What's New in October

A Hearty Autumn Meal

You may have heard of our new project: cider – or sagardo – from the Basque country. As we (finally) leave the sticky hot days of summer behind and the evenings start to get chilly, sagardo really comes into its own. Chilly evenings are the norm in northern Spain, where across the Basque Country and Asturias the cold winds of the Atlantic assault the locals. But they've found ways to cope with the climate. One of our favorites is a glass of cider and traditional local favorite of Asturian Pork and Beans. A few years back Food & Wine Magazine published an excellent recipe by chef José Andrés. We love it and found that it pairs beautifully with some Sagardo Naturala: a truly delicious way to celebrate the changing seasons.

Isastegi Sagardo
The cider has a golden-green hue in the glass. Ripe notes of apple on the nose leads to an acidic, malted apple on the palate. The finish is crisp and fresh.

Asturian Pork and Beans
From Food & Wine Magazine
by José Andrés

Ingredients:

1 pound dried fabes, or other large white beans picked over, rinsed and soaked overnight
1 large onion, peeled
1 head of garlic
1 tablespoon pimentón (smoked paprika)
1 large pinch of saffron threads, crushed
1 meaty fresh ham hock (1 pound)
1/2 pound slab bacon, in 1 piece
1/2 pound semi-dry Spanish-style chorizos
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Drain the beans and transfer them to a large enameled cast-iron casserole. Add the onion, garlic, pimentón, crushed saffron, ham hock, bacon and 12 cups of cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer the stew, tucking the ham hock under the cooking liquid as necessary, until the beans are almost tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Add the chorizos to the bean stew and cook until the meat and beans are tender and the cooking liquid is thick and slightly reduced, about 45 minutes longer.

Discard the onion and garlic and transfer the meat to a bowl. Pull the meat from the ham hock and cut it into large pieces. Cut the bacon and chorizos into pieces. Add the meat to the beans and season lightly with salt and pepper.

The pork and beans can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. Reheat and season just before serving.

Also New...

In the Press: International Wine Cellar

Josh Raynolds from the International Wine Cellar has released part 2 of his Best New Wines from Spain for 2008 in the International Wine Cellar. We've compiled all of the De Maison Selections wines here for your reading pleasure.

Cava Cocktail Contest

Our Cava Avinyó Cocktail Contest continues and we're still looking for new submissions. Only three more months left in the year so get your recipes in before it's too late.

Links of Interest

>What's New Archive
>The De Maison Selections Newspost
>André's Travel Blog