GROTON LONG POINT “Iʼll Be Seeing You In All The Old Familiar ...

Katys KitchenSpanish Wine,Spanish DinnerThis column is where the tide hasturned…John Lombardo of GrapeNotes picks a wine and I pair itwith a recipe. John picked anearthy, medium bodied Rioja.. Ilove Riojaʼs, but I am a red winegirl, so I am partial to any goodred wine. When we tested thisrecipe with the wine, my guestsdrank Campo Viejo Rioja,Tempranillo, Reserva , 2007. Ibought it at Grand Spirits inGroton for about $14.Since John chose a Spanishwine, I decided to go with aSpanish pork sausage, Chorizo,to highlight his wine. If you havenever cooked with chorizo, it onlytakes a bit of time because it is afully cured sausage. A simplesauté to crisp it up and you canadd it to so many dishes: potatoes,eggs, paella, chicken orfish. A few slices of chorizo and asimple meal becomes a specialone.This is a quick meal to puttogether and takes about 1- 1.5hours to cook. While cooking youcan enjoy your cocktail time andsavor a gorgeous summerevening. If you are truly having aSpanish experience, dine after 9pm!Spanish Chicken and ChorizoIngredients• 2 tablespoons regular oliveoil• 12 chicken thighs (bone in,with skin)with Katy Reed• 1 3/4 pounds chorizosausages, whole if baby ones,or cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks ifregular-sized• 1 1/4 pounds baby whiteskinnedpotatoes, halved• 2 red onions, peeled androughly chopped• 2 teaspoons dried oregano• A handful of green Spanishoilves• Zest of 1 orangePreheat the oven to 425degrees F. Put the oil in the bottomof 2 shallow roasting pans orquarter sheet pans, 1 tablespoonin each. Rub the skin of thechicken in the oil, then turn skinside up and put 6 pieces in eachpan.Divide the chorizo sausagesand the baby potatoes betweenthe 2 pans. Sprinkle with theonion and the oregano, thengrate the orange zest over thecontents of the 2 pans.Bake for 1 to 1.5 hours, after 30minutes, swap the top pan withthe bottom pan in the oven andbaste the contents with theorange-colored juices. If youcrowd the pan, it will take longerto cook. Transfer the chicken mixtureto a large serving platter andserve.To complete this dinner toss alarge green salad and serve withSpanish rice.GRAPE NOTESby John LombardoRioja is a wine region innorthern Spain. It is small at 75square miles and has 150 wineriesproducing reds and whites,though reds predominate with85% of the production. Grapegrowing in Rioja can be tracedback to the ninth century. Aswith many medieval Mediterraneanlands, the monks werethe principal advocates andmakers of wine.It is the Rioja red wines thathave made the region wellknown.They are often blendswith Tempranillo playing the leadrole supplemented principally byGrenache with Graziano andMazuelo playing minor parts. Atypical blend will consist of 60%Tempranillo, 20% Grenache,and the rest the minor grapevarietals. The Tempranillobrings the main flavors and ageabilityto the blend. Grenacheadds body and alcohol. Theminor grapes add complexity bycontributing additional flavorsand aromas The popular internationalvarieties – CabernetSauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir –have not gained a foothold inRioja.One of the distinguishingfeatures of Rioja red wines isoak aging. Oaky flavors and adistinctive vanilla character arehallmarks of Riojas. Back in theday, it was not unusual for awinery to age its reds in oak forover a decade. Indeed, the wineryMarqués de MurrietaGLP NEWS Page 4released its gran reserva 1942vintage in 1983 after 41 years ofoak aging! Recent trends havebeen to shorten the agingregime to four to eight years.Pay attention to the Rioja labelas it will reveal the oak agingtimeframe. Wines labeled simplyRioja have been aged in oakfor no more than a year. Thoselabeled Crianza have seen atleast two years of aging one ofwhich was in oak barrels. Nextup are Reservas which havebeen aged three years with atleast one In barrel. And lastly,Gran Reservas see at least twoyears in oak and three years inbottle after that. Generallyspeaking, the better the juice,the more oak aging it can withstand,so the aging terminologyis a guide to quality.Unsurprisingly, the pricingsteps up with more aging.Rioja red wines will show ripered berry flavors and complexitywith some spiciness and vanillafrom the oak barrel aging.Riojas have considerable bodyand structure and the betterones will show elegance andfinesse.This issueʼs Katyʼs Kitchencolumn features a chicken andchorizo recipe. Hereʼs an entréewith substance and some spiciness.A red Rioja would servebeautifully with this dish.935 North Main Street Ext., Wallingford, CT 06492203 265 - 1206 GLP 203 623 - 4994Peter Joyce ctpowerandsport.comSUZUKI - YAMAHA - JOHN DEERE - HONDA - SEADOOMotorcycles ATVʼs Snowmobiles Power Equipment Jet Boats PWCʼsLANDSCAPES, LAWN CARE & TREE CARE860.235.0752WWW.SPRIGSANDTWIGS.NETAN ALL ORGANIC COMPANYStewards Of The EnvironmentCT HIC #0577341CT Arborist Lic. #S-5902