#txakoli

[manicpanicpixienightmare]

I want my dog :(

[rocamboleska]

[beautiful-basque-country]

Zarautz beach (Gipuzkoa).

You can see some txakoli vineyards in the foreground. The grape variety used in the production of txakoli wine is quite hard to grow, and it demands a mild Atlantic climate and lots of humidity, the reason why it's cultivated so so close to the sea.

Source

[elmaestrostan]

He’s fuming but keeps a lid on it, our respectful king ❤️

[momo-de-avis]

This was one of the best groups I ever had. I arrived slightly late after ending a fight with the bank and ended up having a blast with these guys. Also I think I formed a San Sebastián, Txakoli and Pintxos fan club

[the-coconut-asado]

PINTXOS-PERFECT

Believe it or not, there are one or two people out there who aren’t inspired by the idea of San Sebástian. 

The joy of choosing pintxos from the counter ? ‘Health and safety hazard.’ But everything’s fresh! ‘Don’t fancy it’. What about the delicious spider-crab tarts? ‘Don’t like crab’. Gateau Basque? ‘Now I do like cheesecake - but why no biscuit base?’ 

Thankfully I’ve only experienced this pintxos prejudice from a handful of people. For the rest of you: if you don’t yet know that San Sebástian is the culinary capital of Europe, with more Michelin starred restaurants per capita than anywhere else on the continent, then just tell me which rock you’ve been living under and I’ll send my people round. With delicious morsels of wild mushroom. I’m not a monster after all.

Then there are those who love San Sebástian, have visited it several times, but have only the vaguest recommendations of where to eat. Yes I know. Everywhere is good. But just telling me ‘it’s all about the pintxos’ (no shit Sherlock) isn’t really giving me much to go on. So, for those of you venturing to Spain’s most edible city for the first time, or just can’t remember where you ate last time, here are my top recommendations. 

First of all, get yourself on a good food tour. And we went on the best, thanks to a proper, detailed recommendation from my mate Mykayla at work. The first thing you learn about Eskerne, founder of  Discover San Sebastian is that she is more revered than the Mayor- and knows more about the history and gastronomy of the region than any mayor. She met us at the Hotel de Londres at 10.30 sharp and deposited us in the park over four hours later, sated and gasping for superlatives about the food we had eaten. This was a PhD in Pintxos - spider crab tartlets, mind-boggling asian-fusion scallops with samphire, wild mushrooms mixed with egg yolk, octopus on sauteed potato…On and on it went,  setting off many several taste bombs in my mouth. Do yourselves a favour and book her as soon as you have booked your flights. 

But you don’t just have to eat pintxos. My daughter found Bar El Kbzon  near the City’s surfing  beach. For my money the best of San Sebástian’s restaurants: cafe-informal with stunning views of the beach at sunset, and a menu we ended up ordering in its entirety:  best black pudding I’ve ever tasted, heavenly hake and pig’s ear on borlotti beans just three of the reasons to go back. The chef likes Thai food so there were some inspired flavours going on in all of these - plus he makes a mean pad thai if you fancy that. 

Great places to eat are not limited to the city centre. My cousin and her husband took us to Kako Jatetxea, a bistro with classical charm in a town called Astigarraga, just outside the city centre and famous for its cider houses (the main drink of the region along with Txakoli - more of this later). They had a lot going on in their menu but you can’t go wrong with their  surf and turf - a whole pan-fried turbot in a butter sauce and a mammoth rib of beef. 

Want to find that ultimate Gateau Basque? Eskerne  pointed us in the direction of La Viña and advised us to order just a half portion each. The aggressive rubbernecking required to get to the counter and get attention meant I forgot the Spanish for ‘half portion’ and emerged with the full three slices for each of us. It didn’t matter in the end as we demolished them all in a matter of minutes. We also forgot to order the Ximenez sherry to pour over the gateau - Mykayla says this is a must. 

And finally, for super fine dining head to Galerna Jan Edan. I usually prefer generous rustic food to a degustation menu but this one gave us a night to remember: imaginative creations with intense flavours from prawn, pork belly, hake and a strawberry and violet ice cream that over-stimulated my taste buds in the best possible way. All washed down by the region’s signature Txakoli wine (you say Txakoli, I say Chocoli, let’s just pour another glass and forget about it). 

There are hundreds upon hundreds of pintxos bars, restaurants, cafes and gelateria crammed into this petite, beautiful and dramatic-looking city. Don't say I didn't tell you - and try making these dishes to get you in the mood. 

Crab Tarts

I have done my best to recreate the flavours of the version I inhaled in Ganbera pintxos bar. And guaranteed no soggy bottom-pastry. Serves 4 as a starter. 

Ingredients:

250g ready-made shortcrust pastry (or make your own)

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

225g white crab meat

Generous tbsp. brown crab meat

1 banana shallot, chopped finely

1 carrot, chopped finely

4 cloves garlic, chopped finely

250ml shellfish stock

60 ml cognac

3 medium tomatoes, skinned seeded and chopped

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 bunch parsley

25g fresh breadcrumbs, browned in a little oil and tossed with chopped parsley

Knob of butter

How to make.

Heat the oven to 200C. 

Roll out the pastry and cut 8 rounds to fill 8 individual tart cases. Pop the tins onto a baking sheet and bake blind for 10-12 minutes, remove from the oven and put on the side to cool in their tins. When cool, remove from the tins and place the pastry shells back  on the  baking sheet.

To make the filling. Heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan and saute the onions, carrot and chilli flakes for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for another minute or so, then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, cognac, shellfish stock and 200ml water. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer until the sauce has reduced and you can drag your wooden spoon through it without the mixture closing up quickly.

Turn off the heat, add the crab meats and a bunch of chopped parsley. Cool the mix. 

Turn up the oven to 220C. Fill each of the tart shells with the crab mixture then top each tart with the breadcrumbs and a small knob of butter. Pop back into the oven for 6-8 minutes until crisp and hot. Serve immediately. 

Two Easy Peasy Pintxos

As a parting gift from our tour, Eskerne gave me a copy of Josema Azpeita an Ritxar Tolosa’s The Pintxo Trail. None of the recipes give proportions so I have done the hard work for you while adapting them slightly. Serves 2-3

Pintxos with cream cheese, honey and walnuts

For each person cut 3 slices of a baguette loaf at a diagonal and toast lightly and rub with a clove of garlic. Cool slightly then top with cream cheese with herbs (philly is fine), top with a couple of walnut halves and drizzle with honey.  Complete with a sprinkling of parsley and season. 

Esclavida (catalan vegetables) with anchovy

Heat the oven to 150C.Baste an  aubergine and a red pepper  in extra virgin olive oil, pop onto a baking tray and into the oven for 20 minutes. Remove and then skin the aubergine and red pepper and cut each into 4 slices. Toast the bread and rub with a clove of garlic. Drizzle the toast with olive oil and season. Place the broad strips of cooked vegetable on top and top with two marinated anchovies (buy these from the supermarket chiller cabinet, don’t use ones from a jar). Make a quick garlic dressing with olive oil, garlic and parsley and drizzle over the top. 

Gateau Basque

This version of La Viña’s classic is from Brat restaurant in London via Claire Ptak’s latest confection Love is a Pink Cake. A genius  addition of tapioca flour and cornflour gives a wonderful texture. Serves 6. 

Ingredients:

450g cream cheese

125g caster sugar

3 large eggs

250g double cream

1 tbsp. Crème fraiche

1 tbsp. Vanilla extract

1 tbsp. Tapioca flour

1 tbsp, cornflour

¼ tsp. Sea salt

How to make:

Preheat the oven to 230C. 

Line a 15cm round and 8cm deep cake tin with a single sheet of baking paper that comes up further than the sides of the tin  - this caters for the dramatic rise of the gateau. 

Whisk together the cream cheese and sugar, add the eggs one at a time and continue whisking between each addition until fully incorporated. 

In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients, then add to the cheese mixture and mix everything until smooth and well combined. 

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 40 minutes until black on top, puffed but still has a little wobble. Cool for at least an hour until set, then serve at room temperature. 

This goes magically with some poached plums which you can make while the gateau is in the oven.

[protect-daniel-james]

Unai's facebook page is a goldmine for awkward and cute photos and videos - he really was like the clueless dad who posts everything haha (he stopped posting after coming to Arsenal) - but I found out that he was also posting the winners of his own little competition: #el11deUnai, where his followers were asked to guess the starting lineup for the next match (yeah that's exactly the type of game he would play) AND he actually then sent to the winners not only a signed shirt of the club he was in at the time, but also bottles of Txakoli wine 😭 and yes, I guess maybe he had some people working for him doing this, but I can actually clearly see him going through the answers of the people, wondering if maybe they chose "a better lineup" than him lol, and then signing the shirts and putting them together with the bottles of wine from his region.... 😭

(I guess this is what a date with him would look like lol)

[nitewrighter]

Oh!Speaking of alcohol, Mun! What sort of alcohols and liquors would the fankids drink if they partake and if they would have a drink named after them what sort of cocktail or drink would they be? :0c

Samir's preferred cocktail is a negroni but he'll drink a dry cider in more casual settings. Dry pear cider if it's available.

Rei has a fondness for those ice cold, perfectly light and clean Japanese lager beers typical of Izakayas, preferably with some tsukemono on the side for an extra bit of acidity and crunch. It's more about socializing and setting for her. She thinks sake is mostly "just okay" and has broken her uncle's heart in saying so. But she actually has a surprising palate for Japanese whiskey which is like a double betrayal to Hanzo and Cassidy is so fucking insufferable about it.

Rajeev developed a liking for those amber ales that get served in tulip glasses. Reinhardt is trying to steer him towards the righteous path of the Giant Fucking Stein filled with foaming lager, but Rajeev prefers the amber ales. "They're cute."

Akasha doesn't like to drink--like, get more disoriented? No thank you. I mean she drank barley beer in Mesopotamia during her Teleporter Hell Years but like that's because it's actually really hard to get safe-to-drink-water back then.

Aedan has betrayed his Irish roots because his favorite drink is a nice chilled Sauvignon Blanc. It's really refreshing in a classy but hot-as-balls city like Oasis.

Seye's not super big on drinking (kills muscle mass and disrupts metabolism, you know), but he will occasionally deign to toast to Talon victories with Don Rumbotico's top shelf stuff, or order a white rum-spiked agua de jamaica in a social situation.

Marti's favorite cocktail is a tequila-spiked agua de jamaica, and yes, it does piss her off that Seye orders an obnoxiously similar drink.

Jaime introduced Txakoli wine to Ashe and now she has crates of the stuff shipped to the deadlock hideout. Bob really appreciates the touch of class.

Andrea doesn't drink. CONSTANT VIGILANCE.

Faustine's signature drink is an Italian Greyhound with a sprig of rosemary and a lemon peel-rubbed rim. But she's also a surprisingly accomplished sommelier and whiskey sommelier on behalf of the casino.

[estanisochoa]

Viernes de patatas en salsa verde con lomos de merluza. Plato súper sencillo que se hace en un volado. Comenzamos con el caldo, una cebolla, un par de ajos, un puerro, dos o tres zanahorias, unos tallos de cebolleta, una hoja de laurel, un puñado de perejil, unos granos de pimienta negra, medio vaso de txakoli, unas espinas y cabezas de pescado blanco y un par de litros de agua. Una vez bien pochada la verdura, añadimos el medio vaso de vino, reducimos, añadimos las cabezas y las espinas, los dos litros de agua y cocinamos unos 25/30 minutos. Dejamos reposar otro tanto, colamos y reservamos. Para las patatas, en otra cazuela,picamos una cebolleta, un ajo y un poco de perejil , sal y pochamos. Luego vamos añadiendo las patatas cortadas en rodajas de un dedo de grosor (más/menos). Cuando estén un poco doradas, añadimos un buen chorro de txakoli, una vez que reduzca, cubrimos con el caldo de pescado y cocinamos unos 25 minutos (según la patata). Una vez que las patatas estén hechas, añadimos los lomos, primero con la piel para arriba y al minuto damos la vuelta. , apagamos el fuego, tapamos y esperamos unos cinco o diez minutillos. A comeeeer! .🤘#puescojonudooiga . . 🤕#pavernosmatao . .🤛#resultadoDELresultante . .#euskadi #zaldibar #basquecountry #euskadieninstagram #recetascaseras #recetadeldía #instagram #aove #photooftheday #picoftheday #homefood #comidareal #healthyfood #food #instafood #cocinafacil #realfood #photography #homemade #comidasana #recetasfaciles #recipes #healthy https://instagr.am/p/Clqp7zUo6Tg/

[portugalandspain]

May 21

Today we set off to explore the Basque Coast, beginning with a drive to Guernica. In 1937, the German Luftwaffe bombed Guernica nonstop for more than three hours, laying waste to almost all of it—a nightmare immortalized by Picasso in the famous painting that bears the town’s name. When we arrive, we’ll view Picasso’s famous “Guernica” mural. We continued on to a family-run winery, where we’ll learned about txakoli wine. The afternoon included a visit to the Guggenheim Museum and a stroll around town.

[manicpanicpixienightmare]

I think my stress is making my ostensible long covid symptoms act up :)

[clubmusicweb]

Bunbury debuta en el sector del vino con el txacolí Landázuri

El cantante zaragozano Bunbury ha ha dado a conocer el lanzamiento de ‘Landázuri’, un txacolí vizcaíno, que supone su irrupción en el sector del vino. El artista, cuyo nombre real es Enrique Ortiz de Landázuri Izarduy, se inicia en la viticultura como un homenaje a su herencia vasca. Relatando que “este txakoli es el resultado de la investigación, la pasión y el amor por el acto creativo, tanto…

[beautiful-basque-country]

Kaixo ~ I’m curious what are holidays or dates that see important to Basque people?

Kaixo anon! Thanks for your ask 😊 I guess there are more local festivities or special days for other people, but I guess these are the most general ones:

St Thomas' fair: a very important date for Basque people since today is the day when winter officially starts - some people think this fair was originally dedicated to the solstice - and also the Christmas holidays: children have their last day of school until January and it’s a day of general celebration. A very big market is set so people can buy their ingredients for the Xmas Eve dinner, and the most traditional thing to do is to eat talo- a toasted cornmeal flatbread - with chorizo or txistorra, a Basque speciality similar to the former, but thinner and juicier. Of course you have to help that food go down with cider or txakoli, our traditional white wine. It's always CROWDED:

Xmas celebrations: more or less like in any West European city tbh, but here we have two parades for the kids. The one of Olentzero (our very own xmas gifts bringer) on Xmas Eve:

and then on January 5th, the parade of the Three Wise men, that's also celebrated by more Iberian nations:

And last but certainly not least, the summer festivities in the capitals: starting with Sanfermines in early July

.. then the festivities in Baiona in mid-July...

... moving on to Maria Zuria celebrations in Gasteiz in early August...

Aste Nagusi in Donostia mid-August...

... and Aste Nagusi in Bilbo to finish the month...

For me they're the Holy Trinity of the special days for most Basque people. Of course there are more local special days and more events that gather many like regattas, 1st Monday of Gernika, Ordizia Cheese Championship, Korrika, several races, Chocolate day in Baiona, Lanterns Parade in Gasteiz, etc.

But these ones mentioned are the biggest ones.

[elmaestrostan]

Next week! Txakoli him, dine him, set up a monthly Direct Debit for all my wages if it helps 🙏

[momo-de-avis]

Se não for muito incomodo, gastas-te muito dinheiro para viajar para EH? Isto vindo de alguém que gostaria de visitar por razoes de tese...

honestamente, em voos, ir até bilbau de aviao, e daí a san sebastian e/ou pamplona de autocarro fica barato, ja que pra bilbau ha voos directos, mas o resto nao. autocarros é exactamente o mesmo que a rede expresso, espera pagar a volta de se calhar 15-20€ dependendo de quanto tempo é, a menos q apanhes uma promos

comer em bilbau achei mais barato que san sebastian. san sebastian é conhecido como capital gastronomica de espanha e nota-se, os preços vao ser um bocado mais puxados. Mas se fizeres o q nos fizemos, q foi em 6 dias fazer uma refeiçao e passar o resto do tempo a enfardar pintxos, es capaz de passar melhor. cada pintxo anda entre os 1,50 aos 4€. em bilbao anda tudo por volta dos 2,50, mas em san sebastian ja começas a ver maior variedade e interpretações novas de pintxos tradicionais e isso é q aumenta o preço. o mais caro sinceramente é o vinho, mas tens de experimentar txakoli que é das melhores coisas que já bebi

agora, eu tambem fui na vaga de frio e em época baixa, a estadia por exemplo vai ser bem mais barata. mas 4 noites em bilbao no centro da cidade ficou-nos a qqer coisa como 200 e poucos € num hotel 3 estrelas impec. o truque é sempre 1) marcar as coisas com antecedencia e 2) saber quando viajar. se o frio nao te importa, vai entre fevereiro-março, ou ate mesmo janeiro. eu estoirei algum €€ e foi tudo a comer lmfao

[debtsunpaid]

thinkin about post-anima ondine and pre-jalla klavi.......star-crossed besties. they both have such hope for humanity and such a dreamer's perception of the world around them, and such different ways of using their hands to build their ideal future. they're both tired as fuck all the time because they love their work too much to moderate. they both love art and dancing and txakoli and think that holding true to your principles in the face of adversity is the most courageous thing a person can do.

cannot believe that one of them has to be annihilated for the other one to exist at all. who wrote that. (stealthily closing the google doc as i say this)