Tuesday 9/20/22 (tomorrow!) is International Paella Day. Coinciding with the rice harvest, ten international chefs will compete in the World Paella Day Cup 2022. Join in by making your own paella and post a picture to social media with the hashtag #worldpaelladay and make this dish go viral! Below is our general paella recipe which can be adapted to any number of servings and a choice of ingredients.
WE ARE HIRING– Paris-Madrid Grocery has a permanent, part-time position open for 16-22 hours per week, including weekends. During the holiday season from mid-November to New Year’s Eve, full-time work is available. This is a great job for someone who loves European foods and wines and wants to make a little extra cash. It is also a great job for college students over 18 years old. To apply, please send a resume to sharon@parismadridgrocery.com. Please pass this information along to anyone who may be interested!
SPECIAL BURGUNDY OFFER, 1 BOTTLE OF EACH WINE AVAILABLE – TO ORDER, CALL THE SHOP AT 206-682-0679 BY WEDNESDAY SEPT 21 AT 3:00 P.M. WITH CREDIT ARD INFORMATION. Must present credit card when picking up wines.
Domaine Dujac, the Morey-Saint-Denis based producer is one of the region’s top cult wineries. Gaining a reputation for rich, full-bodied Red Burgundy, the modus operandi was to make use of whole-cluster fermentation and 100% new oak. A trademark style, the estate remains one of the most sought-after, distinctive sources of Burgundy.
2020 Dujac Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, $625.00 1 BOTTLE AVAILABLE
Decanter 97 points Tasted by: Charles Curtis MW Drinking Window: 2025 – 2060
“Complex and aromatically nuanced, showing well-developed plummy fruit, with accents of earth, leather, smoke and spice. The initial feel on the palate is tannic and concentrated, but the wine is still approachable and supple, with a lovely, long line to the lingering finish. Superb wine. Dujac owns nearly 2ha here, scattered across six parcels and five of the different lieux-dits, including the original Clos de la Roche, Les Froichots, Les Fremières, Monts Luisants and Les Chabiots, giving a balanced view of this grand cru.”
95-97 points Vinous: “The 2020 Clos-de-la-Roche Grand Cru has an extremely pure bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, violet and crushed stone. This feels very focused and classy. The palate is very well balanced with supple tannins, fine acidity, very smooth and sensual with a welcome touch of bitterness towards the finish. A gorgeous wine, although I feel that Clos Saint-Denis has the edge.” Neal Martin
95-97 points Wine Advocate: “The 2020 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is no less impressive. Exhibiting aromas of plums, red berries and cassis mingled with orange rind, cinnamon, vanilla pod and spices, it’s full-bodied, deep, and layered, with a concentrated core of fruit, lively acids and a long, rose-inflected finish.”
2020 Dujac Clos St. Denis Grand Cru , $625.00 1 BOTTLE AVAILABLE
Decanter 98 points Drinking Window: 2025 – 2070
“A vibrant and fresh wine, with bright red cherry fruit, a hint of rose petal and liquorice. The texture is silky yet dense, and the finish lingers impressively on the palate. This superb wine is a perfect response to those who disregard this grand cru. Dujac’s 1.47ha of Clos St-Denis is spread over several parcels and consistently produces one of the most emblematic grands crus of the domaine. In 2020, the Seysses family began picking on the 21st of August to retain freshness.”
96-98 points Vinous: “The 2020 Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru has a slightly backward, tertiary bouquet that takes time to open in the glass. It eventually reveals blackberry, briary, sous-bois and hints of Earl Grey. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, quite spicy and pepper, this Clos Saint-Denis delivering a wonderful build towards its voluminous yet controlled, spicy finish. must ‘fess up – I swallowed my sample.”
95-97 points Wine Advocate: “The 2020 Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru is showing beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of rose petals, red berries, plums, blood orange, violets and raw cocoa. Full-bodied, layered and velvety, it’s perfumed and seamless, with an ample core of vibrant fruit, powdery tannins and a long, resonant finish.”
2020 Dujac Morey-St-Denis Blanc AOC, $125.00
90 points John Gilman: All of the Domaine Dujac 2020 whites were assembled in tank in early December. The Morey AC Blanc was showing very nicely, offering up scents of apple, sweet quince, chalky soil tones, bee pollen, a touch of nutskin and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, long and well-balanced, with a good core, fine soil signature and backend bounce. Good juice. (Drink between 2024-2040)
88-90 points Vinous: “The 2020 Morey-Saint-Denis Blanc has an attractive bouquet with citrus fruit, fern and just a touch of grilled walnut. The palate has a pleasant viscosity on the entry, just a bit of SO2 present at the moment though that will be addressed during its élevage. There is a cheeky dab of ginger right on the finish. Fine.”
88-90 points Wine Advocate: “The 2020 Morey-Saint-Denis Blanc offers up aromas of sweet orchard fruit, orange oil, nutmeg and baking spices, followed by a medium-bodied, fleshy palate framed by bright acids and chalky structuring extract.”
Harvest began on August 19 at Domaine Dujac in 2020, concluding only six days later, and Jeremy Seysses opted for very short macerations, retaining 90% to 95% whole clusters. In the vineyards, the viticultural team didn’t deleaf at all in the warm, sunny growing season, and Seysses noted a big difference in drought resistance between organic and biodynamically farmed parcels. Bottling is planned earlier than usual to capture the wines vibrant fruit intact. And the result? A very persuasive portfolio of 2020s, defined by deep and vibrant fruit tones, rich and powdery tannins and the impressively saturated hues that characterize the vintage along the Côte d’Or. They will require more patience, I suspect, than the remarkably charming 2019s (revisited here in bottle), but they will reward it. – William Kelley, The Wine Advocate
PARIS-MADRID GROCERY’S CLASSIC PAELLA RECIPE
From The Spanish Table Cookbook by Steve Winston
This style of Paella, paella mista, is what most people associate with the name. There are many, many paellas and other rice dishes, most of which are traditionally cooked in a paella pan over a heat source, but some of which are cooked in a cazuela or baked, al horno, in the oven. There are paellas which are all seafood, all shellfish, made only with lobster and lobster stock, meat paellas, and vegetarian paellas which may even include turnips. Pictured is a “mista”, containing shrimp, clams, garbanzo beans, bomba rice, chicken legs, and chunks of pork.
Measurements are per serving so use this list as a multiplication table. We recommend serving a paella mista with a Spanish Rioja wine, such as Sierra Cantabria Crianza, or Pazo Senorans Albariño, if a white wine is preferred.
½ cup Uncooked Valencian Rice per person, OR 1/3 cup Bomba Rice per person
1 cup Chicken stock per ½ cup of Valencian rice, OR 1 cup broth per 1/3 cup Bomba rice
5 threads of Saffron per person, dissolved in ½ cup white warm dry white wine or dry sherry
2 tablespoons Olive oil per serving capacity of the pan, enough to completely cover bottom of the pan when it is cool. The oil will expand as it heats.
1 piece chicken, such as a thigh, per person
½ to 1 Soft, cooking, Spanish-style chorizo
½ teaspoon Sweet or bittersweet pimentón
1 clove garlic Per person, finely chopped
¼ cup Chopped onion per person
⅛ cup Tomato, grated (cut in half, grate and discard the skin) per person
2 Shrimp and/or prawns per portion
2-4 Small clams and/or mussels per portion
Some Vegetables:
Red piquillo or morrón peppers cut in strips
Peas, green beans and/or artichoke hearts
Cooked garrofón beans from Valencia (Alubias) (optional)
Lemon wedges for garnish
Minced parsley for garnish
THE ORDER OF COOKING
Paella is cooked in a pan by adding ingredients progressively and allowing their flavors to merge and mingle and be absorbed into the rice. Ingredients are never removed once they are added. Exception: When using a pan slightly beyond its capacity, I remove the chicken pieces and keep them warm until everything else is in the pan and then I put them back on top where they can float on the surface, rising slightly above the rim of the pan.
Warm wine or sherry gently in a small pan. Add the saffron threads and steep until aroma is released.
Allow the wine to come to a near boil then remove from heat.
Coat the bottom of paella pan with olive oil and heat over medium heat.
Add chicken and fry, turning, until golden brown.
When chicken’s juice runs clear, add garlic and onions and sauté until translucent.
Add chorizo and cook until heated through and begins to sweat fat.
Add the rice and pimentón, stirring until well coated with oil (about one minute).
Add the grated tomato (You can just grate it directly into the paella pan).
Add the liquid, stock or water and the saffron steeped in wine.
Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of pan, and adjust heat to maintain a simmer.
Add cooked beans or other pre-cooked vegetables you are using.
After cooking for 15 minutes, add the seafood.
Cook for 5 minutes, then check to see if the rice is done.
At this point, it is traditional to let the paella, dormir, rest for fifteen minutes while the cook has an aperitif. It is loosely covered, in Spain often with a section of the daily newspaper (but not the section with the soccer scores). I set a sheet of aluminum foil over the paella without crimping the edges so it can breathe a little.
Sprinkle with minced parsley, garnish with lemon wedges and serve.