After the stages’ foray into the traditional preparation of Kokotxas al Pil-Pil, they decided to go a little modern on this common Basque dish of cod jowl cooked slowly in olive oil. Using an immersion circulator, they sous-vide the kokotxas in a mixture of garlic, olive oil, and cayenne pepper. They finish the kokotxas in the traditional manner to create the emulsified pil-pil sauce.
Then, Tracy and Athena take their favorite flavors from the traditional dish and enhance them, garnishing the cockles with fried garlic and sprinklings of cayenne. Using techniques that lean more towards high cuisine than grandma’s stove, they create gelees from txakoli and chives to garnish the dish. The verdict? A delicious update on an already delicious Basque dish.
A successful round of experimenting in Restaurant Martín Berasategui, and just another day in the life of a BasqueStage.