{"id":1065,"date":"2013-05-04T08:12:31","date_gmt":"2013-05-04T12:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.summerofjim.com\/?p=1065"},"modified":"2019-03-24T11:53:41","modified_gmt":"2019-03-24T15:53:41","slug":"toad-hall-stew-bodegas-olarra-reciente-rose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/?p=1065","title":{"rendered":"Toad Hall Stew & Bodegs Olaga Reciente Ros\u00e9"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201c\u2019Oh, yes, yes, in there<\/span>,\u2019 said Toad impatiently. \u2018I\u2019d have said anything in there<\/span>. You’re so eloquent, dear Badger, and so moving, and so convincing, and put all your points so frightfully well–you can do what you like with me in there<\/span>, and you know it. But I’ve been searching my mind since, and going over things in it, and I find that I’m not a bit sorry or repentant really, so it’s no earthly good saying I am; now, is it?\u2019\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

Two things before we begin.  The recipe described herein is indeed not<\/b> \u201cToad Hall Stew\u201d but rather \u201cFrogmore Stew\u201d\u2026 a wonderful dish whose origins trace to South Carolina low-country.  The variations of the recipe are many.  But essentially it is a one pot dish based on shrimp, sausage and corn on the cob. Once again I have selected a version for its ease of assembly and its superb tastiness<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Next\u2026 as the above quotation bears witness, I am a big fan of Wind in the Willows<\/i>. There is something that has always drawn me to the character of Mr. Toad\u2026 a gentleman of high birth, living in a grand home, enjoying a life rich in leisure pursuits, dressing impeccably, a gracious host, full of bombast and knowing how to set a fine table.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere he got out the luncheon-basket and packed a simple meal, in which, remembering the stranger’s origin and preferences, he took care to include a yard of long French bread, a sausage out of which the garlic sang, some cheese which lay down and cried, and a long-necked straw-covered flask wherein lay bottled sunshine shed and garnered on far Southern slopes.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

So forgive me for deceiving you as to the name of the recipe.  But of this I have no doubt\u2026 it is a dish worthy of Mr. Toad.  This would be a repast that could grace the back patio of Toad Hall.  I can see Toad extending his hospitality to Rat, Mole and Badger\u2026 the friends enjoying the informality of the fare, watching the setting sun kiss the river bank, talking of adventure and sipping a chilled Ros\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\"mr<\/a><\/p>\n

The wine choices are several. Crisp to fuller whites would work. Alsatian Pinot Blanc or Riesling come to mind. Albari\u00f1o from Spain would be a great choice, and if you are set on Chardonnay, select a more mineral driven version such as Chablis or Pouilly-Fuiss\u00e9. A lighter red would also be fun\u2026 a slightly chilled Beaujolais from one of the Cru\u2019s (Morgon, Moulin-\u00e0-Vent, Fleurie & etc.) would be the ticket.  Ros\u00e9s for sure.  My favorites come from Provence; but for Toad Hall Stew I am choosing a fuller style of Ros\u00e9 of Tempranillo from Rioja.<\/p>\n

Bodegas Olarra Reciente Ros\u00e9 \u201912 (Rioja, Spain)<\/p>\n

100% Tempranillo. Cold soak macerated prior to allowing natural yeasts to begin converting sugar to alcohol, ensures the fresh elegance of fruit is retained in the finished wine.  A classic saign\u00e9e<\/i> method employed by the producers in Provence for their Ros\u00e9\u2019s. Crisp and fresh, this salmon colored wine is delicious offering up rose petals, hints of orange rind, raspberry and strawberry.  Clear, dry finish with a bright level of acidity making the wine a perfect accompaniment to anything served from your barbecue grill.  Or, excellent as a refreshing ap\u00e9ritif on a sunny afternoon!<\/p>\n

 \"frogmore<\/a><\/p>\n

Toad Hall Stew<\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/p>\n

6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
\n\u00bd ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
\nA goodly amount of ice
\n4 quarts cold water
\n\u00bc cup Old Bay seasoning
\n1 Tbs. kosher salt, plus more, to taste
\n4 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
\n1 yellow onion, diced
\n1 garlic head, halved crosswise
\n2\u00bd lbs. small red potatoes
\n4 ears of corn, shucked, each cut into 4 pieces
\n2 lbs. smoked sausage, cut into 1\u00bd-inch slices
\n2 lbs. medium shrimp, deveined, in the shell<\/p>\n

Directions<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, \u201cYou who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!\u201d 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!<\/li>\n
  2. In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, combine the water, OldBay seasoning, the 1 Tbs. salt, celery, onion, garlic and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced, 10 to 20 minutes.<\/li>\n
  3. \nAdd the corn and sausage to the pot and simmer until the corn is tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and simmer until opaque, 3 to 4 minutes. Taste the broth and adjust the seasonings with salt.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    n.b.<\/strong> I used a Vidalia onion.  I switched to jumbo<\/i> shrimp (sorry, medium shrimp aren\u2019t worth the effort). I also don\u2019t devein shrimp (just a nuisance step that I find totally without merit).<\/p>\n

    \"glorius<\/a><\/p>\n

    The world has held great Heroes,
    \nAs history books have showed;
    \nBut never a name to go down to fame
    \nCompared with that of Toad!<\/i><\/p>\n

    The clever men at Oxford
    \nKnow all that there is to be knowed.
    \nBut they none of them know one half as much
    \nAs intelligent Mr. Toad!<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    \u201c\u2019Oh, yes, yes, in there,\u2019 said Toad impatiently. \u2018I\u2019d have said anything in there. You’re so eloquent, dear Badger, and so moving, and so convincing, and put all your points so frightfully well–you can do what you like with me … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sandys-table"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1065"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18499,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065\/revisions\/18499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/summerofjim.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}