Turkish Travels

When we can get away from the store we typically head to Spain for hedonistic days of food sampling and drinking top-notch wines that we can’t afford at home. While our first love will always be Iberia, our palates are taking us into the far reaches of the Mediterranean these days. Which is why we took a trip to Turkey last week with our California partners, Andy and Tanya. We spent two amazing days in the cave dwellings of Cappadocia and then met friends in Istanbul. We dined like sultans on the vibrant Turkish cuisine. A vegetarian’s dream, every fantastic meal was loaded with salads, roasted vegetables, pulses and grains. Being carnivores, we dined on savory chicken pilaf in pastry, kebabs with sumac served over eggplant, and slow roasted lamb infused with oregano, paprika and yogurt. Now that we’re home, we’ll be recreating and sharing some of these recipes with the ingredients that we stock here at the shop. Stay tuned.
 

TURKISH COOKING
Cortas Pomegranate Molasses ($4.99/10 oz): In Turkey, this was used as an ingredient in salad dressing. Mixed with lemon & olive oil, it was terrific on mixed greens.
Cuisine Perel Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar ($7.99/6.5 oz): A blend of balsamic, red wine vinegar and pomegranate concentrate, this will give salads an extra snap, or pour it over fresh strawberries and ice cream.
Turkish Cookbooks: The Ottoman Kitchen by Sarah Woodward ($20.00) has general culinary information as well as authentic recipes from Turkey and the Middle East. Great pictures of the countryside and recipes make this a pleasure to read.
TURKEY Mediterranean Cuisine ($16.99) Eleven chefs contributed to this book of traditional Turkish food. Contains step by step photos and easy to follow recipes.

NEW WINES THIS WEEK
2007 Campo Burgo Rioja ($8.99) Clean and bright with soft tannins, Campo Burgo has been aged in stainless steel. With a medium body and structured acidity, notes of cherry and plum, it could even be chilled slightly before serving. Excellent with fideo pasta and shrimp.
2007 Vinas de Olivara, Toro ($7.99) 87 points Wine Advocate Made from 100% Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo), this non-oaked red really over-delivers for the price. Aromatic, with notes of boysenberry, blueberry and mineral, it is full-bodied and gutsy. Subtle tannins are well balanced with acidity and wrap up with a distinctive and elegant finish.
2005 Marques de Campo Nuble Crianza Rioja ($12.99) 88 points Wine Advocate A modern Rioja that hasn’t forgotten its roots, it is made of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Garnacha. Warm and round red fruit flavors spring from the glass backed up by notes of licorice and cedar. A subtle amount of oak and balanced acidity make this Rioja a perfect wine to serve with any pork or lamb dish. This winery is new to the U.S. market and decided to forego advertising to keep their prices low. It is a superb value!
2006 Bodegas Marques de Olivara M.O., Toro ($12.99) Concentrated, bold and spicy, M.O. de Olivara is our go-to wine for brawny and affordable reds. 100% Tempranillo produced from 40-100 year old vines, M.O. is meaty, explosive and earthy with notes of mineral and black fruit. Aged 13 months in French oak, it is a steal at $12.99.
2004 Vaza Crianza Rioja, ($14.99) Vaza’s 18 months in oak give it an edgy smokiness tinged with juicy ripe cherry and black currant flavors. Notes of licorice are front and center on the palate, balanced by great acidity and moderate tannins. This is a tasty Rioja and will appeal to those who like a more fruit-forward style.
COLLECTOR’S CORNER
2005 Descendientes de Jose Palacios Corullon Bierzo ($57.00) 93 points Stephen Tanzer “Deep red. Smoky raspberry and cherry compote aromas are lifted by stony minerality and fresh rose. Deep, musky cherry and dark berry flavors display impressive poise, with firm tannins adding structure without distracting from the fruit. Turns brighter on the long, mineral-dominated finish, staining the palate with vibrant red berry flavors that cling tenaciously.”

 2006 Pingus, Ribera del Duero ($736.00) Quantities limited, available by special order.  95 points Stephen Tanzer “Opaque purple. Powerful, mineral-driven aromas of blackberry, blueberry, creme de cassis, incense and floral oils. Fresh dark berry flavors are youthfully crunchy and strikingly pure, with mounting spiciness and minerality. Silky tannins add support to the broad, palate-staining fruit but quickly fade away, allowing the exotic dark berry flavors to stand out. The mineral element clings impressively on the long, sappy, sweet finish. A superb showing…”

NEW PRODUCTS 
Flor de Sal (“Sea Flower” –$10.99/500 grams) are very thin crystals of sea salt formed at the surface of salt ponds, collected manually with the aid of a special tool. Collected daily, without allowing it to contact the pond’s bottom or sides, it is a product of natural purity, with a delicate flavor and prolonged finish on the palate. Considered the “Rolls Royce” of sea salt.
Sevillana Olives With Lemon: These rich green olives have a tart spicy flavor with lots of garlic and a little red pepper. Watch out for the pits!
Golden Peppadews: This hot sweet little yellow pepper is much like the red peppadew, with a little more meat and a slightly milder taste. Perfect for any place you would put red peppadews or mix them for a beautiful color contrast.
Organic Peruvian Bojita Olives: These organic bojita olives are known for their plump shape, firm meaty texture & tart flavor. They are grown on the high desert plains of Peru.
Manchego marinated in Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Sliced and ready to eat, put it on a bocadillo or serve it as a tapa with a dish of olives and a glass of fino sherry.
New container arrived today from Spain. We’ve now got a great selection of green glass. Ribbed tumblers, cruets, medium sangria glasses and malaga glasses are back in stock. And a new supply of rice has arrived just in time for paella season. Perdiz Bomba and Signo Valencian rice are on the shelf again.

Day of the Dead in Oaxaca

October 23rd, 2008

Next Tuesday night, we are flying off to Oaxaca for a week of tasting moles and steeping ourselves in the atmosphere of Los Dias de Muertos.   Rooted in pre-Columbian rituals, the annual, decorative ceremony pays respect to the departed.  The markets and park stalls will be filled with sugar skulls, paper-mache skeletons and marigolds. While we are gone, Isaac Rivera from our Santa Fe store will be helping out here in Seattle again.  If you met him when he was here last May, drop in and say hello.
Some new stuff now in the store:
COPPER CATAPLANAS: These Portuguese clam cookers are back in time for Christmas but at much higher prices ($80.00 to $160 each).  4 sizes, 23cm, 26cm, 29cm & 33cm.  New flat bottoms and shrink wrapped without being lacquered making them easier to use (Available Friday, October 24th).
BLACK GLAZED CAZUELAS: What we expect to be a one-time import, we have brought in some open cazuelas and some bean pots with lids glazed in black.  Our supplier gave us a price break on these so if we do import them again, it will be at a higher price.
EUROPEAN STYLE MUSTARDS Since 1996, our supplier Kitty Keller has wanted to import coarse mustard made with Banyuls vinegar, but couldn’t do it because U.S. Customs collects a 100% duty on all European mustards as a retaliatory tariff.  Eventually, she found a U.S. firm she liked and trusted to do her private recipes.  Here is her line‑up:
BANYULS MUSTARD:This is coarse mustard with French-Catalan Vinegar of Banyuls, a touch of water, mustard seeds, Spanish sea salt containing no anti‑caking or flowing agents and a dash of turmeric to keep the color.
DIJON MUSTARD: This is what Dijon style mustard should be: mustard seed, water, vinegar, sea salt.
DIJON TRUFFLE MUSTARD: The addition of a substantial ration of truffle bits and truffle essence to this silky mustard will take your jamon y queso on baguette up more than a notch.  What you will have is a heavenly bocadillo.
RUSSIAN MUSTARD: Not from Kitty Keller – a Gorbachev Babushka doll adorns the label of this post-cold war, imported hot mustard.
QUESOS
MONTCABRER:  Spanish Table Exclusive!  This beautiful charcoal and grey rind wheel of cheese is made by the famous cheese maker, Josep of Nevat. A Catalonian original, this semi-firm goat cheese is bathed in vegetable oil and charcoal and aged for 90 days. The texture is creamy and slightly chalky. The flavors are sweetly herbaceous with mushroom overtones, and a subdued tangy finish.
DOM VILLAS QUEIJO DE VACA CURADO:  Dom Villas is a cow’s milk curado aged 6 months.  This Farmstead cheese is made on a small cooperative of four people near the costal area north of Porto Friesia, Portugal. The texture is creamy and springy. Dom Villas is washed in brine to enhance its herbaceous mildly piquant buttery flavors.
KITTY KELLER’S SALTS
BLACK TRUFFLE SALT: Kitty also combines black winter truffle powder and truffle essence for flavor and truffle scent.  Election night, what could be better than a bottle of chilled Cava and popcorn dusted with Black Truffle Salt?
SAFFRON SALT: Simply stellar Spanish sea salt with bits of saffron threads and a tasty custom ground saffron powder.  This is terrific dusted over shrimp to be grilled or rubbed on chicken which turns a beautiful color when roasted and has great flavor!
PIQUILLO BLOW-OUT: This week, Napoleon Piquillo Peppers from Peru are a beat-the-Euro, low, low price of just $2.99 a jar. Stock up while our floor-stack lasts!
POEMA BRUT CAVA $8.99: Crisp night air and cool coastal waters translate into bright and juicy tasting citrus and sea shell which compliment this sparkler with its aromas of pears, toast and orange zest.  Price just reduced from $10.99!
NV ALANDRA RED ALENTEJO $6.99:  We mentioned this Portuguese wine in our email last week.  Saturday night, we took it to a wine tasting where it showed itself off in a blind tasting of 14 wines scoring in the top tier.  Bursting with flavor, it is the best value in the store right now.  Look for it on top of the wine barrel marked “Great Value.”
TERRAI BLANCO MACABEO CARIÑENA, $6.99: Floral, fruity, tropical flavors with a bit of a tart citrus finish makes this white wine perfect for sipping while you catch the latest election shenanigans.  Or turn off the TV and pair it with cheese and one of our fig jams.
NUNTIUS CARIÑENA ‘07, $12.99: After tasting 25 variations, Bellingham importer Basilio Grueso of Casa Ventura Imports came up with this power packed wine blended from garnacha, syrah and tempranillo.  Earthy and smokey with hints of rose petal, you won’t find a better bottle of wine under $15.00.  Look for the red label with a branch and a bird.
As we mentioned last week, Basilio and Andaluca Restaurant are putting on a Spanish Wine Dinner, this Friday October 24th.   A six course meal pairs a different wine with each plate that’s guaranteed to knock your socks off!  The cost is $99 per person.   For details or reservations, contact Andaluca Restaurant 206-382-6999 or email kkhoshdel@andaluca.com
PLAVAC CROATIAN RED DRY WINE: This Dalmatian red from the Dingnac winery is reminiscent of the village wines made in Spain 20 years ago and sold to people who brought their own 5 liter jug to the winery along with a handful of pesetas.  The donkey loaded with wicker saddle bags filled with grapes telegraphs its pre-Parkerian character, unspoiled by flattery or adulation.  At $15.99, it is neither a value nor a discovery but it is a trip down memory lane.  Drink it with eggplant baked in Ajvar.
BOOK:  SPAIN A Culinary Road Trip, Mario Batali with Gwyneth Paltrow: Companion to the PBS television series, this book is filed with fun photos of both food and celebrities; travel tips and great recipes.  Now in stock!
By the way, if you want to participate in Day of the Dead, here at The Spanish Table we have folding paper altars, greeting cards, books, papel picado banners, paper mache skulls and plastic molds for making sugar skulls so that you can have your own Day of the Dead celebration. We also have a range of Moles so you can prepare your own Day of the Dead feast.