Chistorra has become so intertwined with the region that Txistorra de Navarra now even possesses its own Protected Geographical Indication (PGI).

At the same time, txistorra is not just a home-cooked food. It has long been a favorite pintxo in Navarrese and Basque bars, served grilled with bread or tucked into pastries, and it is especially common on the table with talo, a traditional pan-fried corn flatbread.

In the Basque Country, there is a day when it is almost mandatory to eat txistorra: December 21, St. Thomas Day. At the traditional pre-Christmas fairs in Bilbao, San Sebastián, and many other Basque towns, freshly grilled txistorra wrapped in talo, cider, and txakoli are still an essential part of the holiday.

One of its great virtues is its simplicity: grilled in a pan or over hot coals, it makes a ready-to-eat tapa just with bread. However, it is particularly good prepared in wine: the fat rendered from the pimentón-spiced, garlic-infused sausage melds with the red wine, and within a few minutes, a thick, intense sauce forms around it. All that’s missing is a piece of good bread for dipping. Let’s see the recipe!

Basque grilled sausage in red wine

Serves 2–3 as a tapa

Ingredients:

• 1 string of Irura chistorra, approx. 285 g
• 150 ml dry, young red wine (Garnacha or Tempranillo)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• rustic / sourdough bread for serving

For the wine, choose a young Tempranillo or Garnacha. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should be a wine you would also enjoy drinking by the glass.

Preparation

1. Cut the chistorra into pieces of roughly 4–5 cm. Do not prick the casing so it stays juicier while cooking.
2. Place a skillet over medium heat and add the chistorra without oil. The sausage renders enough fat on its own, so there is no need for olive oil. Sauté for a few minutes, turning occasionally, until it gets color on all sides.
3. If too much fat has rendered, pour off some of it, but definitely leave a little in the pan.
4. Add the garlic clove (lightly crushed with the flat of a knife) and the bay leaf, then pour in the red wine.
5. Bring to a boil and continue cooking over medium heat for about 6–10 minutes until the wine thickens significantly and the chistorra is cooked through. The goal is not a plate full of red wine broth, but for the reducing wine and the paprika-spiced sausage fat to form a thick, glossy sauce around the sausage.

Serve immediately, piping hot, preferably in a small ceramic or clay dish, and provide a generous portion of rustic bread. Not for decoration: mopping up the remaining red wine and pimentón sauce is essentially the second half of the recipe :)

On egin! — which means enjoy your meal!