Javier is a Basque born, trained chef and hospitality professional, owner of Basco Fine Foods, a Spanish food and drink importer based in Yorkshire. He regularly runs client food and drink events around the country and he is a course tutor at Hartingtons of Bakewell cookery school. Javier’s passion lies on bringing quality Spanish ingredients and recipes to as many people as possible.
Twitter: @bascofinefoods
Instagram: @mrbasco
Hola! My name is Javier De La Hormaza, a Basque born, adopted Yorkshire man, trained chef but lifetime cook, lover of food without gels or froths, hospitality professional turned food importer. Hope you enjoy my blog!
3 January 2023
26 November 2022
23 July 2022
Tel: 01937 845 767
Email: info@bascofinefoods.com
Unit 427C Birch Park
Thorp Arch Estate
Wetherby, West Yorkshire
LS23 7FG
This is an old school Basque recipe from Jenaro Pildain, chef patron of Guria, one of Bilbao’s most iconic restaurants. Pildain was a classic chef, known to be the god of bacalao through his mastering of classic salt cod dishes such as Bacalao Pil-Pil, Bacalao a la Vizcaina and Bacalao Club Ranero. However, I have a 1980’s Basque recipe book where Pildain’s dishes clearly show how he was influenced by refined French cuisine and how those influences made him produce dishes that could also be counted as part of the Basque nouvelle cuisine movement of the 1970s. The name of this recipe perdices a la moda ederra, which means partridges in beautiful fashion, is an obvious sample of the influences that Pildain was exposed to. The recipe itself is very simple to prepare, the partridges are stuffed with a mixture of sauté chicken livers, breadcrumbs, shallots and garlic. They are then pot roasted with caramelised apples and crispy Iberico ham. The result is incredibly refined, as the soft creamy partridges balance perfectly with the sweetness from the apples and the salty notes from the Iberico ham.