Appetizers

Click on any of the recipes below to go right to it.

Orange Risotto 
Sparkling Mushrooms
Oysters in Muscat
Herbed Shrimp
Mussels in Nut Sauce
Tomato-Mustard Shrimp
Mushrooms and Chorizo
Sherried Meatballs
Chicken and Pork Paté
Fondued Franks
Marinated Mushrooms
Herbed Wine and Cheese Spread

Remove the orange rind with a vegetable peeler avoiding the pith. Put the orange peel aside and juice the oranges. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Brown the onion, shallots and garlic. Add the rice, stir to coat with oil.

(In a separate pot, bring stock to a boil and keep it hot - you will be adding this to the rice.)

Add the Ponche Caballero and slivered orange peel to the rice. Stir until the liquid has evaporated. Add 100ml of hot stock. Cook, stirring constantly, until all of the stock is absorbed. Continue to add the stock in small amounts, cooking until the stock is absorbed each time. Once all of the stock has been used, start adding the juice from the oranges in the same manner. Cook until the rice is creamy but "al dente" - about 20 minutes from the time the Ponche Caballero was added.

Remove from heat. Stir in butter and cheese with a wooden spoon. Add salt if necessary and garnish with pepper, parmesan, parsley. Serve immediately in shallow bowls. Buon Appetito!

Wine Matches

This cries out for a crisp white as an accompaniment. Try Stadt Kems Cremisia Gruner Veltliner.

Many thanks for this recipe to Alanna McIntyre.

Saute the garlic and mushrooms in the oil until the mushrooms are golden.  Add the Brut Zero and cook until reduced to about 50 ml.  Take off the heat, remove the mushrooms to a serving dish.  Whisk the cold butter into the sauce, a little at a time.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour the sauce over the mushrooms and garnish with the parsley.

Castellblanch Brut Zero, of course, goes well here, but also try Segura Viudas Reserva Heredad.

Open the oysters and discard the flat shells.  Shuck the oysters, reserving their liquor. Strain the liquor into a small pot. Add the shallot and pepper and bring to a boil.  Add the wine and cream.  Return to a boil and add the oysters. Simmer for a very few seconds, then stir and simmer for another few seconds. Remove the oysters and divide them among 4 warmed plates.

Boil the sauce until it is reduced to one-half, then whisk in the butter. Strain the sauce over the oysters. Sprinkle with the chives and pepper and serve at once.

We enjoy these oysters with Segura Viudas Vino Heredad Blanco or with J.Lohr Riverstone Chardonnay.

Fry the garlic gently in the oil until golden brown, then remove it. Add the shrimps to the oil and brown them for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the chopped herbs and moisten with the wine. Finish cooking for a few minutes and serve hot, garnished with the remaining fresh herbs.

These shrimp cry out for a fruity white like Corvo Bianco, or a sherry like Burdon Medium Amontillado Sherry.   

Soak 12 small wooden skewers in water to cover for at least 30 minutes.

Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and bake in a 180°C oven for about 10 minutes. Cool, then process until smooth in a blender or food processor with the garlic, bread crumbs, olive oil and  lemon juice. Thin to a spoonable consistency with water, if necessary. Season to taste with salt, pepper and more  lemon juice. Set aside in a dipping bowl.

Mix the flour and water together to make a thin batter.   Heat oil in a deep fat fryer to 190°C.  Steam the mussels in the wine until they open.  Drain the mussels, remove them from their shells.  Thread 4 mussels on each of the skewers.   A few at a time, dip the skewers in the batter then drop them into the hot oil and fry until they are golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve hot with the peanut dipping sauce.

Try these with Corvo Bianco.

Sauté the onion in the oil until it is translucent, add the pureed tomatoes and cook until almost dry. Add the wine, the mustard, and the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp are just done (3-5 minutes). Remove shrimps to a serving platter, correct seasoning, and pour the sauce over the shrimp.

Serve with the Achaia Clauss Demestica White.

Sauté the mushrooms in oil for a few minutes. Add the sausage, garlic and cilantro and continue cooking for two more minutes. Add the wine, correct seasoning, and cook until the wine evaporates. Serve immediately.

This appetizer pairs well with a sparkling wine such as Bouvet-Ladubay Brut or with an off-dry red such as Achaia Clauss Imperial Mavrodaphne de Patras

Sauté the onions in oil until they darken, add tomatoes and cook until close to dry. Set this sauce aside. Moisten the bread in the lemon juice, squeeze out. Combine bread, meats, salt, lemon zest, and cayenne in a food processor. Make meat balls about 2 cm in diameter, coat with beaten egg, roll in flour, and fry in olive oil until cooked through. Drain on paper toweling. Stir the Tio Pepe into the sauce and serve over the meatballs.
 

These meatballs go with a wide variety of wines, especially aperitifs such as Burden Amondillado Medium Sherry or Beaujolais such as Fougeres Beaujolais.

Combine pork, chicken, broth, wine, onion, bay leaf, and half the garlic in a pot. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer gently for about three hours. Drain (reserving the cooking liquid), remove the onion and the bay leaf, and pulse in a food processor until well chopped. Then add the oil a bit at a time to achieve a firm but spreadable texture. If the mixture is too dry after adding all of the oil, continue with additions of reserved cooking liquid until you have the right consistency. Correct seasoning with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Serve on crackers or french bread with a sprightly young red wine such as Fougères Beaujolais, or Achaia Clauss Demestica Red.
 

Melt the cheese in a double boiled, blend in the wine, mustard and Worcestershire.  Serve the fondue in a casserole over a burner or candle.  Serve the frank pieces on toothpicks to be dipped into the fondue.
 

Serve with a zesty red such as Corvo Rosso  or Neirano Barbera d'Asti.

Try these with Burdon Medium Amontillado Sherry or Gonzales Byass Tio Pepe Sherry. 

Cream the three cheeses together. Stir in the herbs and the butter.  Add the wine and stir until well-incorporated.  Serve with crostini, crackers, or melba toast.

This savoury cheese goes well with just about any aperitif wine.  Try it with Tio Pepe or with Burdon Amontillado Sherry.

Last updated August 8, 2006