Though nueva cocina has invaded Basque cooking, Barrenechea has intentionally left it aside for another book. She cleaves to tradition in The Basque Table, to the pinchos (like tapas), first courses, and main courses that make up the traditional meal served in Basque homes. It is a deceptively simple cuisine, something of a tightrope act, that demands of any cook the ability to select the best possible ingredients. When, in a dish like Chuletitas de Cordero (grilled lamb chops), you are only working with the chops, olive oil, garlic, flat-leaf parsley, and salt, there's no place to hide. And yet, when everything is exemplary and the chops come off the grill at the perfect moment, the effect in the mouth and in the heart and soul of any diner will defy description. A tough kind of simple, in other words.

A fierce pride shows in Barrenechea's recipe descriptions and food notes. She holds herself to the highest cultural standard. What she aims for and achieves is a replication in print, with an American kitchen in mind, of exactly how a certain dish should taste to the Basque palate.

So take heart in dishes like sweetbreads with garlic and parsley, crayfish in hot sauce, mushrooms with scrambled eggs, white bean stew, roasted fresh ham, chicken Basque style, fresh cod with red and black sauces, grilled prawns, and trout Navarra-style. You may be cooking at home, but you'll be sitting and eating at a Basque table. And there's no other table quite like it. --Schuyler Ingle

From Publishers Weekly
A native of Bilboa, Spain, and chef-owner of two restaurants (both named Marichu in Manhattan and Bronxville, New York), Barrenechea deftly presents the robust cuisine of her homeland. The Basque region extends from north-central Spain to southwestern France, and has its own language, culture and gastronomic heritage. In the introduction, Barrenechea defines the tenets of Basque cooking?fresh, seasonal ingredients, fish and seafood-dominated dishes, simple cooking techniques (roasting, grilling, sauteing) and straightforward sauces?that yield its honest, lusty flavors. Chapters are organized in the traditional Basque dining sequence: pinchos, (finger foods, similar to Spanish tapas), first courses, main courses and desserts. Recipes focus primarily on authentic, home-style preparations like Larruskain Fish Soup, and Potato and Chorizo Stew Rioja-Style; there are such tried-and-true favorites from Marichu menus as Home-Style Roasted Potatoes, and crustless Custard Tart Bilboa-Style; and coastline-inspired dishes, e.g., Baby Eels in Sizzling Garlic, and an assertive, garlicky Red Snapper Guernica-Style. Clear, step-by-step instructions and workable substitutions enable even novices to navigate the recipes; sidebars provide pleasant armchair traveling. Easy, energetic prose and an intelligent ensemble of accessible recipes offer readers an insider's taste tour of Basque cuisine. Color photos not seen by PW.
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