Curiosa
2011 was a very special year for me in food, drink and travel. I spent the year working at Restaurante Martín Berasategui in northern Spain so naturally, I have many fond memories of the feasting I did in and around Spain. Grab a snack and enjoy the next few mouth-watering posts as my belly remembers 2011:
goat’s butter, toast, charcoal from the grill
Asador Etxebarri | Atxondo, Spain
When the hustle is over, there is still work to be done…
Continue reading ‘SS Gastronómika 2011: Listen, taste and learn’
There is an annual event in Alicante where chefs meet food meets fútbol players…
Continue reading ‘Lo Mejor de la Gastronomía: Chefs to Admire’
November is the month of ferías (festivals) for us restaurant folk in Spain. Stay tuned for an update on Lo Mejor de la Gastronomía, one of the largest, annual restaurant and hotel ferías in Alicante, Spain, featuring outstanding chefs like Joan Roca, Paco Torreblanca, Quique Dacosta, Eneko Atxa and Martín Berasategui.
Please excuse the irregular blogging schedule. I have been patiently awaiting my Spanish visa in order to return to Basque country. Alas it has arrived and I can confidently say, “I’ll be back” in my best Schwarzenegger impression.
La Concha
As much as I love the ever-verdant País Vasco, it was a nice weekend getaway to spend 24 hours in the concerte jungle of Spain, formally known as Madrid. I had a few friends to send-off to China and Mexico, but not before enjoying a beautiful afternoon on the court:
Spain vs. China
Today we hopped in the car and took a drive up and down the winding hills and valleys to the Sammic headquarters in Azkoitia, a small town and coincidentally the same one where St. Ignatius of Loyola’s mother was born, for all you BC folks reading. The facilities were impressive to say the least, from the foundry to the server room–spotless!
Surprisingly, Sammic produces a lot of their equipment from raw materials to finished goods. We toured the foundry and watched workers pour hot, melted aluminum into molds:
Cuidado
After the aluminum was allowed to cool and set, the piece would be handcrafted to perfection. Notice the attention to detail:
Dough hooks
Besides episodes of “How It’s Made“, I’ve only seen production channels like these in China, except a lot more hazardous, inefficient and plenty more waste, perhaps attributed to poor management or difficulties associated with large-scale manufacturing. The workers at Sammic appeared to execute with speed and precision. They produce in lower volume batches, allowing for more fine-tuning as well as time for the research and development team to run sample tests. iQue bueno!
For such a young company (celebrating their 50th year anniversary this year), Sammic has come a long way in a short time. Check out these modern [large scale] potato peelers:
Para las Patatas
We will soon have the opportunity to use and test some of Sammic’s equipment in Chef Martín Berasatégui’s kitchen. How exciting! Having worked in tiny kitchens no bigger than the arm-span of space around me, I am new to operating large gadgets and machinery. Ah, the wonders of technology. This shall make for interesting button-pressing and lever-pulling. But in all seriousness, this is the inner-business-woman speaking, it will be an eye-opening experience to see how a 3-star michelin restaurant operates backstage, using various technologies such as Sammic equipment to improve its operations.
Chef Martín has been using Sammic equipment for many years. In fact, Martín’s relation with the company dates back to before he was even born. His uncle used to work for Sammic. Can you pick him out?
Tío
After our Sammic visit we headed to the hills for lunch at Anota Sidrería, a nearby cider house. The view was stunning:
The Hills Are Alive
I foresee many a sidrería visit in my near future where hopefully, I will be able to document quality pictures of the sidra barrels and the glass-filling technique. For now, here is a shot of Guillermo pouring us sidra:
Guillermo
One more day of ‘vacation’…then I’m in the kitchen. Practicing my best, obedient “Si, Chef!”
New Record! This is a higher euphoric high than one felt after setting a new record in the slot car derby from Mario Party. Thanks to all who read my blog today, perhaps a majority of those snowed-in [as I am currently] in Boston! I hope you continue to [presumably enjoy] and read, especially in 2011 as I cook, photograph and eat my way through Spain!
For my last day in town, I decided to revisit my favorite pintxo bar, Hidalgo 56 for a few bites at lunch:
Hidalgo 56
The family-run joint is just lovely. The wife Nubia, who speaks great English by the way, runs the front of the house with an occasional visit from her 5 year old son. Meanwhile the husband, Juan Mari Humada, works the kitchen with occasional help again from the 5 year old son. So cute, he is!
Jamón y Queso
I can’t believe I’d been in San Sebastián and not yet tried the kokotxa! Finally…kokotxa!
Alcachofa con Kokotxa
Kokotxa is translated to ‘cheek’ but to be more precise, it is the lower jaw meat of the fish (the jowl), considered a real delicacy here in País Vasco, just as cheek meat is.
Café Cortado
Naturally, I finished the meal and kicked off the afternoon with a café cortado, como siempre. In honor of my LCB friends, here is my coffee cup. I realize it is not Turkish nor is it Greek, but feel free to read my fortune!
Gros
I enjoyed a leisurely walk back from Gros. Just like they are in Paris, French Bulldogs are common here too.
Del Puente
Apparently I like to take slanted photos.
La Vista
After a brief meeting with the directors of Sammic and grocery shopping with Andoni B, we headed to Parte Vieja to cook and feast at one of the oldest Sociedads Gastronómicas. I spent the majority of the time prepping with Marti while Andoni M. took photos and videos of our progression. Ah, Andoni M. also helped with the arroz–gracias!
Marti y yo
On the impromptu menu that evening were: Sopa de Mariscos con alioli (Seafood soup with garlic aioli), Arroz con txipirones en su tinta, y jamón. I promise to prepare dessert next time! A bit embarrassing on my part, having just come back from pâtisserie school in Paris…jajaja. We’ve already agreed to hamburgesas y pasteles next time, si?
Here are some of Marti’s photos:
Andoni M.
It was a splendid evening. Muchas gracias a todos por venir y comer conmigo. Such amicable, intelligent, humble young individuals…
Alexia y Marti
No puedo esperar a verles pronto!
Pensativo
Para cocinar, comer, charlar…
Arroz con Txipirones en su Tinta
y por su puesto, divertirse.
Sopa de Mariscos
Check out Andoni’s photos here.
Paraíso
Boy does it feel great to be back in San Sebastián, the Land of Pintxos. I may not ever grow accustomed to the siesta lifestyle here where shops open late, close midday then close [for good] early evening [leaving a small window of time to actually eat or shop], however the pintxos make up for everything. I’d originally planned to go to Bar La Cepa and Txepetxa for some of my favorite bites (namely the jamón and the anchoas, respectively), but both were closed. Instead I opted for La Cepa’s neighbor, Bar Martinez, a pintxo bar I’d been referred to last time but never quite made it there. Well this time, I made it for lunch.
Anchoa Frita
This was the first bite of real food I’d eaten in 24 hours or so. Gawd, how dearly I have missed seafood. I spent the past month or so eating mostly a carnivorous diet in Paris. I got thirsty so of course I ordered the local cerveza to accompany my now-turned brunch:
Hongos Revueltos y Keler Cerveza
Because they’re so woody and delicious, I’m quickly getting over my annoyance with the term ‘hongos’ to simply mean ‘fungi.’ Yay for eggs in the morning! Well, mid-afternoon for me, but per my definition, it still constitutes ‘brunch’ because there were eggs and alcohol involved in my first ‘meal’ of the day.
Tonight I will be pintxo bar-hopping with a fellow American, Marti, who has kindly offered to show me around her stomping grounds. Now I just have to switch to Spanish mode and stop saying “Oui”, “Merci” and “Olala” to the Basqueans…Basquenese…Vascos.
