Category: Drink

Wines to go with this Spanish dish

My wife and I gather monthly for “wine dinners” with friends. As one would expect, the recurring event has a history that evolved over time. It began well before the pandemic hit when Tek Nique held monthly dinners, pairing selected wines with a five-course dinner. It was a great opportunity to learn about a line of wines and how the chef interpreted the wines, pairing them with exquisite American gourmet cuisine. The restaurant closed and the pandemic turned the world on end, but the camaraderie of the group remained strong. During the pandemic, there were any number of Zoom sessions with wine distributors selecting wines the group tasted and then critiqued over the joint Zoom meeting. During the months with fair weather, we gathered for “patio parties” with themes selected by the hosts. This month, we will host the group. We will serve La Paella.

Paella is one of the first things that comes to mind in Spanish cuisine. Its origins lie along the Mediterranean coast in Valencia and Catalonia. Paella is all about the rice — it must be a short-grain rice, high in starch. The best rice to use is bomba if you can find it; I use arborio, a close second. Next in importance is the pan. Paella must be cooked over high heat, uncovered, in a shallow pan. The ingredients in a paella can be a multitude, but the key ingredient is the sofrito, a sauté of vegetables, including onion, garlic, sometimes peppers, but always tomatoes. Olive oil, pimentón, and that element that defines paella, saffron! Beyond that, paella can be vegetarian, Valenciana (seafood and beans instead of rice), or my favorite, a mixed poultry and seafood paella.

What kind of wine do you pair with such rich and varied flavors, with the minerality that saffron imparts? First, I am a strong believer in cooking with wine, and it need not necessarily be added to the food! There are many wonderful cavas produced in northern Spain.

Segura Viudas Cava Brut (available at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets for $14.99, reduced to $12.99) has a wonderful light, almost transparent color of straw. The vineyard has made history for 800 years and is one of the most awarded brands in wine and cava tasting, nationally and internationally. Made from 50 percent macabeo, 30 percent xarel-lo and 20 percent parellacia grapes, the wine has an elegant and persistent nose of tiny bubbles, delivering an aroma of dried white peaches, citrus, a bit of honey, and floral notes. It has a long, dry finish, luring you on to sip more and more while you prepare your sofrito.

For those who want something “light and bright” I suggest two whites. The Duquesa de Valladoid Rueda (available at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets for $16.99, reduced to $14.99) has a pale straw color, with slight green hues. On the nose there are herbal aromas with hints of citrus flowers and minerality. Fresh and crisp on the palate, it features the acidity characteristic of the verdejo grape. It is akin to sauvignon blanc, but better. The other comes in a very colorful bottle: The Bodegas Langa Pi (available at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets for $21.99) comes from Aragón. This wine is made from garnacha blanc grapes, a new varietal to me! It has notes of citrus, pear and honey. It is exceedingly dry with intense flavor and a long finish.

Rounding out our wine pairings are two reds. Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha (available at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets for $19.99, reduced to $17.99) is made from 100 percent garnacha grapes. It has an intense red color, with a slight purple rim. To the nose the fruit is ripe, with slight floral notes. To the tongue blackberry and plum predominate. Marques de Murrieta Reserva 2015 Rioja (available at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets for $31.99, reduced to $28.99) is a blend of 80 percent tempranillo, 12 percent graciano, 6 percent mazuello and 2 percent garnacha. This is a truly elegant wine, aged for 18 months in oak, obtaining high marks from Wine Spectator and Robert Parker. These reds are light and will not overpower the seafood and poultry in the paella but will work well with the minerality of the saffron.

Experiment! Expand your boundaries. Don’t be intimidated! Prepare a paella and try some wonderful Spanish wines. You will be glad you did!

Featured photo. Courtesy photo.

It’s been a long, cold, and lonely winter.

Let’s say, hypothetically, that you are a teacher. You’ve finally broken down your classroom, covered all your bookcases with paper and answered the last of the emails from angry parents. Or, hypothetically, you’ve just pulled your last shift for the week at the convenience store, waiting on increasingly angry customers, who have never learned to say “Please” or “Good morning” and want to know why you, personally, have raised the price of gas.

Or, hypothetically, you’ve wrapped up another week at the DMV where—

You know what? Let’s just stipulate that you are feeling worn out and a little bit battered, emotionally, and now you’ve got a few precious hours to yourself to sit on the deck, or wallow around in an inflatable pool, and get your Cool back.

Because you are cool. You have distinct memories of being cool, sometime in the distant past. “You’re so cool!” somebody told you once. Or you think they did. Or was that a movie? It might be Samuel L. Jackson or Helen Mirren you are thinking of.

Anyway, you know that there is some cool floating around somewhere and you’re pretty sure you can absorb it, if you can just unclench your shoulders and let it soak into you.

Here’s an unsolicited suggestion of how to do that.

Step 1 – Music

Put on “Take 5” by Dave Brubeck or “A Taste of Honey” by Herb Alpert.

I know — this isn’t your usual music; it’s something you imagine some old, not-cool person would listen to. Trust me on this. You can listen to your regular country or heavy metal or Mongolian opera later. For now you need this very specific type of jazz. Remember that shoulder-unclenching we talked about before? This will help you do it.

Step 2 – Take Your Shoes Off

Do it. Even if you’ve been wearing sandals all day, sitting in bare feet will send a message to your clenching parts.

Step 3 – Drink This (It’s a Process)

Take Five

Ingredients

• 2 ounces mango-infused rum (see below)
• 1 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
• ¾ ounce rhubarb syrup (see below)
• 1 bottle or can of your favorite seltzer — I like Topo Chico

Combine the rum, lemon juice and syrup in a cocktail shaker, and shake over ice.

Pour into a tall Collins glass. Top with seltzer.

This will be sweet and tart and definitely like something somebody cool would drink, except—

Maybe? Maybe, it’s a little too sweet and boozy?

Take another sip to be sure.

Yup, just a little too concentrated. But, hey! Look at that! There’s an inch or so of room at the top of the glass now, for more seltzer. Top it off again.

Now, it’s perfect. **Sip, sip**

Oh — and look! There’s a little more room in the glass; better top it off again.

Still perfect. Slightly different, but absolutely delightful. **Sip, sip**

And again.

Eventually, you’ll run out of seltzer, which would be a really good excuse to make a second drink.

This time, try listening to Louis Armstrong sing, “Just One of Those Things.” Trust me.

Mango-Infused Rum

Combine 4 cups of white rum with 5 ounces or so of dried mango in your blender. Blend it to a rough-smoothie consistency.

Let the mixture steep for an hour or so, then strain it through a fine-meshed strainer and bottle. The mango will hold onto a fair amount of the rum, but you will be left with a beautiful, apricot-colored alcohol that will look really good in your liquor cabinet and taste like reggae music.

Rhubarb Syrup

Combine an equal amount, by weight, of frozen diced rhubarb and white sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb gives up its juice and the syrup mixture comes to a boil.

Remove from the heat, cover, and allow it to steep for one hour.

Strain through a fine-meshed strainer, pressing on the rhubarb to encourage any additional liquid to drain out.

Bottle the syrup, and keep it in your refrigerator. Add the juice of one lemon to the rhubarb, and eat it on ice cream.

Featured photo. Photo by John Fladd.

We all keep coming back to them

Sure, I go through spells, often even prolonged spells, where I’m focused more on Pilsners or stouts, or brown ales or just trying new things.

Then I take my first sip of an IPA in a while, and it’s like that moment in a murder mystery when the detective puts all the pieces together — sort of an explosive epiphany. A classic “a-ha” moment.

It’s hard to describe that first sip but I think all IPA enthusiasts appreciate that moment after taking a break from the style. And I think we all have to take a break from time to time.

After a recent hiatus, I took a sip of an IPA called Lucidity by Greater Good Imperial Brewing Co. in Worcester, a brewery that is well-worth seeking out if you’re a fan of big IPAs, and it blew me away. The beer is super juicy up front but fades away into a clean, crisp and almost dry finish — it’s the kind of beer that refreshes any beer-drinkers’ love for IPAs.

IPAs greet your taste buds with bright, exciting flavors that seem to jump around in your mouth, providing almost like a cascade of flavor. The style can feature a wide range of flavors, including tropical fruits, citrus, pine, floral notes and so on, along with a bitterness that can run from mild to full-on bracing.

It’s also a style that perhaps stands to benefit the most from being enjoyed fresh, preferably right at the brewery or poured from a growler filled right at the tap. You can taste the freshness.

Yes, IPAs are a dime a dozen right now, and sometimes that’s frustrating when you’re looking for literally anything else at your local beer store, but there’s a reason why that’s the case.

Here are four New Hampshire IPAs to refresh your devotion to the style:

Safe Space by Concord Craft Brewing (Concord)

This is your classic New England IPA: juicy, hazy and smooth. With big notes of tropical fruit and citrus, this is a crowd-pleaser for sure. One of the things I like about the New England-style IPA is that it tends to come in at a bit lower ABV, just making it more approachable. This one sits at 6 percent ABV, which seems to be a very nice sweet spot for this style of IPAs.

Dwayne’s World by Stoneface Brewing Co. (Newington)

This is another New England IPA but this hits a different end of the spectrum, featuring big, bold flavors of mango, grapefruit and orange, in a package that comes in at 9 percent ABV. Go easy on this exciting brew, because it absolutely does not drink like it’s 9 percent ABV.

Long Brothers American IPA by Flying Goose Brew Pub (New London)

It’s difficult to describe styles within the IPA realm — seems to me there’s a good bit of overlap — but this is an American IPA, which I think tend to be a bit more intense on the palate. You’re still going to get big flavor notes from the hops but it’s a little more bracing and a little less what you might call juicy. This is extremely well-balanced and features some nice complexity.

Miles and Miles by Henniker Brewing Co. (Henniker)

This is a perfect session IPA, giving you just enough IPA character to satisfy your taste buds, in a lighter, lower ABV package. It’s drinkable, it’s tasty and you can have more than one.

What’s in My Fridge
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Framinghammer by Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers (Framingham, Mass.)
This Baltic porter is luscious, rich, decadent — pick your descriptor. This is a beer worth savoring. It’s also super boozy (12 percent ABV) and filled with deep notes of bourbon, chocolate, oak and maybe some vanilla. The brew is quite complex, boasting layers upon layers of flavor. The brewery puts out a number of versions of its barrel-aged Framinghammer, including salted caramel, French toast, coffee and tiramisu versions; every version I’ve tried has been delicious. Cheers.

Featured photo. Lucidity by Greater Good Imperial Brewing Co. Courtesy photo.

In her Little House books Laura Ingalls Wilder made a big deal out of the changing of the seasons. Fall was an obvious one with all the emphasis on the harvest, etc., but springtime was also a really big deal for her.

In one of the books — I don’t specifically remember which one — she goes into a four- or five-page reverie about her mother making the first salad of the year. She describes the lettuce that she grew, and how her ma would make a dressing out of bacon drippings and vinegar.

“Oh, Ma!” the barefoot kids would cry, “Salad!”

“Hooray! Salad!”

“By gum, Caroline,” her Pa would say, “You beat everyone else all hollow for making salad!”

And Ma would blush, and admit that while it wasn’t perfect, it was, in fact, a pretty good salad.”

And I, as a child of the ’70s, would stop reading briefly, and shout at the book.

“Seriously, people! It’s a salad! Get over it!”

What I didn’t or couldn’t realize at the time was that this frontier family had just come off a winter of living on potatoes, salt pork and hardtack, and now even the potatoes were gone. They all had early-stage rickets and scurvy. Fresh, leafy greens must have hit their systems like a vitamin A speedball.

Now, while we haven’t spent the winter locked up in a one-room shanty on the prairie, we are coming off a long takeout and frozen dinner jag. Many of us have spent the past week or two standing in our gardens, hands on hips, staring down at the seedlings and going, “WELL?!”

The big stuff — the cucumbers, tomatoes, and corn — is still a long way off, but we are starting to get a few tiny things, vegetable flirtations, if you will, from our gardens.

Springtime Cocktail #1

Peas and mint are a classic combination. My question was a matter of ratios — how much mint to how many peas?

I looked through many, many recipes and found very little agreement. But Martha Stewart advised 10 ounces of peas to 1/3 cup of mint leaves, and if there is anyone I would put blind trust in on this matter, it would be Martha.

The great thing about this recipe is that aside from washing the peas and mint, you don’t have to pluck, chop or process them in any fussy way.

Preparing the gin:

• 1/3 cup (8 grams) fresh mint — Don’t worry about plucking the leaves. The stems will work well here, too.
• 10 ounces fresh sugar snap peas or snow peas in their pods
• 10 ounces (285 grams) medium-quality gin — I used Gordon’s

Measure all three ingredients into a blender — a kitchen scale is excellent for this.

Blend thoroughly for a minute or so.

Leave the mixture to steep for an hour.

Strain with a fine-meshed kitchen strainer.

Your yield will be about a cup (8 ounces) of Bright Green Gin — enough for four cocktails.

The cocktail itself:

• 2 ounces Bright Green Gin
• 1 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
• ¾ ounce amaretto

Combine all ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker.

Shake.

Strain into a chilled coupe glass.

This is what I call a classic Utility Cocktail recipe — two parts alcohol, one part citrus juice, ¾ part syrup or liqueur.

Amaretto has a reputation of being a bully and taking over any drink it’s a part of. When used judiciously, it is an excellent team player. Peas go extremely well with mint – that’s a given. They also go with lemon and with almonds. All these ingredients play extremely well together.

The first thing you notice, of course, is the color, a bright vibrant green that even the amaretto won’t dull. The pea flavor is distinct but not overly assertive. The acid of the lemon juice brightens everything up.

It is startlingly delicious.

And holds off scurvy. There’s no sense in taking chances.

(One observation: The Bright Green Gin has a short shelf life. It will start losing its vibrant color and flavor within a couple of hours, so it is best to drink it right away. This is a perfect before-dinner cocktail to share with friends, or for two of you to have two apiece.)

Featured photo. Springtime Cocktail. Photo by John Fladd.

Two reds that show off the diversity of French grapes

France is the largest country in western Europe. In the continent overall, it is second only to Ukraine and Russia, located at the eastern edges of the continent. However, the country is slightly smaller in area to the combined square miles of Colorado and Wyoming. It is smaller than the state of Texas, yet it has some of the most diverse terrain and climate of any of the wine-producing European nations. The terrain ranges from the mountainous edges of the Alps and Pyrenees to the rolling hills and plains to the north of Paris. And climate is influenced by these extremes, from the warm Mediterranean sun on its southern shores to the cool, sometimes rainy northern shores. Given this diversity of terroir, we are blessed with a full array of wines to sip or enjoy with our friends at dinner.

Our first wine, a 2019 Pascal et Alain Lorieux Chinon Red Loire Wine (originally $54.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets, reduced to $24.99), is a creation of 100 percent cabernet franc grapes. These grapes are grown worldwide and are principally used for blending with other varietals, such as in Bordeaux-style wines, where they are blended with cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Cabernet sauvignon and merlot grapes can trace their beginnings to cabernet franc grapes. This wine comes from the Chinon appellation, along the Loire River Valley. This appellation has been vinifying cabernet franc wines since sometime in the 17th century. In general the cabernet franc grape is similar to the cabernet sauvignon but buds and ripens at least a week earlier, allowing it to thrive in cooler climates than cabernet sauvignon, such as in the Loire Valley.

This grape adapts to a wide variety of vineyard soils. We have said before that terroir affects the grape, the color and the notes of a wine, and this is certainly true of cabernet franc. The soils of the Chinon appellation are a chalky limestone and produce a heavier, more full-bodied wine. Cabernet franc coming from the Finger Lakes Region of New York, with its gravel-based soils, tends to be a bit “thinner” than this Loire Valley wine. However, it has nonetheless taken off in the region because it produces wines of better quality and because of its ability to ripen more reliably than other reds.

The wine has a beautiful deep garnet color, producing notes of red cherries and raspberries, along with some slight undertones of plum and blackberries. The tannins are slight, with notes of cedar. This is a rich, soft wine that we paired with hamburgers, grilled to be very rare and then loaded with blue cheese and mushrooms. This wine turned the simple meal into one of elegance.

Our next wine comes from the south of France, only about a seven-hour drive from Chinon, but a world away in climate and soils. The 2020 Réserve des Diacres Châteauneuf-d-Pape (originally $39.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets, reduced to $23.99) is a classic southern Rhône wine. The color is a slightly transparent purple; to the nose there are plums and blackberries. These notes follow through on the tongue, with a solid, dry presence, not “jammy” but still full of fruit and bold. There is alcohol at 14.4 percent, but it doesn’t burn your nose.

To look at the label, one would think this is a winter wine. While not a sipping wine, this is an excellent accompaniment to grilled lamb, or low-fire grilled rustic vegetables in olive oil. The wine is blended by Baptiste Grangeon, owner and winemaker at Domaine De Crista, a vineyard and winery situated on some of the best soils in the southern Rhône valley. To create an affordable wine, he sourced grapes from three different terroirs within the region, with a sand and limestone base, topped by the famous river-washed rock that holds the heat of the midday sun. The grapes are principally grenache, blended with syrah. The grenache is high in sugars, thus producing high alcoholic wines. The syrah introduces just enough “jammy” fruit to soften the grenache. This is a beautiful wine to enjoy with a backyard barbeque.

Two different wines from one country, offering widely different notes to the palate, provide one with an opportunity to enjoy a wide spectrum of experiences. Enjoy your barbecue!

Featured photo. Courtesy photo.

They go together like peanut butter and jelly

Years ago, I would team up with my brother and two close friends for an annual fishing trip, a true “guys” weekend, bringing together a day of fishing and, you guessed it, beer.

We’d camp the night before, cook dinner (hot dogs) over a fire, share stories and drink some beer. We’d awaken in the still-dark hours the next morning and board a boat, coolers in hand, and we’d spend the bulk of the day trying to catch fish — and drinking beer.

How early is too early to crack a beer? Does time even exist on the water?

We’d troll for stripers and bluefish for hours, taking turns reeling in fish and passing beers and more stories. Aside from just enjoying fishing and beer, there was something therapeutic about being on the water with good friends and some good craft beer.

In what can only be described as a stunning development, particularly with all that beer involved, we no longer go on these fishing trips due to fairly consistent seasickness.

Whether you’re on land or on a boat or wading in a river, and whether you’re by yourself or sharing stories with friends, there is just something about fishing and beer. I’m quite certain beer doesn’t help you do a better job of catching fish, but I’m just as certain beer does, in fact, help make for a better overall experience, in moderation of course.

For me, enjoying a beer while fishing does help me ease up a bit on the rod, as I can sort of lose myself and grip it just a bit too tight otherwise — so that’s something.

This might be a touch of bologna, but when I’m fishing, I feel like I’m more in touch with my surroundings. I’m paying attention to the conditions, the flow of the water, the breeze, the scenery and so on. I’m trying to spot fish or bait or any activity that might point me toward fish. The slightest ripple or splash could be the indicator.

A quality craft brew isn’t going to enhance my senses, of course, but I think in that frame of mind, I’m able to enjoy and savor the beer perhaps more than usual. Maybe it’s just because I’m doing something I love.

There’s no right or wrong beer when it comes to fishing, but here are three New Hampshire brews I would certainly enjoy while fishing.

8 Weight Double IPA by Northwoods Brewing Co. (Northwood)

It just feels right to kick this off with a beer from a brewery whose logo is a fishing fly and with a beer named after a fishing rod. As the brewery points out, eight weight fly rods are generally used in saltwater to handle big fish. This brew is bold, but as the brewery notes, it “balances bitterness, sweetness and booziness.” Still piney, this beer is big on citrus flavors and booze as it comes in at 8.6 percent ABV. This would be a great one to enjoy as you wrap up a day of fishing.

Hoppy Saison with Mosaic & Ella by Stoneface Brewing Co. (Newington)

Saisons are just interesting. They feature such a range of flavors. They can be fruity, spicy, earthy — and they can be all of those things at once. This one features some pronounced fruit notes up front, but finishes crisp and dry. Fairly light-bodied and sessionable at 5.5 percent ABV, this is packed with flavor and complexity. This would be perfect to enjoy during an early summer afternoon streamside.

Four Rivers Red by Concord Craft Brewing (Concord)

I just love the deep color of this brew. While this is extremely drinkable, it has a richness to it that sets it apart. It’s malty, just a tiny bit sweet and very smooth. It gives you a touch of complexity to ponder as you fish New Hampshire’s many lakes and ponds.

What’s in My Fridge
She Sells Seashells by Throwback Brewing (North Hampton)
This salted blond all is crisp, flavorful and refreshing and perfect on a screaming hot summer day. Cheers.

Featured photo. Courtesy photo.