“Great wine, especially great red wine, wants food. To begin, there’s nothing better than a pairing of a wine with some of the classic dishes of the region where that variety was born.” —Chris Howell
Great wine, especially great red wine, wants food. To begin, there’s nothing better than a pairing of a wine with some of the classic dishes of the region where that variety was born. Our OTO Tempranillo is a wine of depth and complexity, with a clean, dry finish, simply begging for food.
Spain, home to Tempranillo, is also home to a tremendous variety of great and classic traditional dishes. Two weeks ago, we offered you Katie’s Paella; today, we offer you three classic tapas from Chef Matt Bennett. These days, no Spanish dish is better known than the delightful tapas, which appear throughout Spain and increasingly throughout the world.
Chef Matt Bennett knows the genre of tapas well, and for Cain’s OTO Tempranillo, he offers us the three fun and tasty treats below. You could prepare any one of these in well under an hour and do most of the work the day before. The flavors are savory and complex and certainly worth the effort. Your friends will be impressed and you will be, too.
As tempting as these three are, while you’re cooking, Chef Matt suggests that you might also prepare something even simpler, such as spreading olive tapenade on toasts of your favorite local bread, or also, wrap thin slices of Serrano ham around small wedges of Manchego cheese. Yum—let’s get started!
—Christopher Howell, Wine Grower
November, 2024
Meatballs with Pine Nuts in Smokey Tomato Sauce
—Pair with Cain OTO Tempranillo—
A classic tapas, not to be missed. These can be made in advance and warmed to serve.
Ingredients
½ medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
1 15-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ pound ground pork
½ pound ground beef
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
½ cup Panko bread crumbs
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 Tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
Directions
For Sauce:
Sauté onion in olive oil over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add carrot and garlic and cook another minute or 2. Add paprika and stir well. Add tomatoes and salt and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. Purée with immersion blender.
For Meatballs:
Heat oven to 375˚. In a bowl, combine pork, beef, nuts, crumbs, cumin, salt, and vinegar. Add a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Mix gently by hand or with a wooden spoon until well combined. Form into 1 ½” balls and lay out evenly on sheet pan lined with parchment. Bake until cooked through and starting to brown, about 15 minutes. Serve on top of warm tomato sauce and garnish with parsley.
Potatoes Stuffed with Manchego and Chorizo
—Pair with Cain OTO Tempranillo—
A classic tapas, as tasty as it looks, and delicious as a vegetarian dish, just omit the chorizo! Everything can be prepared in advance—then pop in the broiler when your guests arrive.
Ingredients
16 small red potatoes, 1 ½” to 2” diameter
4 ounces young Manchego cheese (3 month), grated
3 ounces mild Spanish dry chorizo, casing removed and diced small
½ cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons chive ringlets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a medium saucepan, cover potatoes with water and add 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes pierce easily through with a knife, about 12 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
Once cool enough to handle, slice off tops of potatoes and hollow out with a teaspoon measure, reserving hollowed out flesh.
Combine potato flesh, cheese, chorizo, mayonnaise, Dijon, chives, and a few grinds of black pepper in a mixing bowl.
Stuff potatoes with filling, leaving a good amount heaping on top. Bake at 350˚untill cheese is melted and top of filling is lightly browned, 12-15 minutes. Garnish with additional chives.
Trumpet Mushrooms and Red Pepper Spread on Crostini
—Pair with Cain OTO Tempranillo—
Who says vegan food can’t go well with wine? This recipe includes a riff on the Spanish standard Romesco sauce. Its savory qualities and bright acidity make an excellent match for Cain’s 2022 Tempranillo. Everything can be made in advance and warmed (or not) to serve.
Ingredients
1 clove garlic
½ cup Marcona almonds
5 oz. jar piquillo peppers (or substitute roasted red peppers)
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 oz. trumpet mushrooms, cut into 1” pieces
½ lemon
1 sweet baguette
Fresh thyme leaves, coarsely chopped
Directions
For the Spread:
In a food processor, pulse the garlic until minced. Add the almonds, peppers, paprika, vinegar, salt, and olive oil. Process until well combined but still a little chunky.
For the Crostini:
Slice the bread on the bias (diagonally) into ¾” slices. Arrange on sheet pan, drizzle with a little olive oil, and toast in 350˚oven until just starting to brown at the edges, about 8 minutes.
For the Mushrooms:
Sauté mushrooms in olive oil over medium heat until brown at the edges, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.
To finish:
Spread a thick layer of the purée on the crostini. Add mushrooms and top with thyme.
Chef Matt has been cooking for the wine industry in the Napa Valley for almost 20 years. Be it an intricate food and wine pairing meal, a walk around wine release party, or cooking lunch for hungry workers during harvest time, Matt thrives on the power wine and food have to bring people together. When he’s not cooking, you’ll find Matt enjoying time with his wife and daughters at their home in rural Napa County, or perhaps exploring a new fishing destination.