10/06/2018
Costa Rica weekend – Saturday classes for me and farmers market for my wife and daughter. Wife’s BFF stopped by, so that calls for an full blown appetizer & tappas party. (I love my wife).
So important things first, wine. Chateau de Landure is a Minervois (more about that later) is a blend of 40% Syrah, 40% Grenache, and 20% Mourvedre. The Syrah & Grenache both are popular in south of France. The Syrah adds a smokey – spice complexity, while the Grenache combines spice with rich ripe fruit flavors. The result is a wine that gives you a great pleasure on the scent, the sip and also the finish.
So Minervois was awarded AOC status in 1985. A small coastal area 75km north of the Spanish border. The area is geographically unique with old volcanic residue that causes the wines of the area to soak up some of the mineral and salt flavors. I know, it might sound gross, but the taste is very subtle and needs to be looked for, but it is a wonderful rare treat that only two locations on the planet can incorporate these flavors. (The other area is the wines from the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily)
So I drank the wine while Vanessa made the appetizers…
A platter of artichokes with Gouda cheese, baby Swiss, and herbed Gouda. The Genoa salami was solo as the Parma ham needs to be replenished. Last were asparagus spears with a blue cheese drizzle. The Chips were seasoned tortillas baked with a dash of sea salt, herbs de province, balsamic & olive oil. Those were for the sautéed onions and mushrooms (all from the farmers market).
Dinner was a German affair, my German culture growing up in Wisconsin, frequently calls to me. So tonight is Schweinenhaxin. Relax – there are many spellings and variations, but the basic is Schwein Haxen or Pork Shank. Every culture has a variation of pork shank, and the Germans are no exception. No sauerkraut or red cabbage (the neighbors would probably evict me. So the pork shank has been in the oven for 2 hours at 350* with an hour to go. This reminds me that I should start the home fries, but we are so full we probably won’t eat them. However I’ll make them for the photos and we will have them for our Sunday breakfast, they are always better the next day
Dinner was great – opened another bottle of the Chateau de Landure – Happy Saturday to us.
Vanessa made homemade blackberry ice cream and the ladies are eating prison style (a knife in the extra hand to stab and both arms surrounding the bowl. For my safety, I left the room and am typing in the closet.
