Santa Catarina Tuna Fillet $10.99
This tuna is fished using Line and Pole method in the Azorean sea, off the island of Sao Jorge in Portugal. Santa Catarina focuses on quality over quantity, which means that all fish are caught using sustainable methods and manually labored. Made without the use of any preservatives or emusifiers, simply tuna, olive oil and salt. Packaged in Portuguese newsprint wrapping, these exceptional canned tuna fillets also make great gifts!
Ferrer Romesco Sauce $4.99
Romesco sauce is one of the most popular sauces in Catalan cuisine, made from a blend of tomatoes, olive oil, almonds, garlic, and spices. Its tangy-nutty flavors are a perfect match for anything roasted or grilled. Try it on smokey charred asparagus, artichokes, eggplant or squash. Also marries beautifully with grilled fish, and roasted potatoes!
Wines to Consider
2015 Pazo de Señorans Albariño Rias Baixas $19.99
Another winner from American importer, Eric Solomon! Pazo de Senorans is considered one of the handful of top estates in Rias-Baixas and has consistently produced some of the best Albarinos that money can buy. What separates Pazo de Senorans from the other Rias Baixas producers is the fact that their yields are relatively modest (25-30 hectoliters per hectare) by comparison, and the estate has some of the oldest vines in the region; all planted in slate and gravel. This crisp, elegant 2015 Albarino offers up notes of stone fruits such as, apricot and peach, with the heady aroma of honeysuckle–it’s the scent of Summer! It’s medium-bodied and shows beautiful purity, crisp acids and a zesty, very fresh, lively finish with a hint of minerality. Highly recommended as an aperitíf or paired with shellfish of any sort! Delicious!
2009 Monte dos Cabaços ‘Colheita Seleccionada’ Alentejo Red Wine $19.99
I first tried this wine last year and was suitably impressed; it’s gone on to be a staff favorite. For my money, the Alentejo is probably the most exciting wine region in Portugal. Lured by less expensive land prices and the 300+ days of sunshine per year, many Portuguese and foreign winemakers have flocked to the region, investing it with a new vitality. The plethora of new wines–a lot garnering very favorable press—has made the Alentejo wine region a boon to knowledgeable and price-conscious wine consumers, and the Monte dos Cabaços delivers a lot of wine for a very reasonable price!
“The 2009 Tinto is an absolutely sensational Portuguese dry red wine aged in stainless steel, as well as in bottle prior to release. This outstanding effort is made from 45% Alicante Bouschet, 30% Touriga Nacional, 20% Aragonez and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Rich, ripe, blackcurrant fruit, notes of pen ink, an opaque purple color, beautiful density, beautiful fruit and silky tannin are all present in this naked, unoaked and rather hefty dry red wine. Drink it over the next 5-7 years.”
90 points, Wine Advocate.
2013 Castell del Remei ‘Gotim Bru’ Costers del Segre $13.99
The 2013 Gotim Bru is a blend of 40% Garnacha, 30% Ull de Llebre (Tempranillo), 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Syrah, aged for ten months in American and French oak barrels. The wine is perfumed and pleasant, with ripe aromas of plums, raisins and prunes, some floral overtones and notes of spicy oak. The palate reveals ripe fruit, in a powerful frame, with dusty tannins and moderate acidity. If you like full-bodied, dark-fruit, Catalan wines, this isfor you!
2013 Montecastro Ribera del Duero $19.99
I’m not familiar with this wine, other than it’s another Ribera del Duero from Eric Solomon–you may know his ‘Pruno’ wine from Finca Villacreces, which is,decidedly, a big, concentrated wine from the same appellation. Montecastro is a winery that was purchased in 2012 by the del Rio family, of Hacienda Monasterio fame. The vineyards are located on gentle slopes at an elevation between 2,000 and 2,600 feet above sea level. With the cooling effects of elevation, the vines are protected from the intense summer heat of this part of Spain. The soils are poor, high in limestone content and quite rocky. Since the arrival of Carlos del Rio the farming at Montecastro has been converted to organic. About 90% of the vineyards are planted with Tempranillo clones suited to the climate of Ribera del Duero, with the remaining 10% split between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
“The now called simply 2013 Montecastro feel like a completely different wine from a new regime. The wine is ripe and heady but the oak feels much better integrated, and the palate is smoother and with better balance and freshness. It’s mostly Tempranillo with some 5% Merlot matured in used French and American (10%) oak barrels for 13 to 18 months depending on the lot. 53,433 bottles produced.”
91 points, Wine Advocate.
Shrimp à la Provencale
Recipe from French Classics Made Easy by Richard Grausman $16.95
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds tomatoes peeled, seeded, and diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
6 sprigs parsely, chopped
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined
Make the sauce: in a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over high heat until it is smoking. Add the tomatoes. (Be careful; the hot oil may spatter). Toss or stir quickly. Add the garlic and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper, remove from the heat and stir in three-fourths of the chopped parsley. Pour the sauce into a bowl and set aside.
In a skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute until they change color and begin to curl, 2-3 minutes.
Add the sauce to the cooked shrimp and bring to a boil. Transfer the shrimp and sauce to a hot serving platter and sprinkle with the remaining chopped parsley before serving.