Recipes

1 1/2 ounces reposado Tequila (Ward recommends 7 Leguas)
1/2 ounce Laird's 100-proof apple brandy
1/2 ounce pear liqueur (Rothman & Winter Orchard Pear is recommended)
1 teaspoon mescal

¼ cup diced double-smoked bacon
½ onion, finely diced
1 medium-sized carrot, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 tablespoon dry Amontillado
1 cup De Puy lentils
3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon chopped black truffles,
preserved truffles or truffle purée (optional)
¼ cup finely grated Idiazabal (smoked sheeps milk cheese)
1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
4 poached eggs
4 slices pata negra ham
1 tablespoon olive oil

When the lentils are soft, stir in the truffle paste and the cheese. Add Sherry vinegar to taste.

Divide into four bowls. Serve with a poached egg garnished with a slice of ham.

Pairing recommendation: a dry Oloroso, such as Osborne's Bailen Dry Oloroso or a light to medium-bodied Amontillado, the Gonzalez-Byass Amontillado VORS del Duque in particular

1 cup toasted Marcona almonds
2 cups torn pieces of stale white bread, crust removed
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup Fino Sherry
¼ cup Sherry vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

For sardines:
4 sardine fillets
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup chickpea flour
whole Marcona almonds
8 green grapes, halved

For the soup:
Combine the first 6 ingredients and allow to macerate overnight. The next day, place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth, adding a little water to thin if necessary. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil so that the combination emulsifies. Add salt to taste. Chill.

For the sardines:
Just before serving, season the sardine fillets with salt and pepper and lightly dust the skin side of the fillets with chickpea flower. In a non-stick pan, heat a teaspoon of olive oil over medium high. Add the fillets, skin-side down, and cook for about 2 minutes (until the flesh turns opaque); do not turn. Divide the soup into four bowls and top each with a sardine fillet. Garnish with almonds and grapes.

Pairing recommendation: a Fino Sherry, such as Tio Pepe, Osborne Pale Dry or El Maestro Sierra Fino

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
¼ cup garbanzo beans
¼ cup raisins*
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
1 pound washed spinach
lemon juice and Sherry vinegar to taste
salt and pepper

*sultanas or red flames, macerated in medium-dry Oloroso Sherry if desired

Pairing: a Fino Sherry, particularly Tio Pepe's Kosher Sherry

6 red peppers
1 pound 2 ounces eggplants, cut into ½-in cubes
olive oil for cooking
6 slices of good-quality stale bread such as ciabatta or pane casereccio, cut into ½-in cubes
3 ounces olives, pitted and halved
2½ ounces salted capers, rinsed and squeezed dry
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 salted anchovy filets, chopped
handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, picked and chopped

Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the eggplant and sauté for a few minutes until it starts to brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels. Using the same pan, gently fry the bread cubes until golden, adding a little extra oil if necessary.

Remove the bread to a bowl and carefully mix in the eggplant, olives, capers, garlic, anchovies and parsley to make a stuffing. Season with salt and black pepper. Using a spoon, fill the peppers with the stuffing until they are nice and plump and the stuffing is slightly mounded at the top. Arrange on a baking pan or dish, drizzle with extra olive oil and roast in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

Pairing recommendation: Marisa Cuomo Costa d'Amalfi Ravello

*2007 vintage of Ravello rated by W&S critic Wolfgang Weber, 93 points, Best Buy

1 pound 2 ounces maccheroncelli, such as bucatini or ziti, broken up into pieces, or shorter dried tubular pasta such as penne rigate
2 ounces lard or olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3½ ounces pancetta or bacon or ciccioli, diced
10 ounces fresh ripe tomatoes, preferably plum, chopped
1 fresh red chile, seeded and finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano and pecorino for grating

Bring a large pan of slightly salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente.

Meanwhile, melt the lard or heat the olive oil in a heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sweat for a few minutes until soft, then add the pancetta, bacon or ciccioli along with the tomatoes and chile. Season with black pepper. Cook for a few minutes, stirring all the time so the sauce does not stick. Drain the pasta, add to the sauce and stir through. Sprinkle with lots of grated Parmigiano and pecorino and serve immediately.

Pairing recommendation: an aglianico or piedirosso; try Terredora di Paolo's Aglianico or La Sibilla's Piedirosso

2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 1-inch cubes
About 1 tablespoon kosher salt
½ cup dried currants
¾ cup pine nuts
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
⅔ cup garlic cloves, minced
3 ounces arugula

To make the soffritto, soak the currants in just enough warm water to cover for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the pine nuts and ˝ cup of the olive oil to a small, heavy pot and place over low heat. Gradually bring to a low simmer, stirring frequently, and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until the pine nuts have started to brown. Stir in the garlic and continue to cook on low heat for about 8 minutes, or until the garlic is a light golden brown. Watch the soffritto carefully; the pine nuts and garlic will burn easily. Drain the currants, add them to the pot, and then remove the pot from the heat. Let the soffritto cool to room temperature. It will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for two weeks.

About 30 minutes before cooking, remove the pork from the refrigerator. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water to cover to prevent them from scorching. Prepare a hot fire in a grill, stacking the coals to one side so you have two areas of heat, one with direct heat and one with indirect heat.

Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the pork and toss to coat evenly. Drain the skewers, and thread about 5 pieces of pork onto each skewer.

Place the skewers over the coals and grill for about 1 minute on each side, or until well seared. Move the skewers to the cooler side of the grill and continue to cook over indirect heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until cooked medium-well but still juicy.

Arrange a bed of arugula on a platter. Place the pork skewers on top. Drizzle some of the soffritto over the top of the pork and the arugula. Pass the remaining sauce at the table. Serve immediately.

Pairing recommendation: an aglianico, such as the De Conciliis Donnaluna Alianico

4 ounces arugula
¾ cup green olives, pitted and sliced
½ cup almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
¼ fennel bulb
4 tangerines, peeled and separated into segments
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Ricotta salata for grating

Cut the fennel quarter in half lengthwise, and then cut away the core. Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, shave the fennel lengthwise into paper-thin slices. Add the fennel slices and tangerine segments to the bowl. Drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice into the bowl, and season the salad with pinches of salt and pepper to taste. Using your hands, toss the salad gently, mixing well.

Transfer the salad to a large serving bowl. Using a Microplane or other fine-rasp grater, grate a generous amount of ricotta salata over the top. Serve immediately.

Pairing recommendation: a falanghina, such as Feudi di San Gregorio's Sannio or Villa Matilde's Falerno del Massico Falanghina
2008 2007