La Rioja

Because it neighbours the more famous Basque country, lovers of Spanish food often overlook the cuisine on offer in the sprawling countryside of La Rioja. Famous for its red wine, it is amazing that so few people talk about the great food served here. The tapas are wonderful. The vegetables are fresh and full of flavour. And the meat dishes, so often cooked in locally produced red wine, are memorable. Fruit and vegetables are abundant here. The local markets, as at the one in Haro pictured here, offer up quality ingredients. Not just fruit and veg but also snails and mushrooms. In the hills sheep and game provide good quality local meat. Red bell peppers, goat’s milk cottage cheese and chili sausage are also on offer. Then there are the wonderful locally grown potatoes. They are often served to you, Riojan style, in a stew with green and red bell peppers, onions and garlic. Quail is served with baby fava beans (Pochas con Codornices). A lamb stew is brimming over with ingredients such as artichoke hearts, chili, potatoes and peppers.And to finish? It has to be Sorbete de la Rioja (La Rioja wine sorbet). Ideal when sitting outside in the summer sunshine. La Rioja is rightly famed for full bodied, quality red wine. But the area is no ‘one trick pony.’ Don’t just drink there. Eat there!

Logroño, La Rioja0

Logroño, La Rioja

Some of the best meat dishes I have tasted were so good because they were cooked with wine from La Rioja.

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Rick Stein in Spain – Part 20

Rick Stein in Spain – Part 2

On his travels through Spain, Rick Stein met some fascinating people. Those who, in their own way, have done wonders to promote the food and drink of Spain. He also attended many festivals celebrating different Spanish foods. His mission was to get a taste for modern day Spanish cooking. How had things changed since he first went to Spain aged [...]

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Veggies in Spain1

Veggies in Spain

If you are a vegetarian living in, or visiting Spain, your ability to enjoy fresh vegetables will vary considerably depending on where you are. Down my way in Andalucia the weekly markets are full of fresh veggies, but the restaurants do not serve them. The same copious vegetables I buy in great quantity are strangers to the kitchen of Spanish [...]

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Refried Kidney Beans0

Refried Kidney Beans

Here is a recipe using kidney beans, which taste nicer and nicer each time you refry them.

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Spicy Sausage in Red Wine0

Spicy Sausage in Red Wine

In La Rioja you will eat many a meal that will be cooked in the local wine that is so cheap, plentiful and full of body.

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Fava Beans with Quail0

Fava Beans with Quail

La Rioja is about much more than great wine. The food served their is superb. Here´s a recipe using Quail.

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Viva el Vino: New Wine and Dine Concept Flips Traditional Dining on its Head0

Viva el Vino: New Wine and Dine Concept Flips Traditional Dining on its Head

Campo Viejo and Tapas Tapas encourage daring diners to add mystery to their meal The UK’s most popular Rioja wine brandCampo Viejo is launching the next stage of its inventive campaign ‘Viva el Vino’ by teaming up with Liverpool-based Spanish restaurant Tapas Tapas. The campaign will run for one month from 1st November 2010. ‘Viva el Vino’ is a pioneering [...]

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Peaches in Red Wine with Cinnamon0

Peaches in Red Wine with Cinnamon

Regardless of the time of the year, there is always a sumptous dish to be made using peaches. Here´s a recipe combining them with cinnamon.

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Rioja wine sorbet0

Rioja wine sorbet

Here’s a recipe for a refreshing sorbet with a kick. I’m often left disappointed by sorbets. But not when i consume this one.

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Haro, La Rioja – food & wine heaven1

Haro, La Rioja – food & wine heaven

If Jerez is a great place to combine food and wine in the south of Spain, then Haro is one of my favourite culinary destinations in the north of the country. If you like to taste great Spanish food, accompanied by some of the best wine produced anywhere; then take the motorway turn off for Haro. A smashing town with more bodegas [...]

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