Simple doesn't have to lack for flavor. This recipe for rillettes calls for sardines in olive oil, to avoid prolonged prep-time. It's mostly just mashing. Good times.
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Total Time: 10-15 minutes (plus however long you'd like the rillettes to chill in the refrigerator, perhaps overnight). Around eight servings or so.
1. Mash up the sardines in a bowl with the minced shallots, the chives, the butter, the black pepper and the salt. Want it smoother? Use a food processor.
2. Squeeze the lemon for that fresh juice and mix and mash a bit more.
3. Top with the piment d'Espelette for some nice color.
4. Leave the whole thing in the refrigerator for eight hours, but serve at room temperature. Or don't, you decide.
Make it ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to three days. You can even serve the rillettes in the very same tin the sardines come in, which everyone will find adorable.
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Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz.
Txakoli, pronounced "Cha-co-lee", is poured from high above across Basque Country and the perfect wine for summer. Adam Rapoport of Bon Appetit describes txakoli as "bright, zingy, and slightly effervescent without veering into sparkling wine territory", the ideal wine for pairing with appetizers on the patio on a summer's evening.
The wine is produced from two indigenous grapes, Hondarrabi Zuri and Hondarrabi Beltza and typically poured from about ten inches above the glass to aerate the wine and give a hint of foam. As S. Irene Virbila writes for the L.A. Times:
In the Spanish Basque country, whenever people get together, they drink Txakoli — at brunch and also with a snack in between lunch and dinner. And then again with pintxos or tapas before dinner. At the Ameztoi wine estate near the town of Getaria, I once was served their wines with local salt-cured anchovies slicked with a little olive oil, accompanied by slices of crusty bread. The anchovies from this part of the world are extraordinary, and the combination with Txakoli is brilliant. It works like Barbera with salumi. The bright, singing white wine plays against the fat brininess of the anchovy, leaving you eager for the next bite, the next sip.
Basques will swear by Txakoli not only with anchovies but also with tuna and all the seafood served up in the fishing village's rival fish restaurants: Elkano and Kaia. Its minerality and saline quality make it a perfect match. If you go pintxos-hopping in San Sebastian's Parte Vieja, every bar is pouring Txakolina.
Txakoli is an excellent accompaniment to our seafood conservas, like Cantabrian anchovies, sardines, and Bonito del Norte tuna. Wine.com offers a good selection available for order, or ask at your local store.
For World Tapas Day on June 16 the Spanish Tourism Board offered a primer on the tapas-going experience, including 20 of the most popular tapas in Spain and tips for trying tapas if you're thinking of visiting.
The best tip? "Ultimately, the most important thing when going out for tapas is to enjoy the food, the company and, of course, life itself."
photo by Turespaña / Segittur
In Basque Country, you'll find piment d'Espelette sprinkled on salads in place of cracked black pepper, rubbed onto cured ham, or stirred into sauces and stews. The eponymous peppers of the village of Espelette in France are harvested in late summer and early autumn and strung by hand on the facades of buildings throughout the hamlet to dry in the sun, and dried further in wood-burning ovens prior to being ground into powder.
Complex, with a subtle spiciness, we thought we'd try adding piment d'Espelette to some summer cocktails to make unique twists on tried and true beverages of summer. When you have a friendly gathering on the deck on a warm summer's day, it's always good to shake up something new to drink.
Bloody Mary with piment d'Espelette
Whether you have your own secret Bloody Mary recipe or enjoy one of the many mixes readily available, you and your guests will enjoy a bit of piment d'Espelette along the rim of the glass and stirred in to taste. For a ready-made accoutrement, add a banderilla of gherkin, guindilla, olive, piquillo, and cocktail onion.
Maragrita with piment d'Espelette
We followed Geoffrey Zakarian's classic margarita recipe with piment d'Espelette added to the sugar and salt along the rim. A refreshing, resounding success.
You might also try experimenting by adding piment d'Espelette to grapefruit juice and vodka cocktails, mango daiquiris, or your other favorite summer drink. The possibilities are endless.
From the moment you step into their tasting lounge, you feel like you have been transported to a glittery lounge that instantly overwhelms and bombards your visual perceptions. I love bringing friends and family members to visit because it is unlike any other tasting room I have ever encountered... From the nonchalant exterior, you would never have guessed this little building is filled with gold baubles, delectable wines, and savory snacks. I had a fantastic time picking out a picnic of goodies and sipping on some bubbles outside along the porch. I can't wait to revisit again soon!
If the tuna you are used to is confused for chicken by some, you have yet to experience the delicacy that is Spanish Bonito del Norte tuna. Upholding the country's tradition of conservas, preserving the best foods in jars and tins, Bonito tuna (Thunnus alalunga) is line-caught in the Bay of Biscay off the coast of northern Spain. Brought back to shore, premium loins of the fish are packed in glass jars and preserved in just olive oil and salt. The result? What has been described as "one of the great gastronomic pleasures of everyday life."
Bonito tuna is renowned for its delicate texture and flavor. Featured on The Feed Podcast (2015 James Beard award-winner for best podcast) from Chef Rick Bayless and 13-time James Beard award winner food journalist Steve Dolinsky, Rick says while sampling the tuna, "This stuff is super special... When you hear about olive oil or butter poached fish, basically that's what we have in the jar here." Steve adds, "I could eat that plain. I don't need to have that with anything else, actually."
The name translates to “Beauty of the North”, as only the finest examples are auctioned off for canning. With such high praise and an exultant name, you may be wondering just what to do with this exceptional fish. Fear not. Below are three quick and simple serving suggestions that can be prepared in just a few minutes each. Whether you want to serve an impressive appetizer to guests, construct a quick salad for lunch, or enjoy a high-protein snack, Bonito tuna will be your new go-to ingredient of choice.
Bonito del Norte Tuna Melt Pintxo
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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Bonito del Norte Tuna Salad
In a rush at lunch? Not a problem. Top that lettuce with Bonito tuna, guindilla peppers, piquillo peppers, and some olives. Dress with extra virgin olive oil and sherry vinegar and you'll have a high-protein, light, and healthy midday meal.
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Bonito del Norte Tuna & Cantabrian Anchovies
A simple, Spanish conservas snack can be constructed in no time. On lightly toasted bread add tuna loins wrapped with an anchovy fillet, a touch of aioli or mayo, and a sprinkle of smoked paprika.
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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.
The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen pondered to go-to ingredients that chefs and foodies are always sure to have in their pantries. A consensus pick? Marinated artichokes.
Enter our collectively felt gem of a pantry good: marinated artichokes. We’re talking about either jarred artichokes or the ones you find at your supermarket’s salad bar, not canned ones. The jarred stuff is almost always marinated and, thus, flavorful; canned artichokes are flavorless and soggy. So go for glass.
Donostia Foods Marinated Grilled Artichokes meet the criteria above, with the added bonus of being grilled. Everything is better grilled.
If you're in need of recipe inspiration, follow our board on Pinterest for a continually growing collection of serving suggestions from the likes of Bon Appétit Magazine, the New York Times, the BBC, food bloggers, and of course, us.
For The Globe and Mail, Chris Jones ventures to the Bay of Biscay in Basque Country and discovers the care taken to create ideal Spanish conservas, the tradition of high-quality Spanish preserved foods such as ham and canned seafood like tuna, anchovies, cockles, mussels, and more. As mentioned in the article, “People’s perception of what preserved fish and seafood is brings back pretty diabolical childhood memories,” but eating Spanish canned seafood can change minds with just one bite.
“North Americans look at canned seafood only as a form of preservation, which usually meant the lowest quality,” Tkaczuk adds. “By comparison, Europeans and especially Spaniards have been developing preserves for 150, 200 years. They’re so past the point of preserving just for storage that they’re a delicacy in their own right.”
Read the whole article at The Globe and Mail.
If you're exploring the Internet in search of the finest anchovy stuffed olives for yourself or a loved one you will find numerous options. Which olives amongst this vast selection stand out above the rest? Which olives will have your friends commenting at your next party, "these olives are sensational!"? Which olives are the right olives?
Donostia Foods Manzanilla Olives stuffed with Anchovy.
Clearly, you would expect us to say such things as we're selling them. Our bias is self-evident. So, we offer the below review from someone just like you, someone who sought the best in anchovy stuffed olives the Internet could offer and by the grace of Google found Donostia Foods:
Bomb diggity. Next level umami. These olives have the most beguiling salinity and a lasting green olive punch. The contents don't stand a chance once the jar is opened. I killed four jars yesterday making Gildas for happy hour pintxos; Cantabrian anchovies, guindilla peppers, and an olive on a toothpick... brought me back to San Sebastian without the jetlag, Thanks Donostia Foods for providing the best anchovies, peppers and olives ever. I'm a lifer.
- NFA from Santa Fe, NM
Fairly persuasive evidence that our olives (and anchovies and peppers) are the answer to all the questions above.
