Pintxos: Small Plates in the Basque Tradition

An authentic small plates cookbook from the top Basque chef in America.

Acclaimed chef Gerald Hirigoyen's sophisticated and delectable small plates, served at his restaurants, Bocadillos and Piperade, set the standard for tapas in San Francisco. This book features 75 distinctive California-inflected versions of Spanish tapas and French Basque dishes (including Salt Cod with Piperade, Roasted Beets with Moroccan Spices, and Oxtail Empanadas with Spicy Mango Dip) specially written for the home cook. Conveniently organized by type of dish—grilled, soups, braises, skewers and toasts, sandwiches, bean dishes, and fried foods—and illustrated with the exemplary photography of James Beard award-winning photographer Maren Caruso, PINTXOS is all you need to host an authentic and stylish tapas party at home.

"[Bocadillos is] the most captivating and authentic-feeling Spanish tapas-style restaurant in the city." —Michael Bauer, San Francisco ChronicleReviews“[A] tasty and broad array of small plates that will tantalize and satisfy.”—Publishers Weekly 

An authentic small plates cookbook from the top Basque chef in America.

Acclaimed chef Gerald Hirigoyen's sophisticated and delectable small plates, served at his restaurants, Bocadillos and Piperade, set the standard for tapas in San Francisco. This book features 75 distinctive California-inflected versions of Spanish tapas and French Basque dishes (including Salt Cod with Piperade, Roasted Beets with Moroccan Spices, and Oxtail Empanadas with Spicy Mango Dip) specially written for the home cook. Conveniently organized by type of dish—grilled, soups, braises, skewers and toasts, sandwiches, bean dishes, and fried foods—and illustrated with the exemplary photography of James Beard award-winning photographer Maren Caruso, PINTXOS is all you need to host an authentic and stylish tapas party at home.

"[Bocadillos is] the most captivating and authentic-feeling Spanish tapas-style restaurant in the city." —Michael Bauer, San Francisco ChronicleReviews“[A] tasty and broad array of small plates that will tantalize and satisfy.”—Publishers Weekly 

Publishers Weekly

Hirigoyen, chef/owner of San Francisco's Piperade and Bascadillos and author of The Basque Kitchen, makes a worthy contribution to the rapidly growing number of cookbooks from the Iberian peninsula. Hirigoyen focuses on pintxos, Basque for tapas or finger foods, a specialty taken very seriously in his homeland. Many of the selections can be made ahead of time, and many are served at room temperature. Recipes are paired with wine suggestions, including such hard-to-match plates as fried chicken sandwiches, lamb's tongue, and artichoke chips. Dishes are grouped by food type-little sandwiches, stews and braises, fried bites, skewers, etc. Highlights include duck breast with oranges and green olives, tuna belly with lemon confit, tomato and watermelon salad, and fava beans with crème fraîche and mint. A detailed pantry section includes recipes for such staples as aioli, with lemon and orange/saffron variations; ham dust; garlic chips; and veal stock. With 75 recipes and 50 full-color photographs, Hirigoyen showcases a tasty and broad array of small plates that will tantalize and satisfy. (Apr.)

GERALD HIRIGOYEN is the chef-owner of two acclaimed San Francisco restaurants, Piperade and Bocadillos. He has twice been named Best Chef in the Bay Area by San Francisco Magazine, voted one of Food & Wine's Top New Chefs in America, and nominated in 2006 for the James Beard Foundation Best Chef: California award. This is his third book. He lives in Mill Valley, California.THE AUTHOR SCOOP

Who would you cast as yourself in a movie of your life? Kevin Spacey Favorite cocktail? Negroni Favorite seasoning? Piment d’Espelette What’s your favorite snack food? Pickled Herring What stimulates your creative juices? Pressure What is your favorite thing about being an author? To be able to pass the books down through generations of my family, so that one day my great grandchild can pick up a book by me... If you had to boil your message down to one sentence, what would it be? That food is just food, and you’re not going to perish even if you mess it up!