Back to the Biscayan
Returning to Bizkaia is not the same as returning to the Bizkaia style, although not so different, in my case. Of the four basic sauces of our cuisine, the red one is the one that triggers the strongest emotional connections for me (the quartet consists of black, green, and white).
The Basque style was already imprinting its distinctive character on dishes like pig's trotters, tripe, and tongue in the 16th century, and it elevated cod to a new level of culinary artistry when it arrived from Newfoundland. The farmhouses came to the aid of the sea, the opposite of what had happened so many times before. Surpassing a casserole of this cod-like dish, when the sausage makers, the cod, and the cook have had enough time to dry properly, is no easy feat.
I'm telling you all this because I just passed by the Zarate restaurant in Bilbao, and a newly created dish brought back memories for all the women in my family who have passed away. Sergio Ortiz de Zarate is one of those rare chefs who are both rigorous and creative, and his cod tripe with pig's trotters and Biscay sauce, with its little sea sausage made from cod, is one of those homage-like versions that celebrate tradition and elevate the chef. In his comic book, Saltsa Nostra, the protagonist sends an apprentice to his grave for adding tomato to the Biscay sauce. You see, in Bilbao there are some things you just don't mess around with… or do you?
