2006 JC Vizcarra Ribera del Duero -
Juan Carlos Vizcarra founded the winery in 1991 with 64 hectares of
vineyards that had been grown by his family for decades. One of the
newer generation that started in a small garage and has received great
accolades; his new state of the art winery is all gravity fed and
minimal intervention. JC Vizcarra spends 9 months in a combination of
French and American oak and is 100% Tempranillo (called Tinto Fino or Tinta Pais
in Ribera) . "It delivers enthralling notes of cedar, bacon, wood
smoke, mineral, and blueberry and blackberry. It has more structure as
well as greater depth and concentration. Give this hedonistic effort
2-3 years in the cellar and drink it through 2020." 92 points Parker2005 Baron de Magana - Juan Magana founded the winery in 1970 and smuggled non-authorized grapes from France (Cab & Merlot) into the vineyards. The Merlot vines are actually cuttings from Chateau Petrus and has continually won awards both in Spain and abroad. The 2005 Baron de Magana is a blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Tempranillo aged for 14 months in 79% new oak. Purple-colored, it gives up an expressive bouquet of toast, scorched earth, mineral, blackcurrant, and plum. This is followed by a medium-bodied, elegant wine with a bit of silky tannin, spicy flavors, and excellent length.
Recipes:
Jeane J. Kirkpatrick's Paella serves six to eight
Paella is a dish, that for better, and usually for worse, is "typically Spanish." Like other iconic dishes such as gumbo, there is a lore and passed on wisdom about "how to make it right." Yet for whatever reason, one usually seems to encounter examples of "how to make it go wrong" i.e. mushy rice, leathery seafood, lackluster spicing, etc. For those bitten by the passion to discover the "real thing", the pursuit of the ultimate example of such a dish becomes a lifelong pursuit. Apparently, Jeane Kirkpatrick (Ambassador to the UN !?...go figure she liked to cook!) was bitten by the Paella bug and spent forty years accumulating culinary tips on how to perfect this dish. After her death, her son offered her recipe in a newspaper article which is where I found it. This is not a dish to be taken on lightly as the laundry list of ingredients demonstrates. However, I figure by starting with a such a tried and true recipe, we have a better chance to rise to the heights of a great paella. The dish can be made with all fresh ingredients, but I've made a few substitutions of convenience such as lobster tails,frozen cleaned and trimmed squid, frozen artichoke hearts, etc to make it more reasonable. For an interesting challenge try making this on the barbeque... the whole dish takes on a marvelous smokey quality. Wine choice also poses a challenge and a case can be made for white, red, or even rose. Because this is such an over the top version, laden with variety, I want something hearty such as one the red wines in this month's selection. Both posses great fruit character and a little structure to cut against the many flavors of this dish. I hope you decide to accept the challenge and " make it right." Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 6 (1 pound) hot Italian sausage links
- 8 ounces lean pork cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 6 (1 1/2 pounds) skinless, bone-in chicken thighs (may substitute other chicken parts)
- 2 1/2 ounces salt pork, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1 cup)
- 2 medium onions cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 4 cups)
- 1 large red bell pepper cored, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch diece (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced, plus 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped mushrooms
- 2 medium vine-ripened tomatoes peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 cups)
- olive oil (at least 1/4 cup)
- 2 cups long-grain rice
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
- 1 dash hot pepper sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup frozen artichoke hearts
- 8 ounces large, shell-on shrimp, deveined
- 1 pound cleaned and trimmed squid, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 pounds shell-on lobster tails, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 12 littleneck clams and/or mussels
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
Directions:
Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels and place near the stove.
In a large paella pan, roasting pan or wide, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sausage until it has browned and almost cooked through. Transfer to the paper towel-lined baking sheet and brown the lean pork, chicken and salt pork, working in batches, if necessary, and stirring occasionally; transfer each batch to drain on the paper towel. This should take about 35 minutes' total cooking time. Cut the browned sausages into 1/2 -inch rounds.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, bell pepper, minced garlic, mushrooms and tomatoes to the drippings in the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes or until the onions and bell pepper are tender. Add a tablespoon of oil, if necessary, to keep the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
In a separate large skillet over medium heat, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil until it is almost smoking. Add the rice, stirring until it is well coated. Cook for about 5 minutes, just until golden. Set aside.
(If you wish to cook the paella in the oven, at this point, position an oven rack at the lowest setting and preheat to 425 degrees.)
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the water, saffron, hot pepper sauce, turmeric and cumin, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, then immediately add to the rice mixture, stirring gently to combine. Transfer the sauce-rice mixture to the paella pan and add the sausage, pork and chicken pieces to the pan. Gently fold in the peas, artichoke hearts, shrimp, squid and lobster. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes over medium heat, or cover in the same manner and bake for about 45 minutes. (Check doneness after 20 minutes for either cooking method.) When the paella is done, the rice should be tender but not mushy, and the seafood should be cooked through. Set aside and cover loosely to keep warm.
Scrub and clean the clams and/or mussels. Place in an ovenproof pan and add the white wine and crushed garlic, stirring to combine. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes or until the shells open up; discard any that have not opened. Arrange around the sides of the paella. Serve from the pan or skillet at the table.
Spice-rubbed Grilled Strip Steak Serves 4.
I thought it would only be fair to those who find the Paella recipe utterly intimidating to include a more straightforward grilled steak recipe that you can put together in minutes. Light the BBQ, open the wine and pour yourself a glass, put the spice rub together and season the steaks. Head out to the BBQ, grill, sip, and enjoy!
- 1 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds, coarsely crushed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons whole dill seeds, coarsely crushed
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, coarsely crushed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 4 bone-in strip steaks (10 to 12 ounces and 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick each)
- Vegetable oil, for grates
Heat grill to medium-high; lightly oil grates. Place steaks on grill; cover. Cook, turning once, until meat is desired doneness, about 8 minutes for medium-rare.
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