Few cuisines have managed to capture the imaginations of both chefs and diners like that of Spain. And it's within that Spanish culinary realm that Basque cooking is located, long since considered one of the country’s greatest food destinations and proud traditions.
Boasting the most Michelin starred–restaurants per capita in the world and a wealth of local dishes the Basque country in northern Spain offers plenty for food lovers.
Here are two books that will whizz you around the region and place you firmly back in your home kitchen inspired to re-create those holiday moments.
Basque: Spanish Recipes from San Sebastian & Beyond by Jose Pizarro (Author)
If you'd dismissed preparing traditional Spanish fare at home as too laborious, or tapas as food to be enjoyed out, José Pizarro convinces us otherwise in this go to guide.
Sharing eighty regional recipes for some of the area’s most-loved dishes; from the traditional bacalao (salt cod with pisto and allioli) and hake "à la plancha" with potatoes and Romesco sauce to croquetas (stuffed fried potato croquettes), tortilla de patatas (Spanish omelette), and Jamón Ibérico (cured ham) Pizarro shows us how to capture those Basque flavours and bring traditional Spanish fare into our home kitchens.
The Basque Book: A Love Letter in Recipes from the Kitchen of Txikito Hardcover by Alexandra Raij (Author), Eder Montero (Author), Rebecca Flint Marx (Author)
New comer's to Basque cooking will love this 'primer' in northern Spain's acclaimed cuisine from star chef-owners Alex Raij and Eder Montero, of New York City restaurants Txikito, La Vara, and El Quinto Pino.
Sharing their infectious love of the region, a collection of 100 recipes takes readers on a tour around the region whilst revealing the iconic ingredients and idiosyncratic cooking techniques which define them.
Fans of the award winning restaurants will not be let down as the duo go on to share some of their creative Basque inspired dishes with their signature spin in some unusual and creative flavour combinations and elegant plating.
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