Susanna Griffith, honor graduate of the Culinary Institute of America offer a menu to make your Summertime meals very special.

If You Can’t Handle The Heat, Stay Out Of The Kitchen

Well, summer has hit, and it is a scorcher this year. During the heat of summer, we are drawn to the concepts of cool and cooling, especially when pairing wine with food. Since Spain is historically known for hot summers as well, we are taking a closer look at their summertime “cooling cuisine.” Styles of cookery can differ sharply from region to region, but like other Mediterranean countries, the focus is on freshness, seasonality, and locally grown foods.

Spain has been influenced by many cultures, and in order to have a basic understanding of their cuisine, a general history lesson is in order: Roman, Moorish, Sephardic, North Africa, and, of course, the New World Colonies have all had a hand in Spain’s cuisine. Assimilating foods from each, they have excelled with rice, olive oils, saffron, honey, tomatoes, cheeses, peppers, beans, citrus fruits, and avocados. Along with these foods, Spain is also famous for its seafood (having access to both the Mediterranean and Atlantic), lamb, pork, and olives.

Grapes have been cultivated in Spain as early as 4000 B.C. with the Phoenicians introducing commercial wine making around 1100 B.C. Spain’s wine production and quality has recently seen vast improvements in the last thirty years thanks to the introduction of modern vinification techniques and Spain’s re-entry into the world economy after Franco. Wine is an everyday affair, with the vast majority of adults enjoying the local wines, and saving the Gran Reservas for special occasions.

Now back to those of us who have to endure another Texas summer. Slaving over a stove in an overheated kitchen is not our idea of fun, so very little of the food needs to be cooked inside. The lamb can easily be grilled outdoors. The chorizo, squid, and walnut crackers can be prepared early in the day. The rice will be the only item that needs to be prepared close to mealtime.

While considering this menu we wanted to stay away from heavy portions and lengthy cooking methods. We also wanted the meal itself to have a cooling effect. The menu integrates citrus in a number of courses, which tends to give a cooling effect. Even the lamb with its heavy emphasis on spices is cooling. Spices can serve to cool the body’s temperature (or maybe it just tastes so darn good that it does not matter if I break a sweat). When choosing wines to match with this menu we wanted to stay away from wines that have heavy tannins and/or higher amounts of alcohol, as these types of wines tend to give a warming effect.

The first course is a “small bite” from a traditional Seville Tapas Bar. Paper-thin slices of Serrano ham, Spanish chorizo, an assortment of olives, aged Manchego cheese, bread, and olive oil. The wine we choose with this meal is a Spanish Cava. Cava is the term for Sparkling Wine in Spain and is also the growing region from where it comes. The specific Cava that we choose is produced by Raventos. Raventos Cava is created from estate grown grapes and utilizes the traditional or Champagne method. It has lively perlage, lemon and apple aromas, and is well structured. The perfect summertime aperitif, Raventos is refreshing, sophisticated and light. Your imagination is the only limit to which “small bites” you offer for the course.

For the second course, we choose Gazpacho. Gazpacho is an amalgamation of cultures and, historically, the daily food of the working class, be they soldiers or laborers. The first known recipes were simply wine or vinegar soaked bread spiced with garlic and salt. Then, thanks to the Moors, almond meal was added to make a “White Gazpacho”. Finally, New World tomatoes became the prime ingredient, and thus the most familiar recipe for gazpacho. There is no wine pairing with this course as we are utilizing the soup to excite the palate and cool the body with its garden fresh flavors.

Crossing the Iberian Peninsula, we find ourselves enjoying a fresh seafood salad thanks to the bountiful area of Galicia on the Northwest border of Spain. The chilled and light, squid and clam salad pique the appetite, but do not overwhelm the palate. The perfect wine for this dish is Nora Albariño, which comes from the same area as the dish. It is a racy and bright white wine with lemon and peach blossom essences complementing the salty and lemony clam and squid salad.

It was difficult to decide on which wine to pair with the main course because the dish is just screaming for a heavier red wine. With this in mind, we were directed to a Spanish Grenache: specifically, the Vina Alarba Old Vines Grenache. This red wine is unmistakably rich and full, but only has 13.5% alcohol and no noticeable amounts of tannin. It is marked by rich, round, and plush characteristics of dark plums and blackberry liqueur with a slight hint of black olives on the finish. This wine will serve as a great complement to the meal.

For dessert, we chose a simple and satisfying course. Cabrales Cheese is a semi-soft blue cheese traditionally made from sheep, cow, and goat milk. It is now made mostly from cow milk, though during the spring and summer months, sheep and goat milk are still used. The alternative cheese is Valdeón, another blue cheese made from cow and goat milk and aged in chestnut leaves. Named the best blue cheese in the 2003 Spanish National Competition, it is a semi-soft creamy cheese. To pair with the honeyed cheese, we selected a lovely rich Sherry from Emilio Lustau. Full-bodied and smelling of raisins, candied citrus peel, roasted nuts, and crème brulee, this slightly sweet wine complements the dessert beautifully, cleansing the palate and echoing the honey, nut, and raisin additions to the cheese.

 

1. Arrange food on a platter.
2. Serve on small plates with a flute of Cava
    

1. Puree the tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, onion, garlic, basil, parsley, and bread in a food processor or blender. Strain into a large bowl, pressing out as much liquid as possible. Retain the solids.
2. Whisk the remaining ingredients into the liquid in the bowl. To this mixture, add the solids from the strainer to obtain a soup that is the consistency of thick cream.
3. Chill and serve with the diced avocado as garnish.
    

1. A few hours before serving, cut the squid into bite size pieces. Simmer in water for 1 hour. Drain and cool.
2. Drain the clams and rinse. In a large bowl, whisk the lemon juice, oil, parsley, bell pepper, salt, and pepper together.
3. Add the squid and clams. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
4. Before serving, allow to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Serve on Bibb lettuce leaves.

LAMB AND VEGETABLE KEBABS
Adapted from Epicurious.com
Serves 4.
1 pound lean lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 large garlic cloves, pressed
2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 recipe Olive Tapenade, recipe follows
2 small zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices
2 small Japanese eggplants, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices
1 small onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small red or green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 cherry tomatoes
6-inch-long bamboo skewers, soaked for 30 minutes
Additional olive oil

1. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, cayenne, and olive tapenade (recipe follows). Add lamb cubes and mix well. Store, covered, in glass baking dish or Zip-Loc Bag. Marinate 2 hours at room temperature or up to 8 hours in refrigerator.
2. Drain lamb, reserving marinade. Add vegetables to marinade and toss well.
3. Thread lamb on skewers, alternating with vegetables.
4. Prepare barbecue or preheat broiler. Brush kebabs with additional olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Grill or broil until lamb is slightly charred on outside and pink on inside and vegetables are tender, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes.

OLIVE TAPENADE
From homecooking.about.com
20 pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon rinsed, drained, and chopped capers
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
Fresh cracked black pepper

1. Combine the above ingredients and mix well.
2. Can be stored for up to 2 weeks, refrigerated.

SAFFRON RICE
Adapted from Epicurious.com
Serves 4.
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
3 cups canned chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon (scant) saffron threads
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1. Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and sauté until vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. Add saffron.
2. Add broth and bring to boil, stirring occasionally.
3. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.
5. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in parsley and serve.
   
    

1. Coarsely crumble cheese on platter. If it is the Valdeón, remove Chestnut leaves.
2. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts, thyme, and golden raisins.
3. Serve with the following walnut crackers or Carr’s Whole Meal Biscuits.
    

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease and flour a cookie sheet.
2. Beat eggs until light and frothy. Stir in the flour, salt, baking powder, and walnuts. Stir vigorously until well blended—this is a stiff dough.
3. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to a thickness of about 1/16 inch. Cut into 2-inch rounds and place on cookie sheet.
4. Bake for about 7 minutes. Turn crackers over and bake for another 4-6 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on racks.