Bilbao bar-hopping reveals pinchos, the perfect party food

Thursday, December 15, 2005

By Marlene Parrish

BILBAO, SPAIN -- The pace of a determined tourist is daunting. See, shop, gawk, buy and walk until energy flags or fails. Want a little snack? Tired of tramping in art galleries and museums? Or just want to hang out with friends? One answer fits all. If you are in Bilbao, Spain, you go bar-hopping, where the social life is as important as the food.


	Tony Tye, Post-Gazette photos A roasted piquillo pepper with anchovy is one of many pinchos -- treasures found while bar-hopping in Spain's Basque country. Click photo for larger image.

I discovered Bilbao's bars recently when I vacationed for a week with friends in the Basque country. But you don't have to be a tourist to partake. Bar-hopping and snacking are an inseparable part of this city's life.

In the old days, way before fast food as we know it, small earthenware dishes of homemade food made by the women of family-owned bars were placed on the counters. People passing through the area often wanted to eat but had no time to sit down at a table to do so. Eating at the bar became a custom, and eating standing up became a tradition.

You are probably familiar with Spanish tapas. Tapas evolved in Southern Spain from the old-time practice of laying a slice of bread or meat across the top of a sherry glass. Today, tapas are usually eaten with a spoon and fork and can be a small serving of any dish, usually served with sherry.

Pinchos, or pintxos as the Basques spell it, are the Basque form of tapas. The term derives from the Spanish word pinchar, which means to prick, because pinchos originally were served skewered on wooden toothpicks. Pinchos are a distinct set of little dishes that are never served at meals. And you drink wine or beer with them, not sherry.

Here's the drill and the etiquette. You and your buddies walk into a bar. It's probably packed with like-minded people, and the place rocks with loud talk and laughter. Belly up to the bar, where the counter is covered with platters of food, each portion stuck with a toothpick. You signal the bartender for a glass of wine or beer and point to a couple of pinchos, whatever looks good to you.


Pinchos of several sorts -- some including egg, some peppers -- are piled on slices of a baguette. Click photo for larger image.

When he sets the plate in front of you, that's the signal to tuck in, leaning on the counter. (If there are any seats, they will probably be filled by pensioners.) Order another and another. When you are done, you tally the bill by counting your toothpicks, hail the bartender and settle the check. (No cheating, because he's keeping an eye on the toothpicks, too.) Then move on to the next bar down the block and repeat.

Basque pinchos

Nearly all pinchos have one thing in common: a bread base. Rounds of crusty bread sliced from a baguette are topped with savory foods such as shavings of Iberico ham from black-footed pigs, considered the best ham in the world (has my vote); wild mushrooms, many and splendid; local cheeses such as Idiazabal; anchovies, quail eggs and olives; stuffed piquillo peppers; and grilled tenderloin. Best of all are plates of bright green finger-length peppers. These local peppers from Gernika are deep-fried whole and salted. You can't eat just one.

This is Basque comfort food and best washed down with the local red wine, rioja, or txakoli (say, chalk-oh-lee), the famous regional white.

Pinchos show off Spain's agricultural strengths. As a country where canning is serious business, Spain has some of the best canned food in the world, and it is showcased in pinchos.


A platter of pinchos is served with a red wine, preferably Spanish rioja. Click photo for larger image.

Basque beef is extraordinary, too. The vast majority of livestock feeds on grassy pastures. The cuts of meat are aged, then cut into thick slabs of about a kilo each and roasted over a wood fire.

And the seafood is caught minutes away in the Bay of Biscay: sardines, anchovies, squid and its ink, hake and spider crabs. Look for cod, lots and lots of cod. In fact, many people judge an eatery solely by its variations on that ubiquitous fish.

As a result, the signature Basque dish is Bacalao pil-pil, made with bacalao (dried salted cod) and olive oil. The preparation is unique. After the cod is soaked, it is cooked off in a skillet. Then a copious amount of Spanish olive oil is added to the pan and the mixture is shaken, not stirred, for about 20 minutes until the fish juices emulsify with the oil into a soft, mayonnaise-like sauce. It is on the menu of every restaurant and bar, large or small.

(I once saw sexy Basque chef Teresa Barrenchea "do the pil-pil.'' I think she sells so many pil-pil entrees at her restaurant because it is so much fun to watch her make them. It's all in the hips.)

Party time in Pittsburgh

"Heck, I can do that." That's the first thing I thought as I munched my way through a couple of bar-hopping marathons. A pinchos party would be a wonderful way to entertain friends back home. After all, many Basque home cooks serve pinchos at parties and casual gatherings. Besides, pinchos are easy to make and assemble and are ideal hand-held food.


	For each pincho, cut a fresh baguette into slices about 1/2 inch thick or less, place them on a serving tray and add toppings. Keep the pinchos to about two bites. For fun, poke each with a toothpick so you can "charge" your guests at the end of the party. Click photo for larger image.

Most of them don't even have a recipe. You won't be able to make some of the best -- Gernika peppers and sausage, baccalao fritters or blood sausage, peppers and quail egg -- but there are tons that you can.

For each, cut a fresh baguette into slices about 1/2 inch thick or less. Place the slices on a serving tray, and add any of the toppings below. Remember to keep the pinchos to about two bites. For fun, poke each with a toothpick so you can "charge" your guests at the end of the party.

Egg and shrimp -- Peel five hard-cooked eggs, and slice in half lengthwise. Top each egg half with a medium-sized cooked shrimp and top with a dab of mayonnaise.

Tenderloin -- Top a small slice of rare, grilled tenderloin with a bit of sauteed mushrooms and add a good pinch of sea salt.

Red pepper -- Piquillo peppers are a unique Basque variety. Substitute pimientos, patted dry and stuffed with a little tuna mixed with garlic mayonnaise. Wrap the stuffed pimiento with an anchovy and place on the bread. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil.



		SOURCES Use high-quality local ingredients or order from stores specializing in Spanish foods. Also, check out www.latienda.com and www.thespanishtable.com for supplies.

Green pepper 1 -- Top grilled green pepper strips with a fried quail egg and top with a slice of fried potato or an anchovy. The egg yolk should still be runny.

Green pepper 2 -- Top grilled green pepper strips with a slice of cheese such as Idiazabal (available at Whole Foods Market) and garnish with a sliver of Spanish or prosciutto ham.

Carb-free pincho -- Fill crisp lettuce cups with a chop of olives, red peppers and marinated white anchovies. No bread for this one. Just pick up and eat out of hand.

Tuna -- Tomato coulis (grated and drained tomato flesh with no seeds or skin) spread on bread round, topped with flaked tuna and a fried quail egg.

Best of show -- Tomato coulis spread on bread round, topped with Spanish or prosciutto ham, a soft brie-like cheese and an anchovy.

Open a bottle of red wine, a rioja, and a bottle of light white. Prosecco or pinot grigio will work. Make a toast to your guests. As they say in Spain, Que Aproveche!


	Pinchos Gilda, named for Rita Hayworth's movie character. Click photo for larger image.

Pinchos Gilda

These pinchos are named after the title character in the 1946 movie starring Rita Hayworth, who played the leading role with Glenn Ford. Spanish moviegoers fell in love with the sensual, fiery character played by Hayworth, and so named this spicy pincho after her. It is served in nearly every bar.

20 small pitted Spanish green olives
10 canned anchovy fillets
10 pepperoncini or other hot pickled pepper

On a toothpick, skewer an olive, a folded anchovy, a pepper, and then another olive. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 10 pinchos.

Teresa Barrenechea,
"The Basque Table"

GREEN PEPPER, HAM AND ANCHOVY PINCHOS

The soft-cooked peppers make these pinchos special. Because both the peppers and the eggs can be made in advance, the pinchos can be quickly assembled when you are ready to serve them.

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch strips
3 large hard-cooked eggs
10 oblong slices of baguette
10 slices of serrano ham or prosciutto
10 canned anchovy fillets, patted dry

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the pepper strips and cook over medium-low heat until the peppers are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Cut the eggs into thin lengthwise slices with each slice containing some yolk. You need a total of 10 slices.

Spread a portion of cooled peppers on each slice of bread. Top with a slice of ham, a slice of egg and drape with an anchovy fillet. Makes 10.

Teresa Barrenechea,
"The Basque Table"

CRABMEAT PINCHOS

The baguette slices should be cut on the angle, about 3 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Use whatever fresh crabmeat is available.