SPANISH-inspired restaurant Pintura launched its new summer menu last week, and in the interest of bringing our readers all the latest food and booze news, the selfless team at Leeds Confidential have tested out the new dishes.
The Basque Country is Europe’s foodie mecca
The new seasonal menu showcases the best flavours and ingredients that will be available over the next couple of months, with recipes drawing on a combination of Spanish tradition, techniques and artistic flair, with the best seasonal Yorkshire produce. If you thought we had a tough job, spare a thought for Pintura’s head chef Greg Lewis and head drinks creator Matt Coates, the poor buggers, who had to eat their way around Spain’s Basque region in the name of research.
“The Basque Country is Europe’s foodie mecca, and the Pintura team makes regular research trips to the region to explore its food-crazed culture,” says Pintura’s Managing Director Lucy Cheetham – it sounds like a hard life, “We’re really excited to present our own unique twist on the traditional flavours and cooking techniques of the region”
And from the dishes we’ve tried, their ‘unique twist’ is evident. Ensalada de Coliflor, combines charred cauliflower with tangy goats cheese and dressed cannellini beans to make a complete dish. Another salad, Ensalada de Pollo, somewhere between a Waldorf and Niçoise, includes green beans, fresh apple and the slight lanolin-tang of Idiazabal cheese dressing enrobing shredded roast chicken.
Ensalada de Coliflor
Gin-cured salmonGin-cured salmon is all the rage at the moment. Here, they’ve cured great fleshy hunks of the stuff in Portobello Road Gin (Pintura’s sister-brand) to imbue the fish with hints of botanicals, as well as grapefruit (which is what they use to garnish their signature Portobello and tonic) and rock salt. This is served with capers, crispy salmon skin, fresh peas and pea puree (“that’s just to stop the peas rolling around on the plate”, jokes Chef Greg)
Mejillones Con Cerveza - drunken mussels - and Calamares are prepared with the simplicity they deserve. Mussels are steamed in a liquor of cream, herbs and Mahou cerveza, while baby squid are cooked at 60 degrees for 25 minutes, until they’re so tender you’ll forget all about the deep-fried silicon version you ate on holiday.
“Then we serve them in an ink sauce, which is cooked down with a little white wine - it’s the most traditional dish on the menu. We tried it in a bar called Bordaberri in San Sebastian’s old town, where you just sit at the bar and work your way through all the dishes on the blackboard-menu. We knew straight away we had to do our own version.”
Less traditional is Pastel de Carne, a tapas-sized portion of beef cheek cooked in sweet sherry until reduced to a tangle of caramelly goodness. It’s served with summer truffle and vegetables, and then topped with potato, served from a whipped-cream dispenser to make the airiest mashed potato you’ve ever tried. It is, essentially, a very sublime take on cottage pie.
The upmarket take of KalimotxoThe drinks menu has received a bit of a seasonal update too, with some surprisingly successful meat-infused cocktails. Iberico Martini sees Vermouth infused with Iberico ham, and The Ultimate Snapper seems to have thrown the entire charcuterie counter into the gin bathtub adding infusions of pancetta, black pudding, jamon, smoked duck and chorizo, among the usual herbs and spices.
There’s also Pintura’s upmarket take of Kalimotxo - the red wine and cola cocktail you might have unwittingly made in your student days, before realising it actually has a name. Rather than pouring 50/50 measures into a big Sports Direct mug though, drinks creator Matt and head bartender Lawrence have crafted a coke-reduction, served with Ysabel Regina, Lacuesta Dry Vermouth and Rioja.
The summer specials won’t be around forever, so get down to Pintura before the season’s over to try the new dishes.
Pintura Basque Kitchen and Bar, 1 Trinity Street, Leeds, LS1 6AP. Tel: 0113 430 0915
