they say that LOCALS WILL OFTEN MENTION THAT YOU ARE NEITHER IN SPAIN OR IN FRANCE – YOU ARE IN BASQUE COUNTRY. IT SOUNDS A BIT JOHN WAYNE-ISH BUT I FIND IT’S ENTIRELY APPROPRIATE.
Few dishes, in my opinion, are more closely associated with the Basque Country than bacalao (salt cod), and one of the most quintessential preparations is “a la Bizkaina,” meaning that the fish is gently sautéed in olive oil and dressed with a sauce of red choricero peppers, onions, garlic, and—sometimes—tomato. Chef Josu Aranguren’s – the anointed one – at Ikuspegi manages to skillfully hit all the right notes; the sweetness of the onion meets the slightly smoky notes of the peppers, and the combination surrounds the fish rendering it so moist that the flakes yield to the fork. One chef put the regional cooking into perspective rather nicely stating: Basque food is “all about quality, cooked by people who really care about food and who talk about food when eating, even if it’s different food from what they are eating.” I like that.
Place a saucepan with enough olive oil to lightly cover base on low heat, add sliced garlic and when it begins to turn golden, add your finely chopped onions. Add salt and leave them to sweat for a few moments. They will talk eventually, they all do. Take the fresh bread chunks, break them up and place them in the saucepan. Add the white wine and stock. Then add the ‘chorizo’ pepper meat and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
Pass the sauce through a manual food mill or blender.
Dish up the cod pieces and pour over with the “Biscayan” sauce and garnish with a little lightly fried/caramelised onion on the side – or – after blending up the sauce, place it back into pan and add cod pieces. Warm through and serve.
Rioja Alavesa, Spain (Tempranillo and Viura)
Txakoli, or in Spanish chacolí and produced near the Basque coast.
Chablis Grand Cru (Burgundy, France)
Vermentino (Sardinia, Italy)