Cider Tales

The apple tree is considered by some as the oldest cultivated tree in the world, but with its exact origins both unknown and hotly debated we can really only go so far back before what we know about how apples were grown and used gets pretty sketchy.  The flipside is that the hot debate confirms that apples were grown all over the Old World and migrated to New World locations with explorers and settlers. I led off with this because I wanted to the following statement to be as believable as possible. Where there are apples there is hard cider.

I will let the reader discover the numerous perspectives on the history of cider, some of which can be explored via the links below.

• Wikipedia - Ciders
• Bon Appétit- History of Cider
• Organic Gardening - A Taste of History
• Farnum Hill Cider Blog
• Serious Eats- A Brief Cider History
• Buzzle -History of the Apple
• Cider, Hard& Sweet by Ben Watson (best book I have read on cider)

With the identification of the mysterious process of fermentation some eight to ten thousand years ago (Pasteur only documented the science in the mid 19th century), anything that had sugar in it was fair game to have been used to make drink. This includes fruits, honey, cereals (grains, rice) and other sources of sugar like cane. And apples weren't excluded. We don't have to travel forward in history too far to find the evidence that where there were apples there was cider.  SO, what else do you need to know?

There is a lot to know about cider both old and new. "But Jason what's the most important information to know about cider?" Well, that really depends on two things. First of, because cider is made all over the world, it is going to take time to experience enough of it firsthand to really worry about all the particulars. Second, and to me most important, is figuring out what you like. When seeking out and sampling ciders it pays to have a sense of how they work on your palate. And that is where the different style elements or characteristics come in to play.

Cider Characteristics 

• Carbonation - Ciders come in sparkling AND still styles. The range of carbonation can be from Champagne-like to soda that is going flat.  Still cider will rarely present any carbonation at all, but some versions maybe pettilent, much like some bottlings of mead.
• Aroma/Flavor - Traditional ciders, those made with heirloom or cider-making apples, are much more likely to have tart apple driving both the nose and palate, and may often be sour. Ciders made with dessert or sweet apples will be much more juicy and sweet smelling/tasting. The choice can be born of tradition or cider-maker choice, and every cider house may make different choices based on the types and quality of apples available each new season.
• Texture/Body - Cider can be bone dry and very light, but it can also be sweet and viscous with just enough acidity to manage a reasonable level of tartness. Some cider-makers filter their ciders and other do not. Some bottle conditioned ciders may pour hazy from the bottle re-fermentation, while most high-volume commercial ciders are crystal clear and are force-carbonated during the bottling process.
• Additional Ingredients - Cider-makers can be very creative and most often when they are, we all benefit. Added fruits (cherries, pears, etc), spices, maple syrup, honey, unique yeasts and barrel aging all influence the finished cider differently.

Regional cider traditions can be broadly classified in terms of the different characteristics , and here are some of the most common regional variations:

• English (West) – Traditionally are farmhouse style ciders that are most often cloudy and made from tart cider apples.
• English (East) – More often made dessert apples, filtered for clarity with an overall light & dry profile.
• France (Normandy/Brittany) – Most of the cider produced in France is made in the northwest regions where cider-making has been ongoing for hundreds of years. A range of ciders, dry to sweet and most often sparkling are produced.
• Canada (Quebec) – several styles of cider are produced in Quebec, but most notably is the Cidre de Glace, or ice cider. The production of these ciders is much like ice wine, frozen fruit is pressed to extract concentrated sugars. These ciders are exquisite and are well worth seeking out.
• Canada (Outside Quebec) – Traditional dry, sparkling ciders are produced in several Canadian provinces. I recall enjoying some BC-made cider in a pub on Victoria Island, but sadly I enjoyed that night so much that I forgot to find out who the producer was.
• United States (New England) – along with the Mid-Atlantic states New England is where ciders were first produced in what would later become the United States. Styles vary and the availability of both traditional cider AND dessert apples means that versions resembling old English styles as well as modern styles can be found readily. Several large and many small producers exist in the region.  Ice cider, having migrated over the northern border with Quebec is notable in Vermont.
• United States (New York & Mid-Atlantic) – Has a similar cider making history to New England. Several small to medium sized producers making both traditional and modern styles of cider.
• United States (Upper Midwest) – Michigan and Minnesota are home to a number of cider producers making a range of styles.
• United States (West Coast) – Cider is made by a growing list of producers from Washington to California. I’ll be seeking out more West Coast cider on several upcoming trips.
• Germany – Called Apfelwien this is a variation I have yet to try. Research suggests it is tart and sour, but that variations do exist.
• Ireland – Typically medium dry, filtered and force carbonated.
• Spain – Several styles exist both in the regions of Asturia and Basque Country. Traditional versions are tart and sour. I don’t have much experience with these but have read about the long cider-making tradition and included the reference to peek curiosity for those travelling to Spain or looking for Spanish food & drink.

Cider is produced and consumed in quite a few other countries, but at smaller volumes than the countries/ regions listed above. We have to remember that where there are apples there is cider, but sometimes just not that much.

Production Process

Cider at its simplest is the juice of crushed and pressed apples that is fermented with either ambient or cultured yeasts.

Apples must be prepared before they can be fermented and this involves crushing them, often called scratting, and then pressing the pomace to release the juice. The pressed juice is then transferred into barrels or tanks for primary fermentation. (The photo on the below on the right is from a brew club purchase of cider from 2011. I made a couple of nice ciders from the 20 gallons I purchased!)

The primary fermentation proceeds until almost all the sugars are consumed by the yeast. At this point the nearly complete cider is racked (transferred) to clean vessels for the completion of the fermentation and aging. Typically ciders will complete fermentation in about 8-12 weeks and are ready to consume in the un-finished form shortly thereafter.

What happens next is very much a cider house choice. Some ciders are aged in old barrels for years, while some ciders are bottled and released young. As mentioned above some ciders have added flavors which may require additional fermentation and aging time as well filtration depending the type and texture of the added ingredients.

Bottling takes one of two paths, a Champagne-like secondary fermentation in the bottle (sometimes called charging or bottle conditioning) or the forced carbonation of sterile filtered ciders. Enclosures range from corks & cages (again like Champagne) to traditional crown caps used for beer. Bottle size ranges from 12 oz to 22oz or 750ml containers.

Ciders You Might Find at the Store

Cider is produced all over the United States and is also imported from other countries. Many of the domestic producers are small in scale and have limited distribution so unless they are local to you it is unlikely you will easily find their products. Cider is inherently a local beverage, and the best ones are made close to the apple source, making them hyper-local. There are several major domestic and imported brands that you should be familiar with. This brings me to a rule that I use to guide my beverage explorations. As a producer’s volume increases the number of human hours per ounce of beverage drops and if you experience this growth curve first-hand you will notice a point when the quality and character of their flagship products plateaus or even drops off. If you experience these products later in the producers’ evolution you may be underwhelmed. Looking back to their history might help contextualize these experiences for what they are. This isn’t a hard and fast rule and the threshold for different beverages and producers isn’t the same. For producers who have a diverse lineup of products, those that remain in small production might not suffer this fate.

How does the guidance above apply to cider? Well, the big brands have volume and distribute their product as far as they can to support that volume as well as future growth. Their products are worth trying and will help you understand the breadth of options available. That said, it is an absolute surety that well-made versions from local producers will be more interesting, more creative and elicit a much more joyful response from people who experience them. The major brands are viewed as a benchmark for the cider industry broadly, but only because much of the remaining production is made “under the radar” of the public at-large. Traditionally products may not bear any resemblance to the "big" commercial products, and we have to take care not to overlook them.

Major Brands You Should Know

• Magners (Ireland) – available in bottles and on draft in many locations. This is bottled under the Bulmer’s name in Ireland where cider is quite popular.
• Strongbow (England) – available in bottles and on draft in pubs with a more English profile to the drink selection.
• Woodchuck (US, VT) – available in bottles nationwide, and on draft in some locations
• Angry Orchard (US, OH) – available in bottles nationwide. I have yet to run into it on draft, but I don’t know that it isn’t available that way.

Regional/Imported Brands You Might Find Nationwide

• Devil's Bit (Ireland) – a delicious import that is available here and there.
• Crispin (US, MN) - Although Crispin is now owned by MillerCoors, the products continue to be to made to the brand standards and are very enjoyable. Their standard offerings are delicious but some of their specialty versions include adjunct sweeteners (maple, honey) and are fermented with beer yeasts. The added character is well worth seeking out.
• Farnum Hill (US, NH) – a gold standard for cider in my opinion. Both dry and sweeter styles are made, including varietal versions from heirloom or cider apples like Kingston Black.
• Samuel Smith (England) – another import worth seeking out. Should be found more easily, especially in craft beer shops.

Local Brands You Should Seek Out

• Foggy Ridge Cider (US, VA)
• Albermarle CiderWorks (US, VA)
• Bellwether (Finger Lakes, NY)
• Peconic Bay (Long Island, NY)
• Eden Cider (US, VT - Iced Cider & Aperitif styles)
• Silver Mountain Ciders (US, NH)
• Champlain Orchards (US, VT)
• Bantam Ciders (US, MA)

I have enjoyed ciders from all of the "local" producers immediately above and would highly recommend them. Finding them will most likely require a trip to the region of origin, but that is changing slowly.

Phew, that's a lot of information on cider. But I'm really just getting started. Tomorrow I will share information on three more topics including reviews from recent tastings, cider & food pairing and my experiences making cider at home.

Cheers!

Jason

My Half Full Glass - January 3rd, 2013

White Birch Tavern Ale

For those not familiar with White Birch Brewing, they are a nano-brewery based in Hooksett, NH. They are also one of a few local breweries that resonate with my tastes, and in the case of the Tavern Ale, my wife's tastes as well.

Margot and I were on hand when Tavern Ale was first debuted, and the story that went with it, which can be found at the WB Tavern Ale page, is interesting; connecting the beer to the history of tavern's in New Hampshire.

I am not in general a fan of smoky beers, I find the overt smokiness in many of them to be too much for me. The Tavern Ale presents a more subtle and restrained smokiness, one that doesn't keep building as you continue to drink the beer. With the addition of rich malty accents, hoppy notes and a pronounced chocolate flavor, this beer comes off very balanced and smooth. Margot and I killed two growlers of this BEFORE Christmas!

Bellwether No. 4 Cider

Nose is subtly of tart, cider apples. Slightly sweet with a funky apple flavor that comes in mid-way and lingers through the finish. Very polished and clean. This cider is made with Northern Spy apples and if you know that apple variety you will pick up the flavors straight away. An example of a mellow, understated cider. This is not the best from Bellwether (Trumansburg, NY) that I've had, and if you've never enjoyed their ciders I recommend a visit! When I last tasted at Bellwether I most enjoyed the Cherry Street and King Baldwin. I know I took the Cherry Street cider to a bachelor party in the fall, but no tasting notes survived the night!

One more note. This cider is a perfect stand-in for sparkling wine for a drinker who isn't a wine person. It has the sparkle needed, but presents all-together different flavors and might appeal to beer drinkers that you might be hosting.

Cheers!

Jason

Doon, Been, What, Huh? - Matters of Experience

The wine bloggers conference is a lot of things to a lot of people, or it should be. No matter what bent gets you fired up to attend the paramount issue is that you really live the experience. Too much note taking, snapping of photos and digital discourse and the risk of missing the moment increases. Too little time out on the trail and limited socializing can leave one with a sterile experience. The balance is different for everyone, but the pursuit of this balance is a worthy goal for all.

Sentiment about the value experience was presented clearly and without nuance (well, a little) by Randal Grahm in his keynote to open the conference. For my readers who don’t know who Randall Grahm is the information in hisbio will introduced you to this talented, interesting, thought provoking and real voice in the wine world. Grahm has engaged and inspired people with both his wine and his writing. A mélange of both can be found in Been Doon So Long, Grahm's James Beard Award Winning book, and blog of the same name.

I first recognized an old friend in the theme about experience as Grahm posited that wine writing is less about the wine and what the wine evokes in you the writer. His quote that made this point with absolute clarity was “show up for the wine.” Hell yeah! You can’t expect to really have any experience if you don’t show up. Showing up is visceral. Showing up requires senses and is all about the physical. This is not a digital or virtual pursuit. The method of capturing and sharing your thoughts afterword can be digital, but you can’t put that cart in front of the horse that you need to ride to the party.

I captured this section of his keynote on video and posted it to the conference stream a day later. Since returning home the full video, shot by Austin Beaman with whom I enjoyed dinner later that day, has been posted. I’ve embedded it below. Thanks Austin! Grahm has also shared the fulltranscript of his address in a blog post, which is seeing meaningful comment traffic as one might expect.

One of the other perspectives from Grahm’s keynote was the idea that wine writers could take things to another place by focusing on capturing and expressing the beauty in the wine they drink (or also make in many people’s cases), enjoy and write about. I couldn’t agree more, but I’ll admit that I’m not the guy to pontificate on that. I am still working on that part in my own world. What I can say is that the reason I led off with experience and really living in the moment is that without that you can’t expect to begin to experience, recognize or express beauty.

Grahm touched on a lot of other points and the only reason I’m not covering them here is because what I shared above resonated the most for me. The experience I had immediately after the keynote brought these points full circle in that most serendipitous of ways. Watch the video to see what else he said and take from it what makes the most sense to you!

Right on the heels of the keynote was the first round of speed tasting which has the potential to be the least experiential format for wine, but not always. Sokol Blosser poured their Evolution White for my table. I don’t really know what people think of this wine, and I don’t really care. I like it. It makes me happy. This wine and I have history and that history makes me feel all funny when I get to relive it with each new sip. You see Sokol Blosser Evolution was the first Oregon wine I recall having.

That first experience was before I knew anything at all about wine. I picked the Evolution off a wine list while out to dinner with my wife Margot (married maybe 3-4 years at that point) and solely based on the description fitting my anxiety over selecting something that both she and I would enjoy. And we did. The success of the wine came from its work in both elevating our dining experience AND the boost to my confidence in further integrating wine into our lives. It was the very beginning of something that I have come to cherish. As I was sipping this wine I was thinking about my wife, how young we were when we got married (23&24), how much has changed since I first had the wine and how incredible our journey has been since. This all came back immediately and with an energy I could feel.

Relating the above to Alison Sokol Blosser, who poured the wine during speed tasting, brought my experience to a new place. She smiled, thanked me for sharing my personal connection to her and her family and thus my experience was made grander. At the next break in the action I did go find my wife, gave her a big kiss and explained the experience. This wine is even more special for me now. I have fond memories and have connected my experience with the story of the family who makes it.I will be forever connected to this wine. That’s real life and that’s living one’s experience.

( Margot and I enjoying a day trip to the Oregon coastline post-WBC12. )

Several conference attendees (physical and virtual) have begun to share their thoughts on Randall’s keynote. So far the posts have primarily been the journalistic type, here is who Randall is, here is what he said and maybe in their own word why it is important. I suspect more posts will go up, and I sincerely hope everyone will look to see a reflection of his statements in their own lives to decorate their writing; it really would make it so much more interesting.

Passionate Foodie - http://passionatefoodie.blogspot.com/2012/08/beauty-underdogs.html

Vintology - http://vinotology.com/2012/08/the-continuing-odyssey-of-randall-grahm/

Wine Searcher - http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2012/08/randall-grahm-takes-aim-at-the-wine-industry

Cheers!

Jason

I’m Going to Punch You for the Holidays

You were naughty this year and I’m going to punch you right in the mouth! Not literally of course, but you might just choose to put some punch in your mouth this holiday season after reading this post.

Punch is an age-old tradition and one my experience tells me we’ve nearly lost with our contemporary desire for designer cocktails. And when I say punch I don’t mean that stuff we used to mix up in the big trash can in the basement of my fraternity house with every skanky bottle of liquor laying around, fruit punch mix and ice. Yuck! I mean real punch based on five simple ingredients that harkens back to 17^th century and Navy-men sailing the seas with cargo holds full of rum.

The five basic ingredients of punch:

• Spirits
• Sugar
• Citrus
• Spice
• Water

Starting with those ingredients as a guide the directions one can go in are vast, and trust me people have gone in all of them!

There is no way I can run down the variations of each of those ingredients in historical detail, but I know somebody who can. David Wondrich, a very well known cocktail historian and imbibing expert. His book Punch: The Delights (And Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl has all the historical details, a breakdown of the ingredients, finishing with recipes for a great many variations of punch. You can also find Wondrich’s imbibing wisdom in Esquire Magazine and several other books on both music and drinking.

Punch is also social tipple by nature. Have you ever wondered why the cups that come with punch bowl sets are so small? That’s because the small servings were meant to bring people back to the punch bowl for another pour and some good conversation. What better time of the year to channel that sensibility than during the Christmas and New Year holidays?

What I am going to do is take a couple different recipes for a test drive to experience them for myself and pick one to serve at my upcoming holiday open house.

The first one I selected is The Fatal Bowl which was published in Esquire Magazine in December 2007 just into time for Christmas that year.

  

This take on punch uses brewed black tea which was quite common during the heyday of punch.

The Fatal Bowl

4 lemons

1 cup demerara sugar

4 tea bags

1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice, strained

2 1/2 cups cognac

1 1/2 cups dark rum

Fresh nutmeg

The instructions for this recipe start off with direction to prepare your ice for your punch bowl, by freezing a large bowl of water, ahead of time. This step shouldn’t be skipped and assuming you can substitute ice cubes instead will produce an undesirable result, watered down punch. I plan to use several large plastic bowls to prepare blocks of ice a day ahead of time.

Using a vegetable peeler thinly peel the lemons avoiding as much of the pith as possible. Reserve the lemons. Place the peels in a large heat-proof bowl. Add the sugar and muddle the sugar and lemons together to release the lemon oils and blend them with the sugar.

Boil one quart of water and use it to steep the tea bags for five minutes. Remove the tea bags and pour the tea over the lemon peels and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

Add lemon juice, cognac and rum. Stir well to mix. Place in the refrigerator to cool for a couple of hours.

( That's what it looked like before putting it in the fridge. )

To serve your punch, assemble your block ice in your punch bowl, pour over the punch and grate the nutmeg on the top. Allow guests to dish their punch into small glasses with a punch ladle. Hang out near the punch bowl for all the holiday gossip.

To take this recipe for a test drive I cut all the ingredients down to ¼ of the full recipe. This will net somewhere around twenty ounces of finished punch, enough to sample and share before we commit to the whole hog.

The tea makes this drink for me. The complexity of each sip goes way beyond many modern day cocktails and the sweetness is firmly in check with the sour. The more I go back in time and try drinks of the days past the more I realize how much knowledge is rolled into the simplicity of many of them.

In cocktail terms I would liken this drink to a less sweet mashup of a Manhattan and a Side Car.

“Is there alcohol in this?” was Margot’s initial response. She also said that this is what she always thought scotch should taste like. The naked edge of a spirit like scotch is no match for the smooth, sweetness of this drink.

My second pilot punch comes from the Wondrich’s book Punch and is simply called Canadian Punch.

Canadian Punch

4 750ml bottles rye whiskey (19^th century Canadian whiskey was rye based)

1 pint Jamaican rum

8 lemons, sliced

1 pineapple, sliced

3 ½ quarts of water

1 ½ cups white sugar, additional to taste

Ice

Don’t forget to prepare your ice. See above.

In a large container place the sliced lemon & pineapple with the whiskey and rum. Allow to infuse for six hours. Don’t squeeze the lemons or pineapple.

Dissolve the sugar in three quarts of the water. You can heat the water slightly to ease this process, but allow it to cool if you do.

Combine the spirits & fruit with the sugar water, remaining water and refrigerate for several hours.

Serve in a punch bowl, fruit and all, with block ice.

You’ll notice there is no added spice in this recipe. The spice compliment should come from the rye whiskey, a key difference between rye and some other forms of whiskey. I also altered the recipe presented here to incorporate the information in a note from the book about additional citrus and increasing the amount of rye when using standard proof alcohol. If you have cask strength rye you will want to decrease by one bottle of whiskey and substitute three cups of water in its place.

This is a pretty big recipe so I cut it down by 1/8^th for a pilot batch. That still makes about one quart of punch to test drive. This is very difficult work!

This drink can’t hide the alcohol and that makes it less universal to me. It tastes pretty good, but is unbalanced and comes on too strong. Margot took one sip and passed it back to me.  I don’t feel the influence of the citrus and fruit comes across well at all. Squeezing the lemons into the punch liquid and chopping up the pineapple right before serving might be a worthy procedural change here.

I’m also going to try an add some spiced simple syrup to what I have left over and see if that takes the edge of it and brings it back to a more enjoyable place. (Post publishing note: pineapple juice and the spiced syrup to taste after a good mix. It taste tropical!)

The winner was the The Fatal Bowl, and that was even before we tasted the Canadian Punch. It really is that good. I was worried that these drinks would both channel the spirits too much, like the Canadian Punch, and that Margot’s perception of them would worry me about serving them to a wide range of drinkers. With that fear set aside I sure hope a little history and some socializing around the punch bowl resonates with my friends on Saturday. If not, there will be plenty of punch for Margot and me to drink while we clean up from the holiday whirlwind!

Cheers!

Jason

Ribera del Duero - Spanish Wine

This visit is virtual, and hopefully our descriptions are enticing to anyone wanting to explore winemaking all over the globe.

Ribera del Duero. Located on the northern plateau of Spain within the community of Castilla y Leon, it is one of nine recognized winemaking areas in the community. It is believed that viticulture has been part of this region and its culture for over 2,000 years. What we recognize as winemaking today became part of the local culture in the twelfth century, most likely introduced by Benedictine monks from the Burgundy region of France. Even with this longstanding history it was not until the 1970’s that the region became internationally known for its wines.

Heralded for its natural beauty with sweeping views of the Duero river Valley, this region has maintained it sense of history. Along with the modern winery facilities that dot the landscape the region also boasts testaments to its past through the various monasteries, churches and the Peñafiel castle, in the town of Peñafiel. This castle not only provides breathtaking views of the valley but it is also home to a wine museum. This wine museum is known as a must see if you are visiting the region and is geared towards serious wine lovers who really want to know the details of winemaking and viticulture.


The heart of this wine region is the Milla de Oro, or Golden Mile, which is a parcel of land that runs alongside the Duero River. The area is said to have been the land that proved vineyards could grow and florish in this sometimes harsh region. Along the Milla de Oro you will find many of the cornerstone wineries of the region including Vega Sicilia, Pingus, Abadia Retuerta and Mauro.

Wines from this region of Spain are almost exclusively red wines and the white wine that is produced from the Albillo grape is consumed locally. The predominant red grape is Tempranillo under its regional name Tinto Fino. Though the majority of the bottlings are blends with Grenache (Garnacha), Cabernet, Malbec and Merlot there are some varietal bottlings that get high praise.

Due the fusion of Mediterranean and Continental climates (due to being on a high plain), fertile soils and moderate-to-low rainfall the grape growing areas are especially suited to the production of excellent red wines. The Tinto Fino grape has a thicker skin and smaller berries which translates into surface area and an extraordinary extraction of color and body in red wine vinification.

Wines bottled under the region’s DO (designated Spanish wine region) come in several classes, Joven, Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva and Rosado. Starting with no oak we then have oak aging and bottle aging for one year each, one year in oak and two in the bottle and then to a select category only made in the best years, requiring five years of aging two of which are in oak. Rosado wines are early released wines made without skins with fresh fruit flavors and easy drinking.

There are some similarities here to Rioja to the north, but ultimately differences in local geography and climate (terroir if you like), the grapes, and thus the wines, are quite different between the regions.
The regional cuisine is dominated by the Castilian-Leonese style where you might find chickpea based stews as a signature dish. Made in many styles, they often include vegetables, sausage and meats. They are found alongside soups, both used to fend off the cold of the winters of the region. Roasted lamb and suckling pig are other specialties found within in the sub-regional cuisines. This area is also known for its long history of bread making.

We chose to recreate two dishes, a Garlic Soup and Olla Podrida, a slow cooked stew of meats, beans and vegetables. Its name means “rotten pot” which is a reference to the method of letting it cook so long it turns into a mess of a dish!

The Castilian Garlic Soup (Sopa de Ajo) is a very simple soup made of sautéed garlic and ham with water, salt and paprika to give it some zip. We used the recipe at About.com as a guide and served the bread on the side rather than in the soup. We let is simmer for a longer time only because we had the time. Looks good!

While it may be simple, we assure the soup is really, really good! It is light with a subtle heat. The egg is essential adding its own flavors and textures. We feel like this soup celebrates garlic as a flavor and not just an accent or spice. Margot thought this might be excellent for breakfast and during the colder months here at home.

The Olla Podrida was a bit more of an experiment, something that never having had can’t clearly be considered authentic. The name translates to “rotten pot” or “putrid pot” or “messy pot”, a reference to the long slow cooking time and the eventual breakdown of the dishes’ ingredients.

I smelled this dish cooking in the slow cooker all day! Here is what is looked like when I assembled it. The recipe follows.

(stew combined and ready to cook)

  

Olla Porida (Messy Pot, Slow Cooked Stew)

4 meaty pork ribs
2 Linguica sausages
1 ham steak
3 leeks
1 medium onion
3 carrots
3 cloves of garlic
2 - 28oz cans of garbanzo beans
1 – 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 medium tomato
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
1 cup of water
Salt & pepper to taste

(10 hours later)

Spray the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray. Turn on to high. Sear the ribs on all four sides for few minutes before using. Cut the sausage and ham into chunks and sauté briefly. Slice the onions, leeks, carrots, diced the garlic and chop the tomato and place in the slow cooker. Add the sausage. Add the cumin, chili powder, paprika, 2 tsp salt and ½ tsp of black pepper. Mix well. Open the cans of beans and drain. Add to slow cooker. Open the can of tomatoes and dump into cooker. Mix well. Remove 6 cups of the mix in the cooker and place the ribs on top of the remaining mix. Add reserved mix and 1 cup of water to slow cooker and cover. Cook on high for 3 hours and low for 6-8 hours. At 4 hours and beyond, stir stew twice per hour. Serve with crusty bread and Tempranillo based wine.

We paired both dishes with the Gazur 2007 Ribera del Duero we sourced from Wine.com. The wine has a wonderful fruity aroma and strong raspberry flavors. Some dark cherry tartness was easily recognized as was some smoke and spice. The mellow tannins would make for a nice smooth introduction to bold red wines.
The wine made the garlic and gameyness in the ham pop! The flavors in the wine and the meat in the Olla Porida were so well matched. The subtle heat of the stew was not extended by the wine which made for consistent enjoyment.

Margot said “I do not have words for the deliciousness we just had.” I guess that says it was good.

Somehow I think we did a good job capturing the spirit of the Ribera del Duero region and have an appreciation for some of the food culture one might find when visiting.

Cheers!


--Margot & Jason




Picture citations

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DO_Ribera_del_Duero_location.svg
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Catedral_zamora.JPG
(3) http://cityguidesblog.com/files/riberadeduero.jpg
(4,5,6) Our own

Rum History and Boston

This is my second post focused on Boston and Rum. Earlier in the year I wrote Rum Redux & RumBa about some new rum drinks inspired by our Jamaica trip and my visit to RumBa at the Intercontinental Downtown. I've been there again but we covered that in the Valentine's Day post.

In that post I wrote that I had ordered the book "Rum: The Epic Story of the Drink That Conquered the World" by Charles Coulombe which profiles the history of rum within which Boston and some of the adjacent cities figure prominently. At one time the majority of rum available worldwide was distilled here in the Boston area. The slave trade that backed it up is not a positive thing, but this is our history and we should try and understand how it shaped our culture and lives. The book was fascinating, providing an incredible amount of detail on how rum came to be, its ebbs and flows and it also includes recipes for drinks and dishes.

This week the Boston Globe completed voting for their Citywide Read project and the book "Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919" by Stephen Puleo was the winner. While this book isn't specifically about rum, because it set before prohibition which killed the rum business in Boston and it talks about a molasses flood it is well related and requires a look. The project will culminate in a moderated online discussion of the book and its story about this same time next month. My copy is on the way and I am looking forward to reading it and joining the conversation!

Here is a recipe for a truly funky Jamaican rum drink, something that you need some time to get used to and that packs a punch!

Jamaican Yellow Bird

1.5 oz Appleton Gold rum
0.5 oz Galliano herbal liqueur
0.5 oz Creme de Banana
0.5 oz Apricot brandy
2 oz Pineapple juice
0.5 oz Lime juice
0.25 oz Simple syrup

Combine, shake and serve over ice.

Cheers!

--Jason