Today I am going to prepare a traditional meat dish, a Beef Villagodio in the style of the Marchioness of Parabere which, according to the famous cook, should be cooked semi-breaded, but on the griddle or grill, a mixture of techniques that is quite curious but leaves the meat very tender and full of flavour.
The name Villagodio alludes to a good-sized steak and has its origin in Bilbao. There, José de Echevarría y Bengoa, Marqués de Villagodio bought a ranch of wild cattle since he was very fond of bullfighting. It turned out that the cattle he acquired did not have enough caste, and he was not successful in the fight, despite the fact that he built a bullfighting ring in Indautxu, failing miserably.
The painter Francisco Iturrino was the one who coined the term Villagodio to refer to the chop as revenge towards the Marquis, since he had asked permission to go to his farm to paint the cattle, but his request was denied. The painter’s revenge became clear when he shouted for a Villagodio, every time he went to a restaurant.
When asked what that was, he answered by saying that “a Villagodio is a bull chop belonging to that livestock that is only used for meat“. This is how the term of Villagodio, to refer to a large chop.
Today we follow the recipe of the Marchioness of Parabere, in her book Selected dishes of Basque cuisine to make this Villagodio, which we will cook with a beef steak. For the meat to be perfect, it is convenient to temper it well outside the fridge, where we will leave it for approximately two hours.
When the meat takes one hour at room temperature, we hit it to make it bigger and less tall. In a ribeye of more than half a kilo, the increase in size of the meat after treatment It is spectacular.
Once stretched, sprinkle it with olive oil and let it rest for another hour. At that time, finely chop the garlic and parsley and mix them with the breadcrumbs, sprinkling the mixture over the chop seasoned to taste. It is not about breading or battering, but about lightly covering the chop with the bread mixture to protect it later during cooking.
We put the grill or grill to the fullest and when the bars are very very hot and they already mark the meat well, we put the chop and the cook three or four minutes on each side, according to our tastes. We serve immediately so that the meat arrives at the table at its point.
Selected dishes of Basque cuisine (NON-FICTION)
BRA Plancha Asar, Black, 40 cm
With what to accompany the beef Villagodio in the style of the Marchioness of Parabere
To accompany the recipe for Villagodio beef in the style of the Marchioness of Parabereyou can make a salad of roasted peppers as I have prepared, or resort to the classic French fries or some roasted potatoes, according to your tastes.
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