The seven Canary Islands of Spain are off the Atlantic Coast of Africa - 60 miles east of Morocco; the Balearic islands of Masjorca, Ibiza and Menorca are in the Mediterranean, just east of Spain.
'06 Ca Sa Pedrina Mallorca Mantonegro is a blend of Mantonegro (70%), Callet, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Syrah, aged in French, American and Hungarian oak. The winery was founded in 1999 with the goal of rediscovering traditional Mallorcan wine making styles. Total production is 2500 cases produced from eight hectares of vineyards. All fruit is hand harvested to ensure that the fruit is handled delicately. The soils are calcareous and rocky with some clay loam. In order to encourage the expression of terroir, oak ageing is done for only 5 months.
'06 Tajinaste Oratova Tinto Tradicional is 100% Listan Negro aged in Stainless Steel This small bodega arose in 1977 as a generational relief to a vitivinicola tradition of the family Garcia Farrais. The vineyards are located in the Valle de La Oratova DO on the island of Tenerife. Oldest vines planted in 1914.
Spanish Stew
This dish caught my eye as the ultimate meat lovers stew with eight different kinds of meat all together! This is simple food, basically an elaboration of pot au feu, boiled dinner, bollito misto ( depending on where you grew up.) Actually shopping will be the most time consuming part of this dish because it is otherwise a simple, straightforward recipe. I like the peppery qualities of the Trajaniste with this stew.
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 4 small onions, quartered
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 9oz (250g) beef chuck, cut into 4 thick slices
- 6oz (175g) slab bacon, cut into 4 thick pieces
- 4 pork spare ribs, cut into ribs
- 4 thick slices pork belly, about 1lb 2oz (500g) in total
- 4 chicken thighs
- 1½ cups white wine
- 6oz (175g) smoked chorizo, cut into 4 pieces
- 6oz (175g) morcilla ( blood sausage)
- 1 smoked ham hock
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 small boiling potatoes
- 4 carrots, halved lengthwise
- 1 head Savoy cabbage, quartered
- one 15oz (420g) can chickpeas
- 3 tbsp chopped parsley, to garnish
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes, until softened.
2. Heat the remaining 3 tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. In batches, brown the meats and chicken. Add to the saucepan with the onions and garlic.
3. Pour the wine into the frying pan and boil over high heat, scraping up the bits, for 3 minutes, or until reduced by half. Pour into the saucepan. Add the chorizo, morcilla, ham hock, and bay leaf. Add cold water to cover and season. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 1½ hours.
4. Add the potatoes and carrots and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the cabbage and garbanzo beans and cook until the meats are very tender, about 15 minutes more. Discard the bay leaf and ham hock. Divide the meat and vegetables among 4 bowls. Ladle in some of the broth, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve hot.
Callos a La Madrilena (Tripe Madrid Style)
This recipe is adapted from the excellent The Foods and Wines of Spain by Penelope Casas. It is a heart-warming dish that should be cooked for a long time, and eaten on cold, wintry days. I keep trying to encourage everyone to eat from the whole animal and to give things like tongue, tripe, and trotters their due.
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb ox tripe
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 pigs foot, split in half
- 2 parsley sprigs
- 10 peppercorns, lightly crushed
- 2 cloves
- A few gratings of nutmeg
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 thyme sprigs
- Salt
- 1 onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 oz chorizo sausage, peeled and sliced
- 3 oz diced, cured ham (prosciutto-style)
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 dried red chillies, seeded and crumbled
- 1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
Place the tripe in a pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil and drain.
Cut the tripe into small squares and put it in a pan with 3½ cups water, the wine, tomatoes, pigs foot, parsley, peppercorns, cloves, nutmeg, bay leaves, thyme, salt, the coarsely chopped onion, and the garlic.
Cover and cook over a very low heat, or in a low oven (275°F, but make sure it comes up to the boil before it goes in the oven), for 2 hours.
In a frying pan, heat the oil and fry the finely chopped onion until it is lightly colored. Add the chorizo and ham and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the paprika, fry for a few moments, and then add the flour. Cook over a low heat for a few minutes, and then add a large ladle of the cooking liquid. Stir until the mixture thickens. Return the tripe to the pan, together with the chilli, and cook for another hour.
Carefully lift out the pigs foot and remove the bones. Break up the meat and return to the tripe. Coarsely chop the parsley, stir it into the tripe, and serve immediately in a suitably rustic, terra cotta bowl.
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