April 4th

Tonight I made Chuletas de Cordero on Ajo (Lamb chops with garlic; recipe from p. 101 of The Basque Story Cookbook) and Pimentos Rojos (same cookbook), stuffed peppers, and oven fried herbed fries.
Stuffed Peppers

This is a recipe of my own creation.  I believe stuffed peppers are mainly a Spanish dish, but there were several recipes for stuffed peppers (mostly involving crabmeat or shrimp). For inspiration, I turned to the online menu for Piperade http://www.piperade.com/, a Basque restaurant in San Francisco.  Piperade offered piquillo peppers stuffed with goat cheese and raisins.  This sounded a bit too rich and I only had largish red peppers in the fridge.  I tried to give this recipe a basque flare with my choice of ingredients:
Stuffing (enough for 2 bell peppers):
1/2 cup raw brown rice
1/2 cup feta cheese (I used 1/4 cup and they came out too dry)
1/8 cup chopped chorizo (or cured meat of choice)
1/8 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 (or more) cloves of garlic, chopped
Cook the rice.  Gut peppers of choice.  I used 2 regular bell peppers, but a smaller, more flavorful pepper may work better, like a pimento or piquillo pepper.  Mix stuffing ingredients in a bowl and stuff the pepper.  It may be good to prop up the peppers so the stuffing doesn't fall out (I used a pan for coffee cakes) Cook at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

1. Chuletas de Cordero on Ajo (Lamb Chops with Garlic) and Pimentos Rojos (Red Peppers)
   
   From the A Basque Story Cook Book by Ann Rogers
   
   

Cut a slit in each lamb chop and insert a sliver of peeled garlic.  Rub with salt, pepper and oil. I was over zealous and I inserted three slivers into each chop.  One is enough. Here is a link to the method I used to cook them: http://www.howtocookmeat.com/howtopanfrylambloinchops.htm I did not need to broil them for the full 10 minutes.  I like my meat on the rare side, but I would check them after 5 minutes.  The internal temperature for rare lamb is 140 degrees, 150 for medium, and 160 for well done.
Ann Rogers says that the lamb chops are traditionally served with Pimentos Rojos:
2 4-ounce cans whole pimentos (I used about half that for four lamb chops)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large clove garlic
salt
Mince garlic and simmer until golden brown.  Drain, quarter and carefully lay the pimentos on the pan.  Add salt and cook over low heat with a cover on the pan for 10 minutes.
Herbed Fries
Although I did not encounter fries in my two week tour of the Basque country, I can't say they don't exist.  Nevertheless, I have seen fries on the menu of most of the Basque-American restaurants I have encountered. I personally like this method because I prefer softer fries to crispier fries. These are oven baked instead of deep fried, so we can pretend they are healthy:Cut desired amount of potatoes (I like the way russet potatoes fry up in this case) lengthwise until they are about a quarter to a half inch thick. 

Toss with lots of herbs (I used parsley, dill, oregano, and basil), salt, olive oil, and pepper.  Spread out on baking sheet and bake at  400 degrees for about ten minutes, or until they are soft and golden brown on the outside. 

I also served sauteed broccoli (with onions and garlic) with this meal (put a little water in the pan, cover it, and the broccoli will be done when the water cooks off).  It's not Basque but it adds more color to the plate, and it's good for you.