How to make
The Spanish Pinchos Bites are usually designed for a quick on foot appetizer with a glass of good wine or beer.
They can be served differently in each part of the country, as well as with different interpretations, so there is no strict recipe for Pinchos.
They are most typical of the Pais Vasco and Navarre area, where each bar or restaurant has various types of Pinchos all day long, tempting each customer to accompany their glass of drink with something small, original and delicious to eat.
Once a year there is a competition for the best Pinchos and then food specialists go from restaurant to restaurant to try the most interesting and inventive cook's performances, made from a variety of products. When the award-winning restaurants receive recognition, they stick their achievements and Pinchos winner on their windows, so that every new customer can see and try it.
Pinchos can be a loaf of bread, usually a baguette with something on top, or a piece of tortilla, a mini cup with Gazpacho or Salmorejo, a small plate with a delicious dish in sauce, a mini skewer or even croquettes. The only condition is for it to be small and beautiful.
Pinchos means something that pokes, ie in this case food that is stuck or strung onto a skewer, stick, etc. and that's why many Pinchos are stuck on a stick, others change over time and don't stick to exact description of the name .
In the region of Valencia, where I lived, only skewers are called Pinchos. In Navarre and Pais Vasco what they call Pinchos, in Valencia it is called Montadito and elsewhere Tapas. In fact, it means almost the same thing.
Since there is no specific recipe and everyone can create their own Pinchos, I offer you three of the easiest options to quickly prepare a few of these bites. For other ideas I leave that to your imagination.
An option for cold Pinchos is to put tuna slices on the baguette, marinated fish or salted anchovies, tomato (maybe a piece of boiled egg), a pitted olive and stick all of that with a stick - it still needs to be authentic :)
Another option, common in restaurants and classics in general, is Pinchos with goat cheese. First put the onion to fry and soften in butter and a little olive oil. Add sugar and once it is caramelized, place it on the slices of bread.
In the same pan in which the caramelized onion sauce is left, cook thick circles of goat cheese and place them on the bread slices. You can put a slice of cherry tomato, a roasted zucchini circle or whatever you like. In some places they even put slices of boiled potato, roasted eggplant or zucchini instead of bread. Drizzle with balsamic reduction on top.
A third option, again a classic, is to bake Chorizo slices and place them on the bread slices. Combine that with tomato, yellow cheese (preferably Manchego cheese) or even with scrambled egg.
And don't forget pierce it with a stick :)
Enjoy your meal!
