Рецепт White Wine Sangria; Cheap wine and a Tapa
Spain has long, hot summers.
Spain also has lots of really cheap wine
of all colors.
I once had a Spanish friend explain to me that she
refused to spend more than 1.50 euros (less than $2.00) on a bottle of
red wine because her children (adult) were into the awful, but popular,
habit of pouring that American plague, Coca Cola, into it.
She was
actually being rather nice about it.
The cheapest bottle of red wine I
found in Andorra was $0.60, and, yes, that was for a regular size .75
litre bottle...with a cork.
One could usually find a rose or white for around $0.50.
I'm not saying that they were drinkable, only that they were
available.
We, being flashy Americans, normally spent at least $3.50,
even when we were buying the cheap stuff.
Except when I made Sangria.
I
accidentally stumbled on an absolutely atrocious (IMHO) white wine called
'Blanc Pescador' (white fisherman).
It was made by one of our favorite
Spanish wineries, located in Catalonia, called Perelada. We used to buy
a wonderful Chardonnay and lovely Cabernet Sauvignon from them.
It was
our regular stop on trips to Barcelona.
On one visit we saw cases of
Blanc Pescador for the whopping price of 13 euros....for a case of 12.
We decided that it couldn't be all that bad since their other wines were
so wonderful.
We were wrong!
It had a very faint fizz to it, tiny
little bubbles, almost undetectable, and not nearly powerful enough to
cover the taste.
This taught me one of life's important lessons: to
make really good Sangria one has to start with really awful wine...then
anything one does is an improvement.
If you used a decent wine you
would feel guilty about ruining it.
Spain is known for its
traditional Sangrias, made from red wine with oranges and brandy added.
They are everywhere, all summer long and, in the heat of a long, lazy
lunch at a sidewalk cafe, can pack an unsuspecting wallop.
That, I
concluded after one such lunch, is why naps were invented.
With 11
bottles of white #?!$@ on hand I decided a white wine Sangria was in
order. This one is light, refreshing, and not so alcoholic as the
traditional, which is a good thing as it slips down rather easily.
Perfect for hot summer days...and nights!
- White Wine Sangria:
- 2 bottles (.75 litre) cheap white wine (if you can find one with a little fizz, all the better)
- 1 bottle (.75 litre or equivalent - it's a 2 - 1 ratio) fizzy water - Perrier, club soda,
- 1/2 cup Peach Liqueur - NOT Eau de Vie or brandy, but lower alcohol, intensely flavored and probably overly sweet, peach liqueur
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 orange
- 1 lemon
- 2 limes
- In
- a large pitcher mix the wine, water, peach liqueur, and sugar. Stir
- well to combine. Slice the fruit and remove pips. Squeeze each slice
- into the sangria, then drop it in. Stir well to combine the sugar and
- rest of ingredients. Add lots of ice and serve. Graciously accept
- praise.
- And something to nibble whilst you sip...
- Chickpea Patties
- 15oz (450gr) chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and chopped
- 1 carrot, finely chopped about 1/3 cup
- 1 rib celery, finely chopped, about 1/3 cup
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped, about 1/3 cup
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbs basil, chopped
- 2 tbs oregano, chopped
- 1 egg
- 1 - 2 tbs olive oil
- Sauté onion, carrot, celery and
- garlic in oil until tender. Remove and put into a bowl, along with
- chickpeas and herbs. Stir to combine and cool vegetables. Lightly whisk
- egg and add to vegetables. Heat a bit of oil in large nonstick
- skillet. Drop mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, into skillet and form
- patties with 2 spoons. (It's rather a loose mix - and you don't want
- them too big or you won't be able to turn them) Fry them about 4
minutes, then turn and fry 4 minutes longer.
I made them in 2 batches of 4 patties each.