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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhen we first arrived, we were given a tour through the building. Set in an old military building, the stone walls and old wooden beams contribute to the warm ambience of the many, many dining areas in the sociedad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, we saw their library, full of books in Spanish, French, and even Basque, with a gastronomic focus. It\u2019s named after Alexandre Dumas – a prolific writer with a particular love of cooking and eating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then onto the kitchen! Though you might not expect it, given the old building and demure exterior, there was a fully modern, well-equipped kitchen, supported by a wide assortment of ingredients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For out meal, we prepared a variety of dishes, starting with some typical pintxos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Widely cited as the original pintxo, we made \u201cgilda\u201d. Though you might struggle to match the ingredient quality, this one\u2019s easy to make at home:<\/p>\n\n\n\n -Start with a skewer of some sort. (In fact, pintxo – pronounced pin-cho – comes from the Spanish word pinchar, meaning to pierce or skewer.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Onto it, add:<\/p>\n\n\n\n -Three pickled peppers <\/p>\n\n\n\n -An anchovy<\/p>\n\n\n\n -An olive<\/p>\n\n\n\n And that\u2019s it! There you have the most classic pintxo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s much more than that, though, as we also had:<\/p>\n\n\n\n -Jam\u00f3n iberico over half a hard-boiled egg on bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n -Chistorra – the equivalent of elevated \u201cpigs in a blanket\u201d – light puff pastry surrounding a delicious fresh chorizo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n -Stuffed peppers with a mix of tuna and mayonnaise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, for our main course, we had fish cooked in olive oil with onions and roasted peppers. To preserve the flavor of the fish, the guiding chef cooked it just a bit. As he said, just half a centimeter of white in the meat – totally raw in the center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For the vegetarians among us, there were two special dishes. First, a mushroom scramble, from fresh eggs, diced mushrooms, garlic, and olive oil! Second, boiled artichokes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll notice that for each of these dishes – the ingredient list is so short! Three for the gilda, four for the mushroom scramble, and still under ten even for our almond-crusted cake. Because the basque country has access to such excellent, high-quality, fresh ingredients, there\u2019s no need to cake them in spices, or drown them in processed additives. The basques know that between just a few ingredients, you can make a truly harmonious dish – be it a heaping plate or just a couple bites in the form of a pintxo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, our dessert course. When we first arrived, we rolled out dough, made a lemon, vanilla, and cream filling, and then filled the pastry with it. Then, after painting it with eggwash, we put mountains of almonds and then put it in the oven. If you try to recreate it at home – be sure not to open the oven within the first half hour! You wouldn\u2019t want the dough to fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m sure you won\u2019t want to hear just my perspective, though, so here\u2019s some reviews of the various dishes from my classmates:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe gilda was a unique mix of flavors, and the pepper and anchovy come together to make a surprisingly delicious bite.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat tomato and onion salad hit different.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n About the tuna, one classmate said, \u201cHe managed to pull out an exquisite depth of flavor with only the freshest, simplest ingredients of olive oil and salt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat stuffed pepper was absolutely DELICIOUS!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even the bread was given glowing reviews! Baked fresh that day, pulled out of a bag full of artisan loaves, it really was delicious. Of course, bread plays a pivotal role, serving as the canvas upon which other ingredients are layered, and they come together to make culinary works of art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, not every review was so positive. One dissenter said about the cake:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI didn\u2019t like the desert. I don\u2019t like almonds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall, the class was informative, the meal was great, and it was – as always – a pleasure to break bread and relax with my classmates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you ever get the opportunity, I recommend you try these dishes at home. Though the quality of ingredients will never match that of this cooking society in the heart of the Basque country, it is undoubtedly worth opening your mouth and mind to the food and culture of the Basque region. Enjoy!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Without a doubt, Basque culture and food are inextricable, and today we were given the opportunity to get a rare insider’s look into the sociedades (cooking societies) that dot the Basque Country. At these cooking societies, one can prepare delicious … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/VcQtuWqqQ3zX9HFUPfB--y1VcVprqPhtmBvth8xgcMiHDCawTBniAZzleoDGXbB6kdVJsyFc3WpeVjWEMz9EdME8T_-9q9Ha5dCOuTBl_Zi2f9MsmHcR5lSx2fs84bnbntp1PWvspUWa2mg5BCKlmGk\")
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