Tapas San Sebastian

East Coast….Tapas


Earlier this year I flew to Bilbao and headed down to the coastal city of San Sebastian which is about 1.5 hours from Bilbao Airport.

San Sebastian is the capital city of the province of Guipuzcoa in the Basque Country, Spain.

The city is in the north of the Basque Country, on the Southern coast of the Bay of Biscay and the city sits at the mouth of the river Urumea. San Sebastian’s beautiful coastline makes it a popular beach resort in summer.

Parte Vieja (old part) is the traditional core area of the city, which was surrounded by walls, up to 1863 when they were demolished to occupy the stretch of sand and land that connected the town to the mainland.

Basque cuisine includes meats & fish gfrilled over hot coals, lamb stews, cod fresh & salted, Pinxtos (Basque Tapas) Sheeps Cheese, Txakoli sparkling wine and Basque Cider.

Basque cuisine is influenced by the abundance of produce from the sea and the fertile Ebro valley, The mountainous nature of the Basque country has led to a difference between coastal cuisine dominated by fish and seafood, and inland cuisine with fresh & cured meats and lots of locally grown vegetables.

In addition to the dishes and products of the Basque, they have some very special ways of preparing and sharing food which are unique to this area.

Cider Houses

You will find these Sagardotegias (cider houses) nestled in the hills around San Sebastian, some are located in typical farmhouse facades which open up into a huge barn like structure which houses the chestnut vats that store the cider. There is generally a walk way between the vats (which can be 15feet tall) you walk down through the walkway with your glass to sample the different ciders. 1 vat is opened at a time generally and diners walk through to fill their glasses bringing them back to simple wooden tables.

The cider houses were not set up as dining houses however the gastronomic clubs on their day trips brought their own food and cooked it on open fires.

Nowadays, cider houses are one of the hidden dining gems of the Basque country, serving a variation on a menu of chorizo cooked in cider, salt-cod omelette, fresh cod fried with peppers, char-grilled T-bone steaks, walnuts and Idiazábal sheep's cheese – all for around 30 Euro with unlimited cider. I have included a list of 10 of the best cider houses around San Sebastian.
The cider house I visited way very busy with large groups of people gathered around simple high large wooden tables – no seats were provided. The table held cutlery, condiments and a glass each.
Food arrived on big wooden boards which the group tucked into. Lots of trips were made down to the cider vat area, this was an experience in itself as many groups used this area as a social area. It was very different from an Irish Pub!!
Basque ciders are flatter than their European counterparts and less alcoholic, typically between five and six per cent.

Gastronomic Societies

Gastronomic Societies are organisations,
also dating back to the 1800’s. They are almost always made up of men, who cook & eat together in a small space owned by a group of friends in the smaller towns and suburbs, food and costs are shared.




Pinxtos – Pnchos...

The txikiteo is the Pinxtos (tapas) crawl from one little bar to the next especially in the old town of San Sebastian. Many of these little bars are known for their speciality eg. lamb, calamari, prawns/fish etc. they display their food on bar tops or in refrigerated units where people came and helped themselves to a selection of Pinxtos/ tapas in the evenings with friends and family. Look out for the hot dishes which are cooked to order and are really worthwhile, the menu is generally on the wall near the bar... Watch the locals!! Pinxtos are an inexpensive but extremely great way of dining in San Sebastian

The locals either drink a glass of Basque cider or a glass of Txakoli, delicious local sparkling wine costing about 1.50euro per glass.

Franco’ s Restaurants

Under Franco’s rule , restaurants had to provide a three course lunch meal with wine for under 15 euro. There are many little restaurants about the old town in San Sebastian still providing this service. Look for the menu boards outside.



Michelin Starred Restaurants

With a bigger concentration of Michelin stars per inhabitant than any other city, San Sebastian's reputation as a mecca for foodies is well deserved.


Arzak  - excerpt from a restaurant guide

Address: Alto de Miracruz 21 
Tel: 94-328-55-93 
Opening Times: Tues-Sun 1-3:30pm; Tues-Sat 8:30-11:30pm
Closed:June 15-July 3 and Nov 5-30; closed Tues Jan-June 

Juan Mari Arzak has turned this place into a restaurant of world renown which has three Michelin stars. It is reputedly the finest restaurant in Spain which specialises in Basque cuisine with the chef's personal touch. Some of the favourite dishes of previous customers are listed on the back of the menu just in case you're having a problem making your mind up. It is essential to reserve in advance and meals are likely to cost around 100 per person.

I visited this restaurant earlier this year and met Juan Mari Arzak’s daughter, who brought me to the heart of the kitchen to meet the chefs (all 40 of them) it was a spectacular sight to see so many chefs working together and preparing such unique dishes. Dinner was spectacular! This is definitely worth a trip for a very special occasion ... book in advance and avoid the high summer season.


Akelare 

Address: Paseo del Padre Orkolaga 56 
Tel: 94-321-20-52 
Opening Times: Tues-Sun 1-3:30pm; Tues-Sat 8:30-11pm 
Closed:Feb and Sept 27-Oct 15; closed Tues Jan-June 

This restaurant offers similar dishes as Arzak and many visitors suggest that the quality is of the same excellence as Arzak but in a better location lying a few kilometres west of the city beyond the village of Igueldo which offers superb views out to sea. The chef, Pedro Subijana, was selected as the best chef in Spain in 1983 and his influence has shaped the development of modern Basque cuisine ever since. The restaurant has two Michelin stars and prices are marginally less than Arza






Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

Slice the tops from the tomatoes, hollow out and discard the seeds. Turn upside down on a paper towel for a few mins to drain. Mix equal amounts of goats cheese & ricotta cheese, with finely chopped prosciutto or Serrano ham. Spoon into the tomatoes and pop into the fridge until you are ready to eat.


Grilled peppers on French bread

Cut 1 red pepper in half remove seeds & membrane, Drizzle with olive oil and pop on the bbq or under the grill for a few mins, until the skins have blackened. Pop into a plastic bag, cool for a few mins, & the skins will simply peel off. Thinly slice the pepper, add ¼ teaspoon of balsamic vinegar. Pop onto slices of French bread.

Manchego cheese is a Spanish Sheep’s cheese, cut into cubes and pop onto cocktail sticks with grilled red pepper.

Chorizo Sausage rounds baked or fried until beginning to crisp & served with crusty bread.

Serrano ham slices rolled- pop on a cocktail stick with a little melon.


Toppings for Ciabatta/ French or Sourdough bread

Slice the bread in 1cm slices drizzle with olive oil and bake or grill until golden on both sides...

Rocket & Feta on French Bread Slices drizzled with olive oil.

Smoked Salmon, cream cheese, lemon juice & capers

Fried mushrooms, crumbled goats cheese, flat leaf parsley

Egg mayonnaise with chives

Tomatoes mixed with finely shredded basil & a drizzle of olive oil.

Chorizo sausage, grilled red pepper & flat leaf parsley

Thinly sliced grilled red, yellow & orange peppers, finely chopped garlic & olive oil


Salted fried almonds

2 handfuls of peeled almonds
2 tbsp olive oil
Seasalt


Heat the oil in a pan
Pop the almonds onto the pan and move them around the pan constantly for about 1 min or until browned
Remove from the pan place on kitchen paper .. to remove excess oil.
Pop into a bowl and scatter liberally with seasalt.

Quick Patatas Bravas

3 potatoes
1 finely chopped onion
1 red chilli pepper
1 clove of garlic
2 cups of pasata – sieved tomatoes
1 teasp of sugar
½ glass of white wine
Salt & black pepper

Saute the onion in a pan with olive oil for about 5 mins then tip in the garlic & chilli and continue to cook for about 5 mins.
Pop the pasata into the pan with the wine, bring to the boil then simmer for 15 mins.
Season with salt, pepper and the sugar.
Chop the potatoes into bite sized cubes place on a baking tray coating them in olive oil
Pop into the oven for 15 mins @ 200 or until cooked.
Transfer to a serving bowl and pour warm sauce over the potatoes.

The sauce will keep in a sealed container once in the fridge for 2 weeks.


King prawns in garlic & sherry

12 king prawns (fresh if available)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tsp garlic crushed
2 tsp paprika
2 tablespoons of sherry
Lemon or lime wedges to serve

Heat the oil on a non stick pan, toss in the garlic, & sherry, cook for 2 mins the add paprika stir & then pop the on prawns, c00k for 5 mins or until turned in colour for 1 min…
Transfer to a plate and garnish with lemon or lime wedges.











Goats cheese with tarragon & garlic marinade

3 thickish slices of goats cheese
250ml olive oil
1 bunch of tarragon chopped
4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of black peppercorns


1. Leave the rind on the goats cheese and chop into bite sized chunks.
mix together all the ingredients for the marinade and pour over the cheese.
Leave to marinade for at least two hours.
Use cocktail sticks to spike the cubes when serving.


San Sebastian


Top 10 Cider Houses ... check before you go if open!!
1. Zelaia
"Every cider house has its own personality," explains Zelaia's owner José Antonio Gaincerain. Zelaia would best be described as gregarious and family-orientated to the core. Diners are served up classic cider house fair cooked by José Antonio's wife Nati and delivered by his daughter Oihana. A student of agricultural technology, Oihana is determined to modernise cider making without losing the traditional ritual. As such, there isn't a chair in sight and cider is released from the barrels by drawing out a thin txotx (peg) rather than by turning a tap. The brew is as convincing as the food, well-balanced and gently acidic.
• Open Jan - Apr. Martindeji Auzoa 29, 20120 Hernani; +34 943 555851;zelaia.es.
2. Lizeaga
The Lizeaga twins
Hidden in a 16th-century farmhouse, Lizeaga is one the region's oldest and most atmospheric cider houses. Escape the outside view of a newly built motorway bridge by entering a dimly lit, low-ceilinged dining room where baguettes signal bookings on long wooden tables. The Lizeaga twins are the fourth-generation of cider makers and have built a clever tunnel linking the old farmhouse to the newer cellar building. Move on from the barrels to taste the house speciality, tortilla de bacalao, which comes out steaming and soft in the middle.
• Open all year. Gartziategi Baserria, 20115 Astigarraga; +34 943 468290.
3. Gurutzeta
Cider pouring
Climb the steep steps in Gurutzeta on a Wednesday evening and you'll hear the singing of an Otxote (Basque male choir). Singing for their dinner, Otxote Eguzkilore includes doctors, teachers and engineers who replenish their cider glasses before returning to eat. A regular at Gurutzeta, culinary guide Jon Warren of San Sebastián Food explains the reason why people angle their glasses when cider is poured. "Breaking the stream of cider on the edge of the glass allows the cider to oxidise, releasing the natural flavours and aromas."
• Open Jan - Apr. Oialume Bidea, 63, 20115 Astigarraga; +34 943 552242; gurutzeta.com.
4. Zapiain

The loading bay for lorries behind Zapiain is testament to its commercial orientation. Only five per cent of its cider is drunk during the txotx season, the rest is sold to supermarkets and a small amount is exported to America. Egoitz Zapiain, one of the heirs to the business, plots the label's expansion during the day and works as the txotxero, opening the barrels in the evening. "I like to start people off with the easier drinking ciders before moving on to the slightly more acidic ciders later on," he says. Renowned for consistently high-quality cuisine, early booking is essential.
• Open Jan - Apr. Kale Nagusia 96, 20115 Astigarraga; +34 943 330033.
5. Petretegi
Cider catching at Petretegi
Regularly fully booked (which is saying something if your restaurant seats over 700), family-owned Petretegi is one of the few to offer self-serve cider all year round, thanks in part to their staggering 15,000-litre chestnut barrels. It has an electric atmosphere when busy and the price includes wine as well as cider. The homemade sherberty apple sorbet is worth the extra €2.
• Open all year. Petritegi Bidea, 20115 Astigarraga; +34 943 457188;petritegi.com.
6. Mina
Bacalao con pimientos
Mina is perched above the small town of Astigarraga with impressive views of the surrounding countryside. It's a difficult landscape for modern farming machinery, which is one reason why apples are brought in from Asturias, Galicia and Normandy to meet the demand of cider makers. Mina is best at bacalao en salsa verde, cod cooked in a parsley-laden sauce, served with potatoes.
• Open Jan - Apr. Txoritokieta Bidea 50; 20115 Astigarraga; +34 943 555220.
7. Altzueta
Just down the road, in Hernani, the cider house Altzueta is the birthplace of Florentino Goiloetxea who, during the second world war, helped hundreds of air crew cross the border from Nazi-occupied Ipparalde (French Basque country). His nephew Juan serves up no-nonsense cider house staples to diners who stand beside the barrels.
• Open Jan - Apr. Barrio Osinaga 7, 20128 Hernani; +34 943 551502;altzuetasagardotegia.com.
8. Larre-gain
Queso y membrillo at Larre-gain
Follow the river out of Hernani and resist any instincts to turn back as you bare left up a steep incline. Owners José and Ixabel have an eye for details, the unusual aperitivo of anchovies plays off brilliantly against the sweetness of the cider. Order ahead if you'd like cod in salsa verde and leave some space for generous servings of cheese, quince jelly and almond biscuits.
• Open Jan - Apr. Ereñozu Auzoa 58, 20120 Hernani; +34 943 55 58 46.
9. Alorrenea
Steaks on the grill at Alorrenea
One of the few cider houses to open for lunch on weekdays, what Alorrenea lacks in charm, it makes up for in unpretentious hospitality. Owner Javier Mariz wields a hefty cleaver in front of an open barbeque. The plate-sized T-bone steaks have crimson centres.
• Open all year. Petritegi Bidea 4, 20115 Astigarraga; +34 943 336999; alorrenea.com.
10. Calonge
A boxy modern building on the Igueldo hill overlooking San Sebastián, purists don't see Calonge as a "true" sagardotegia. But with stunning views of the Bay of Biscay and a maze-like cellar out back, it's worth a visit. The menu goes beyond the traditional cider house offering and chairs are a welcome relief to weary legs.
• Open all year. Gurutzeta baserria, Orkolaga paseoa 8, 20008 San Sebastián; +34 943 213251.