Mendoza Kitchen “French Cuisine”

Sunday night we had friends over for dinner, Sandra and Gustavo, they are amazing and I wanted to make something different, a French twist, and decided to make a Beef Bourguignon.

we started with bread and cheese, with for sure great wine that our friends bring us, 2 great sparkling wine plus one Malbec 2011 and one Merlot 2007, we also tried a bottle of Cabernet/Merlot that I had on hand.

To Start Cheese and Bread

My husband Marc having a sniff of the Merlot 2007

3 Great bottles of red wine

We are so fortunate, sharing great bottles with amazing friends, Maria Duce, Maria Extra Brut, Malbec Miguel Escorihuela Gascon 2011,  Uxmal Cabernet/Merlot 2012 blend and  Merlot Rutini 2007.

 It was another tasting adventure, it’s so great to have a friend that know so much about wine, Gustavo is a real connoisseur, and it is a real pleasure to explore all the features of the wine with him.

Gustavo is a real wine connoisseur

To go with the cheese we drank a bottle of Maria Extra Brut, part of the Codorniu family and produce at Septima Bodega here in Mendoza, it was a perfect combination!

During that time the 2007 Merlot was breathing in a decanter, I had the chance to try it first with a piece of rye and walnut bread and goat cheese, “what a delight” feel so privileged!

I served the Bourguignon over mashed potatoes/carrots, pairing with the Merlot Rutini 2007, Malbec Miguel Escorihuela Gascon 2011, and the Uxmal Cabernet/Merlot 2012 blend.

Photo from our friend Gustavo, as you can see the gravy is thicker, I added bread crumbs, do the job without changing the tasting or adding fat.

For dessert I had bought an amandine tart at the best French pastry place in Mendoza Brillat Savarin, to pair with this  fabulous pastry we drank and other Codorniu sparking wine, this time a Maria Dulce, it was fantastic.

After dinner we chatted for a while and our friends told us about their project of opening a small hotel in Uspallata in the Andes, it will be a relaxing place surrounded by arts, a place to enjoy life, as we say here "un lugar para disfrutar" I will keep you updated, and will have more info after a visit to the site.

One piece of art is this silk carpet that Gustavo acquired in Turkey, beautiful, 

It was also the election night, and Macri won, another great reason to celebrate!

The recipe for the Beef Bourguignon;

Ingredients, 

 You can add to the list, if you have veggies, or beef broth, I also used fine herbs and black pepper for  seasoning.

The steps;

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An Evening in Catalonia from Mendoza Argentina

Diner at Cantina La Rambla, Mendoza Argentina

We were invited by our friends Gustavo and Sandra for a Catalan culinary experience at the Catala Centre here in Mendoza.

What an experience, never knew that this place existed, this Centre is for Catalan and people that share the same value, inside they have a theatre, a Cantina “La Rambla” a very homey place, they also give classes to learn the language. This center was open in 1908, a beautiful place to relax and get a cultural experience, an evening in Catalonia!!!

We started with the tapas, calamari, prosciutto, potato cake, bread, aioli, and eggplant salad.

And for sure great wine, our friend Gustavo had bring two amazing bottles, the first one was a Melipal Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc blend 2010, and the second was Clos de Chacras Gran Estirpe a Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend 2010 one of the most prestigious wine in Argentina, we are so fortunate to get the chance to drink this class of wine, and the best part is to have Gustavo to described for us all the characteristics of each Cépage.

The entrée was Fideuà,

Fideuà   (dialectal pronunciation of the Valencian/Catalan word fideuada "large amount of noodles") is a seafood dish originally from the coast of Valencia which is similar to paella with noodles instead of rice. Its main ingredients are: pasta noodles (usually angel hair), fish (rockfish, monkfish, cuttlefish, squid), and shellfish (squilla mantis, shrimp, crayfish). It is seasoned mainly with lemon.

History from Wikipedia

The invention of fideuà is attributed to a picturesque story. Gabriel Rodriguez Pastor, (Gabrielo from a kiosk in the port district of Grau in Gandía), worked as a cook in a boat and Juan Bautista Pascual (Zábalo), was the youngest man in the boat and his assistant. According to Gabriel's family, the boat captain loved rice and the rest of sailors almost never received their full portion of arròs a banda, the dish that the cook usually prepared. Trying to find a solution for the problem, the cook had the idea of using noodles instead of rice to see if the result was a little less appetizing for the captain.

The invention was liked, and fame of the dish spread though harbor restaurants such as the "Pastaora House," where they cooked the first "fiduedades." The dish became distinctive and essential in the area.

What a feast a real delight, great seafood, enough to feed and small army!!! 

To finish one of my favorite dessert crème brulee, and a shot of limoncello. 

It was a fantastic evening,

Muchas Gracias Amigos por una  noche inolvidable, Diane y Marc

Our Friends Gustavo and Sandra

 All photo were done with a Canon 5D Markiii at ISO 12800, f4, 1/30 sec.
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