Chile Verde Chronicles

Lunch at Casa Roman on a pleasantly sunny afternoon under a bright blue sky.

The first leg of our adventure behind us, we left Madrid on a brisk, sunny morning via high-speed train, southbound for Sevilla.

After a 2 1/2-hour journey through a tawny landscape stippled with olive trees, we detrained, collected our bags and met Sebastian, who along with Dorothy had orchestrated our trip. He led us out of the cavernous station into glaring sunlight, where we boarded Sevilla’s version of the Weismobile and headed to the hotel. The stunning Corral del Rey occupies a restored 17th-century casa palacio in the city’s old quarter. After checking in, we tried to orient ourselves. Sebastian’s advice: Drop a pin on your phone’s map to find your way through the city’s ancient labyrinthine passageways. Modern-day breadcrumbs.

Jamon Iberico curing over the bar inside Casa Roman.

After a short respite, we strolled to la Plaza Venerables for lunch. At Casa Roman, waiters arranged a long table on the square in the shadow of the imposing Hospital de los Venerables. Once a home to priests, today the building houses a research center devoted to the work of famed Spanish painter Diego Velázquez.

Pitchers of ruby-red Sangria appeared, along with a couple of bottles of fresh, fruity Albariño. Soon the table was laden with salty cheese, fried cuttlefish, crispy dogfish croquetas, earthy artichoke hearts, tangy Salmorejo and, of course, thin slices of jamón Ibérico with its distinctive ribboning of rich fat.

Inside the restaurant, sweating lobes of Ibérico hung curing above the bar, a familiar scene in our travels. In Toledo, we had asked Gerry why jamón was so ubiquitous. He explained that in medieval times, pork was plentiful and easy to preserve, but it also served an important cultural function. If a Christian found himself needing to prove his religious affiliation, he would eat pork, which is forbidden to pious Muslims and Jews. “See? I am a ham eater!”

Jamón Ibérico appears on nearly every menu as a standalone snack or appetizer. At Casa Roman, it’s incorporated into practically every other dish, too. It was clear: In Spain, jamón is royalty. And during our lunch at Casa Roman, the refrain never rang truer: “We are ham eaters!”  

Tapas lunch at Casa Roman

Beautifully crisp albariño.

Cheers, Dor!

First up: a plate of jamon Iberico and salty chunks of semi-cured sheep’s cheese.

Dogfish croquetas were crispy outside, gooey, savory magma inside. Sebastian was worried we’d be put off by the name. We weren’t.

Tangy salmorejo, the jamon-laced cold tomato soup, a close cousin of gazpacho.

Cuttlefish fries had a mild flavor and pleasantly chewy bite. One of the few dishes of the afternoon not accented with jamon.

Baskets of bread were handy for sopping the juices from a bowl of roasted red pepper and onions stewed in a vinaigrette and Spanish olive oil.

Your face when you realize all the green vegetables also come with jamon.

To fulfill a craving for green vegetables, we finished with favas laced with jamon, of course. Because “We are ham eaters!”

Finally, we ordered artichoke hearts, also with … you guessed it.

Happy family: Kyle, Zandra, and James.

Kati and Roxanne enjoying the afternoon at Casa Roman.

Kati and I snap a photo with Casa Roman in the background.

Images like this one of the Virgin Mary with tears running down her cheeks are a common sight in Sevilla. This painting was in Casa Roman.

Spread across three buildings, Hotel Corral del Rey’s beautiful, historic rooms were once apartments. Each room is uniquely and beautifully appointed.

The view from our room onto the adjacent apartment buildings shows how narrow many of the Sevilla streets are.

Valencia orange trees, heavy with fruit, and souvenir shops lined the plaza.