Curiosa
say ‘fromage’
I plan my days around food. When I’m on vacation, I do so to the extreme because life is too short to waste on bad food. Every once in a while, an impromptu snack or sandwich will pop up, for better or for worse. This time it came in the form of a panini in Aix.
One of the best things about working in Restaurante Martín Berasatégui is meeting new people each day from all over the world, from Buenos Aires to Venezia. For me, diversity in the kitchen means interesting conversations and scrumptious hootenannies. In a 3-star michelin kitchen with 60+ stages, sometimes we overlook how useful or intelligent the ones around us truly are. They are golden nuggets of information, experience and talent waiting to be discovered.
This Argentinian-born Italian nugget made us pizza! There’s nothing like a rainy night-in, sharing abuelo’s pizza recipe and a few glasses of txakolí with good friends.
Capo
Here are some photographic intrigues from the kitchen of Martín Berasatégui this week:
Erizo de Mar
I “Eee!” ‘d with excitement (how Martín of me) when these bright, orangey ‘tongues’ of uni arrived that I had to break one open and try it. Briny, mildly sweet with a short finish compared to ones from Santa Barbara (sweet, hints of vanilla, lingering finish) or Maine (earthy, nutty, grainier texture, long finish).
After we worked up an appetite scouring the town for kitchen utensils, Athena and I went for some pre-dinner pintxos at my favorite hot spot in Gros, Hidalgo 56. I thought last night’s dishes at Zeruko were good and I thought this place was good…but think I found my new favorite pintxo:
Begui-Aundi, relleno de ratatouille con crema de cebolleta y tinta
By far my favorite pintxo yet. iEpa! And again, I love the family-run business here. Friendly staff and wholesome food. I just can’t get enough. I’ll be coming back for more, for sure.
Afterwards, we went to Guillermo’s for some pizza. Spanish pizza? Sin possible. Pero, si!
Teamwork
Guillermo rolled out the flatbread and Amaia made the various toppings. They whipped up over 5 whole pizzas for a party of at least 11 or so? Impressive and delicious. Thank you both for a wonderful and delicious evening. Pizza and [vino] Ribera del Duero? I will certainly sleep well tonight!
