Ginstronomy: Pairing Perfection - Entrees
Continuing with our guide to the perfect food pairings to accompany your next glass of Ebra, this week we will be showcasing some of the best entrees we feel align perfectly with the term “ginstronomy.” Seafood is one of our favorite pairings for gin and tonics, and all three of our options listed below will certainly turn a night of eating and drinking at home into an extravagant and irresistible experience that you will want to replicate week after week. Our collection of gintastic food pairings will continue next week when we’ll deliver a few side options we feel complement these entrees and your Ebra G&Ts.
Seafood Paella
Ingredients:
8-10 clams
8-10 mussels
4-6 shell-on prawns, preferably wild-caught
1 cup paella rice
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon of pimenton dulce or picante (sweet or hot, smoked Spanish paprika)
1 chopped onion with 1 cup crushed canned tomatoes
1 carton chicken broth
1/2 tablespoon saffron threads
1 cup of peas or cut green beans
1/2 jar of chopped piquillo peppers
1 thinly sliced lemon for garnish
garlic aioli
Preparation:
Heat your large pan over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Add the soffrito and a generous pinch of salt and saute until soft. Once soft and translucent (1 minute), add the saffron and pimenton. Stir to combine and continue cooking for 15 seconds.
Pour in all of the rice and stir through the pan. Turn the heat back up to high. Allow the rice to absorb the flavors for 30 seconds. Add the stock until it just covers the rice and bring to a boil. Stir. (This is the only time you will ever stir the paella as you want it to cook evenly in one layer.)
Turn down the heat and maintain a medium simmer. The rice should be bubbling but not boiling aggressively. Cook for 15 minutes, adding more stock as needed each time the rice begins to look dry. Salt the paella throughout the cooking process, tasting as you go.
Add the shell-on prawns. Add the peas or green beans and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, tasting the rice to check its progress and adding more stock as needed. Add the chopped piquillo peppers. Occasionally rotate and gently shake the pan to ensure even cooking. Add the clams and more stock as needed. Five minutes after adding the clams, add the mussels. Check the rice at the 18-20 minute mark.
Continue cooking until almost all the liquid is absorbed, and the rice begins to look a bit “sticky.” Continue cooking on low heat until you start to smell a slight “burning.” This means the “socorrat” is developing. Allow this to continue for a few more minutes, and then turn off the heat. Garnish with thinly sliced lemon pieces. Cover with a clean towel and let rest for 15 minutes. Serve the entire pan at the table family style. If you’ve cooked this dish well, you will discover nice browned bits on the bottom of the pan. This is called the “socorrat” and is absolutely delicious. Trust us.
Grilled Sea Bass
Ingredients:
2 pounds sea bass
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
lemon pepper to taste
sea salt to taste
3 tablespoons butter
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Preparation:
Preheat grill for high heat.
In a bowl, mix onion powder, garlic powder, lemon pepper, paprika, and sea salt. Sprinkle onto the fish.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the parsley and garlic. Remove from heat when butter has melted, set aside.
Lightly oil grill grate. Grill fish for 7 minutes, turn and drizzle with butter. Cook for another 7 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.
Grilled Scallops
Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds sea scallops
¾ cup butter
⅔ cup chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 pinch salt
⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
Preparation:
Preheat outdoor grill for medium heat
Lightly oil the grill grate
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook garlic and onion until soft and translucent (~5 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and salt.
Place scallops in a large bowl, toss with butter mixture. Let stand for ~2 minutes.
Thread scallops onto skewers, or use a grill basket. Cook on grill for about 4 minutes per side.
Return butter mixture to the saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and keep warm while scallops cook. Toss with grilled scallops and serve.