Happy Birthday to me, Part II. Gifts

As you have probably just read, today was my 35th birthday. I am so lucky--I got some great gifts. Three especially notable things:

1. Julie got me a bottle of wine. Domaine Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape, 2005, Cuvee Reservee. It probably won't be drinkable for at least a decade, and I'm thinking it might be about right when I celebrate my 45th or 50th birthday. We had a bottle of their 1998 vintage last year at my birthday (at the Earle), and I've had a 2000 at a party. This is a very earthy, almost horsey, barnyardy wine, with a ton of complexity. 2005 was an utterly amazing vintage in the southern Rhone, and this should be a classic wine. Looking forward to the passage of years for this beauty!
2. My mother, in the spirit of free choice, sent me the most fungible of assets -- cash. I turned some of it into a splurge--on another 2005 chateauneuf, in this case, produced by Beaucastel. I got it at a relative steal--about 75% of its usual retail cost, from a local boutique grocery with a killer wine program (Think Whole Foods with reasonable prices, unpretentious staff, locally owned, and sane management.). I have never had a true Beaucastel -- they're not an everyday bottle, by any means. But I've had their 2nd wine (coudoulet, which is a technically a CDR), which is a really beauty, as well as a number of others produced by the Perrins (notably, Perrin & Fils, Vielle Ferme). They all seem to represent a certain "honesty" of approach to the grapes, a real finesse in winemaking. So, again, in 10 or 15 years or so, I'll be enjoying this beauty. Thanks, mom!
3. My inlaws sent me books. Both about food/wine. I'll focus on the food driven one--All About Braising. It's a lovely cookbook which is so much more than your average package of recipes. Sure, there are plenty of those, and they are mostly pretty appealing, complex yet approachable. But what I really like are the real descriptions of the dishes--from their history and tastes, to a certain rationale of why you do what you do, this is a serious book. And most recipes have suggested wine pairings, and many - most are Old World wines, which I happen to love. Thank you, Lyn and Debbie!

Lamb Riblets

We'd had some lamb riblets in the freezer for a few weeks that'd I'd been wanting to cook before it got too hot. And, as today was relatively cool and rainy, it was an ideal day to cook some meat low and slow. Initially, I was thinking maybe doing another take on barbeque, maybe even a curried barbeque style. But that just wasn't screaming out as what I was after. I was kind of thinking some Spanish flavors might be nice -- some smoked paprika, maybe, onions, maybe tomatoes? So, I used Google to good effect, and came upon another blogger who was rather taken with a Dean and Delucca recipe for Spanish lamb stew. Now, it called for cubed stew meat cut from lamb shoulder, decidedly NOT thin, flat riblets. On the other hand, the riblets have a ton of fat and connective tissue, making it good for a similar approach. So, I cut each slab into individual ribs with some meat, seasoned 'em, and browned them off. Then, I cut up some smoked sausage, browned that, added a couple sweet onions, sliced very thin, and garlic. Deglazed with wine, some sherry vinegar, and then some stock. smoked paprika and some marjoram and a couple bay leaves for seasoning, and in to cook. I added some garbanzo beans and served it all wth some couscous. Very yummy!

The wine pairing was a serendipitous event, indeed. A day or so ago, we'd drunk part of a bottle of Spanish wine from Navarra--a blend mostly of tempranillo wth some grenache. it's a tasty, fairly fruit driven wine, not hugely complex, but very nice. But, with this rustic dinner, it just came to life, and showed off amazing earthy complexity, and brought out the sweetness of the lamb. It was a really beautiful pairing--one of those, 'oh wow!' moments--and one I had no expectation of being so exquisite.