8 minute read
Small Plates, Big Palates
Photos by Ian McCausland and David Lipnowski
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Spanish cuisine is all about freshness, abundance, and gathering together over a mosaic of small bits of pleasure. A classic tapas evening will fill your table with small bites of meats, cheeses, and seafood— and our Jones & Company Sommeliers will fill your glasses with the perfect Spanish wines! A traditional tapas meal is served on platters, but these dishes are easy to serve as individual plates as well.
Our tapas meal was a collaboration—as it should be—between Jill Kwiatkoski, Mike Muirhead, and Ricki-Lee Podolecki, who brought not only their Spanish wine expertise to the table, but also their culinary chops! Seafood is abundant in Spain, and Jill and Ricki-Lee served up steamed mussels in Spanish saffron cream and grilled octopus on traditional patatas bravas (if you have a vegetarian at the table, the patatas bravas are a smoky treat all on their own). Mike contributed deceptively simple grilled lamb and figs on rosemary skewers, evidence that you only need a few quality ingredients to make a perfect tapas dish. Finally, no tapas is complete without charcuterie. Meg and Courtney from The Cheesemongers Fromagerie hand-picked three Spanish cheeses to complement the Spanish meats on our board.
Want to host your own Spanish Tasting and Tapas? Jones & Company Sommeliers have put together a Spanish Tasting Case ($99.99) to go with the Tasting and Tapas Guide on page 43.
MUSSELS IN A SAFFRON CREAM Serves 6
2 lbs ½ cup 1 tsp ¼ cup 2 tbsp 1 1 2 2 ½ tsp ½ tsp 2 cups ½ cup 2 tbsp 2 tbsp 1
fresh mussels dry white wine saffron* butter olive oil onion, diced shallot, diced cloves of garlic, minced lemons, zested and juiced salt pepper whipping cream cilantro, chopped (optional) capers, drained & smashed (optional) tomatoes, finely diced baguette, sliced and grilled for additional flavour
Rinse the mussels in a colander under cold water. Once clean, put the colander on a plate and keep them in the fridge until ready to toss in the sauce.
Add saffron to the white wine and set aside. Let the saffron steep (like tea) for at least 10–15 minutes while you chop the onions, shallot, and garlic, and zest and juice the lemons.
In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onions and sauté until translucent, approximately 6 minutes, stirring often (do not brown the onions). Add the shallots and sauté for about 3 minutes until soft. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the white wine and saffron mixture and stir until combined. Add the juice and zest of 2 lemons and stir until combined. Add salt and pepper.
PAIR WITH: Mas d’en Gil 2014 Coma Alta Garnacha Blanca Priorat, Spain ($47.99) Bertha Cava 2017 Lounge Cava Brut Penedes, Spain ($29.99) Zarate 2018 Albariño Rías Baixas, Spain ($26.99)
Slowly add the whipping cream to the mixture and continue to stir. Gradually bring the whipping cream mixture to a boil on medium heat. Continue stirring and reduce the heat to just under medium to take the boiling down to a simmer. Simmer the sauce while stirring until it is reduced by half and coats the back of a spoon (approximately 20 minutes).
Once the sauce is thickened, add the cleaned mussels to the sauce and stir once or twice to coat the mussels. Cover the pot and let it steam over medium heat for 4 minutes. Do not overcook! Remove the lid and add the smashed capers. Stir to combine.
Slowly pour the mussels into a large serving bowl and garnish with chopped cilantro and diced tomatoes (do not stir). Serve with grilled baguette and make sure to have an empty bowl on hand for the mussel shells.
* The amount of saffron you use will depend on the quality of your saffron. If you are lucky enough to find Spanish saffron, one healthy pinch will do.
OCTOPUS OVER PATATAS BRAVAS Serves 6
2 tbsp 4 1 1 tbsp 1 tsp
2
olive oil garlic cloves, minced yellow onion, fine chopped paprika sea salt White wine* medium-sized octopus tentacles**
Note: The octopus should be cooked the night before you serve it, so it has a chance to marinate in its simmering liquid overnight.
THE NIGHT BEFORE: In a medium pot, heat olive oil, then sauté onion, paprika, and salt over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add enough wine to cover the tentacles and bring it up to a simmer.
Place tentacles (or octopi) into the pot with liquid (if not completely covered by the wine, add a little more). Simmer at medium-low for 30 minutes. Flip the tentacles and simmer for another 20–30 minutes, until tender. The tentacles are done if you can easily push a fork or knife into the thickest part of the flesh.
Once cooked, place the octopus in a metal bowl and pour the simmering liquid over it. Allow to cool, cover, and place in the fridge to marinate overnight.
THE DAY OF: Remove the octopus, and reserve the liquid. Remove the purple skin and dry the octopus. Brush with olive oil and salt.
Heat a grill pan or BBQ grill to high heat. Grill the octopus until charred with grill marks (3–4 minutes each side). Use the marinade liquid to baste the octopus to intensify the flavour.
*For white wine, a cheap and cheerful Sauvignon Blanc works well.
**We found these hearty and inexpensive tentacles at the Cork & Olive Portuguese grocery store. You can also use small octopi for this recipe if that’s what is at the market, but adjust the cooking time accordingly.
PAIR WITH: Pinuaga 2019 Rosé Castilla-La Mancha, Spain ($15.99) Akilia 2016 Villa de San Lorenzo Mencia Bierzo, Spain ($19.99) Bat Gara 2017 UNO Txakolina, Spain ($21.99)
Patatas Bravas
Potatoes 3 tbsp 3
olive oil large baking potatoes, like russet Seasoning salt
Bravas Sauce 2 tbsp olive oil 1 yellow onion, finely diced 3–4 garlic cloves, minced ¼ tsp sea salt 3 tsp sweet or smoked paprika 3 tsp garlic powder 16 oz can crushed or diced tomatoes Tabasco sauce to taste Brown sugar, as needed
Cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes (you can peel them or leave the skin on). Rinse and dry the potatoes, toss in olive oil, and roast in a 425°F oven until crispy (approximately 35
minutes). (Option: If you have an air fryer, you can get a great crispy potato using that!). Once cooked, toss the potatoes in seasoning salt.
Heat olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Add onion, fresh garlic, and salt. Cook 5–6 minutes until onion is translucent. Stir in paprika, garlic powder and the can of tomatoes, and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add tobasco to taste (we used six good shakes).
Blend the sauce with a hand blender or regular blender. Taste your sauce: if it is overly acidic, add in small amounts of brown sugar to balance. Toss the crispy potatoes in the sauce and top with octopus. Serve immediately.
From when we walked in the door to when we walked out, your place was the definition of class and quality. From the hospitality to the food, we were thoroughly impressed.
—Joel, Winnipeg
Modern interpretations of French and Mediterranean cuisine combined with warm hospitality make dining at Beaujena’s special, regardless of the occasion. Open exclusively on Friday and Saturday evenings By reservation only
In the heart of St. Boniface at 302 Hamel Ave.
ROSEMARY LAMB SKEWERS WITH GRILLED FIGS Serves 6
1kg 15
1 1 tbsp 2
lamb shoulder, cubed whole sprigs fresh rosemary Fresh green or purple figs – 2 per person lemon juiced olive oil cloves garlic, minced freshly ground pepper to taste
THE DAY BEFORE: Liberally salt the lamb, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
THE DAY OF: One hour before cooking, take the lamb out of the fridge, trim excess fat, and cut into rough cubes. Preheat the BBQ to medium-high.
Combine lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic in a small dish for basting the lamb.
Skewer the lamb cubes and figs on separate rosemary sprigs. (The lamb will take a bit longer than the figs, so do not put them on the same skewer.) Grill the lamb on medium-high heat for 8–10 minutes, basting with the lemon mixture and turning twice. Cook to an interior temperature of 140°F. Remove from heat, pepper to taste, and let the meat rest for 5 minutes, tented in aluminum foil, while you grill the figs.
Place figs on the grill and cook for 5–8 minutes, turning every two minutes until they show grill marks. Remove figs and serve immediately with lamb.
PAIR WITH: Clos Berenguer 2017 Min Priorat, Spain ($24.99) Viña Zorzal 2016 Cuatro del Cuatro Graciano Navarra, Spain ($33.99) Bodegas Fernandez Rivera 2013 Dehesa La Granja Castilla Y Leon, Spain ($27.99)
CHARCUTERIE BOARD Serves 6
Shop local:
DeLuca’s provided a great selection of olives, chorizo, serrano ham, grapes, and figs (when in season).
The Cheesemongers Fromagerie chose our Spanish cheeses for this board: Oveja Con Trufa (truffle sheep’s milk cheese), Queso de Oveja al Romero (rosemary crusted sheep’s milk cheese), and El Tofio Fumé (smoked cheese from the Canary Islands). We also sourced the Marcona almonds and Ibérico ham at their shop.
