Spanish fare. White-bean stew with jamón ibérico in a thick tomato purée. Red tuna over a salad of potatoes diced the size of sugar cubes, sweet peas that pop in your mouth, shredded carrots for a bit of texture and capers to accent the flavors. Tortilla Espanola with wild mushrooms, jamón ibérico and a fire-engine-red tomato sauce. And homemade pasta with olive oil, tomato and slivers of Kobe beef so tender they almost melt on your tongue.

I realize pasta isn’t a Spanish dish. And pasta with Kobe beef is even less so. But Señora Carmen’s interpretation of this fabulous recipe represents the heart of Spain, where people commune around a table. “Come, relax, eat,” she says.

I feel we’re participating in a sort of family-style Spanish teppanyaki, where chefs prepare the food before your eyes. Soon I find myself searching through the pasta for the perfect combination of sauce, spa ghetti and beef.

It’s 10 p.m. now, and the bistro is starting to fill, but Senora Carmen knows precisely when every party is seated, what the guests order and approximately when they will toddle off. She pours us a bottle of Tempranillo while the waiter presents Casa Benigna’s flagship dish: paella.

This is no traditional paella. The pan is so large we have to nudge our plates closer to our bodies to make space on the table. Unlike traditional paella, which is made in a deep pan, Casa Benigna’s paella is very thin. With a wooden spatula, I loosen the crispy golden-brown grains at the bottom of the pan and carefully create a serving of flavorful rice, tender meat and aromatic vegetables.

“The secret is the rice,” says Alberto. “It absorbs the flavors the main ingredients provide, like fish, vegetables or meat, depending on the type of paella you order.”

As the night flows into morning, I realize there’s one more Spanish delicacy I have yet to try: a cup of pure chocolate and churros.

In Madrid, the locals party in cafés, discos and nightclubs until 6 a.m., when they head to chocolaterias for their cups of pure chocolate and churros before tucking into bed. It’s only 11:30 p.m., and I wonder how much longer I can stay up so I won’t miss out on Madrid’s signature late-night indulgence.

Somehow Señora Carmen’s intuition kicks in again. The final course is a perfectly sized portion of steamy, rich, molten chocolate set beside a bite-size churro——just enough for a single taste that makes you long for more. If I could do the entire meal again, I might sample each course that way, with just one savory bite.

Nah. That’s not the Madrid way.

If You Go

Spaininfo.com and esmadrid.com both provide information about Madrid’s many accommodations and attractions . . . The Madrid Vision bus links sites across the city, including museums, plazas and tourist hot spots (madridvision.es) . . . Buy a madridcard for 24, 48 or 72 hours and you’ll get free entry to several attractions, including the Madrid Vision bus, along with discounts at listed restaurants and shops (madridcard.com) . . . Osborne’s Mal pica is open every day for visits from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For visits in English, reservations are recommended. The tour is 45 minutes, costs 3 euro and includes a video presentation, guided tour of the winery, wine tasting and tapas (osborne.es).