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modeled after those in Madrid and
Barcelona. So for now farmers sell their
produce outside under awnings, while the
butchers, fishmongers, and Basque spe-
cialty shops are in the basement of a rela-
tively modern building across a small
square.
The long row of farmer tables displayed
mostly the same seasonal produce - today
it was asparagus, peas, lettuces, etc. All
were fronted by women. According to tradi-
tion here, wives sell the produce and handle
the money while husbands tend the fields.
Patricio explained that he was shopping
for a couple of very special items only
available in the spring. He let us sample
some intensely sweet tiny green peas that
would star in the mushroom dish we would
cook. Then he dropped a bomb. These Tear ing anywhere from $45 to $180 a pound.
Peas, also referred to as “green caviar,” But this is Michelin country and you expect
sell for up to a whopping $350 a pound. a little extravagance on a $500 per person
The other key item in the dish also tasting menu. Or, you might do a class like
raised our eyebrows. From another vendor, ours for a lot less, sample these gems, and
Patrcio passed around a perfectly formed have a lot more fun.
miniature mushroom, tiny like the peas. Once inside the market, our small group
They are perretxikos, or St. George's mush- was divided in half. Patricio explained that
rooms, and they too, are expensive, rang- Mimo had developed special relationships
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