Tinto de Verano {Spanish Summer Wine}
My husband spent a month in southern Spain at the beginning of the summer so I flew out and joined him. Our favorite part of Madrid (aside from the tortillas which I'm a bit too intimidated to attempt!) was the tintos. I hate to admit it but we downed at least 2-3 of them a day with lunch and dinner. I was initially prepared to drink lots of sangria until I read that sangria is what the tourist drink and all the real locals drink tinto de verano, literally "wine of summer".
Almost all the of red wine we ordered in Spain was served chilled. Seriously, why don't we do that in the states? It was SO GOOD. Tinto is simpler than sangria with only two ingredients: half chilled red wine and half lemon soda. Literally that's it. And it is so so good. And a glass will cost you only around 2-4 euros. Cheap.
When we got back we couldn't wait to make it ourselves. We typically don't ever drink soda, and we definitely don't keep it in the house, so after splurging on some lemon flavored San Pellegrino, I figured couldn't I make this simpler at home with ingredients I already have on hand. I thought about making my own lemon soda with simple syrup but the idea of sitting over a stove dissolving sugar then waiting hours for the liquid to cool felt counter the the simple nature of this drink. So we ended up going with sparkling water, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and a bit of agave, no stove required. We bought cheap Spanish wine from trader joe's, mix it all together and poured it over ice. The result is the perfect summer drink that transports us right back to our favorite tapas bars. The best part is, this slightly more natural version, keeps with the simplicity of the drink and literally comes together in 3 minutes.
It's helping me savor these last precious weeks of summer before grad school starts again.
Makes 2 drinks
1 1/3 cup sparkling water, chilled
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons agave
1 1/2 cups Spanish red wine*, chilled
Mix together water, lemon juice, and agave. Pour in red wine and stir. Serve over ice.
Notes: From what I've read tinto is usually made with Spanish table wine, so no need to splurge on something fancy. I recommend a lighter juicer wine like pinot, nothing too rich and tanine-y.
Rhubarb Compound Butter
Guys, I've recently discovered podcasts. Specifically food podcasts! My husband has been away and although my french cafe pandora station keeps me company while cooking, there's something quite lovely about stimulating my brain and geeking out about food with people that get me.
I came up with the idea for this compound butter from NPR's The Splendid Table. I could listen to Lynne Rossetto Kasper talk for days! We've been hitting up the farmer's markets in Chicago and they are chock full of rhubarb this time of year. Not going to lie, I made 3 batches of this stuff and plan on savoring it for months to come.
Once the butter has softened it comes together in under 15 minutes. It's lovely on sourdough toast or pancakes. And if you check back next week we'll be using it for something special.
Notes: I made this butter several times with both coconut sugar and regular cane sugar. For some reason the coconut sugar gave it a richer more caramelized flavor that I preferred but also a darker, less pink color. That being said, these photos were taken from a cane sugar batch so if yours comes out looking darker not a problem.
I see no reason why you couldn't use vegan butter instead. Earth Balance butter sticks are my go-to for vegan butter replacements.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature*
6oz rhubarb, ~ 1 1/4 cup diced
2/3 cup coconut sugar (or sub cane sugar)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Combine the the diced rhubarb, sugar, salt, water, lemon juice, and vanilla in a small saucepan. Cooking over high heat, bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Continue to cook at a gentle boil, stirring frequently and mashing up the rhubarb as it softens, for 5-10 minutes until most of the liquid is dissolved and the mixture reaches the consistency of jam. Let cool completely.
In the bowl of a stand mixture, beat together the butter and rhubarb mixture together until completely incorporated. Store in a ramekin covered tightly in plastic wrap.
Chunky Vegan Queso
My dad’s side of the family lives in El Paso, Texas. We've visited every couple of years for as long as I can remember. There isn’t much in El Paso but it’s proximity to Juarez means it has some pretty excellent Mexican food. We've been going to one particular family-runned restaurant called Avila’s for decades. I have such fond memories of going there with my immediate family, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. As a kid, I remember staring in wonder when my dad told me his mole had chocolate in it. I remember thinking chocolate steak, gross!
As a kid (and who am I kidding, as an adult too) our favorite was always the sopapillas, these puffy, deep-fried hollowed Mexican doughnuts. We’d poke a hole in the corner and pour in as much honey as possible. It was always a delicious mess. The last time I went they began offering cinnamon sugar covered sopapillas, but I still prefer the original. Every meal ended with sopapillas, a dessert we never seemed to be able to find after we headed back to southern California. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who had even heard of them, which to my brothers and I, made them feel even more exclusive and special. They were our best kept secret.
Every meal ended with sopapillas but every meal also began with chile con queso. Sharp white melted cheddar with soft roasted green chilies. We’d slather it on tortillas and eat it with chips. Most of the time we ate so much chile con queso that we were full before the meal got there, but that didn’t matter because everyone knew it was the best part anyway. And as delicious as it was, this queso is nothing like that.
The first time I made this queso over Super Bowl weekend, I promptly texted my dad and his siblings “vegan queso!”. My dad's side of the family is hispanic and they know a thing or two about good Mexican food. I got a range of reactions and even some suggestions from my chile obsessed Uncle Mike. So I applied said changes and the result is something even my Texas family members could appreciate. It’s creamy and spicy and full of green chiles and fresh pico de gallo, and although you’d never know it, it’s completely vegan. Trust me, you won’t miss the cheese one bit, or even be able to tell it’s missing.
Makes about 3 cups
1 large tomato, seeded & diced
1 jalapeño, seeded & diced
1/4 large red onion, diced
1 small handful cilantro, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice, divided
1 cup raw cashews, soaked at least 4 hours
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup + 2 tablespoons water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (see notes)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 4-ounce can diced green chilis
Notes: 1/4 teaspoon cayenne makes this dish mild, 1/2 teaspoon makes it pretty spicy. I recommend starting with 1/4 teaspoon and adjusting from there.
Make the pico de gallo, in a small bowl toss the tomato, jalapeño, red onion, cilantro, and green onions with 1 tablespoon lime juice and set aside.
In the bowl of a blender blend the remaining tablespoon of lime juice, cashews, chili powder, paprika, nutritional yeast, water, salt, cayenne, and tomato paste until completely smooth. Adjust to taste, adding more lime/cayenne if needed.
Reserve a scant 1/4 cup of the pico de gallo. Stir the remaining pico de gallo and the green chilies into the queso and top with the reserved 1/4 cup.