Fried Black Pudding

Spanish morcilla - black pudding - is the first sausage to be made from the freshly killed pig and is very popular throughout Spain. It is flavored with spices and herbs, usually including garlic and oregano, and has a wonderfully rich, spicy taste.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
8 oz morcilla (black pudding ), cut into 12 thick slices
12 slices of French bread
2 tablespoons fino sherry
Sugar, to taste
Salt and ground black pepper
Chopped fresh oregano, to garnish

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the sliced onion, garlic, oregano and paprika for 7-8 minutes until the onion is softened and has turned golden brown.

Add the slices of black pudding, then increase the heat and cook them for 3 minutes, without stirring. Turn them over carefully with a spatula and cook for a further 3 minutes until crisp.

Arrange the rounds of bread on a large serving plate and to each with a slice of black pudding. Stir the sherry into the onions and add a little sugar to taste.

Heat, swirling the mixture around the pan until bubbling, then season with salt and black pepper.

Spoon a little of the onion mixture on top of each slice of black pudding. Scatter the oregano over, and serve.

Best with...

Agricola La Bastida - Tierra - Crianza 2003

REGION: Rioja

COMPOSITION: 90% Tempranillo, 5% Graciano, 5% Garnacha

TASTING NOTES:
An ideal accompaniment to stewed blue fish, white and red meat dishes, and small game.
Cherry red color with bluish fringe.
Intense aromas of fruit and spice. Overtones of vanilla and cinnamon. The palate is deep and full-flavored, pleasant with a long persistent finish.

Alto Moncayo 2003

Region: Campo de Borja - Rating: 93 - 'spectacular'

COMPOSITION: 100% Garnacha

TASTING NOTES:
'The estate's mid-level effort is the fairly priced Alto Moncayo. This wine is spectacular, and represents the perfect foil for grilled steak. The 2003 Alto Moncayo (aged in new French and American oak, and bottled unfiltered) boasts an inky/ruby/purple hue as well as a sweet perfume of blackberries and toasty oak, an opulent, fleshy, fruity palate, plenty of muscle and potency, and a long, heady, silky finish. It should drink well for 6-10 years. 93 points.'
--- Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

ABOUT THE PRODUCER:
Estate bottled.

The grapes for this wine come from 62 hectares (153.2 acres) of 35-92 year old Garnacha vines.

The vines are trained in the vaso system and undergo vigorous canopy management and green harvest during the maturation process beginning in June and finishing in August/September. Vinification process begins in the vineyard where only the most perfectly mature bunches are selected beginning at the end of September and finishing 15th to 20th of October. The fully matured bunches are harvested into small boxes to prevent crushing, and taken to triage tables at the winery. The famous Australian winemaker, Chris Ringland, oversees the winemaking process.

The selected grapes are placed into small open vat fermenters that hold 4 tons per batch. The must is basket pressed. The wine was aged in new French and American oak barrels from October 2002 to March 2004. It was bottled unfiltered in June 2004.