We’ve got more tasty red wines to share! Join us for an in-store tasting on Saturday September 15 from 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. (or until we run out of samples). We’ll be pouring three tasty red wines that will help the palate transition to fall. All retail for under $20.00.
A new shipment of clay cookware arrived Thursday. We’ve restocked cazuelas in two to eight serving sizes that we were out of, and replenished many of the terra cotta-colored items. If you’ve never cooked in clay, you should! Durable and versatile, clay cookware is one of the original cooking vessels, dating back to the age of pre-bronze age cave dweller. Clay is dirt, and the factories which made terracotta sprang up at the dawn of history around deposits of red clay. Spanish cazuelas have become the workhorse of our kitchen because they are so versatile. They can be used with direct heat on a gas or electric burner, and can be used to sauté onions and garlic in olive oil or to reduce tomatoes and peppers to a sofrito. Then they can slide into the oven to finish whatever dish you are preparing, rice, beans, stews, fish or meats, leaving you free to prepare the salad while it bakes. When it is time to serve, the cazuela is attractive enough that it can be brought straight to the table. They wash easily. When something gets baked onto the surface, I find that just soaking the cazuela overnight makes it easy to clean. Cazuelas also hold heat, so they are great for transporting food to a potluck.
Pork and Potatoes Stewed in Cazuela with Smoked Paprika
We’ll never forget our visit to Bodegas Farina, in Spain’s Toro region. Owner Manuel Fariña was one of the first winemakers to recognize the potential of this region to produce distinctive Tempranillos from this challenging climate near the Portuguese border. The wines were terrific and paired perfectly with this hearty dish, served in a large cazuela, which could be cooked over vine clippings in the fall. It’s a Spanish take on pot roast but so much better!
Serves 12
1/2 bottle dry red wine
4 pounds pork shoulder
12 cloves garlic, 6 crushed, 6 finely chopped
4 bay leaves
4 Tablespoons Spanish Sweet Smoked Paprika
1 cup Spanish Olive Oil
Salt to taste
6 Potatoes, cut into chunks
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
Marinate pork in enough red wine to cover, seasoned with several cloves of garlic, a couple of bay leaves and a healthy amount of paprika for at least a day.
Drain the pork, reserving the marinade, and cut pork into cubes.
On top of the stove, heat olive oil in a cazuela, add pork cubes and salt; brown.
Add chopped onion, the finely chopped garlic, and sauté until cooked.
Stir in the cumin and another tablespoon or two of paprika and cook for a minute, then add the reserved marinade and the potatoes and/or cooked garbanzo beans.
Bake in a hot oven at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes until potatoes are soft.
See you soon! Sharon