Last week I spent an exciting evening cooking elkarrekin with twelve students from colleges throughout the U.S. who are spending this semester in Donostia-San Sebastián through the USAC program.

The students are enrolled in an 8-week course I am teaching through the BCulinary Club at the Basque Culinary Center: Mastering Basic Culinary Skills – Exploring Traditional Basque and Regional Spanish Cuisines.

Our first evening cooking elkarrekin was lively and productive. We learned our way around our new shared kitchen as we chopped, mashed, measured, whisked, stirred, simmered, seasoned, tasted, tested, commented, questioned, troubleshooted…and managed to put together several spectacular classic Basque dishes: Hake in Salsa Verde with Clams, Sukalki (Vizcayan Beef and Potato Stew), and Intxaursaltsa (Sweet Walnut Cream). As an appetizer, we prepared the classic pintxo, the Gilda, a local treasure with a salty past. More on that in a later post…along with photos and recipes.

Over the coming weeks, I will use this blog space to share the recipes from our course, including their historical and cultural contexts, plus cooking tips and kitchen wisdom. But more importantly, I will invite the perspectives and insights of the students who will discover and bring these recipes to life, cooking elkarrekin. Join us! Enjoy! On egin!