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Our adaptation of a classic montadito, the blissful pairing of white anchovy (boqueron) and dark (anchoa). Our tale begins, as many do, with bread. In this instance, toasted. Then we see freshly grated tomato pulp with garlic and black pepper come into the picture, the always welcome pan tumaca-type topping. Roasted green peppers now join the assemblage, after a brief cooldown period.
Then... the glory.
A plump, juicy, tangy, delicious boqueron marinated in wine vinegar and olive oil is laid across the top, quickly joined by its perfect complement, the salt-cured anchoa. Finally, fresh parsley completes the ceremony. The best of both styles of Cantabrian anchovy, together forever* in one pintxo.
Total Time: 10-15 minutes.
1. Warm a little olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Throw in slices of the green bell pepper. Keep an eye on this until you've reached your desired level of roasted pepper.
2. While your doing the above, or after if you'd prefer to focus on each step singularly, cut a fresh tomato in two and grate the pulp into a bowl. Add some minced garlic and black pepper.
3. Toast your tiny toasts.
4. Once the green peppers are out of the pan and cooled for a few minutes, layer on top the tomato mix, green pepper, white anchovy, dark anchovy, and fresh parsley.
5. You just made something delicious. Well done, you.
*Until you eat them.
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Several months ago, we returned to Donostia-San Sebastián to wander from pintxo bar to pintxo bar in a light autumn mist. The Gilda, the preeminent pintxo itself, was of course featured prominently. The photo above, taken at La Cepa, a bar in the heart of Old Town, is a classic example. The bar, the pintxo, and the food celebrate "todo la vida". Celebrate all of life at home with the necessities below.
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photo by North Fork Oysters
Pintxo fans in and around Greenport, NY rejoice: Spain is coming to you tonight (May 26), via North Fork Oysters.
Celebrate the end of this week's walk, drive, train or jitney ride with our version of the famed pintxo bars of our neighbors across the sea. We will sweep away the stools and make plenty of room for people to find a bite or two, or three, or.... no tickets, no reservations, no menu. Point, snack, slurp, sip. We will just count up the skewers at the end! Starting at 7pm on Friday we'll spread the counter with a dizzying array of skewered small bites, pour crisp cold wines and beers and wash away the week together! Of course our shuckers will be opening the finest our bays have to offer!
Click here for further information.
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For a simple, classic example of a pintxo from Donostia-San Sebastián, just skewer a guindilla pepper, a Cantabrian anchovy fillet, and a manzanilla olive on a toothpick. Allegedly invented at Bar Casa Vallés in San Sebastián and named for Rita Hayworth's character Gilda in the eponymous film that opened the same year. A classic with a hint of spiciness that stands the test of time.
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Total Time: Basically no time.
1. Just skewer the three ingredients on a toothpick and you have your pintxo. Later, after your guests have proclaimed how delicious it is and lavished you with praise, casually mention the Rita Hayworth trivia then take a knowing sip of wine. Bask in the awe.
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Looking for a go-to source for pintxos and tapas serving suggestions? Of course you are. Look no further than our Pinterest board, Pictures of Tapas & Pintxos: Appetizers from and Inspired by Spain. All of our serving suggestions, and all that we've found on Pinterest, with more recipes added all the time.
For this collection of pintxos from Donostia-San Sebastián and around the world, both the traditional offerings you'll find at the bars in the Parte Vieja (Old Town) and small plates featuring ingredients from across the globe, just click below:
It’s an idyllic Saturday night and you’re inspired to gather friends and family for an impromptu party. Sharing laughs over good food and drink is always enjoyable. Long prep time and toiling in the kitchen is not. If the notion of too much time laboring over food preparation is preventing you from putting out word that the party is at your place, fear not. The ever present obstacles of time and labor can be overcome with pintxos.
Pintxos (peen-tchos) are the small plates you’ll find lining the bars throughout the Parte Vieja (Old Town) in Donostia-San Sebastian, the renowned culinary city in northern Spain. In Basque Country the term includes all tapas, while elsewhere in Spain pintxo more specifically means a tapa that is skewered on a toothpick. Montaditos, just to add a bit more confusion, are served atop a small slice of bread instead of skewered; think miniature, open-faced sandwiches.
Conservas, foods preserved in tins or jars, are the ingredients that make up many of these small plates and an age-old tradition in Spain. Using only top-quality ingredients, Spaniards have created delicacies unlike anything Americans have come to expect from typical canned foods found on grocery store shelves. Spanish canned seafood in particular is becoming more well-known for its exemplary quality, thanks to the likes of Anthony Bourdain and other chefs who have an affinity for Bonito del Norte tuna, Cantabrian anchovies, or octopus in olive oil. Other specialties like white asparagus, guindilla peppers, and piquillos are appearing on more menus across America as the notion of serving conservas, even straight from the tin, is becoming more popular.
Beyond the delectable quality of the ingredients, the appeal of conservas, to professional and home chefs alike, is the gourmet dishes that can be made with minimal preparation. You don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen to serve your guests authentic Spanish small-bites of the highest order. You don’t need to venture across the Atlantic to wander the cobbled streets of San Sebastian to enjoy the good food and conviviality that comes along with it (though such a trip is highly recommended). All you do need are a few jars and tins of conservas, some fresh bread, a few staples, and some friends.
Below are seven pintxos that together can be prepared in less than half an hour. With these simple delicacies you can make the most of any party and enjoy the flavors of Basque Country from the comforts of home.
The Gilda is the classic pintxo of San Sebastian, named for Rita Hayworth’s character in the eponymous film. Simply a Cantabrian anchovy fillet, guindilla pepper, and manzanilla olive skewered on a toothpick.
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Mussels in escabeche piled atop fresh ricotta cheese on slices of bread.
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Octopus in olive oil, marinated grilled artichokes, and piment d’Espelette.
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Sardines in olive oil, roasted cherry tomato, chives, and a drizzle of olive oil.
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Bonito del Norte tuna, piquillo pepper, mayonnaise or aioli, and an olive.
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Cantabrian anchovy, manchego cheese, and apricot jam.
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White asparagus, piquillo pepper, goat cheese, and mayonnaise or aioli.
Boquerones (white anchovies in vinegar) and bonito tuna salad pintxo in Donostia-San Sebastian. We'll have a limited supply of boquerones available in the States sometime next year so you can experience just how delicious they are yourself.
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Bonito del Norte tuna melt sandwiches, pintxo-style. Or, sliders. Or, baby bocadillos (kind of, the bread isn't sliced in the proper length-wise fashion to be deemed a bocadillo). Regardless of what you call these small bites, they turned out fairly well as most things do when they include melted cheese. Bonito tuna, piquillo peppers, Basque sheep's milk cheese, pan-fried guindilla peppers.
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