A pincho is a small snack eaten in bars traditional in northern Spain and especially popular in the Basque Country. Similar to tapas, the main difference is they are usually served with a skewer or toothpick on a piece of bread.
I will show you two ways these delicious snacks can be served. One, with rich braised oxtail paired with a red wine gastrique. Then another with grilled artichokes, shaved onion, and french butter. These two bites will be the perfect pairing served at your next dinner party or date night snacks set out to impress.
Chef notes:
For this recipe, I spent the day making the oxtail, you could substitute it with leftover braised beef short ribs. Alternatively, you may want to cook the oxtail in a pressure cooker, this would cut the recipe time down significantly.
Specialty equipment:
Grill
Fine mesh strainer
Yield: serves 2–4 people
Preparation time: 2 hours
Cook time: 6 hours
Braised oxtail
1 oxtail, cut into 2-inch thick pieces
2 tbsp canola oil
1 yellow onion
1 carrot
2 sticks celery
½ leek
½ red bell pepper
4 cloves garlic
4 cherry tomatoes
1 cup red wine
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
½ tsp red pepper flakes
8 cups of chicken stock
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
¼ cup red wine vinegar, good quality
1 tsp honey
1 baguette
For the oxtail
Preheat an oven to 285°F and grill on high heat.
Salt all sides of the oxtail and let this sit while you prepare the aromatics.
Chop the vegetables into similar-sized pieces and set them aside.
Grill the oxtail on all sides until golden and slightly charred. Remove from the grill and set aside.
Heat the canola oil in a braising pot on high heat.
Add the vegetables to the pot and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing them to caramelize.
Deglaze the pot with the red wine and cook until the wine has almost completely evaporated.
Next, add the herbs, chili flakes, chicken stock, and fresh cracked black pepper.
Add the grilled oxtail and bring the stock to a boil.
Turn the heat off and place the pot into the oven to cook for 4 hours.
Remove the oxtail from the oven and skim any fat from the surface. Discard.
Allow the oxtail to cool completely in the braising liquid.
Remove the oxtail and strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a saucepot on medium heat.
Reduce the liquid until it has a sauce-like consistency. Skim any impurities and fat that come to the surface.
Pick the oxtail meat away from the cartilage and fat, then mix it back into the sauce to warm it through.
Finishing the plate
Preheat an oven to 375°F.
Pour the red wine vinegar and honey into a small saucepot and place it on medium heat.
Reduce the vinegar until it has a sauce-like consistency, about 7 minutes.
Remove it from the heat and set it aside.
Heat the baguette in the oven for 5 minutes.
Remove it from the oven and slice 1-inch thick slices. Top the slices with the braised oxtail meat and drizzle with the red wine vinegar gastrique.
Specialty equipment:
Grill
Mandoline
Yield: serves 2–4 people
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cook time: 20 minutes
Grilled Artichoke
13 oz can of artichokes in oil, drained (about 6–9 pieces)
½ yellow onion
Pinch salt
Oil from the artichokes
1 baguette
Salted butter, room temperature
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
For the artichoke
Preheat a grill on high heat.
Drain the artichokes and grill them on all sides until they are slightly charred. Save a little of the oil from the artichokes for later.
Remove from the grill and set them aside.
Finishing the plate
Preheat an oven to 375°F.
Shave the onion thinly on a mandolin. Place the onion into a strainer and rinse with cold water.
Pat the onions dry, place them into a mixing bowl, season with salt, and mix with the oil from the artichokes. Let this marinate while you prepare the baguette and grilled artichokes.
Bake the baguette in the oven for 5 minutes.
Cut the grilled artichokes into smaller pieces and set them aside.
Remove the baguette from the oven and slice 1-inch thick slices.
Spread each slice with the butter, and topped with the grilled artichokes, shaved onion, and chopped parsley. Enjoy!
©chefalisonbiebs