Cooking on the Go
By Janet Groene, F47166
March 2006
Basque hotels, with their wonderful restaurants, were a second home to the sheep farmers who flocked to North America in the 1870s. Lured by the promise of “wide open spaces,” these hard-working settlers established lives in the New World, never forgetting the comfort foods of their homeland.
While traveling through Nevada last year, I discovered the goodness and huge variety of Basque dining. As much a ritual as it is a feast, the traditional Basque meal includes course after course, starting with an appetizer so hearty you think it’s the main event. Pace yourself. There are many dishes yet to come.
Rich in the flavors of garlic and chorizo, the cuisine dotes on lamb, organ meats, tripe, tongue, thick steaks (a Basque chateaubriand is a thick steak cooked between two thin steaks), and lots of pimentos.
Here are some of Nevada’s leading Basque restaurants. Look for them in your travels and know you’ll get a friendly welcome plus a memorable meal at a reasonable price.
- Gardnerville: The Carson Valley Country Club; J&T Bar; and the historic Overland Hotel.
- Winnemucca: The Martin Hotel; Ormachea’s Dinner House; and the Winnemucca Hotel, which dates to 1863.
- Elko: Biltoki, which means the gathering place; the Star Hotel; and the Nevada Dinner House.
- Reno: Louis’ Basque Corner
If you can’t make it to one of these or another Basque restaurant around the country, consider trying one of the following recipes on your next motorhome trip.
Basque Lamb Stew
This stew, which is traditionally made in a stew pot over very low heat, also can be prepared in a pressure cooker (20 minutes at 15 pounds), a crock cooker (eight hours on low), or an oven (six hours in a covered pot at 225 degrees). It’s a good rainy-day dish that cooks, carefree, while you do other things.
1-1/2 pounds lean, boneless lamb for stew
15- or 16-ounce can chicken or beef broth
1 large onion, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 large turnips, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2-teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
1/4-teaspoon dried thyme
1/2-teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Put the lamb in a cooking pot. Add enough water to the broth to make two cups, then add one cup to the pot with the remaining ingredients, except the flour. Bring the pot to a simmer; cover; and cook for approximately two hours or until the meat is tender. Just before serving, stir a little of the remaining broth into the flour to make a paste; then stir in the rest of the broth. Add the flour-broth mixture to the stew and cook, stirring, until the gravy thickens. Add salt to taste if needed. This recipe makes four servings.
Codfish A La Basque
This is not an unusual way to cook fish, but we like the offbeat sauce with its bits of red pimento. Although we use fresh fish, Basques make it and many other traditional dishes with salt cod, which has to be soaked in fresh water overnight (some recipes call for two days) to remove the excess salt.
4 fresh cod fillets (approximately 1 pound)
1 egg, beaten
Flour, salt, pepper
Oil for frying
Small jar chopped pimento
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Pat the fish dry with paper towels, dip it in the beaten egg, and dredge it in the seasoned flour. Fry the fish in the hot oil (I use about 1/4-cup of canola oil) until the breading is golden. Remove the fish to a plate and cover to keep warm. If the frying pan is dry, add another tablespoon or two of oil. Fry the pimento and garlic in the oil until the garlic is tender and the oil is infused with the garlic and pimento flavors; then, spoon it over the fish. This recipe makes four servings.
Basque Cake
This favorite Basque dessert is made with sweet pastry crusts top and bottom, custard filling, and cherries. Here is my simplified, one-crust version.
1 piecrust
Approximately 4 tablespoons almonds, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
Half a 10-ounce jar black cherry preserves
2 four-serving packets vanilla pudding, regular or sugar-free
3 cups cold milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
Put the piecrust in a 9-inch or 10-inch pie plate and lightly press the chopped almonds into the dough with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with the sugar. Bake the pie shell according to package directions and allow it to cool. Spread the preserves in the pie shell. Whisk together the pudding mix with the milk and the almond extract. Pour the pudding mixture into the pie shell and chill for several hours until it is firm.
Basque-Style Shrimp Salad
2 cups instant rice
Pinch saffron
16-ounce can chicken broth plus water
12-ounce package cooked, cleaned shrimp, thawed
1 bunch scallions, whites only, sliced
1 small fully cooked chorizo sausage, cut into bits
1 red sweet pepper, diced
1 green sweet pepper, diced
8 ounces dry-aged ham, cut into small bits
1/4-cup olive oil
Snipped parsley
Put the instant rice in a bowl with the saffron. Pour the chicken broth into a measuring cup and add enough water to make 2 cups. Bring the chicken broth to a boil; pour over the rice; cover; and let stand until the rice is soft, which should take approximately five minutes. Fold in the well-drained shrimp, scallions, chorizo, peppers, and ham. Gently mix in the olive oil, sprinkle with snipped parsley, and serve at room temperature. This recipe makes four to six servings as a luncheon main dish.
Piperade
Make a double or triple batch of this all-purpose sauce and use it atop meats from the grill or as an omelet filling.
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, finely diced
1 large green sweet pepper, diced
1 red sweet pepper, diced
Small can diced green chilies, drained
2 teaspoons minced garlic
32-ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 ounces prosciutto, finely chopped
Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt, pepper
Heat the olive oil and stir-fry the onions and peppers until they are tender. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat for eight to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Remove the bay leaf. Serve over grilled or roasted meat or fish, or spoon into a puffy omelet.
Basque Chicken
The familiar tomato and pepper sauce of the Basque kitchen does wonders for chicken in this carefree dish. It can be made ahead of time and rewarmed.
4 portions of your favorite chicken parts
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 ounces ham, chopped
5 ounces chorizo, cut into bits
1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup dry white wine
5 green bell peppers, cut into strips
15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2-cup brandy
Salt, pepper to taste
Pat the chicken dry; sprinkle with salt and pepper; and brown in a frying pan with the hot butter and oil. Remove the chicken from the pan and saute the ham and chorizo in the skillet with the onion and garlic. Stir in the white wine, gathering up all the brown bits from the pan. Return the chicken parts to the pan; cover with the peppers; add the tomatoes and cayenne; cover; and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes or until the chicken tests done. Remove the chicken to serving dishes. Increase the burner setting and stir the brandy into the boiling sauce. Adjust the seasonings. Serve the sauce over the chicken, along with rice or potatoes.
Tian
Basque recipes for this dish call for pumpkin, but it may be easier to use butternut squash when fresh pumpkin isn’t available. If you do use pumpkin, cut it up without peeling. When made with onion, this recipe can be served as an appetizer. If made without the onion, it’s splashed with sweet liqueur and enjoyed for dessert.
3-pound butternut squash, peeled
1 or 2 small onions
Brown sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt
Olive oil
Cut the squash into approximately 3-inch-square by 1/4-inch-thick pieces, arrange them on greased cookie sheets, and brush with olive oil. Heat the oven to 300 degrees and cook the squash while you slice the onions into very thin whole rings. You will need as many onion slices as pieces of squash. When the squash is just fork-tender, put an onion ring atop each piece, followed by a tablespoon of brown sugar, a sprinkling of salt and pepper, and a teaspoon of olive oil. Move the cookie sheets under the broiler and watch carefully until the onion browns. Serve as a first course or a side dish.
To serve as a dessert, omit the onion and pepper. When the squash is almost tender, top it with a tablespoon of brown sugar and a teaspoon of olive oil. Continue baking until the squash is tender and glazed with the sugar. Place on serving plates and top with a dollop of sweet liqueur such as triple sec or coconut rum (pumpkin liqueur is used in Basque cuisine, but it’s difficult to find). As a dessert it is good with a little cream, whipped cream, or a scoop of vanilla or rum raisin ice cream.
Basque Vegetables
This is an extended version of the Piperade recipe, similar to what the French call ratatouille. Serve it as a vegetarian main dish or as a side dish with chicken or other meat. Note that Basque sauces often call for a little sausage or dry, strong-flavored ham such as prosciutto.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 ounces prosciutto, finely cut up
10-3/4-ounce can condensed tomato bisque soup, undiluted
1/3-cup water
2 tablespoons vinegar
1-1/2 pounds eggplant, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
9-ounce package Italian green beans, thawed
1 large green bell pepper, diced into large pieces
In a frying pan with hot oil, brown the onion, garlic, and ham; and stir in the soup, water, and vinegar. Bring to a boil and stir in the eggplant and green beans. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender, then add the green pepper and simmer for another five minutes or until the pepper is crisp-tender. Serve over rice.
Basque Beans
Called cassoulets in France, bean dishes from the Basque kitchen are often made with lamb. This is a simplified version for the cook on the go.
1 pound lean, boneless cubed lamb for stew
1/2-pound lean bulk sausage (hot, mild, or medium)
1 medium onion, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 bay leaf
1/2-cup white wine
1/3-cup water
2 15-ounce cans white beans, undrained
Freshly snipped parsley (optional)
Brown the lamb and sausage in a large, nonstick skillet or saucepan, breaking up the sausage. Gradually stir in the onion and garlic. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, white wine, and water; cover; and simmer until the lamb is tender. Remove the bay leaf, stir in the beans, and cook over low heat until the beans are heated through. Serve in shallow soup bowls with crusty bread and a salad.
Book for cooks
Do you love stopping at roadside diners to try the meatloaf with mashed potatoes or yummy milkshakes? More Retro Diner: A Second Helping of Roadside Recipes ($16.95, Collectors Press) by Randy Garbin and Teri Dunn is a delightful, hardcover book with a handsome jacket. The recipes are good, but even better are the retro photos. This is a book to leaf through with a good friend at your side to share memories.