The Ash Creek Papers

Sandy has suggested that I have entered into my “culinary red period.”  OK.  Picasso had his “blue period” and yes, I have found myself trending towards dishes that sport a reddish hue.  It has also been pointed out that for a lover of Red Bordeaux and Burgundy; I have been opening a lot of bottles of White wine.  Also true.  In the case of the former, it’s just a matter of coincidence, and in the latter it’s just a matter of selecting wines appropriate to the dish.

This recipe is a “hybrid” dish that I got from one of those recipe cards that super markets provide to help push their products.  What these recipes share in common is ease of assembly and making.  Invariably they are a short-cut to more authentic treatment of the dish… using fewer ingredients and fewer steps.  Still, the end result can be tasty.  With regard to this dish, I opted to use 1lb of “super colossal” shrimp in the rough (not peeled and de-veined) and to garnish with cilantro (I pinched some fromSandy’s tortilla soup dish that she is making tonight).  Using kielbasa in a creole dish is counterintuitive… andouille sausage would be a better call – and on the next time around I will switch to andouille.

I chose the Bourgogne Blanc because it has the “stuffing” to stand up to a flavorful dish; but without the complexity that would be lost against the Creole spiciness.  A Dolcetto d’Alba from Piedmont would have been a good choice for red.

Domaine Mignon Bourgogne Blanc “La Combe” ’10 (Burgundy, France)
This is a small Domaine owned by one of the finest winemakers in Puligny Montrachet, Roland Maroslavac who gets as high as 95pts by the Wine Spectator for his premier Puligny bottlings. The man is a master of White Burgundy. This is a great introduction to the complexity, depth and length that White Burgundy achieves especially in this classic 2010 vintage which Wine Advocate has hailed as the finest young whites they have ever tasted.  All sourced from Puligny-Montrachet vineyards. Light yellow. Nose of lemon custard, elegant and focused. Has a broad and expansive development on the tongue. Baked lemon, minerals, pure and clean. Long finish.

KIELBASA AND SHRIMP CREOLE

Ingredients
6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry VermouthA goodly amount of ice
3 Blue Cheese stuffed olives1 cup white rice1 tbsp olive oil4 oz fully cooked kielbasa sliced½ cup chopped onion¼ cup chopped green bell pepper¼ cup chopped celery1 tsp Cajun seasoning¼ tsp cayenne pepper1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes w/basil and oregano undrained½ lb large shrimp, peeled and de-veined

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.  Bring two cups of water to boil, add rice, cover and turn heat to low. Cook ‘til water is fully absorbed.

3.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add kielbasa, onion, bell pepper, celery, Cajun seasoning, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste; cook and stir 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

4.  Stir in tomatoes.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat.  Simmer uncovered, 2 minutes.  Stir in shrimp; raise heat to medium.  Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp turn opaque.  Serve over hot cooked rice.

n.b. The recipe notes “serves 4”.  OK, that’s about right… particularly if no one enjoys shrimp and sausage.  On the other hand, you may consider doubling some, if not all, of the ingredients.

If you are one to fret and labor of the choice of wine to go along side of a dish… fret no longer.  Years ago I discovered a dish that offers fool proof opportunity for wine pairings.  The dish is Spanish paella, and it is one of my favorite dishes for wine.  It is a classic dish that combines meat, seafood and poultry into a sumptuous feast for both eye and palate. Wine? Choose Red, White, Rosé or sparkling… you can’t miss. For my first attempt at making paella in my kitchen, I selected a Southern Rhône that I have used at many of our wine tastings. It offers concentration of flavors and texture that matches well against the richness of the dish.  My second choice of wine would have been an Albariño from Spain or a Pinot Gris from Alsace.  Other choices?  Rioja?  Sure!  Zinfandel… Cru Beaujolais, Barbera, Grenache… yes, yes, yes. You get the idea… stay away from heavy duty Cabs, Classified Bordeaux, and just about everything else should be fine.  For Whites stay crisp and/or flavorful… Sancerre, Grüner Veltliner, Viognier, Torrontes, Gavi. I would stay away from the buttery and heavy oaked Chards (but I don’t like those types of Chards for anything)… but if you are in the mood for Chardonnay, open a Pouilly-Fuissé or a modest Burgundy from the Beaune.  Rosé? Select and chill.  And for sparkling I’m a big fan of Prosecco… Cava from Spain would also suit.

Domaine du Grand Boujassot Sablet ’10 (Southern Rhône, France)

Marie-Claude & Pierre Varennes own 7.5ha in Gigondas and Sablet. Pierre Varenne inherited the fields of Gigondas from his parents in 1974 and his wife Marie-Claude inherited the fields of Sablet. The appellation of Sablet was originally classified as a Côte du Rhône Village but with improved quality it is has been awarded its own Village designation. It is located 12 miles to the east of the town Orange. This wine is a typical blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah from wonderful 70 year old vines. The vineyard is sand, alluvium, calcaire and chalk. The word Sablet is the French word for sand. Sablet shares its soils with the neighbouring Gigondas Appellation. The Dentelles de Montmirail foothills rise sharpley just to the east of Sablet and offer a small area of south-facing limestone-based slopes where some of the more successful Sablet vineyards are situated. This is where you will find Boujassot’s vineyard, which has perfect sun exposure and drainage to make great red wine. The wine has an absolutely killer nose, rich and dense with berry fruit and glorious concentration on the palate, awesome richness, great texture that only the best Southern Rhône possess.

There are a plethora of paella recipes. The ingredients and variations seem endless.  I settled on using the recipe that came with the 15” paella pan that I ordered.  The pan is key.

Paella Mixta

Ingredients

6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
A goodly amount of ice
1 tsp thread saffron
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 medium onions, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
2 pounds tomatoes, chopped
8 piquillo peppers, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 chicken thighs, cut into 2” pieces
12 large shrimp, uncooked
12 littleneck clams (or mussels)
1 lb chorizo, cut into 1” pieces
8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups bomba or calasparra rice
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
Lemon wedges

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. Add broth, paprika and saffron to a pot, cover and heat. In a separate 15” paella pan, add 2 tbsp olive oil and brown the chicken pieces and the chorizo, about 5 minutes, Remove. Add the remaining olive oil and cook the onions over medium high heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and garlic and simmer another 5 minutes until they have a “sauce” like appearance.  Add sea salt and pepper to taste.
3. Pour in rice and stir until the rice is covered with the tomato mixture (known as sofrito).  Add the chicken and chorizo pieces.  Slowly add the heated broth to the paella.  Stir the rice mixture around until it is evenly distributed throughout the pan.  Important… do not stir after this point.
4. Simmer for about 10 minutes, then place the shrimp and the clams into the mixture one by one, evenly distributing throughout.  Simmer for another 15 minutes, or until the broth has been absorbed, add extra liquid if necessary.  Remove from heat, cover lightly with foil and let sit for another 10 minutes.  Garnish with piquillo slices and lemon wedges.

n.b. I added two lobster tails, split in half lengthwise, and in half again across and introduced to the cooking process when I added the other seafood.  After reading other recipes, I learned that some burned rice on the bottom is desirable.  When you can smell the “toasting” of the rice, take the pan off the heat and tent the paella with foil ‘til the moisture is absorbed. I loved the charred rice!  I didn’t peel or de-vein the shrimp before cooking, although you can. I like peeling the shrimp as I go along (that’s why we have extra napkins at the table!). I will probably make some changes the next go ‘round… replace the chicken stock with water? Go seafood only?  We’ll see! Cheers!!