Second Leaf

My wife’s family loves traditions and those traditions almost always involve food… really good food. In fact, if you manage to host a successful meal when they are present, it can be elevated to a new family tradition even before the table is cleared. This happened to me a few years ago when my wife and I decided to break from tradition (ghast!) and serve a traditional English prime rib dinner for Christmas. It was a big hit and we’ve been serving prime rib for Christmas ever since. Don’t get me wrong, though. I absolutely love this part of my extended family!

So you’re probably wondering where paella is involved here. Well, the very latest tradition is a Labor Day paella feast. This one, though, is hosted and prepared by my brother-in-law. It all started last year when he invited us over for Labor Day so he could try out his new giant paella pan. Actually the word paella means “frying pan” in Valencian but is almost always used to discribe the rice-based dish that is cooked in a paella pan. Although there are many variations of paella, all are made with rice, saffron, and olive oil and can include chorizo, chicken, rabbit, shrimp, clams, mussels, and vegetables. For us, this year’s had chorizo, chicken, shrimp, clams, green beans, and pimento peppers. Take a look at the picture of our finished paella just before serving.

The secret to any authentic meal is quality ingredients and when it comes to Spanish food, you can’t go wrong shopping at The Spanish Table. The day before the feast we ventured down to The Spanish Table in Berkeley to pick up a few key ingredients and some Spanish wines to enjoy with our meal. For the wine, here is The Spanish Table’s recommendation for pairing with paella.

While some of us make Paella all year long, most folks think about this most typical of Spanish rice dishes only when the sun shines and the weather is warm. ‘What wine goes with Paella?’ is a question that comes up frequently after the proper pan/rice/spices have been secured. My traditional response to this query changes depending on the variety of Paella in question. With a vegetarian or seafood Paella I recommend a crisp white wine with bright acidity and aromatic richness, while with a mixed seafood/poultry/meat Paella (the most popular variety in these parts) I usually suggest a young red wine with abundant fruit and little or no oak. Personally, I prefer a well-made rosado wine with my Paella. A chilled glass of tart, dry pink wine, with a touch of berry-like fruit in the mix suits my taste perfectly.

Following their advice, we came back with some 2005 Muga Rosado and 2004 Luberri Maceracion Carbonica. Both wines were very affordable ($10-$15).

The Muga Rosado was salmon pink in color with a bright floral and fresh fruit aroma. On the palate this wine burst with crisp fresh fruits of strawberry and citrus and finished clean and dry. The crisp acidity and tart flavors offset the weight of the paella beautifully.

The Luberri Maceration Carbonica was a young lively Tempranillo, made using the same technique as Beaujolais nouveau. Carbonic maceration involves fermenting the grapes whole without crushing. The result is a fruity wine with low tannins that is ready to drink young (usually within 6 weeks after production).

The Luberri was light bodied and almost fizzy in texture with terrific fresh red fruits and a nice light fresh finish. It too, matched nicely with the paella.

Both of these wines effectively recharged the palette and gave it a break from the bold and heavy flavors of the paella. A truly complimentary pairing.

Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention dessert. Although it was a break from the Spanish theme, the presentation of Banana’s Foster, the dessert invented and made famous by Brennan’s in New Orleans, is a sight to behold. What could be better than bananas cooked in brown sugar, butter, banana liqueur, and rum all served over cinnamon-vanilla ice cream!? And staying true to the table-side presentation at Brennan’s, my brother-in-law finished the bananas over the same outdoor cooking element he used for the paella. Check out the action shot below of the flaming bananas being swirled in the bath of butter, brown sugar, and rum. Simply beautiful!