The following recipes are from José Andrés, protégé of Ferrán Adriá of El Bulli in Spain, is the chef-owner of seven restaurants in the Washington DC area. He was named Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic region in 2003 by the James Beard Foundation, and has been profiled in Gourmet, Saveur, Bon Apétit, Food & Wine, Wine Spectator, the Washington Post, the New York Times, USA Today, and other publications. José travels widely as a guest chef, teacher, and fundraiser at charity events, and is the host of a television cooking show that airs in Spain.
Gran Reserva is considered the greatest of Rioja designations and is made only in exceptional vintages. It is an amazingly deep wine, with a complex texture and bouquet meant to be savored by all the senses. Gran Reserva is known for its hints of cedar, cigar box and wild berries. These wines are a perfect companion for all the recipes below.
Coca de cebolla con pimientos, anchoas y queso Manchego
Traditional Catalan flatbread with caramelized onions, roasted peppers, anchovies, and Manchego cheese
Bread with a roasted topping seems to be a registered trademark of the Italian kitchen. But this is also a very traditional and popular way of cooking in Catalonia. Instead of pizza, we have coca -- hundreds of varieties of sweet and savory cocas. What distinguishes cocas from their Italian cousins is the almost complete absence of cheese and tomato. This version uses Spanish ingredients that are easily found in supermarkets across the United States.
Serves 4
For the onions
1/4 cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
1 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
For the flatbread
1/2 ounce (2 envelopes) active dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 black olives, pitted and cut into small pieces
one 13-ounce jar piquillo peppers (Spanish wood-roasted sweet peppers), cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
16 anchovy fillets (oil-packed)
6 ounces Manchego cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
Spanish extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
sea salt to taste
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Prepare the onions: Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and brown (caramelized), around 30 minutes. If the onions start to get too dark, add 1/2 tablespoon of water to keep them cooking evenly without burning. Set them aside.
Make the flatbread: In a small bowl, stir the yeast into the milk. Place the flour and salt in a food processor, add the yeast mixture, and process for 60 seconds, until you have a well-mixed dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the dough to rise.
Meanwhile, heat the owen to 350 degrees.
Take out the dough and knead it for 5 minutes. Then cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Sprinkle a little flour on your work surface and roll a ball of dough out to form a very thin long strip, around 10 inches long and 2 inches wide. Prick the strip with a fork. Repeat seven more times, creating 8 strips of dough.
Cover the strips of dough with the caramelized onions and the olives. Place on a baking sheet and bake until crisp, 10 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, leaving it on.
Cover the cocas with a layer of piquillo pepper strips. Add 2 anchovies on top of each, and sprinke with the grated cheese. Return to the oven for 2 minutes.
Drizzle the cocas with olive oil, add sea salt to taste, and sprinkle with the chopped chives. Serve hot.
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Escalivada Catalana
Roasted eggplant, pepper, onion, and tomatoes, Catalan-style
Escalivada comes from the Catalan verb escalivar, which means to cook slowly, very close to the embers of a fire. The smokiness of the charcoal enriches the food and gives it an earthy quality. This recipe is for oven-roasting, but its soul comes from the open fire. It's a great dish on its own, but it's also perfect alongside any grilled meat.
Serves 4
1 medium eggplant (about 1/2 pound)
1 large Spanish onion
1 red bell pepper
3 large ripe tomatoes
1/4 cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for coating the vegetables
1/2 tablespoon sherry vinegar
salt to taste
white pepper to taste
Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Take all the vegetebles, and using a brush, coat them with a thin film of olive oil. Place them in a baking dish or in a terra-cotta casserole, and roast in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the eggplant, pepper, and tomatoes and set them aside. Leave the onion in the over for another 20 minutes, until it too is soft. Remove and set aside.
The skins of the roasted vegetables will be soft and loose. When they are cool enough to handle, peel the vegetables. Seed the pepper and remove the top. Remove the top of the tomatoes and the eggplant wih a knife.
Using your hands, tear the pepper into strips and each tomato into 3 or 4 pieces. Do the same to the eggplant. Using a knife, slice the onion into rings. Mix the vegetables together and place them in a serving dish. Cover then with 1/4 cup of olive oil and the sherry vinegar. Sprinke with salt and pepper, and serve.
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Pollo al ajillo
Chicken with garlic
Chicken may seem fairly ordinary, but until recently it was an expensive item in Spain. Not so long ago, this dish was a combination of poor man's ingredient (garlic) and a rich man's ingredient (chicken). It's now a classic tapa. The sauce you're left with -- an emulsified mixture of the olive oil, the natural juices of the chicken, and the sherry -- is perfect for dipping bread.
Serves 4
10 garlic cloves
1/4 cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
12 chicken wings cut in ahalf at the joint
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup Spanish Manzanilla sherry
1/4 cup chicken stock
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
Split open the garlic cloves by placing them on a chopping board and pressing down hard with the base of your hand or with the flat side of a knife. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over a medium flame, add the garlic, and sauté until it is lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the chicken wings, and sauté until browned on all sides, 5 minutes. Add the thyme, bay leaf, and sherry. Stir the mixture well so the oil and sherry emulsify, and simmer for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and cook for 1 more minute. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
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Costillas de cordero con allioli de miel
Rack of lamb with honey allioli
Allioli is the national sauce of Catalonia -- it accompanies practically any grilled meat. Catalans also have a sweet tooth, which you find in traditionall recipes like codfish with honey, or meats cooked with fruits. Honey allioli is a traditional combination that goes perfectly with lamb. Even with its garlic flavor, you'll find this dish is popular with kids, too.
Serves 4
1 rack of lamb (about 1 pound)
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon Spanish extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing the meat
1/2 cup Allioli (see recipe below)
2 tablespoons lavender honey (or any other honey you like)
salt to taste
Heat the oven to 250 degrees.
Using a sharp knife, remove the fat from the rack of lamb so the bones are clean but still attached to the loin.
Place the lamb, with the bones facing down, on a roasting rack or directly in a roasting pan. Break the sprig of rosemary into a few pieces and sprinkle them over the lamb. Brush the lamb with a little olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes, or until the interior of the meat reaches 130 degrees. While it is cooking, baste the meat once or twice with a little oil from the pan.
Meanwhile, combine the allioli and the honey in a bowl. Use a fork to mix them together thoroughly.
Remove the lamb from the oven and allow it to rest for 3 or 4 minutes.
Heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan over a high flame. Place the whole rack of lamb in the pan and sear for 10 seconds on each side to brown it.
Cut the rack into pieces along the bones. Place a spoonfull of honey allioli on each plate, and top with a piece of lamb. Sprinkle with salt to taste, and serve.
Allioli a la moderna
Modern garlic and oil sauce
Makes 1 cup
1 small egg
1 cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 teaspoon Sherry vinegar or fresh lemon juice
salt to taste
Break the egg into a small mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the garlic clove, and the vinegar or lemon juice.
Using a hand-held mixer, mix at high speed until the garlic is fully pureed into a loose paste. Then, little by little, add the remaining olive oil as you continue blending at high speed. If the mixture appears too thick when you begin adding the oil, add 1 teaspoon water to loosen the sauce. Continue adding the oil and blending until you have a rich, creamy allioli. The sauce will be a lovely yellow color. Add salt to taste.
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Arroz con leche como hacen en Mieres
Rice and milk, Mieres-style
Arroz con leche is the dessert that best reflects Asturian cooking. Asturias doesn't produce rice, but it's undoubtedly one of the best milk-producing regions in Europe, with its green pastures and mountains.
Serves 4
10 cups whole milk
1 strip lemon zest
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup Spanish Bomba or Calasparra rice, or Arborio rice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
Combine the milk, lemon zest, and cinnamon stick in a large pot and bring to a boil. Once the mixture boils, remove the cinnamon stick and the lemon zest.
Stir in the rice, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon to make sure the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
Add the butter and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add the sugar and mix vigorously. Remove the pot from the heat and spread the rice on a platter. Leave it to rest. As it cools, the milk will develop a thin skin on the top of the rice; fold this into the rice before serving. The pudding will be ready when it reaches room temperature, in 3 to 4 hours. You can also serve it cold from the refrigerator the next day.
More Recipes
The following recipes are from Penelope
Casas, a frequent contributor to the New York Times, Gourmet, Food & Wine, and Fine Cooking. She is also a consultant and lecturer on Spain, a guest speaker at the Smithsonian Institution and the National Geographic Society, and an adjunct professor at the New York University.
Red Pepper, Tomato, And Tuna Salad, Andalusian Style
Luisa Osborne's Shrimp Pancakes
Isabel's Vegetable Paella
Manchego Cheese Canapes With Olives And Piquillo Peppers
Mari Carmen's Orange Cake
Ensalada De Pimientos Estilo-Andaluz
Red Pepper, Tomato, And Tuna Salad, Andalusian Style
This version of Andalusian red pepper salad comes from the Cazorla restaurant In Madrid and is an especially delicious rendition. It includes tomato, white-meat tuna and mild bright green olives and it is served in a bowl with lots of liquid from the peppers and tomatoes. More than salad In itself it is meant as a side dish to Andalusian fried fish and grilled shrimp to place on your plate with the fish and take more as you please.
Serves 4
6 medium-large, deep red bell peppers
1/2 pound good-quality white-meat tuna, preferably imported from Spain
1/2 pound ripe but firm tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices, then halved
12 mild bright green olives, such as Cerignola
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
6 tablespoons fruity extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon wine vinegar, preferably mild white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Kosher or sea salt
Preheat the oven to 550'F. Place the peppers in a roosting pan and cook until charred, turning once, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and place in a deep dish. Cover with foil and let sit for 15 minutes. Peel off the skin, core, and seed the peppers, reserving the juices.
Slice the peppers into 3/4-inch strips and place in a bowl. Add the tuna, broken into chunks, the tomatoes, olives, and parsley. Fold in the oil, vinegar, sugar, and salt to taste with a rubber spatula. Refrigerate overnight. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Serve with...
Unoaked white Rioja
Light and crisp, these wines are fermented in stainless steel and are usually released after only 6 months of bottle aging. Not meant to be showstoppers but they are often the most surprising in tastings. I can think of no other white wine produced anywhere else in the world that delivers this kind of value and consistency.
Flavors
Clean and citrusy with aromas of fresh apples and pears.
When to Enjoy
Enjoy as an pre-meal aperitif or with a grilled chicken salad with arugula and tomato, shrimp kabobs, chicken marinated with ginger and lemon and then roasted and served at room temperature
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Tortitas De Camarones De Luisa Osborne
Luisa Osborne's Shrimp Pancakes
The Osborne family, famed for their fine sherry, arrived in Spain from England at the end of the eighteenth century and established Bodegas Osborne, today among the oldest and most prestigious sherry companies in Spain. Although many sherry companies in the city of Jerez in southwestern Spain bear the names of Englishmen, over the centuries the families have become very SPanish, although thy never forget their English roots. So when Luisa Osborne set out to write a cookbook, her recipes were for the most part Spanish, such as this outstanding recipe for shrimp pancakes, so typical in this part of Spain. This version includes the shrimp shells, which give additional shrimp flavor and extra crispness to the pancakes.
Makes 20 pancakes
Kosher or sea salt
1/4 pound very small shrimp in their shells
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon sweet paprika, preferably Spanish smoked
1/2 cup flour
Mild olive oil for frying
Bring to a boil in a small saucepan about I cup water with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the shrimp and cook briefly until just opaque. Remove with a slotted spoon and measure the liquid to 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (boil down if there is more). Transfer the liquid to a bowl and cool.
Chop the shrimp with their shells into approximately 1/8-inch pieces. Add to the cooled liquid with the onion, garlic, parsley, paprika, flour, and salt to taste and stir until smooth. Let sit for 1 hour at room temperature. The mixture should have the consistency of a thin pancake batter.
Pour the oil to a depth of 1/4 inch into a large skillet and heat to the smoking point. Drop the batter by the tablespoon into the oil, spreading and pricking with the edge of a spoon into thin, lacy-textured pancakes. Fry until golden, then flip them over to brown the other side. Drain on paper towels. Keep worm in a 200'F oven while preparing the rest of the pancakes. Transfer to a platter and serve.
Serve with...
Rioja Rosado
Usually made with either Tempranillo or Garnacha (or a blend of the two), Rioja Rosados have a barely perceptible touch of textural astringency (the result of minimal grape skin contact) and good acidity, making them surprisingly versatile food wines.
Flavors
Exuberant aromas of red berry fruit–think cherry and strawberry–with a dry finish.
When to Enjoy
Perfect for quenching your thirst on a hot day, we like Rioja Rosados alongside North African vegetable purees, shellfish, grilled turbot, and fresh goat cheese. Just be sure to look for bottle from the most recent vintage. With very few exceptions, Rosado is not meant to age. So drink ‘em if you got ‘em.
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Arroz De Verduras De Isabel
Isabel's Vegetable Paella
2 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
Kosher or sea salt
1/8 teaspoon crumbled thread saffron
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup frozen baby lima beans, thawed
8 baby carrots (about 3 ounces), scraped and choped
8 shiitake mushrooms, brushed clean, stems trimmed coarsely chopped
1/4 pound green beans, preferably broad flat beans, ends trimmed
2 medium red bell peppers (about 1/2 pound), cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 medium zucchini (about 6 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped whole canned tomatoes
1 teaspoon sweet paprika, preferably Spanish smoked
1 1/4 cups Valencian short-grain rice or Arborio
Serves 4
Combine the vegetable broth, salt to taste, and saffron in a pot. Cover and keep worm over low heat. Preheat the oven to 400'F for a gas oven, 450'F for an electric one.
Heat the oil in a paelia pan that measures 13 inches across the top. Add the limas, carrots, mushrooms, green beans, peppers, and zucchini and stir-fry over high heat stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more, then add the tomatoes and paprika and cook over high heat for another minute. Taste for salt (the mixture should be well salted) and pour in the broth. Bring to a boil, add the rice, and boil until the rice is no longer soupy but enough liquid remains to continue cooking the rice, 10 minutes.
Transfer to the oven and cook, uncovered, until the rice is almost al dente, 10 to 12 minutes in a gas oven, 15 to 20 minutes in an electric one. Remove to a warm spot, cover with foil, and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until the rice is cooked to taste. To make the socarrat crust, uncover the paella and return to the stove over medium-high heat. Cook without stirring for about 2 minutes, until a crust of rice forms on the bottom of the pan (be careful not to let it burn). Serve, scraping up the crust with the edge of an inverted metal pancake turner.
Serve with...
Rioja Reserva
Aged for a minimum of 12 months in oak and at least 24 in bottle before release, Rioja Reserva is the benchmark Rioja, the age category on which most bodegas stake their reputations.
Flavors
Modern styles of Reserva tend to have flavor profiles tending towards chocolate, sweet spices, and what the Spanish call sabores balsamicos – fennel, anise, licorice, etc. Classic style Riojas are aged in American oak barrels for considerably longer than the D.O.Ca. requires; they tend to have more developed aromas—things like cedar, leather, tobacco, earth—with less fresh fruitiness but generally more acidity and structure.
When to Enjoy
With shellfish paella, roasted leg of lamb, wild mushroom risotto, grilled chorizo, barbecued beef brisket, ratatouille, moo-shoo pork.
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Queso Manchego Con Aceitunas Y Piquillos
Manchego Cheese Canapes With Olives And Piquillo Peppers
An extremely easy tapa to assemble that comes straight from Et Corregtttor, the most delightful bar anct restaurant in the region of La Mancha where Manchego cheese is made and windmills form the times of Errant Knight Don Quixote still stand.
Makes 24 canapes
One 13/4-inch wedge (about 1/2 pound) Manchego cheese
30 cured black olives, pitted and chopped
3/4 cup chapped piquillo peppers or pimientos
6 anchovy fillets
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Minced fresh parsley
Cut the wedge of cheese lengthwise into 1/8-inch slices to form triangular pieces. In a mortar or mini processor, mash to a paste the olives, piquillos, anchovies, and oil.
Spread about 3/4 teaspoon of the mixture on each cheese slice. Sprinkle with parsley and arrange attractively on a serving dish.
Serve with...
A Rioja Crianza
An easy drinking style, crianzas tend to emphasize fresh fruit above all else and spend less time in bottle than Reservas. This fruity freshness makes them a perfect foil for aged sheep’s milk cheeses like Manchego, acting almost like a schmear of fruit jam on top of a buttery, slightly piquant cheese.
Flavors
Big aromas of strawberries, cherries, with varying degrees of oakiness, depending on the producer and the type of oak used; but in general fruity and clean on the palate, superquaffable.
When to Enjoy
As an aperitif, with spicy food (think of how a chutney cools the mouth when you’re eating spicy Indian food), Thanksgiving turkey, whole roasted fish, lasagna.
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Bozcocho de Naranja de Mari Carmen Martin
Mari Carmen's Orange Cake
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
1/2 cup mild olive oil
2 cups unbleached flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
confectioners' sugar for dusting
Grease and flour an 8-inch fluted Bundt pan. Preheat the oven to 350F. In a bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer until thickened and light colored. Gradually beat in the granulated sugar, then -- in order -- the orange juice, orange zest, and oil. Beat in the flour and, finally, the baking powder.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean and the cake spprings back to the touch. Cool slightly, then turn out onto a serving dish. Dust with confectioners' sugar.
Serve with...
Barrel-fermented White Rioja
Fermented in barricas, 220-liter barrels of French oak, these modern-styled wines will spend several months in those same barrels, often kept on their lees (spent yeast detritus), moves that add a tropical fruity richness and Champagne-like complexity to the wines.
Flavors
Aromas of vanilla, coconut, butter, tropical fruit, and honey. A rich mouthfeel, almost creamy, good pineapple-like acidity, and a dry finish.
When to Enjoy
Barrel-fermented white Rioja is a great Chardonnay substitute, recommended with richer fish (salmon, tuna), shellfish and stronger flavors like garlic (think codfish with garlic and clams), and things that actually have fruit in them (mango salsa, couscous with blond raisins and stewed chicken--think North African), and of course, dessert.
The following recipes are from Brian St. Pierre. He is the author of nine books, mostly on food and wine, and a Contributing Editor for Decanter magazine in London, where he now lives, and originates a website, www.foodandwineinlondon.com
Spring Vegetable Risotto
Lemon Rubbed Salmon
Quick Steak Sandwich
Chargrilled Lamb with Oregano
Cinnamon Spiced Venison Casserole
Spring Vegetable Risotto
With a crisp White Rioja
This delicate risotto can be prepared quickly with ingredients commonly found in your kitchen. It can be prepared and served in 30 minutes.
Serves four
3.5 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 and 1/3 cups risotto rice
4 and 1/3 cups hot vegetable stock
1/3 cup broad beans, thawed if frozen
1/3 cup peas, thawed if frozen
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Heat half the butter and the oil in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over a gentle heat for 3-5 minutes, until softened, but not colored. Add the rice and stir to coat in the butter and oil.
2. Add a ladleful of the hot stock and stir to combine with the rice. Simmer until almost all the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock in this way until you have about a ladleful left. Stir in the broad beans and peas and the remaining stock. Continue cooking until the vegetables are tender and the rice is tender and creamy. Stir in the parmesan, remaining butter and mint and serve.
Tip: If you’re using fresh peas and broad beans, blanch them for a minute in boiling salted water before adding them to the risotto.
Serve with ….
Barrel Fermented White Rioja: An elegant choice
FLAVORS
A subtle tang of ripe citrus in the mouth follows on from aromas of toasty vanilla
WHEN TO ENJOY
White Rioja is a great choice for chicken and vegetables in creamy sauces. The dash of citrus also enhances the flavors of all kinds of fish and seafood, grilled,
fried, and in sauces. Look for the words ‘Barrel Fermented’ on the label
With spicy Red Crianza
Give an added crunch to this lemony pan-fried salmon with a vibrant fennel and rocket salad.
Serves four
4 x 5 ounce salmon fillets
grated rind 1 large unwaxed lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
For the salad:
2 shallots, finely sliced
1 head fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced
4 handfuls rocket leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Put the salmon in a shallow, nonmetallic dish. Whisk the lemon rind, olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper and rub the mixture all over the salmon. Cover and chill for 30 minutes..
2. To make the salad, simply toss all the ingredients together and divide between four serving plates.
3. Heat a frying pan until hot and add the salmon skin side up. Cook for 4-5 minutes, then turn over and cook for 4 more minutes, until the salmon is just cooked through.
4. Sit the salmon on top of the salad. Pour the marinade into the pan and allow to bubble for a few minutes. Pour over the salmon and serve.
Tip: You can use other fish for this recipe – try halibut or tuna steaks to give a really meaty texture.
Serve with ….
Crianza: Red fruit and spice
The most stylish wine match is Rioja Crianza – a juicy young red, with a smooth hint of oak. Serving red wine with fish may seem to break all the rules. But when you match a Crianza with tuna or salmon, it’s a great combination!
FLAVORS
Packed with strawberries and red cherries, with hints of toasty vanilla.
WHEN TO ENJOY
Delicious by itself, but its blend of flavors makes it very adaptable to the variety of flavors in canapés and tapas. Its freshness suits lamb and pasta dishes just as much as salmon and tuna.
With a young and fruity Rioja
For a quick snack with a touch of glamour. Or cut up into smaller pieces, for stylish hors d’oeuvres.
Serves 2
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
� cup chestnut mushrooms, sliced
splash balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 x 7 ounces sirloin steaks
1 ciabatta loaf
1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Heat the oil in a heavy based frying pan and add the onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until tender and golden.
2. Add the mushrooms to the pan and increase the heat slightly. Cook, stirring frequently for 4-5 minutes, until the mushrooms are golden. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar to the pan and allow to bubble for a few seconds. Stir in the parsley. Remove the pan from the heat and cover to keep warm.
3. Warm the ciabatta bread in a low oven for a few minutes. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan until hot and add the steaks. Cook for 1-2 minutes each side for rare, 3-4 minutes for medium and 4-5 minutes for well done. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for a few minutes.
4. Meanwhile, split the ciabatta in half horizontally and rub the inside with the cut sides on the garlic clove. Fill the ciabatta with the steak, onions and mushrooms. Cut in half and serve.
Tip: Let your frying pan get really hot before you add the steak – this will ensure you get good color and flavor without allowing the meat to stew
Serve with ….
Rioja Joven: Young and fruity
FLAVORS
Joven (the word means ‘young’) is a vivid mouthful of freshly picked strawberries and red cherries.
WHEN TO ENJOY
This is the essence of young wine; drink it young, whenever you’d like a glass that recalls summer’s fruits. The juicy fruit is a good match to spicy food. It’s also delicious by itself; on a hot day serve it cool from the fridge.
Chargrilled Lamb with Oregano
With a soft Red Reserva
This is the way they like to enjoy lamb in Rioja, simply marinated and grilled to release the appetizing aromas.
Serves four
4 large or 8 small lamb leg steaks
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 cup couscous
1 and � cups hot vegetable stock
handful chopped fresh herbs ie coriander
parsley, mint
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Put the lamb leg steaks in a shallow, non-metallic bowl. Mix the garlic, oil and oregano together and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the lamb steaks and turn them to coat in the mixture. Cover and set aside for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, put the couscous in a bowl and pour over the vegetable stock. Leave to stand for 10 minutes. Heat a griddle pan until hot.
3. Remove the lamb steaks from the marinade and lay them on a pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes each side, until just slightly pink in the center.
4. Stir the herbs into the couscous and divide between four serving plates. Place the lamb steaks on top. Pour the marinade into the pan and allow to bubble for a few minutes. Pour over the lamb and couscous to serve.
Tip: You can vary the flavor of this dish by using different herbs to marinate the lamb, such as rosemary, basil or mint.
Serve with ….
Reserva: Dark Cherries and Mocha
When it comes to choosing the wine do as the Spanish do – bring on the Reserva. It’s been matured for several years to make it soft and smooth.
FLAVORS
All the classic velvety strawberry fruit of the tempranillo grape, with notes of dark cherries, vanilla and mocha, and a fine freshness.
WHEN TO ENJOY
It’s a classic for Sunday dinner, with roast lamb, chicken or duck. A great match to the flavors of roast turkey and all the trimmings at holiday meals.
Cinnamon Spiced Venison Casserole
With Gran Reserva
A sophisticated yet easy recipe that also works with lamb: all it needs is gentle slow cooking.
Serves four
3 cups diced venison
2 tbsp seasoned plain fl our
2 tbsp olive oil
12 shallots, peeled
1 cup shitake mushrooms, halved if large
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground coriander
2 and � cups beef stock
2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Put the venison in a bag with the seasoned flour and seal the top. Shake well to coat the meat in the flour. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof casserole and add the contents of the bag. Fry over a high heat until the meat is browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Add the shallots, mushrooms and garlic and fry for a few minutes, until browned. Return the meat to the pan and add the spices. Cook for a minute or two, then pour in the stock. Stir well, then cover the casserole and transfer to the oven.
3. Cook for 1 hour. Stir in the red currant jelly and return to the oven without the lid for 1/2 hour. Remove from the oven, stir in the coriander and serve with garlicky mashed potatoes.
Tip: Use whatever interesting mushrooms you can find in this dish – sliced portabella or ceps would also work well.
Serve with ….
Gran Reserva: Figs and Cinnamon
The ideal wine to match is a Red Gran Reserva Rioja, which has had a minimum of five years to soften and become a delicious blend of spices and dark fruits. A dish – and a wine – to linger over.
FLAVORS
Dark cherries overlaid with hints of nuts, licorice, and dried fruits, with subtle aromas of cinnamon, leather and truffles. Wonderfully smooth in the mouth, with lingering black fruit flavors.
WHEN TO ENJOY
A special occasion wine. Excellent with fall and winter casseroles, especially with venison and game. Delicious with mushroom sauces.
Recipes reprinted with permission.
We'd love to receive your favorite recipes to go with a vibrant Rioja and, with your permission, we may even publish them on the Vibrant Rioja website. You can simply send your recipes, comments or questions to VibrantRioja@CommunitasOnline.com. We'd love to hear from you!
