Spaniards love to disagree, but about one thing there is almost no dispute. ”Our greatest cooks are Basque,” acknowledges one Spanish gourmet after another.
The proof is on the plate, so the destination I anticipated most on a visit to Spain this spring was San Sebastian, the resort capital of El Pais Vasco.
Located on the frigid Bay of Biscay, only a dozen miles from the French border, this is a 19th Century city. It was invaded and burned during the Napoleonic Wars, then rebuilt with an order and symmetry that is more French than Spanish. The elegant building facades, garnished with wrought-iron balcony railings, are man`s contribution. The superb, horseshoe shaped beach and twin mountains that guard the entrance to a postcard-perfect harbor are nature`s gifts. The total effect is stunning, except perhaps in August, when the city`s population doubles from its normal 200,000.
From all indications, the favored pastime of the Basques is eating. Food and pastry shops are everywhere. Shoppers crowd into the antique buildings of the central market and the neighboring fish market. In early afternoon and evening, those who aren`t preparing meals at home are out snacking at the tapas bars that line the cobblestoned streets of the raffish parte vieja (old section).
Among the items that catch my eye: spicy peppers stuffed with salt cod;
grilled pieces of pork and peppers on skewers; marinated mushrooms; anchovies in various stages of dress and undress; artichokes and asparagus by themselves, atop open-face sandwiches or folded into omelets. Everyone is drinking a tart local white wine called chacoli in stubby, wide-mouthed glasses known as chiquitos. (This is, I assure you, a wine that doesn`t travel.) Some of the best bites are found at Tamboril (Calle Pescaderia 2), Bar Ganbara (21 San Jeronimo) and Gandarias (on Calle 31 de Agosto).
As for restaurants, the Guide Michelin has rained more stars per capita on San Sebastian than on any other Spanish city. Several can match anything in Europe for elegance (and cost).
The crown jewel is Arzak, once a neighborhood tavern in an old home, where chef/owner Juan Mari Arzak has earned three-star Michelin status. His food is marked by finesse, exquisite detail work and a devotion to Basque products (which extends to wine, tableware and art). In a meal studded with truffles and foie gras, no dish is served with more pride than hake in green sauce and clams, a Basque classic. Hake (merluza) is a sweet-fleshed fish that tends to be taken for granted elsewhere. But Arzak, when asked what single ingredient he could not give up, immediately says, ”Merluza.”
Another outstanding restaurant is Zuberoa, on a back road near the airport. Once a farm house and stable, it is charmingly rustic. Here, the sweet simplicity and integrity of chef Hilario Arbelaitz flavors dishes ranging from a savory puff-pastry layer cake containing layers of salt cod, potato and vegetables to an ethereal saute of spring vegetables.
Two others not to miss are Pedro Subijana`s Akelare, a breathtakingly beautiful dining room (and kitchen) overlooking the ocean, and Martin Berasatequi in nearby Lasarte, named for its progressive young chef.
Some say, however, that San Sebastian`s best meals are produced by the many amateur chefs who belong to local gastronomic societies, each of which has a clubhouse where men gather to cook for one another and show off their culinary specialties.
In a food sense, San Sebastian reminds me of Lyon, the finest eating town in France. Both cities are surrounded by marvelous indigenous ingredients.
(There are truck gardens just outside San Sebastian, tiny fishing villages along the coast and, in the nearby mountains, trout-filled streams, mushroom- studded forests and pastures for lambs and cattle.) The leading chefs come from local families, many of whom have been in the restaurant business for several generations. Their creations are notable for extraordinary harmony as well as variety.
Finally, an involved citizenry keeps the chefs and purveyors at the market up to snuff. Three days into our stay in San Sebastian, a friend commented, ”I haven`t tasted anything bad since I`ve been here.” And there had been a lot of tastes.
Here are a pair of Basque seafood recipes.
PRAWNS WITH CHICK-PEA SAUCE
Four first-course or two main-course servings
1 can (15 1/2 ounces) chick peas (garbanzo beans)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped carrot
2 tablespoons chopped leek
3 tablespoons chopped celery
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 small, whole dried red chili pepper
1 cup chicken broth
Coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 bay leaf
8 prawns (10 to 12 count) in the shell
2 teaspoons chopped parsley for garnish
1. Drain and rinse the chick peas under water while rubbing off the outer skins. Discard skins and set chick peas aside.
2. In a saucepan, heat olive oil with onion, carrot, leek, 1 tablespoon celery, garlic and chili pepper. Cook over low heat until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add broth and chick peas. Cover pan and simmer 10 minutes.
3. Remove chili pepper and discard. Puree remaining contents of pan in a food processor, blender or food mill. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Keep warm or reheat while prawns are cooking.
4. In a separate pan, combine remaining 2 tablespoons celery, the bay leaf, 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, add prawns and cook at a bare simmer for about 3 minutes, or until pink and firm. Drain and shell prawns.
5. Ladle chick-pea sauce into shallow serving bowls and place 2 or 4 prawns atop the sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately with a crisp white wine.
RED PEPPERS STUFFED WITH CODFISH
Eight first-course or four main-course servings
1 pound boneless dried salt codfish
8 medium red bell peppers
1 cup white-bread crumbs
1/3 cup milk
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
Salt and black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon paprika
Cayenne pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
1. Two days before serving, cover the cod with water and place in the refrigerator to soak. Change water two or three times a day. When ready to cook, drain cod, cut away and discard any skin or bones and shred the fish into small pieces.
2. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roast peppers until blackened, then remove charred skin under cold running water. Drain, cut off tops, remove seeds and pat dry.
3. Soak bread crumbs in milk. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet, add garlic and half the chopped onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add shredded cod and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring often. Squeeze milk from bread crumbs and add crumbs to the pan. Stir in salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat. When cooled, stir in beaten eggs and 1 tablespoon parsley.
4. Use a spoon to fill the peppers with the cod mixture. Place them upright in an oiled baking dish.
5. In a saucepan, heat remaining oil with remaining onion and carrots and cook until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add wine and boil until almost evaporated. Add tomato paste, 1 tablespoon parsley, paprika, a pinch of cayenne and the stock. Simmer, uncovered, on low heat for 30 minutes. Puree mixture in a food processor or blender. Adjust seasoning to taste. (Recipe may be done ahead to this point.)
6. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon the sauce over the filling in each pepper. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining parsley before serving.
-Adapted from ”The Spanish Table” (Doubleday), by Marimar Torres
