Mexican Ham Soup and Spanish Rioja Wine #WorldWineTravel

We are kicking off the New Year with a new group that is exploring wines around the world.  We are starting off by exploring the wines of Spain.  This group is the brainchild of Jeff of Food Wine Click.  You can learn more about it in his invitation post.

This year we are exploring Spain.  We will be talking about the wines, the food, the country.  We are starting in Rioja........

Rioja is located in Northern Spain.  It is an automonous province renowned in the wine industry.  It also has farmland filled with wheat and barley.  Their main livestock is sheep.  It is mountainous with rivers running through it.  

The foods of Rioja include lamb, cod, white beans, peppers and artichokes.  I didn't use any of these.  Instead I served my bottle of La Rioja Alta Vina Alberdi Reserva Tinto 2015 with a Mexican Ham and Bean soup that I made using my leftover Christmas Ham.

I purchased this wine from Wine.com for this event.  I paid $25 for this wine and I get free shipping as a wine.com member.  The winetaster notes are what prompted me to purchase this bottle. This is what the winemaker had to say........

The 2015 is La Rioja Alta Vina Alberdi Reserva Tinto is a lively, medium depth, garnet–red color with an intense pink rim. High aromatic intensity with dominating ripe fruit: raspberries, red cherries, wild strawberries, and red currants set out against a balsamic background of vanilla, toasted caramel, biscuits, coffee, and sweet mints. In the mouth, you can enjoy good acidity, great freshness and balance, and mild, friendly tannins. Aromatic harmony persists through the aftertaste, with notes of red fruit jam, prunes, coffee, vanilla, and caramel.

 Viña Alberdi is characterized by a notable food-pairing versatility. It is an ideal companion to appetizers, snacks, and barbecues, perfect with rice, pasta, and stews, and great with lightly-grilled meat and fish.

This soup was absolutely delicious.  It was like chili made with ham instead of beef or fresh pork.  It is going to be made here quite often, using ham steaks when I don't have leftover ham.  

So......my thoughts about the pairing. I have had some very nice Rioja wines.  I talked about one in this post where I paired BBQ Ribs with LAN Rioja. 

I opened this bottle of Vina Alberdi and took a sip.  I went back and looked at the winetasters notes.  Not a word about wood in that description.  I took another sip......strong, strong woody flavor.  I like a little wood.  One of the wines that caught my attention and started this love affair I have was a bottle of Oaky Chardonnay from Kendall Jackson some 25+ years ago. 

But I have never had a wine with quite as much woody flavor as this Rioja....I found it off putting.  I was disappointed that I had such a deliciously amazing soup and that the wood in this wine just overwhelmed it.

I still drank the wine and my husbands share of the wine as well, since after about half a glass he poured the rest into my glass.  I waited to finish my wine after dinner, switching to water with the soup.

So while I will not be ordering up this wine anytime soon, I have not given up on Riojas at all.  In fact, I can't wait to read what the others opened for this event and to talk with them about it tomorrow at 11 AM ET on twitter chat following #WorldWineTravel.  

Here are the wines they will be sharing........

• Andrea at The Quirky Cork shares "Marqués de Cáceres Crianza with Chorizo Sweet Potato Pockets"
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shares "Mexican Ham Soup and a Spanish Rioja Wine"
• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares "Catalan Coques + La Rioja Alta Viña Arana Rioja Gran Reserva 2014"
• Steve at Children of the Grape shares "Tasting Rioja With Aging Eyes"
• Allison and Chris at Advinetures share "Rioja: The Confluence of Tradition & Modernity"
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles shares "Viura - There is more to Rioja than Tempranillo"
• David at Cooking Chat shares "White Bean Stew with Sausage and a Rioja"
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest shares "Revisiting Rioja: Vinedos Singulares with Bodegas Ontañon"
• Nicole at Somms Table shares "One Day in Haro"
• Lauren at The Swirling Dervish shares "White Rioja: There's a Style for Every Palate"
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares "Classic Rioja Alta to kick off virtual trip to Spain"
• Terri at Our Good Life shares "Our First Rioja with Assorted Easy Tapas"
• Marcia at Joy of Wine shares “White Rioja: Taste and See What You’re Missing”
• Susannah at Avvinare shares “Exploring Legendary Winery Marqués de Riscal”
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares “Regional Rioja: Tempranillo, Viura, Rosado paired with hearty soup, salad, lamb, patatas bravas”
• Martin at Enofylz shares "Reconsidering Rioja Blanco with the 2008 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Reserva Viña Tondonia"
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares "Rioja Oriental - A Cinderella Story"

And here is the recipe for this amazing soup that you are sure to enjoy...maybe with one of these other bottle of Rioja or, if not, pop open a Cerveza.

 

Soup, Ham, Beans, Mexican, Entrees

Entrees, Soup, Beans, Ham

Mexican

Yield: 8 servings

Author: Wendy Klik

Mexican Ham and Bean Soup

A different take on bean soup this version combines ham and beans with Mexican flavors for a fun version of chili.......

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 3 Hourinactive time: 8 HourTotal time: 11 H & 15 M

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. dried Yellow Indian Woman Beans
• 1/2 lb. dried navy beans
• 8 c. chicken stock
• 1 lg, Vidalia onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 c. leftover ham or chopped cooked ham
• 1 T. chili powder
• 2 t. cumin
• 2 t. dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes
• shredded Mexican cheese and sour cream for garnish, if desired

Instructions

1. Wash and sort beans.  Cover with water reaching 2" above the beans.  Let set overnight.  
2. Drain the beans and place into a large dutch oven.  Add the broth, onions, ham, chili powder, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, and garlic.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover and simmer for about 2 hours until beans are tender.
3. Add the tomatoes with their juices and water if the stock has reduced too greatly.  Stir in the tomatoes and simmer for another hour.  
4. Discard bay leaf and serve, passing shredded Mexican Cheese and Sour Cream, if desired.

Notes:

Adapted from a recipe found at Mexican Recipes.

Calories

282.52

Fat (grams)

7.13

Sat. Fat (grams)

2.04

Carbs (grams)

34.80

Fiber (grams)

7.17

Net carbs

27.63

Sugar (grams)

12.35

Protein (grams)

22.31

Sodium (milligrams)

1046.99

Cholesterol (grams)

38.21

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