pintxo astearteak (tapa tuesdays)

Ladies and gentlemen, I present you a very special pintxo asteartea.  In this edition of tapa tuesday, I present you the best pintxo of 2010. According to me. It's not crazy, it's not out there. But it's the one I always come back to. Last time I had it, in fact, the bartender made fun of me for pretending to look at the rest of the pintxos before I ordered it. Then he served it to me on a plate with my name written in sauce. Yum.

bar zeruko:::foie con queso de cabra (warm goat cheese and foie  served on a little toast)

what we ate: 2010

It's that time of year...the time to anticipate what will come, which requires a measure of looking back, too. So here's my personal look back on 2010, with a little bit of everything and including some of the best things I put in my mouth.

best kept grocery-store secret: belle chevre's breakfast cheeses. I may be biased, but there is nothing like these creamy, naturally sweetened chevres. getcha some.

best veggie: cauliflower, roasted in olive oil, salt and pepper. literally the tastiest thing and perfect in any form, pureed as an appetizer spread, mixed in quinoa, in a salad, as a side to meat, on a sandwich, whatever.

best drink: vin d'orange, a homemade liquor flavored with bitter oranges. impressive and refreshing.

best dessert: chocolate whiskey cake from Bottega

best pintxos in donostia: this is a highly controversial topic, but i'll stand by bar zeruko. It has everything a girl could want...traditional and fancy-ish pintxos, all out on the bar, plus a menu with award-winning dishes. and most importantly, the food just tastes good.

adios 2010. here's to many more delicious meals!

what we ate: nochevieja

Urte berri on! We rang in the New Year with a six-course dinner here in Spain, which included a husband with the 24 hour flu, a best friend from the states, lots of drinks and even more food. And contemporary pop/hiphop. The menu was simple but delicious..

hummus + foie gras para picar

piedmontese steak tartare, a la bottega, which I just HAD to make after seeing the mouth-watering New Year's meals from Stittland.

endive-bibb lettuce salad with avocado, white asparagus, and a creamy lemon dressing

txistorra and slow-cooked chard (because collard greens don't exist here)

idiazabal cheese, toasted walnuts, and membrillo (aka quince paste)

and all that followed by the traditional 12 grapes and some Moet & Chandon.

and lots of dancing.

txistorra with slow cooked chard

• txistorra
• three bunches of Swiss chard, rough-chopped
• a few slices of jamón or pancetta, diced or in lardons
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1/2 cup sherry
• 1 cup chicken broth
• bay leaf
• dried chile
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• olive oil

Saute the ham/pancetta in olive oil until rendered, then add the shallot. Saute another 30 seconds. Add the sherry, let it simmer for a minute or so. Add the chard, stirring about a minute. Add a generous pinch of salt, the chicken broth, the bay leaf, sherry vinegar and the chile.  Cook on a gentle simmer for an hour or two. Season to taste.

Heat a generous coating of oil over med-hi heat. Add the txistorra cut into manageable pieces, then saute, turning, until the outer layer is golden all around. Drain on a paper towel.