Spanish cuisine, for Americans, tends to be put on the back burner when it comes to Western European food. I’ve only tried a handful of Spanish dishes and most of the time they were offered at high end restaurants. I wish it was more popular for the common household!
Basque is a magical place, from everything I’ve read. I hope to visit it someday. Basque Country is nestled between southern France and the Atlantic Ocean. It has such a rich history and culture, that its cuisine has had many transformations and influences from all over the world. At one point, Basque cuisine was a defined as bland and boring. But now, the Basque region holds the most Michelin stars in the world. If you’re passionate about food, this is the place to travel.
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If you want to relish in some of the best food cultures in the world, Basque Country is your paradise. People who live in Basque spend twice as much of their income on food than we do here in the United States – that’s huge!
We can bring these delicious dishes home with the cookbook Basque (Compact Edition): Spanish Recipes from San Sebastian and Beyond.
First, I’d like to say, even though this is the “compact edition”, it’s a hefty cookbook! There are 256 pages all divided into specific chapters.
Introduction
Meat
Fish
Vegetables
Dessert
Basque Menus
Acknowledgments
I really enjoy that José Pizarro has a fairly hefty chapter on creating a Basque menu. I honestly wouldn’t know where to start, so this is very helpful. The Basque (Compact Edition): Spanish Recipes from San Sebastian and Beyond cookbook simplifies Spanish food, especially tapas in this chapter!
This cookbook is an eye-catcher! The photos are big and beautiful, and clearly show the culture and cuisine of this remarkable place. Not only am I excited to try any of these dishes, but now Basque is on my radar for places to travel.
Most of these dishes are somewhat involved. I think this is partially because Spanish cuisine isn’t commonplace in most homes. That includes different techniques that we aren’t used to. There some are easier recipes, but overall, this is for seasoned home cooks who are dying to explore different regions of the world.
There are some unique ingredients that will require a bit of searching. This includes suckling pig, rennet, lemon verbena leaves and more. One aspect I do enjoy about these ingredients is that it gives us the opportunity to reach out to our local butchers and farmers.
These dishes will really impress your guests when we can have large gatherings again. Tapas are fantastic for summertime, especially during parties. They’re stunning, tasty, and give all your guests the opportunity to eat all kinds of food.
What are some Spanish dishes you love?
~Kaiti
