“Are you coming to eat in Tarancón?” The proposal from a colleague on the board of directors of the Royal Academy of Gastronomy seemed, to say the least, enigmatic. “What have we lost in this noble town of Alcarria in Cuenca?” I asked, skeptical. “Have a memorable lunch in Essentia,” he responded so bluntly that I could only nod.
So there we were, a rainy noon, a small group of capital fans of good food, taking the A-3 to arrive on time to the Senda de los Pastores industrial estate, where the surprising hotel-restaurant that runs the Loriente family, at the time owner of the neighboring Incarlopsa drying facility, a renowned supplier of hams and fresh cuts of Iberian pork for establishments throughout half of Spain.
As soon as you arrive, the first surprise: a restaurant (Essentia) opened in 2016 with no small culinary ambition, attached to a boutique hotel (Ansares) with extensive facilities, 70 rooms and 15,000 m2 of lounges, gardens and a wellness center, which is They have become favorites of local society to organize events and conventions with the greatest reliability. As soon as you enter, a quick glance at the well-stocked air-conditioned wine cellar that appears to the left of the bar predicts that we will eat and drink well. As it was.
On an attic, rests a trophy from the Repsol Guide that certifies obtaining a sol. “Spacious, comfortable and bright, the one led by David Gómez and Antonio Navarro is a restaurant focused on grilled products that offers the possibility of choosing from the menu suggestions or deciding on the tasting menu. Both options offer numerous quality meats, seafood and fish, treated with minimal intervention and available depending on the season,” says the aforementioned website to highlight a tasting menu for €85 and, as an essential dish, the torreznos. And these appear with the (false) humility of the luxury opening act who knows he is capable of stealing the victory from the established star whenever he wants.
What an awful lot of torreznos! We have never tried anything like it. I would take several portions to reheat at home and remember this moment of revelation throughout the week. But, as Philippe Derlerm accurately stated in The First Sip of Beer and Other Small Pleasures of Life (1997), the feeling of the first time is always unrepeatable.
The secret? Bacon marinated with salt, garlic and paprika. Air it in the chamber to leave it very dry. Then it is confit in the oven at 145 degrees for 1 hour. Then the torreznos are taken out, rested and fried at 180 degrees only on the skin side, until it puffs up like pork rind. At that moment, they are immersed whole in the oil and finished cooking for a couple of minutes, but no longer so that the streaky meat is tender.
Chef Toño Navarro tells me all of this in an aside, as we sit at the table and eat a couple of portions of beautifully cut Jabugo acorn-fed pork, accompanied by a bottle of Champagne blanc de blancs. It will be followed, in order of disappearance, by an impeccable brioche of Finnish beef sirloin steak tartare with caviar and an unctuous ham croquette with Manchego sheep's milk. And this amazing slow-fermented bread? Dani Ramos from his accredited bakery La Cremita, in Chiclana (Cádiz), regularly sends it to him so that he can give it the final blow in the oven here. With a first harvest extra virgin olive oil from Castillo de Canena, a true party.
But this has only just begun, since Essentia's menu is long and narrow – as they said in the 90s – and includes walks by the sea and the garden before entering the grilled meats, which are another of the memorable points of the house. Curious splash of Cedeira barnacles; succulent grilled red prawn served to perfection; addictive fried egg with asparagus from Villena; a Navarrese white asparagus grilled and accompanied by citrus hollandaise sauce and noisette butter; the last peas of the season sautéed with some tiny morralets…
When it's time for the embers, we start with a grouper rested for 10 days and with just the right level of fire that leaves the flakes very juicy and slightly pearly. It is followed by a surprising well-browned sheet of veal gizzard with razor clam – a very successful combination of sea and mountain – and two Iberian cuts of feather and fan, unbeatable in flavor and texture. And, outside of the program, as someone confessed that they were still hungry, a 10-year-old blonde Galician cow chop appeared, with 100 days of maturation, selected by Cárnicas Lyo, who are – please allow me the license – my favorite butchers in the area. peninsula.
The creamy yuzu with hazelnut crumble and citrus tile came to show that the meticulous Toño handles all the registers with ease, cooking – worth the allusion to Jane Austen – with a lot of sense, but also with sensitivity. When these two virtues coincide in a professional in the kitchen, it is difficult for the path to go through quicksand.
Faithful to market cuisine, with respect for the product as the main leitmotif, attentive service in the room and fairly low prices, the experience of eating at Essentia justifies making the pilgrimage to exit 79 of the A-3 to forget about the hustle and bustle for a few hours. the big city. And, if we have time to rest a little before facing the return, put ourselves in the hands of the maître-sommelier David Gómez Dávila to discover some of the notable wines from native varieties in danger of extinction, such as Moravia, Albillo or Pardilla, that are produced not far from there and that enhance the gastronomic experience. We will be back.
