Of the four mother sauces in Basque cuisine, there is one that particularly catches my attention.
Red in color, delicate, but with a powerful background, Biscayan sauce is usually associated with cod.
However, it can be prepared on its own, unlike pil pil or salsa verde, which need the collagen from the fish they cover for texture.
The first historical reference to this sauce is found in a publication from 1873,
La mesa, arte de cocina within the reach of a medium fortune
written by Dolores Vedia de Uhagón.
This woman first wrote the Biscayan sauce as we know it today.
Versions that also include green peppers or tomato are previously found, and are used more as a garnish than as a sauce.
As has happened on other occasions in the world of cooking, Dolores's legacy was left in the shadows and the merit of making this classic sauce known went to another (sir) who copied her.
In addition to seeing it covering a cod loin, it is common to associate it with pig's trotters, tripe and other elements of offal.
That sweetness and butteriness is combined with that of the sauce and, although it is a classic, for my taste it gives too intense results.
In these types of dishes I like to add a bit of lime -although it goes against all Basque protocol-, which loosens the fat and gelatin on the palate a bit.
Some versions offset the flavor power of the chorizo pepper by adding a bit of grated apple to the preparation, however, I am in favor of cooking the onion over low heat, very slowly, so that the water and sugars come out little by little and are they caramelize a lot.
The perfect sweetness is achieved and it is not necessary to add another element.
This time I am going to honor Doña Dolores and I am going to follow her recipe to her heart's content, out of pride and feminist stubbornness.
In any case, everyone at home can do what they want: some add biscuits like Maria to give body and others incorporate bread, there are versions that include fats such as butter and we have already seen that many start with tomato (in fact, the recipe Biscay style cod is known internationally made with this vegetable).
In the element bathed in the sauce, I am going to be innovative -as innovative as mixing eggs and sauce can be, which is really little- and I am going to make some eggs on the plate.
By making the eggs directly in the hot sauce we get the white to mix a little with the liquid and coagulate, trapping all the flavor of the continent.
The yolk is very creamy, but still fluid, and everything together is to take bread and dip without rest.
Difficulty:
Minimum.
Ingredients
For 2 persons
2 purple onions
4 dried chorizo peppers
50g of bread
1 tablespoon of flour
100ml chicken broth
2 eggs
Salt
Black pepper
1 tablespoon butter or extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
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