I tripped to Bilbao this month. Spent thirteen days there, typing articles from a 6th floor flat right in the middle of the city.
Every morning started with a run along the Nervion river, which winds through the city. One end leading you to the old industrial ghetto, a ghost of what Bilbao once was. The other direction takes you into the art district, where the shining Guggenheim Art Museum sits like a fat and gleaming silver buddha.
At night, boyfriend Hukee and I would wander the streets, ducking into pinxtos bars that inspired. Pinxtos are Basque Country fare. Toothpicked toast slices, piled with a splendid array of toppings–from anchovies and tomatoes to thai-inspired fajita fillings. We’d walk in from the street, point at the pinxtos that most called out to our tastebuds, order two glasses of red, and pay a mere five or seven or ten dollars before tucking ourselves into a table and letting life just sit all around us.
I fell in love with Basque Country. The soft smell of the sea. The people spilling outside each bar, sidewalks full of people standing close, Kalimotxo’s in hand. The space filled with Spanish chatter and so much happy.
And the pinxtos. I miss the pinxtos. Every life would benefit from more toast. We really must get on board with the concept here in the States. Toast topped with toppings isn’t just for appetizers and cocktail parties. It’s perfect for lunch. It begs to be midnight snacked.
Let’s start the trend now with this divine little pinxto-inspired toast, made last month for Nature Nate’s. Toastlettes, gota cheese, beets, toasted pine nuts, peppery arugula, raw honey. Easy and utterly edible.
Do give yourself a pinxto tonight. You deserve it endlessly.
CLICK HERE to grab the recipe from Nature Nate’s beautiful recipe website HoneyMakesItBetter.com
©2012 detoxily
via detoxily http://ift.tt/1zkn954