Written by Norman Kuhlmann
This combination of pickles, salted anchovies and olives is the king of the aperitivos. With good ingredients we can prepare a delicious snack like the classic pinchos within a few minutes, this little dish is essential in the bars of the north of Spain, but it has also made its way into the many Tapas bars and Chiringuitos of Barcelona's beaches. Gilda is undoubtedly one of the most classic and iconic "pintxos" in the Basque Country, a recipe with its own name that is very simple to prepare at home.
For History Buffs...! The Gilda was born in the Casa Vallés bar in Donostia, founded in 1942 which is still active today. Actually, the "recipe" already existed, but it was not baptized as such until a very witty customer said that the "flag" was like the character of Rita Hayworth from the movie "Gilda", released in 1946: green, salty and a little spicy!
The denomination became popular and stuck, hence this famous skewer is still called today.
How To Make Gildas in your own Kitchen:
Ingredients:
Piparra or pickled chilly ........... 6
Salted anchovies ........................ 6
Boneless green olives
(although the original
is boneless) ................................. 12
Good quality extra virgin olive oil
Total time to assemble ..... 10 m
Prepare ingredients ........... 10 m
Arrange all the ingredients around a table to work quickly and assemble the gildas without complications. Prepare some skewers or appetizer sticks and a tray or source to serve the skewers.
The original Gilda is prepared with pitted olives because in those years there were no pitted olives, you can choose this version if you prefer to be more faithful to the classic preparation.
Drain the chillies or piparras from the canning liquid and cut off the tail (it can also be left if desired). Cut each unit into two pieces or leave whole, if they are fairly small.
Also drain the anchovy fillets and clean them a little bit from the oil from the can.
I usually prefer to remove this oil and add a good extra virgin oil that I like and use at home for a more intensive taste.
Assemble each skewer starting with a pitted green olive - it can be stuffed or not. Continue with a portion of piparra and then thread the anchovy folded on itself.
Put a half of the piparra back in and finish with another olive.
Repeat this until the skewers are finished and season accordingly with good extra virgin olive oil, trying to be generous. Of course, the skewers can also be assembled with another arrangement of the ingredients, or leaving the piparras whole.
Recommendation! Try a glass of Cava to sparkle it down... !
¡Buen provecho!
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Norman Kuhlmann
"Life is too short to speak one language and stay in one place." In 2020, this philosophy took him from familiar London to sunny Barcelona. As an ardent supporter of the "Barcelona Spirit Movement" he is enjoying trips to great places & beaches, cooking Mediterranean food or attempting to dance salsa. For more insights about Living in Barcelona and tasty recipes follow his blog
Barcelona-expat.com
