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In San Sebastián, the biggest festival of the year starts at the stroke of midnight on January 20th. The city flag is raised in the main plaza of Old Town to begin La Tamborrada de San Sebastián, the celebration of the city's patron saint, with drum parades and festivities in every neighborhood for the next 24 hours. A tradition dating back to (at least) 1836, today more than 147 companies march through the streets and fill the city with song.
How did such a raucous party come to be? According to Eusko Guide, during the Peninsular War Napoleon took control of the city, his troops banging their drums as they patrolled. Donostiarran women, collecting water for their families at the city's fountains, responded by mocking the occupiers, banging on their buckets in defiance.
Since then the festival has evolved. The famous culinary clubs (sociedades gastronómicas) form many of the bands that now march, the drummers donning chef's garb. Traditional foods are served. And most importantly, for a full 24 hours everyone in the city, young and old, celebrates overcoming tragedy, coming together as one, and happiness for all. Inauteriak datoz! Carnival is coming!
photo credit: Donostia Kultura
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photo credit: San Sebastián Turismo
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What's one of the traditional dishes that accompany these revels? Angulas. Tiny elver eels, warmed lightly in olive oil with a touch of garlic. As authentic angulas are quite expensive to source, the true product is typically reserved for special occasions. Such as this, obviously. Bring a taste of the celebration stateside with a tin or two.
Would you like more information on La Tamborrada? Look no further than this article from award-winning author, trained chef, and industry expert on Spanish and Basque cuisine, Marti Buckley.
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Christmas gift-giving always brings a certain amount of stress that may hinder partaking in the season's merriment. These book suggestions for the food lovers in your life will hopefully alleviate some of that anxiety and allow you to indulge in a full allotment of cheer.
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Basque Country: A Culinary Journey Through a Food Lover's Paradise by Marti Buckley
"Firewood in the oven, the crackle of a fire, the profound aroma of earth, and a countryside teeming with life -- these are the 'flavors' of the morning at Etxebarri, my restaurant in the tiny village of Axpe, Bizkaia," writes chef Bittor Arginzoniz in the foreword of this book on all things Basque."These smells, sounds and sights are typical of a Basque village."
Author Marti Buckley, an American who has lived in Basque Country for over eight years, evokes all of these smells, sounds and sights in this collection of recipes and histories that represent so much of the character of the region. From anchovies to piment d'Espelette, pintxos to txakoli, dining societies to cider houses, Buckley, a "seeker of essences", brings to each page the magic of Basque Country.
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Vegetables Unleashed: A Cookbook by José Andrés and Matt Goulding
Are vegetables sexy? If you need persuading that the answer is yes, José Andrés will do so with his trademark lust for life. Whether "grilling a peach until its flesh takes on the texture of a lobe of foie gras," or "slicing a tomato still warm from the sun and hitting it with a few crystals of coarse salt until it sheds tomato tears on the plate," writes co-author Matt Goulding, "If you don't believe in the sensuousness of produce, Jose has done his best to change that in these pages." From recipes centered on the produce of each season to conservas like guindilla peppers, white asparagus, and piquillo peppers, even the most ardent carnivores will have a new appreciation for the possibilities of plant-based dishes. As Andrés writes, "Seek out the life-changing bites."
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Salt Smoke Time: Homesteading and Heritage Techniques for the Modern Kitchen by Will Horowitz, Melissa Dobson, and Julie Horowitz
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." This quote from Albert Einstein adorns the back cover of this tome that delves into time-tested techniques for the modern kitchen. Will Horowitz specializes in "smoked, pickled, and preserved foods, with a focus on developing more sustainable food systems through the study of food history and nature" and in these pages you'll find detailed explanations of a variety of preservation techniques to make your own conservas, what preserved foods to stock your pantry with, and the recipes to use them in, including a particularly enticing pickled green tomatoes with caramelized shallots and cinnamon.
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The Bonus Tchotchke Suggestion: Casa Burner with Pinon Natural Wood Incense
Not especially food-related, no, but tchotchkes are as fun to say as they are to give as gifts. Want to elicit a smile? Give a loved one a thoughtful tchotchke. What tchotchke fits the bill? How about one that has a woodsy, wintery aroma wafting from it's tiny chimney? Create the ideal ambiance for a cozy winter's afternoon with this tiny pueblo dwelling, featured amongst the selection of fine-yet-affordable gifts in Bon Appetit's The Under $25 Gift Guide Full of Gifts You'd Never Guess Were Under $25 (along with some sensational anchovies you may recognize).
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A national grocery store of some renown offers a fine selection of Indian fare, packaged and ready to eat after but a few minutes of heating. The particular offering used above, of garden vegetables and paneer cheese with spices and cashews is made all the more mouthwatering with the addition of Bonito del Norte tuna loins as a protein. A conservas lunch as quick as it is delicious.
Total Time: A few minutes.
1. Warm the Jaipur Vegetables in the style of your choosing.
2. Top with Bonito del Norte tuna. Perhaps give it a moment to cool slightly, and let the spices mix with the fish. Contemplate the ease with which you've created such a flavorsome meal. Enjoy.
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More specifically, a white bean purée. For expediency, you can find such a creamy spread at your local market under the guise of a dip or white bean hummus. If time is on your side, you can create your own in about 30 minutes following these instructions from Leite's Culinaria. A simple montadito that can be made in moments (once you have the purée ready and waiting ahead of time).
Total Time: depends.
1. Put all the things above on top of each other, in the order pictured.
2. While sampling what you've made, perhaps you'll find yourself gazing out the window at the skyline of Chicago, softly lit in the late afternoon sun as clouds roll in off the lake. Offices in skyscrapers going dark as their dwellers depart for the night, apartments brightening as their inhabitants return home. The far too early frigid air snapping at it all, almost visible against the plumes of warm air emanating from chimneys from here to there. Something like this.
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Photo by Chuck Bandel
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On view until December 1, visit The Dalí in St. Petersburg, Florida for this exhibition featuring food photography, behind-the-scenes looks at restaurant life in Basque Country, and images that celebrate Salvador Dalí's homeland. Then stop by the museum's Cafe Gala to enjoy a tste of Spain yourself.
For more information, visit The Dalí.
For more photographs from Chuck Bandel, follow him on Instagram.
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Photo by Bon Appétit
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Bon Appétit's Best Weekend Ever culminates in this bash that brings together the 10 best new restaurants in America. For anyone that finds themselves in Brooklyn this weekend, tickets are available. You may see a tiny fish or two.
For those farther afield, peruse the 50 nominees for the Hot 10 and find the nearest best new restaurant to celebrate.
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Dress your salad properly.
Total Time: 3 minutes.
1. Put all of the above in a food processor and blender and hold the button down until you've reached desired consistency.
2. Allow flavors to meld in the refrigerator and store it there, as you do with salad dressing.
2. Consume with a nod of satisfaction every time you use it over the course of the next week.
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A Bundle of Asparagus, 1880.
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In 1880, Eduoard Manet sold the above painting, A Bunch of Asparagus, to collector and art historian Charles Ephrussi. So delighted with the work was Ephrussi that he paid Manet 1,000 francs, 200 above the asking price. In response, the artist quickly painted the single sprig below and sent it to Ephrussi with the note, "there was one missing from your bunch."
A Sprig of Asparagus, 1880. Musée d'Orsay
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We apologize if you found yourself in a situation where you had to settle for a poor substitute and were left wanting. No more. The best are back. Our manzanilla olives stuffed with piquillo pepper are available for order once again. Replenish your supply today, so you'll always be satisfied.
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Photo credit: Bar Biscay
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Chicago, this Sunday, August 25, enjoy good food and good times by taking part in a hands-on course in conservas at Bar Biscay.
As part of the Chicago Tribune Food Bowl, a citywide celebration with more than 100 diverse events over the course of 18 days, with this class you'll learn how to make a meal with a variety of different conservas and the ideal beverage pairings for each alongside executive chef Johnny Anderes. You'll also leave with a selection of superb items from Donostia Foods, so you can put your new knowledge to good use at home.
A portion of proceeds will be donated to My Block, My Hood, My City, a local non-profit whose mission is rooted in helping teenagers overcome poverty and isolation through providing new experiences and exposing them to possibilities beyond their own communities.
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Photo by Great Jones
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Great Jones believes in the power and pleasure of making food with your own hands. AND makes incredibly stylish and functional cookware that will help you do just that. Learn more about "the Female-Run Cookware Empire That’s Modernizing Your Kitchen Essentials" at Goop, then get on Instagram for the chance to win The Dutchess in salt, an elegant, enameled cast-iron Dutch oven from Great Jones and a selection of supremely good, salty accompaniments, including the necessary trio of ingredients for the traditional 'Gilda' pintxo from Donostia Foods.
How do you win such salty goodness? Visit @greatjones on Instagram and find the post of the above. Then follow the instructions in the post (and below):
Giveaway alert! People often say the biggest mistake home cooks make is under-salting. Let's change that. We're giving away one Salt Dutchess, plus our favorite salty items from @jonathanadler, @lostbreadco, @maldonsalt, and @donostiafoods. To win, follow all of our accounts, and tag a pal in the comments — a real pal, someone who'd tell you when your food needs more salt.
The giveaway will run until 11:59 p.m. Eastern on 8/18. Great Jones will select and email a winner to make arrangements for shipping the prize.
What's included?
Good luck to all!
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This giveaway is being offered by Great Jones. Contact Great Jones for any additional details.
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Shirataki noodles, squid in ink, sesame seeds. The low calorie, high fiber, spinach flavor angel hair is made from the root of a plant called the konnyaku imo, used for millennia in China and Japan for its health benefits. Also, delicious.
Total Time: 12 minutes? Somewhere around there.
1. Drain the package of noodles, then add them to boiling water for two minutes.
2. Transfer those boiled noodles to a non-oiled pan over medium heat, and dry out the noodles.
3. When pleased with the results of the above step, add the contents of the tin of squid in ink to that very pan, and continue to warm until you feel good about it.
4. Serve in your favorite bowl, topped with sesame seeds.
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