The Ash Creek Papers

Kalimotxo [KAL-ee-MOH-cho] is a traditional drink from the Basque in Spain.  It is an equal blend of dry red wine and cola, and it was thought to be a great way to camouflage a “rustic” quality red!  That case notwithstanding, the concoction is an excellent base for braising beef short ribs.  I served the short ribs over my favorite pasta, pappardelle. 

This is a recipe that I originally wrote up in 2013.  And ten years ago I chose a Blanc de Blancs Champagne as the coordinating wine.  Why?  To shake the apple tree.  To encourage citizens to move Champagne beyond toasting New Years, Valentine’s Day and the other six highlight days in the year, to popping the cork with… With?  With Food!  Good Food!  That recommendation still stands.  But…

But I just hosted a wine tasting when Zinfandel took front and center.  And Zinfandel conjures images of Waylon Jennings in our ear, long tables outside with trays & platters of smoked brisket, ribs, pulled pork and sides that are a delight to the eye and palate.  A richly flavored Zin is part of the experience.

Let’s shake the tree again.  There is more we can do with a quintessential Cali red than consign it to outdoor grilled food & American regional barbeque.  This Basque inspired recipe blends a flavorful dish to which we open a flavorful red that will complement the dish — neither wine nor recipe detracting from the other.  At the tasting we also had two Primitivo’s from Apulia that would also play with this recipe.

Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel ’19 (Lodi, CA)
Nestled in the heart of Lodi’s most prestigious Mokelumne AVA, sit 750 acres of estate vineyards, many of which have been farmed consistently by the Felten family for 6 generations. The soils are comprised of deep granite sandy loam, giving wines of this region a distinctive minerality. Situated at the edge of the Sacramento Delta, Pacific breezes gust through the Mokelumne AVA, cooling grapes, and creating a Mediterranean climate ideally suited for growing varietals such as Zinfandel, Syrah and Albariño. This, OVZ, is made from vineyard blocks up to 120 years old. Delta Breezes and the associated fog allow the winery to retain above average acidity for the region, providing notes of dark cherry and spices. Barrel fermentation provides additional structure to a thin skinned varietal. The extremely low yields of century old vineyards bring notes of raspberry and cranberry, with a hint of black pepper. The result is a balanced and complex Zinfandel perfect for both Summer barbecues and Fall fire pits.

Kalmotxo Braised Short Ribs

Ingredients
6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
3 blue cheese stuffed olives
A goodly amount of ice
¼ Cup Olive Oil
4lbs Short Ribs seasoned with salt & pepper
1¼ cups diced onion
¾ cup each diced carrots & celery
3 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp each tomato paste & smoked sweet paprika
1 tbsp anchovy paste
1 Bay Leaf
¼ Cup Dry Sherry
2 Cups each dry red wine & cola
1 Zest of Orange
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp Sherry Vinegar
2 tsp minced fresh thyme
½ minced orange zest

Directions
1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size.  Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming.  Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!

2. Preheat oven to 300°

3. Heat ¼ cup oil in large Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add ribs and brown all sides, 8-10 minutes, then transfer to a plate and set aside. Reduce to medium low.

4. Sweat onion, carrot and celery in the drippings until softened, 6-7 minutes.  Add garlic, paprika, tomato paste, anchovy paste and bay leaf; sweat 2 minutes more.

5. Deglaze pot with sherry; cook until almost evaporated, 5 minutes.

6. Stir wine, cola and zest of one orange into pot.  Return ribs to the pot, increase heat to high, bring liquid to a boil, then cover with a tight-fitting lid.  Transfer pot to the oven

7. Braise ribs until fork-tender, about 3½ hours, turning the ribs every hour.  Remove pot from oven.  Transfer ribs to a plate.  Cover ribs to keep warm

8. Strain braising liquid from pot, discarding solids.  Skim and discard fat from surface liquid.  Transfer liquid to skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

9. Whisk together cornstarch and 2 tsp of oil, then whisk into liquid, cook two minutes.

10. Off heat, stir vinegar, thyme and minced zest into sauce.  Place ribs in sauce to reheat, five minutes

n.b.  I couldn’t  resist trying some Kalimotxo.  Half red wine and Coca Cola? Much better that I was expecting… think Sangria without floating fruit!

—

The sea air was calling to me. It was time to visit Lynn & Alan (Sister & Brother-in-Law) at their roomy home that fronted Long Island Sound in Milford.  In times past we would enjoy a New England clam bake on their back deck on a summer day.  Drinking Sauvignon Blanc, eating lobsters &c, telling stories & laughing, all the while listening to the water rolling against the sea wall.   It was time to bring the festivities of the summer deck to the interior of their wonderful home.  It’s February.  Sandy and I provisioned out and packed up the necessities, including my treasured double lobster pot, and headed south to the Milford hamlet of Woodmont.  

A clambake ain’t all that hard (which is why I am good at it).  My Brother Paul would tell me stories about digging a deep pit in the beach sand.  Building a wood fire, throwing in good sized rocks/stones onto the wood pyre & keeping that fire going.  Adding wood as required to get the rocks white hot with heat.  Next dump in a good quantity of seaweed on the bright hot rocks, then throw in the essentials of the feast on to the steaming bed of seaweed: lobsters, many of them.  Several ears of corn, still in the husks,  added as a side.  Cover the pit with a tarp and let the steam cook the contents.  

Engage in an exhilarating game of scrabble on a spread out beach blanket ’til the bake is done (kidding).

I selected two wines to open with the enfolding repast.  We started with a Bordeaux Blanc that I had first tasted a week ago when I presented the Wines of Lafite in a tasting.  The Les Légendes R Bordeaux ’21 was the perfect apéritif to sip with a selection of olives & cheeses as I got busy prepping the contents of the double lobster pot.  Then the “show piece” was Paul Hobbs’ Dry Riesling.  Hillick & Hobbs Dry Riesling ’19 is the inaugural release of Hobbs’ new venture in New York State’s Finger Lakes region. 

JIM WINSTON’S SIGNATURE CLAMBAKE

Ingredients
6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
3 olives stuffed with blue cheese
4 Lobsters
4 Skinless boneless chicken thighs
8 Small potatoes
4 Ears of corn (preferably with husks on); cut into halves
1lb Smoked sausage cut into 4 pieces
24 Little neck clams
5 bottles/cans of lager beer
A stout bunch of fresh dill
Lemon wedges
Melted butter

Directions
1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size.  Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming.  Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!

2. Empty the beers into the base part of a lobster pot. Place the fresh dill in the bottom of the upper part of the pot.  Put heat to medium-high.

3. Once the beer reaches a low boil, turn heat down to low-medium. Place potatoes into the pot. After 10 minutes add the chicken to the pot for an additional 5 minutes.

4. Adjust the heat to ensure that a steady steam is getting thru to the upper part of the lobster pot.  Add the lobsters to the pot.

5. Cook the lobsters for 25-30 minutes. Check 20 minutes in. The lobsters should be fully red. If not, add 10 minutes to cook time.

6. Add the sausages for 5 minutes

7. Adjust the heat to ensure that a steady steam is getting thru to the upper part of the lobster pot.  Put the clams into cheesecloth and tie to close into a sack.  Add to the pot.

8. When clams open it’s time to tie on the ol’ feed bag!

Recommended serving sequence: 1. Clams & Sausages; 2. Lobster & Corn; 3. Chicken & Potatoes.  OR, conversely throw caution to the wind & put everything on to a big platter and proceed to independent selection scarfing down.

n.b. Soft-shell “steamer” clams are the preferred clam type for a true “New England” Clam Bake. I have been using Little Necks because they’re easier to source and they are less fussy to consume.

James R. Winston, YS