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| A special treat at the Biltmore in Montecito! |

For my birthday, John created a meal with Spanish flair!
Sangria
In a large pitcher, stir together:1 Magnum (or 2 Bottles) semi-dry Red Wine
Juice of two Oranges (~1 Cup)
Juice of one Lime (~1/4 Cup)
Juice of one Lemon (~1/3 Cup)
1/4 Cup Grand Marnier
1/4 Cup Brandy
Make Simple Syrup by filling a 1-cup glass measuring cup with sugar, then filling it with water.
Microwave on high in 30 second increments, stirring, then heating again until sugar is fully dissolved.
Add desired amount of Simple Syrup to wine mixture until it reaches desired sweetness.
We added 1/4 cup. You should be able to taste the tartness of the citrus, and it shouldn’t be overly sweet.
Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
Pour over crushed ice and garnish with quartered orange, lemon, and lime slices.
Steamed Artichokes with Chili-Lime Mayonnaise
Trim stems off Artichokes and steam for about 45 minutes until you can easily pull one of the center leaves with a pair of tongs. Artichokes are great served warm, or at room temperature.
We like to dip them in Chili-Lime Mayonnaise:
1/2 cup MayonnaiseJuice of 1 Lime
1 tsp Chili Powder
To eat an Artichoke, pull leaves off, dip base in sauce, and scrape meat off with your teeth.
When you get near the center, pull off remaining leaves and clear out fuzzy part – we’ve found that a grapefruit spoon works great for this.
Cut the Artichoke heart into pieces and dip in remaining sauce – this is the very best part & it’s worth the work!
Seafood Paella
Paella is a traditional Spanish dish. In researching recipes, we found that it varies by region, and like risotto, or pasta, forms a basis for whatever ingredients you choose to put in it. We chose a combination of Chicken, Smoked Sausage, Clams, and Shrimp.
The ideal pan for making Paella is shallow with a large diameter and a lid – we used a Wok.Paella requires a bit of prep work.
To get started:
Slice 1 Pound of fresh Green Beans into 1 1/2 – 2 inch pieces
Quarter enough Cherry Tomatoes to make 2 Cups
Finely dice 1 White Onion
Mince 1 Clove Garlic
Thinly slice 1 Pound of Smoked Sausage
Cut 1 Boneless Chicken Breast into cubes and sprinkle with Tony Chacere’s Original Creole SeasoningThoroughly scrub 2 Pounds fresh Clams.
Make 4 Cups Seafood Broth – we use Penzeys Seafood Soup Base
Steep 1/4 teaspoon Saffron Threads in 2 Tablespoons boiling water.
In a large pan, saute:
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
Minced Garlic
Seasoned Chicken
When Chicken is beginning to brown, stir in onions and cook until they begin to soften – about 5 minutes.
Pour in:
Saffron and water
Seafood broth
Tomatoes
Green Beans
Sausage
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Fresh Thyme
Bring to a boil over high heat, then sprinkle with:
2 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
Cover, and cook without stirring for about 10 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir.
Reduce heat to low, add shrimp, and place clams on top – hinged side down.
Cover and cook for another 10 minutes until clams open.
Discard any clams that do not open (we had 5).
Birthday Cake!
These recipes are provided for your personal use. If you publish them, or re-post them, please give me credit. Grazie e Buon Appetito!