Madrilène is a tomato-based consommé that can be served hot or cold. It is often accompanied by a wedge of lemon and can be found on menus at French restaurants or made at home. The recipe varies, but some include additional vegetables and meats. It should not be confused with the Spanish dish cocido madrileno.
Madrilène is a type of consommé made with tomatoes as the main ingredient. It is often served cold as a summer soup, with a traditional accompaniment of a wedge of lemon, although it can be served hot. Madrilène is found on the menu of some restaurants, especially French establishments, and can also be made at home. Some markets also sell madrilène in vacuum-sealed containers or jars that consumers can heat or serve chilled, depending on their preference.
Madrilène is more properly known as consommé madrilène, which translates into French as “Madrid-style soup”. The “consommé” is often dropped, with most consumers understanding that “madrilène” refers to this particular dish rather than any other French food that can be made Madrid-style. A consommé is a rich broth made by slowly cooking an assortment of ingredients and slowly skimming off any impurities that rise to the surface, creating a clear, uniform broth. The consommé can be used as a base for other soups and sauces, or it can be eaten plain.
When hot, madrilène can be a refreshing and invigorating soup. Cold madrilène can be an excellent food on a hot day, and some cooks also prepare jellied madrilène, which may include suspended inclusions such as finely chopped greens. Chilled madrilène can be used as a base for tomato gazpacho or poured over ice in cocktail glasses. Some people like to drink thinner versions of madrilène just like tomato juice.
The recipes for this tomato consommé vary widely. Some focus on tomatoes, with minimal additional ingredients, while others blend an assortment of vegetables and sometimes meats into the finished dish as well. Some cooks like to skip the cooking process altogether and make madrilène by running tomatoes through a high-powered juicer to produce tomato juice that can be mixed with ingredients such as salt, pepper, lemon and ginger to taste and served cold. Others prefer to undergo the cooking process in consommé for a rich and hearty madrilène that can always be made in large quantities and frozen for future use.
The Spanish also prepare a dish called madrilène or madrileno, which takes the form of a hearty, rich stew with vegetables, beans, and meats. Cocido madrileno, as it is more formally known, is a popular food in central and northern Spain. These dishes are unique enough that it would be difficult to confuse them, although in regions bordering France and Spain, you may want to clarify which type of madrilène is under discussion when you see it on offer on a menu.
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