The old story that a squirrel could cross Spain from end to end without getting off the trees it has always been a trifle. But there are regions where, even today, it would be possible.
According to the College of Engineers of Montes de Castilla y León, a squirrel could travel from end to end the community without leaving protected natural areas: I would only have to walk 8.5 kilometers –In particular, between the Jalón juniper area and the Monteagudo de las Vicarías bird protection area, in Soria–.
Given this huge tree area, for example greater than that of Switzerland, it is not surprising that many of the best restaurants in Castilla y León have turned to the gastronomic exploitation of forests. Mushrooms and hunting as its main claims. But there are those who have gone even further. At La botica de Matapozuelos, a restaurant located in the Valladolid town of the same name, they don’t want us to eat what lives in the forest, but rather the forest itself.
The pine forest that surrounds Matapozuelos is the protagonist throughout the tasting menu that the chef Michelangelo of the Cross bill since, more than a decade ago, he took the reins of the kitchen of the family restaurant that his father commanded, Theodore. Together with his brother Alberto, the restaurant manager, he has given a twist to the family business, which was born as a grill – a component that has not been abandoned – and ended, in 2013, receiving a Michelin star.
Today there is no restaurant that does not claim that its cuisine is local and zero kilometer -although it is not always true-, but in La botica de Matapozuelos they were pioneers in a work ethic that, really, had local products as the absolute protagonists . “It is not that we are closed in band to products that are not from the area, it is that we do not need them,” says De la Cruz. “For this kitchen that we do, no.”
Pine grove kitchen
And what cuisine is billed at La Apothecary of Matapozuelos? In their tasting menus –Because the restaurant has a more traditional menu–, a proposal that has been refined over the years and starts from exploring the possibilities of local products which no one had noticed.
The green pineapples, which when squeezed release an acidic juice, which can be used in a similar way to lemon, are present in many of the dishes, but also, of course, the pine nuts and all kinds of wild herbs, that the De la Cruz grow in the garden next to the restaurant. “We organize the mise en place of wild herbs every day,” explains the cook. “And we organize it for the whole month and for all services.”
On the menu we also find other humble products that, in the hands of De la Cruz, take on new life. We are especially surprised by the aperitifs, of a very high level, where we find some cockscombs worked as if they were pork rinds, and the outer part of the leek, roasted in the oven, until a crunchy texture is achieved, which melts in the mouth, but preserves all the flavor of the vegetable.
Among the main dishes, always surrounded by herbaceous elements, we find products such as trout, which is served in a tartare with a pine nut ajoblanco but also accompanied by a lettuce head, which is presented with a liquefied of the water in which it has been marinated. A mixture of flavors in which the kitchen of use is very present, making the most of the possibilities of each product.
On the menu, we were also able to try one of the dishes that the De la Cruz family have inherited from their father, Teodoro, who, although he is now retired, still appears in the restaurant from time to time: some fantastic chickpeas from Fornillos de Eresma, that are prepared only with a boletus sauté. One of the best dishes of the food.
Defend the rural kitchen
Although the two De la Cruz brothers were trained in sommelier and cooking, they have always worked alongside their father in the family business. Both have had to learn to take what was originally a good village restaurant to be a good village restaurant, but with a Michelin star.
“I have not worked with other cooks, I’ve been a bit self-taught “acknowledges the cook. “Yes, I would have liked it, more than to see cookbooks, to learn working methods. It is the lack of someone who tries to start their project. I was with my father, but within a more traditional, more classic kitchen, all very intuitive ”.
But it is this work freer of ties and influences, which makes La Botica’s cuisine special. “In the end it is spin around the product you already know and take it where you want it, ”explains De la Cruz. All with a work ethic that is deeply rooted in a territory that has been mistreated by depopulation and seeks new ways to emerge afloat.
“Since we opened, I think we have been pioneers, at least in Valladolid, in using kilometer zero,” explains De la Cruz. “In other parts of Spain or the world there were already many cooks doing it, although it is not new either. These things arise a little more as a way of life. We want to be here in town. We were born in Madrid, but we have always been linked here, my father is from here, and we are already married here. We have had children here and we have wanted the restaurant here because we like the town. We want to have a profitable business to be in town ”.
What to ask for: The tasting menus, 65 and 80 euros, are the best way to get to know Miguel Ángel de la Cruz’s cuisine, although some of the dishes that we liked the most are on the menu (if you like legumes, you have to try chickpeas) . The restaurant is in the heart of the Rueda DO area, so the ideal is to accompany the meal with some of the good white wines of the area.
Practical data
Where: Plaza Mayor, 2. Matapozuelos (Valladolid)
Half price: 55 euros a la carte, between 70 and 90 for the menu.
Bookings: 983832942.
Schedules: meals from Tuesday to Sunday. Dinners only on Fridays and Saturdays.
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