It is that time of year again!  Time to celebrate the fiesta of San Blas, or Saint Blaise!  In the Basque Country (and maybe elsewhere), Feb 3, the fiesta of San Blas, is celebrated with a special cake.  In towns like Abadiño, Bizkaia, where the day is one of the town’s festival days, you’ll find this cake everywhere. Txapitela, who sends out notices of Basque news and events, sent me a recipe for the cake which I’m sharing here. Enjoy!

TORTA DE SAN BLAS / CAKE OF SAN BLAS

For the dough:

• 500 or 600 grams of flour
• 4 whole eggs, minus one egg white
• 50 or 75 grams of drawn butter
• 9 tablespoons of sugar (200/250 grams)
• 1 packet of baking powder (16 grams)
• 9-12 drops of essence of anis

For the frosting:

• 1 egg white
• 125/175 grams of confectioner’s sugar
• 3 or 4 drops of lemon juice

Beat the eggs like for making tortilla, add the sugar.

Melt the butter in a water bath, add and continue beating.

Add essence of anis, flour, and royal.

Kneed well the dough, making a ball.  Roll with a rolling pin and give the dough shape, making 1 or 2 cakes.

Put in the oven for 25/30 minutes at 190º Celsius (375 F).

While the cake is cooking:

Beat the egg white with the confectioner’s sugar and lemon.

Put it in a water bath so that it continues heating.

Pour on top of the hot cake and let it cool.

Note, I have to admit that I don’t like anis myself, so these cakes were never my favorite, but maybe with the recipe, I can tweak it to make it something else, like vanilla or something.

The image is from a photo on Picasaweb by victor at the Escuela Cocina Bilbao.

Anyone who has visited the Basque Country, or even attended a Basque celebration in the US, knows the central role that food occupies in the culture.  Today, the Basque Country is famous for its “new Basque cuisine,” which I did have an opportunity to try at a restaurant in Donosti (and, it was very good).  However, for the average person, what really stands out are the pintxos!

Enter any bar, in any town, and you will be confronted with a bevy of food just sitting on the bar.  Usually something delectable pinned to a piece of bread by a toothpick, pintxos are uniquely Basque.  In the rest of Spain you can find tapas, small dishes that are prepared to order and are what most tapas places in the US serve (this was how a woman from Valencia described it to me).  Pintxos are defined by the bread and the toothpick — the word pintxo means spike in Spanish.  And they are central to the bar-going experience in the Basque Country.  As you wander La Parte Vieja of Donosti, the Casco Viejo of Bilbo, or even the plaza of any small town, you stop at each bar, having a small glass of wine or beer, and maybe a pintxo.  They are part of the social txikiteo of Euskal Herria.

When I was visiting just a few weeks ago, a good friend of mine who I met in Seattle and who now lives in Donosti, Gonzalo Aranguren, took me to a couple of the best pintxo bars in La Parte Vieja (though, I’m sure, this being the Basque Country, there is a lot of debate over which pintxo bars are the best).  We stopped first at Gandarias. This place was full of people, even on a Thursday night, both tourists and locals.  In fact, we ran into one of the men who used to be the head of the Basque governments relations with the diaspora.  We had one of their signature pintxos, solomillo.  It was awesome!  We then headed to another bar, Goiz Argi, one that Gontzal’s uncle always demands to go to whenever he visits. There we had a skewer of shrimp, not the wimpy shrimp you find on salads in the US, but prawns, grilled to order and served again on bread.  I’m not a huge seafood fan, but the prawns found in Euskal Herria are near the top of my list of favorite foods (though, certainly below jamon serrano!).  Combined with some zuritos — small glasses of beer — or kalimotxos, this is a great lead-up to dinner or even a substitute for a regular meal.

Donosti is well known for their pintxo bars, but even the smallest of towns has great food.  The Herriko Taberna of Munitibar, which is run by my aunt and uncle, is a great example.  As they prepared for a busy day of people coming to town for an anniversary mass, they went all out and filled the bar with pintxos.  They had the standard tortilla, both with and without chorizo, and jamon serrano with white asparagus, mayo, and hard-boiled egg, but also more exotic varieties including beef tongue with green pepper, breaded zucchini on a bed of, if I recall correctly, scrambled eggs and mushrooms, and baby eels with garlic and red peppers.  I didn’t get to try all of them, especially considering that they were meant for the paying customers, but it was an awesome display.  My dad’s two sisters, helping their brother and sister-in-law on busy days, along with that sister-in-law were mad women, preparing food that served, along with the drink, as the center around which the entire social interactions of the afternoon revolved.  The food and drink, which facilitate the social life of the Basque Country, are such an integral part of that life that it is impossible to imagine a Basque Country without it.

I had a lot of other great culinary experiences during my week visit besides the pintxos.  As I mentioned, I got to try a great restaurant specializing in new Basque cuisine in Donosti, very near the University on Avenida de Zumalacerregui (I wish I could remember the name).  I don’t remember many of the dishes now, but there was one that was on a bed of rice, almost a risotto, and it was great.  One night for dinner, when my cousin and her boyfriend came over as well, my aunt made octopus galician-style.  I’m not a big fan of octopus, especially the texture, but it was very tasty and not at all rubbery.  And the desserts!  I have to admit, I have a huge sweet tooth and gain 5-10 pounds every time I visit, probably because I cannot resist the desserts.  Natillas, arroz con leche, cuajada (mamia in Euskara) — all are simply awesome.

If you are interested in trying your own hand at pintxos, a great site that includes lots of recipies is Todo Pintxos.

Here are a few links I’ve run across that I thought were worth sharing.

Pelota is immensely popular in Euskal Herria.  Most evenings I was there, a match was being shown on the TVs of most bars.  Even though cesta punta — jai alai to the rest of the world — is the most flashy version of pelota, the most popular within the Basque Country is pelota mano — hand ball.  Every match I saw on TV was mano.  It is amazing to think about the punishment these guys do to their hands.  In any case, Fronton is a site that is trying to bring “a game with centuries of traditions to a new millenuim.” They have news, rankings, videos, forums, and more.  If you are a pelota junky, or just want to learn more about the sport, this is the site for you.

I’m not one for hard alcohol — simply just don’t like the taste — so I have never tried a Picon punch.  However, this article in The Atlantic uses Picon punch as the context to describe a bit of Basque history and the Basque way of life in the western US.  According to the article, Picon punch isn’t what it used to be, mostly because the Amer Picon from which it was made is no longer available in the US.

Finally, this site describes a woodcut purchased by the website developer of a scene depicting Basques working on their catch after a whale hunt.  What really caught the eye of the writer, however, is the presence of a bagpipe player.  The Basques are known for lots of things, but playing the bagpipes is not necessarily one of them.  The bagpipes, within Iberia, are typically associated with the Gallegos.  But, the woodcut is from the late 1500s and the author is speculating that maybe the Basques did play the bagpipes.  Does anyone know?

You can tell the story of who people are by what they eat — stated Colleen Asumendi Fillmore, PhD, RD, LD

All who know the Basques know that food is an immensely important aspect of their culture.  Colleen Asumendi Fillmore knows this better than most, having studied the dietary culture of the Basques of Boise.  Her work has culminated in a book, Basques of Boise: Adult Dietary Culture and Tradition, and a website, nutribasque.

From the website:

This website explores the nutrient standards and dietary culture of the Boise Basque. Who are the Boise Basque? Ninety percent or more of the Boise Basque community is from the Basque province of Bizkaia. The majority comes from a 20-mile stretch of coastline between Bermeo and Ondarroa in the northern part of Spain. This area encompasses the fishing village of Lekeitio, a Basque metropolis of Bilbao, and the historic Basque capital of Gernika, all in Bizkaia (Zubiri, 1998).

The United States is a country with a myriad of diverse ethnic groups with many adaptations in food habits, thus constantly changing our health and wellness. Most RDs (registered dietitian) agree that food habits relating to tradition, customs, behavior, culture and environment must continue to be studied to achieve advances in public health.

I’ve been meaning to share this set of links for a while and just thought I’d “dump” them on you before I either forget or they get outdated.

Last.fm, an online music station of sorts, has a channel dedicated to Kortatu and similar artists. I haven’t spent a lot of time with it yet, but if you are looking for some classic Basque rock, tune in here.

OK, this one I’m not sure what to make of… the concept looks intriguing, but I don’t think I understand it well enough.  Baskinbox seems to be a Basque gift box, with information about food, hotels, recreation, etc.  But, I’m not quite sure what is actually included in the box.  Can anyone help me out?

Aimee Eiguren, a very distant cousin of mine on my mom’s side, has a blog of her own, Bowl of Soul.  In her most recent post, she describes her first trip to Euskadi to visit the homes of her ancestors and shares a great recipe for Basque Omelette.

NABO, the North American Basque Organization, tries to help the various Basque clubs in efforts that are too big for any individual club.  This includes organizing summer camps for kids, hosting the national Mus championship, and much more.  On this page, they describe the ongoing effort to create a Basque Studies Consortium, the goal of which is to create a clearing house, of sorts, for Basque Studies, a place people can go and see what the most recent research in areas related to the Basques has uncovered.

The Nevada State Museum recently installed a 1902 Sheepherders Wagon, built for the Campbell Ranch.  According to the site, the first-ever sheepherders wagon was built by James Candlish of Wyoming in 1884, and it soon was adopted by sheepherders all over the American West.

Continuing the historical theme, this article in the Idaho Statesman describes the early history of the Basques in Boise, Idaho.  It focuses on their involvement in the restaurant and hotel businesses.  In particular, they quote an 1893 Stateman article that reported that “Yturraspe & Uberuaga will on Monday, January 1st, take charge of the City Restaurant and lodging house, which they have purchased from Russ Luark.”

This site, which gives a number of images on bordering of different styles, also has a page dedicated to Basque bordering.  I’m not sure how useful these images or these pages would be for one doing this kind of work, but maybe in the least these patterns will inspire.

An interesting little diversion, using a pattern you can download for free from this site, you can create a simple three-dimensional dodecahedron calendar in a number of languages, including Euskara.

The Taller de Artesania Lorratz has a great gallery of images, including paintings, drawings and mosaics.  The drawings, in particular, are of Basque buildings, with baserriak, churches, castles, and even a windmill.  The images are accompanied by the name and location of the building.  There are also some children’s arts and crafts images.

And, finally, for this update at least, NABO recently welcomed a new member to its fold.  Euskaldunak: Association des Basques du Quebec is the latest club to both become part of NABO and put a presence on the web.  The page, in both French and Euskara, seems to be still a work in progress, but there are photos and announcements regarding the group’s recent events.  Zorionak!

On egin dizuela janak eta kalterik ez edanak… May the food do you good and the drink do you no harm.

The Basque Country is known for many things, including gastronomy, sports of strength, the Guggenheim, the basseriak, and so on.  But, it is also known for good drink.  Two indegenious beverages are txakoli and sagardoa.

Nothing beats a good hard cider.  My understanding is that, before the invention of refridgeration and the ability to import from long distances, the Basques made their alcohol out of what they had at hand, apples.  There is a lot of mystique surrounding the sagardotegiak, the places where sagardoa — hard cider — is made.  For example, it is said that the txalaparta — the Basque percussion instrument comprised of a few wooden planks on which two players beat out rhythms — was originally used to announce that the current batch of sagardoa was ready for drinking from one valley to the next.  The sagardotegi itself is a very special place.  I visited one just outside of Donostia in 1992.  We all stood at a bar-like table, where we were served steak cut up into bite-sized pieces, among other things.  Every once in a while, someone would shout out a call, and everyone would get in line in front of one of the humongous wooden barrels.  The tap is opened and a stream of cider flows out.  One by one, we went up to the barrel and held our glass under the stream to get a frothy serving of cider.  This happened several times during the night. The stuff is a bit bitter, it isn’t sweet at all, not like the typical “apple cider” most Americans would think of.  It is definitely an acquired taste, but one that is definitely worth acquiring.

The Gipuzkoa Natural Cider Association is trying to promote Basque sagardoa. The site describes the history of sagardoa, the process by which it is made, and the places you can try a nice glass of sagardoa.  Sagardoetxea.com is a museum dedicated to sagardoa. It includes a guide to enjoying a day of cider.

Another Basque specialty is txakoli, a white, dry wine with a distinct taste.  Unfortunately, while I’ve definitely partaken of txakoli, I never did acquire a taste for wine in general or txakoli in particular.  So, I am not someone to comment on the uniqueness and intricacies of txakoli.  So, instead, I’ll just point you to a few relevant links.  Txakoli.com is an online txakoli store, featuring txakoli from the three primary associations of bodegas: Getaria, Bizkaia, and Araba, each of which gives information on the bodegas comprising each association and the txakolis that each makes.

Of course, there are other beverages associated with the Basque Country, including patxaran and kalimotxo.

The other day, my wife and I were in Trader Joe’s and saw this display.  As a good ol’ Vasco who loves chorizo (see my previous post), it just felt wrong to see soy chorizo.

(At left, chorizo filler meat.) If you go to any Basque event in the US, one thing you will always find is chorizo. In Boise, instead of hotdog vendors, they sell chorizo on the street corners. And there are a number of meat packers that mass produce Basque-style chorizo. But, in my opinion, nothing beats home-made.

My dad has been making his own chorizo for maybe 20 years now.  He never had time when I was a kid, but once I was off to college, he started making both chorizo and ham, in the jamon serrano style.  Both are excellent and he and the guys he makes them with have gained a reputation.  The annual chorizo-making effort has grown and is an event in and of itself.

(The vets — Tony, Ramon and my dad Pedro — with the final product.) Even though I’ve had the luxury of feasting on dad’s chorizo and ham for a while now, I’ve never actually participated in helping make them.  This year, during the Christmas holidays when we were visiting Idaho, I finally got a chance.  A six-man crew, including my dad, Tony Larrocea, Ramon Ocamica (the veteran crew), Steve Zatica, Rick Uria, and Stan Zatica, met at Rick’s shop.  A few days earlier, they had mixed together the meat.  I unfortunately missed this all-important step, so I don’t have a good feel for what the “secret” recipe is.  Suffice it to say that I did learn that they use the legs so as to ensure that there is enough meat in the filling.  On the day I showed up, they had 5 buckets of filling ready for stuffing in the casings.  And away we went.

Tony and Stan, at left, manned the stuffer, filling the casings with the chorizo meat.  Rick, Ramon, and Steve tied the filled casing into sausage-length segments with string.  I helped a bit with that and with poking the casings with a safety pin to release any trapped air.  My dad, as his legs were bothering him, began preparing the feast we would enjoy afterwards.

I don’t remember now how long we were there, but it was the better part of the afternoon into the evening.  I’m guessing I was there for something like 5 hours (and I arrived a bit late too).  I think, all told, they made 300 pounds of chorizo, about 60 pounds each (I think Tony donated his services for the evening).  Once we were done, we had a feast fitting of the Basques, consisting of port ribs, solomo (pork loin prepared Basque style), home-made bread, courtesy of Teresa, Tony’s wife, and stew, all accompanied by good drink.  We topped off the meal with several desserts, courtesy of Rick’s family. It was an excellent way to end the day and celebrate our efforts.

(The full crew — Tony, Rick, Ramon, Pedro, and Steve, standing, and Stan, kneeling — at right.) Once the chorizos were finished, they let them sit in the shop, slightly heated (maybe 70 degrees, I think), for a few days to dry out.  Again, I was lucky enough to still be in town to get to try a few, just a few days after they were made.  And they were excellent!  One of the best batches yet.  Dad made sure to send me home with enough to tide me over until the next time I make it back to Homedale.

The whole experience was great.  While I’m a carnivore, and enjoy meat, I’m not a hunter, and have never really participated in any way in the production, if you will, of the food I eat.  So, it was a good experience for me to get into the nitty-gritty, at least a little, and help make one of my favorite foods.  They always say that one thing you should never observe is how sausage is made.  And, while I missed the step that is most likely the origin of that saying, I definitely became even more appreciative of chorizo and what goes into making them.

Eskerrik asko, jaunak!  Thanks for letting me take part!