Recipes

Chorizos in Sidra

1 lb semi cured chorizo
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
About 1 cup Basque hard cider *
1/2 small bay leaf
Red pepper flakes-to taste
Crusty baguette or other bread for dipping

Cut chorizo into 1-2 inch chunks.  Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a deep skillet that can hold the chorizo.  Saute onions on low heat until golden and caramelized-about 15 minutes. Add the chorizo and lightly brown all over (2-3 minutes).  Drain off ALL fat from skillet.  Add enough cider to come approximately halfway up the chorizo.  Bring to boil.  Add the bay leaf and red pepper flakes, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, turning the chorizo several times, until they are cooked through (20-25 minutes).

Basque cider is not your typical apple cider.  It is made like wine instead of beer and is traditionally poured from high above to give it a natural effervescence.  It is very dry and not at all sweet. Stop in for a bottle and experience something new!

Pears in Wine Sauce

Prepare one day in advance.

2 cups water 4 pears, peeled but not cored
1/2 cup sugar 2 lemon wedges
3/4 cup red wine 2 cinnamon sticks

In a saucepan, mix the sugar and water well. Bring it to a boil and add the lemon, cinnamon and pears. Cover and simmer for 10 minute. Add the wine and simmer another 5-8 minutes or until the pears are tender. Remove the pears and reduce the sauce until it is a little thickened and syrup-like. Return the pears to the sauce and allow to sit overnight at room temperature. To serve core the pears, cut them into slices and arrange on a dessert plate. Garnish with a lemon wedge and spoon over some syrup. Serves 4

Mixed Paella

1/8 c olive oil

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion – diced

¾ cup chorizo – sliced

1/3 cup fresh bell pepper (any color) – diced

3+ cloves garlic – chopped

1+ tablespoons Spanish smoked paprika (or to taste)

1/3 cup dry white wine

6 cups chicken broth

18 strands Spanish saffron

1 ½ cups paella rice

1 lb seafood (clams, shrimp, mussels, etc)

1 cup chicken (pre-cooked/torn off bone)

¼ cup roasted red pepper – diced

1 cup blanched green beans

Salt to taste

Lemon wedges (Optional)

Paella Cooking Instructions

Heat broth and saffron in a small stock pot and keep it at a low simmer. In a 12-14″ paellera, heat oil and slowly sauté onion until soft. Add chorizo and cook until the oil begins to turn orange from the tasty oil released from the chorizo. Stir in peppers and cook 2 minutes before adding garlic and smoked paprika. Cook until the garlic becomes fragrant.

Add rice and stir until all individual grains are coated with the golden oil, adding more oil if needed. Deglaze the pan with white wine and cook until almost completely evaporated. Add about 4 cups of the saffron-infused broth or enough to just cover the rice, and spread out the rice evenly. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until rice is about half-cooked. Do not stir! Taste a grain of rice to judge doneness and to taste for saltiness. Adjust if necessary.

Nestle seafood into the rice and top with green beans and pimentos. Again, you are nestling because you should not stir . . . this disperses the goodies evenly. Cook about 10 minutes more, adding additional broth if rice becomes dry before it’s cooked through. Simmer until all broth has been absorbed, rice is tender, and seafood is cooked through. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving. We serve with lemon wedges.

When customizing your own paella, consider how long individual ingredients
need to cook and add them accordingly.