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
1 medium onion – diced
3 cloves garlic minced or chopped
1/2 c green pepper – diced
1 T smoked paprika
1/2 c white wine
Salt
1/4 cup pimentos – diced
1 cup vegetables
1-2 c pre-cooked meat (chorizo, jamon serrano, chicken, use your imagination)
1 lb seafood (shrimp, mussels, clams, cod)
2 c rice (Valencia rice…we sell here at the market)
6-7 c chicken broth simmering
8-10 strands saffron

Heat up broth with saffron on back burner to a low simmer.

In a paellera (paella pan) for 8 people, heat oil and sauté onion on med heat until golden (about 10 min). Add meat and peppers and saute until meat is heated through. Add garlic and smoked paprika, stir 1 minute. Add rice and mix until all grains are coated. Add wine and boil until almost dry. Add 6 cups of broth, stir and bring to a simmer. Allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes. Nestle seafood into the rice and top with pimentos and vegetables. Allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes more, adding additional broth if rice becomes dry before the rice is cooked through. Simmer until all broth has been absorbed and rice is tender.  Remove from heat and let paella rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8-10 people.

When adjusting for more or less servings, you can usually figure about 4 people to each cup of raw rice, and nearly 3 times the amount of broth as rice. If you cover your paella and place it in the oven to cook, you will need to reduce the amount of broth to 2 times the amount of rice. When a paella is cooked completely on the stove top, you lose a fair amount of liquid in the broth to evaporation, which increases the intensity of the broth and thus the paella.