Basque cooking in Borough and an Alnmouth gem

Behind the shiny red doors of new London cookery school Mimo lies a world far removed from the bustle of Borough, the air thick with the intoxicating aromas of Green Spain. The school, founded 10 years ago in San Sebastián, has outposts stretching across the Iberian Peninsula to Seville, Mallorca and the Algarve, so clients can be assured of expert guidance when it comes to mastering the basics of whipping up a feast, Basque Country-style.

Buttoned up in our chefs’ jackets, coffees in hand (blended for Mimo by Borough’s The Gentlemen Baristas), our class is warmly welcomed by Basque-born chef Joseba Lasa with a tour of the building, once home to the old market trustees. Then comes a run-through of the day’s itinerary, which includes five dishes from the Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia provinces. The ingredients we’re using are either from Borough Market – jamón from Brindisa, Bread Ahead loaves and ox cheek from The Ginger Pig – or from the in-house MM Made by Mimo range. Building up relationships with local market traders is at the core of Basque cooking.

After preparing a simple brunch dish of poached eggs and griddled asparagus (the trick to perfect eggs is to add a drizzle of smoked oil to the water), we move to an ode to artichoke. We learn that the secret to ensuring pure-white Jerusalem artichoke purée is putting the chopped ’choke into water acidulated with lemon juice, to reduce oxidisation. A slick of velvety purée is followed by tender grilled artichoke, walnuts and shards of crisped jamón, all washed down with a refreshing glass of txakolina.

Next comes a defining Basque dish: cod pil pil with piperade. The ingeniously simple pil pil is the hero. Having poached the cod, the collagen traces left behind are whisked with garlic oil to make a rich, silken sauce. When Lasa exclaims ‘pil pil!’, it becomes clear that this describes the noise made when the oil bubbles to the surface. Temperature is key – 63C/145F is optimum to draw the collagen out and prevent splitting. Over lunch, which, also includes 16-hour braised ox cheeks for which we have made a wine sauce, we listen as Lasa regales us with stories of tenth-century Basque fishermen.

Later, over a rice pudding infused with citrus, cinnamon and vanilla, Lasa explains that ‘mimo’ translates as the love and care you use when dealing with something precious. I leave with an insight into the Basque Country’s enigmatic cuisine, fired up to cook simple, seasonal dishes with a lot of mimo. SS. Four-and-a-halfhour Basque Cooking Class costs £175pp. mimofood.com