Basque Food

On laundry day, I wrote that I was inspired to cook a Basque meal for dinner. I have long been fascinated by the history and culture of this region between France and Spain. The Basques have a long history of exploration - I have read of evidence that Basque whaling vessels reached what is now known as North America at roughly the same time as the Vikings did.

As, perhaps, befits explorers, Basque food is a revelation of experience. As a cuisine, it exhibits an appropriate Meditteranean influence, with affinity for seafood. But Basqueland is also mountainous, and this influence expresses itself with the sturdy aesthetic common to countryside cooking. It is a cuisine of bold flavors, where sweet, smoky spices and seasonings are central to the experience of a dish.

Most Basque dishes are meant for sharing, a current that Basque food shares with the great cooking of Spain. Anyone who's been to a tapas bar has probably had Basque food, in which small plates or finger foods are known as pintxos. There are several Basque cookbooks; two I recommend are Pintxos and The Basque Table. Though it's not strictly Basque, I would also include Tapas.

Our menu included garlic chicken, in which chicken thighs are marinated in a dry rub of rock salt and paprika, seared in olive oil, and then baked in sherry, garlic and thyme. Small red potatoes were deep-fried in olive oil and served with a handmade garlicky aioli. For greens, we had an arugula salad -- a workhorse side dish that works especially well with spicy dishes.