October Spanish Club

This month, we have a floral Godello and a Priorat laden with fruit and minerality.

Castelo do Papa Godello When I visited Spain in May, I fell in love with this Godello - bright floral aromas, medium weight and long finish. Robert Parker gave this old vine wine 90 points and raved: "The 2008 Castelo do Papa is 100% Godello from estate-owned vineyards fermented with native yeasts and raised in stainless steel. Medium straw-colored with plenty of glycerin oozing down the glass, it reveals an alluring nose of mineral/slate, white peach, lime, and melon. Crisp and vibrant on the palate, it has exceptional volume in the mouth and a long, fruit-filled finish. Drink it over the next three years."

Roquers de Porrera Marge Priorat A few years ago, my supplier was able to get me a six pack of this amazing wine. It was very well priced for a Priorat ($32) , sustainably farmed, brimming with fruit, and had an incredible layer of minerality. Needless to say, staff bought it all before it hit the shelves. I vowed to get more, and was able to score enough for the club with the 2007 vintage.

"The 2007 Marge is the entry level wine from Raimon Castellvi, owner and winemaker of Roquers de Porrera. Marge is the local name for the stone walls made of slate taken from the Priorat vineyards. It is a blend of 60% Garnacha, 14% Syrah, 13% Merlot, and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for eight months in French and American oak.

The wine is a glass-coating opaque purple with legs that ooze down the glass. The brooding nose reveals crushed stone, spice box, violets, tar, black cherry, and blueberry. This is followed by a dense, rich, structured Priorat with 1-2 years of aging potential. Drink it through 2017." 90 points, Robert Parker.

Recipes (by Andy)

For the Godello: Scallops with Tomato Marmalade, Dungeness Crab and Yellow Lentils Serves Four

The traditional food match with Godello is seafood, especially the local Galician shellfish specialties like scallops, mussels, clams, lobster, crab and oysters. In fact, the scallop shell is the longtime symbol of Galicia and the ancient Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. Pilgrims walking the journey would bring back Galician scallop shells as proof that they completed the journey to the “end of the world” which at that time was the western coast of Spain.

Tomato Marmalade:
* 6 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
* 2 oranges, zested and juiced
* ½ cup sugar
* ½ cup orange juice
* ½ cup white balsamic vinegar

Lentils:
* 1 cup gold lentils, washed
* 1 carrot peeled and roughly chopped
* 1 onion peeled and chopped
* 1 stalk of celery, chopped
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 sprig of thyme
* 3 cups chicken stock
* ½ pound Dungeness crab
* 1 tablespoon chives, chopped fine
* Salt and pepper to taste

* 16 large sea scallops
* 2 cups mâché
* 4tblsp lemon oil
* salt and pepper

In a heavy bottom pot over medium heat cook the tomatoes until slightly softened, add the sugar and orange juice and cook until syrupy. Add the orange juice and white balsamic, lower heat and cook until thick and jammy. Set aside until needed.

Combine all in a large saucepot. Bring to a simmer over low heat and cook until slightly under done. Drain and discard vegetables and herbs. Toss the crab and chives with lentils until warmed through.Set aside and keep warm until needed.

Sear scallops on high until golden and caramelized. Turn and sear a further 4 minutes until slightly rare in the center.

Divide the warm the lentil and crab mixture between four large dinner bowls. Place four scallops on top of the lentils and top each scallop with a little of the marmalade. In a small salad bowl, toss the mache with the lemon oil and salt and pepper, and garnish each entree. Serve immediately.

For the Priorat: Duck Stew serves Six

This hearty stew is full of rich flavor and a great match for wines from the Priorat. Have your butcher cut each duck into 8 pieces, but be sure to get the backs and necks for the sauce.

2 ducks, preferably Muscovy (about 3 1/2 pounds each)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
10 shallots, thinly sliced
5 carrots, thinly sliced
2 yellow onions, cut into 1/2 -inch chunks
7 celery ribs, thinly sliced crosswise
20 black peppercorns, crushed
8 juniper berries
2 bay leaves
9 thyme sprigs
2 bottles full-bodied red wine, such as Syrah
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise, plus 1 peeled clove
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
12 small cipolline or pearl onions, peeled
1 cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Water
6 ounces slab bacon, sliced 1/3 inch thick and cut crosswise into 1/4 -inch strips
6 ounces chanterelles or other wild mushrooms, cut up if large
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives or flat-leaf parsley

Remove the legs from the ducks and cut them into drumsticks and thighs. Remove the whole breasts on the bone. Split each breast down the center, then cut the breasts in half crosswise through the bones.

Cut off and discard as much of the fat from the carcass as possible. Chop the back and neck bones into 2 or 3 pieces. Season the duck pieces and the reserved bones with salt and pepper.

Arrange the duck pieces and bones in a large, deep stainless steel roasting pan. Scatter the shallots, carrots, yellow onions, celery, peppercorns, juniper berries, bay leaves and 8 of the thyme sprigs on top. Pour the red wine over the meat and bones, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Turn the duck and bones in the marinade a few times.

Preheat the oven to 425°. Remove the duck pieces and bones from the marinade and pat dry. Strain the marinade in a colander; reserve the liquid and vegetables separately.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the drained vegetables and the head of garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat until the liquid evaporates and the vegetables start to brown. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are evenly browned, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a very large, wide enameled cast-iron casserole, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle the duck pieces and bones with 2 tablespoons of the flour and cook in batches until very richly browned all over. Reduce the heat to low as necessary and transfer each batch to a plate as it's done.

Return all of the duck to the casserole and add the tomato paste, stirring to coat. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour and stir to lightly brown the flour. Add the vegetables from the skillet and the reserved marinade and bring to a simmer. Cover with a round of parchment paper and a lid and braise in the oven for 1 1/4 hours; skim off the fat every 20 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the cipolline onions with the chicken stock, sugar, 1 tablespoon of butter and the remaining thyme sprig and garlic clove. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with a round of parchment paper and simmer over low heat until the onions are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Pour 2 inches of water into a small saucepan, add the bacon and bring to a boil; drain and pat dry.

In a large skillet, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over moderate heat. Add the bacon and cook, tossing, until lightly browned. Add the chante-relles, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes; keep warm.

When the duck is done, transfer the drumsticks, thighs and breasts to a serving bowl. Strain the contents of the casserole through a coarse strainer set over a large bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids. Skim the fat from the red wine sauce.

Add 1/4 cup of water to the casserole and bring to a boil over high heat, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Add the onion cooking liquid to the casserole and boil until thickened. Add to the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the duck and garnish with the onions, bacon and mushrooms. Sprinkle with the chives and serve.

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