Hello hello!!

I am hosting a wine tasting in September/October and I am at a loss for the main : theme is Mediterranean red and  we are mostly French (two Americans living here).

For apéritif i am making focaccia to garnish with a bunch of toppings like sun-dried tomatoes etc.

For starters minestrone or ajo blanco?

For the main I don't know. I wanted to make a Mediterranean recipe to go with the theme but most of the recipes I found interesting are vegetarian or egg-based  and i know for a fact my guests will want meat.

Do you have any idea of something that will go with the theme and wine?

Thank you in avance!

Ag

What is the red wine you are anticipating serving?

I'm assuming your Sepetmber will be fall/autumn .. a cassoulet might work nicely and its a good make ahead dish..

Some sort of paella?

Maybe some recipes to consider could be found at this link

Or from EYB's database a search on mediterranean, main curse, excluding fish, vegan and vegatrian at this link - only 3000 to sort through!

But only 40 if you add fall/autumn!

Happy planning

Thanks! Yes, albondigas and tajine are both a good idea. It is a blind tasting, we each bring a secret wine (Mediterranean red) which the others have to then rate and guess, so not sure at all what is going to be served. Mine would normally be an Italian from Piedmonte.

I have a menu! It is :

- Homemade focaccia with toppings and dips for apéritif (Italian)

- Ajo blanco with truffles (Spanish)

- Wild boar stew with clementines  (recipe from Corsica)

- Lemon tart (a recipe from Menton on the French coast)

Sounds lovely! Look forward to photos/guest comments!!

Helloo, it sounds great, one of my favorite dishes is Rabo de toro o tortilla de patata o patatas con langostinos

I have been  trying Greek cooking this past year since welcoming a Greek inlaw.  I made this dish and it was such a hit and would be perfect. It is online here. 

https://www.eatyourbooks...p-orzo-and-zucchini-with

By the way I want to sincerely apologize for not responding to emails and for neglecting this blog. This space has been neglected for far too long. Please know that it wasn´t my intention to ignore your messages or leave this blog abandoned. I truly value each and every one of you who takes the time to read, comment, and reach out, and I am sorry for not showing that appreciation through timely responses. With love, Mar

Thank you all for these helpful advice! I seriously thought about albondigas, or Shrimp, orzo and zucchini with ouzo and mint recipe | Eat Your Books but knowing the guests, they will be happiest with a game dish and with something I can add truffles to, given the dinner is now settled on 12th October.

I might twist the recipe from OXTAIL À LA PAQUITA :: La Gastroteca (webnode.es) to do the clementine stew which I finally will do with deer, I think because one of my guests objected to wild boar.

No worries Marima - I only am just discovering your blog, and I have to say I salute the effort! I had wanted and started to do one myself, but my effiort gave way very quickly :)

The Deer Clementine Stew sounds a very exquisite election Agaillard, please tell us later how it will all be. I bet it will be fun an a success!.

Today I thought of this thread Agaillard, I attended a presentation on Mediterranean diet by Dra. Mercedes Sotos Prieto, among other things, she said it is mainly based on pulses, fruit and vegetables, no red meat, no much sugar or salt, etc It was really very interesting, you would have liked it.

Oh thank you for the thought !! :)

Though I have been several times in Spain with a vegetarian and I am not sure if completely true ... lol it was so hard to find anything meat-free (or fish free)

I am still going to watch her YouTube vidéo though!

If we think Spain is meat-forward, visit Argentina! After two weeks we were begging for vegetables.

You are right, nowadays we need doctors to refresh what the Mediterranean diet is, I think this change is as well happening in other parts of the world like China. It is beginning to consume more meat than in past times.

Lol the vegetables are in the Chimichurri sauce!   I have a question, Do you consider Argentina and Texas as the best ones at BBQs?

Short answer.....Texas for smoking, Argentina for open fire.

I loved the meat when we visited Argentina. They do something magic. No sauces, no rubs, really nice char. Open fire makes a huge difference.

I smoke a fair amount of meat and use the "Texas rub", which is nothing more than salt and pepper.

I guess in both cases I like meat presented simply. A good cut of meat, prepared simply, and cooked correctly, doesn't need to be masked in rubs and sauces.

Just my humble opinion........

Check out SmokingMeatForums.com for all things meat, and some other things. It's a little heavy on testosterone, and definitely Southern and Midwest US, but a lot of great information and sharing.

Again thank you Jim, very interesting reply, you are a well of wisdom.