August!

[KLynn]

I got the August issue in the mail yesterday! Keep an eye out in your mailboxes - it looks GREAT!

[Grace]

Would you mind giving me a little synopsis of what there is to look forward to? I enjoy knowing what's coming (I was one of those kids who liked to know my Xmas presents before Xmas!.....still do!!!)

Anyway, I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!! :-)

[KLynn]

Sure, Grace...

***Spoiler Alert***

The country of the month is Spain, which I normally would not think I would enjoy, but the recipes look great.

The cover picture is a Jamaican Jerk grilled skewer - meat and red peppers, and it is part of a whole article on grilled kebobs. They all look wonderful...

Peaches are the "in season" article - every recipe looks mouthwatering...

There is a great looking article on "one bowl cakes" - obviously, cakes that can be mixed in one bowl...they look fantastic...

The Lighten-up is a chicken enchilada recipe that looks fantastic...

"Meat-and-Three" is the main article, with accompanying recipes for cobbler, macaroni-and-cheese, black-eyed peas - home cooking, which appeals to me. Southern comfort food!

What else...several of the reader recipes looked fantastic...a grilled corn and black bean salad that will be on my table SOON...and a couple of others I can't remember...

Also, the new column begins on quick dinners - on the table in 20 minutes or so.

My husband had to work late last night, and I got to spend a good-uninterrupted hour salivating...August looks incredible!!!

[Grace]

Oh THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I'm so excited!! My husband and I love tapas, and I know not all Spanish food is tapas, but I'm looking forward to expanding my repertoire a little to include something I NEVER make myself (Spanish food).

And as always, ALL the rest of it sounds wonderful too! Now I'm going to have to go out and maul the mailman when he comes.....!! :D

Thanks for taking the time to write that all up for me - you've given me my biggest thrill of the day....(pathetic, I know!)

[tracey67]

I am running down to my mailbox as soon as I post this. I can't wait (although, I usually get things late so I'm sure I'll be disappointed)!!

I'm so psyched that this months country is Spain! I've been thinking about having a Spanish-themed party at the end of August, so hopefully I'll find a lot of inspiration in there (and, of course, I'll be posting a new thread very soon turning to my fellow BBers for inspiration and ideas on food and decorating).

Thanks for the heads-up KLynn!
tracey

[ebobbitt]

Thanks for the great info! I can't wait for my issue -- it sounds wonderful.

[DmOrtega]

Thanks for the heads-up.

[kwormann]

Spain...how exciting. My friends new boyfriend is form Spain and is always cooking good Spainsh food for us. Ill have to try some of these recipes out on him!

[KathyLeary]

Is there a sangria recipe? I am on a quest for the ultimate sangria.

Kathy

[aggie94]

Kathy,

My friend just had a sangria party on the Fourth of July to test drive recipes for her wedding. We sampled four different kinds of sangria, and there were two clear winners. I can get the recipes from her and post them, if you like.

[KathyLeary]

That would be teriffic. Thank-you.

Kathy

[Ralph]

Originally posted by KathyLeary
Is there a sangria recipe? I am on a quest for the ultimate sangria.

Kathy

I haven't gotten the Aug. issue yet, Kathy, so I can't say if there's a sangria recipe or not. However, at our last CL dinner group get-together, we made a sangria from allrecipes.com that we modified slightly & everyone ABSOLUTELY loved. Here it is:

SANGRIA

1 lemon
1 lime
1 orange
1 bunch red grapes
1 1/2 cups rum
1/2 cup sugar
1 (750cc) bottle red wine (we used the cheapest "red table wine" from Spain that we could find!:o )
1 cup orange juice

Slice lemon, lime, & orange into thin rounds. Seed & halve grapes. Place the fruit in a pitcher. Pour in rum and sugar. Chill for 2 hours.
When ready to serve, crush fruit lightly with a wooden spoon and stir in wine & orange juice.

[andrea]

COOK'S ILLUSTRATED has a great sangria! i think it's from 1998 or something... a while ago...

[Laura B]

Andrea, we had the same thought! Here is the article and recipe form Cook's Illustrated:

The best sangria is based on cheap wine and uses oranges and lemons as the only fruit.

The challenge: Many people mistake sangria for an unruly collection of fruit awash in a sea of overly sweetened red wine. There’s also the premade sangria sold in liquor stores, which is at once sugary, watery, and flavorless—a poor substitute for Hi-C. What we were after was a robust, sweet-tart punch.

The solution: Because we thought the wine would be the most important contributor to our end product, we assumed that better wine would make a better punch. But after experimenting with a higher-priced wine ($16.99 a bottle), we discovered that cheaper actually tasted better. Consultations with Spanish restaurateurs and wine merchants bore this out from an economical point of view. They argued that the sugar and fruit called for in sangria throw off the balance of any wine used, so why spend a lot on something that was carefully crafted?
We experimented with untold varieties of fruit to put in our sangria and finally concluded that simpler is better. We preferred the straightforward tang of citrus in the form of oranges and lemons. And we discovered that the zest and pith as well as the fruit itself make an important contribution to flavor.
Orange liqueur is standard in recipes for sangria, and after experimenting with some expensive brands, such as Cointreau and Grand Marnier, we found that here, as with the wine, cheaper was just fine, this time in the form of Triple Sec. Fortification with any other alcoholic beverage, from gin, to port, to brandy, simply gave the punch too much punch. What we wanted, and what we now had, was a light, refreshing, very drinkable drink.

For good measure: As suggested in some recipes, we found that sangria benefits from a rest in the refrigerator before being served to blend and mellow the flavors. Eight hours allowed for the best developed flavors, but two hours was adequate.

THE BEST SANGRIA

Serves 4

The longer sangria sits before drinking, the more smooth and mellow it will taste. A full day is best, but if that’s impossible, give it an absolute minimum of two hours to sit. Use large, heavy, juicy oranges and lemons for the best flavor. Doubling or tripling the recipe is fine, but you’ll have to switch to a large punch bowl in place of the pitcher.

2 large juice oranges, washed; one orange sliced; remaining orange juiced
1 large lemon, washed and sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Triple Sec
1 750 milliliter bottle inexpensive, fruity, medium-bodied red wine, chilled (see above)

1. Add sliced orange and lemon and sugar to large pitcher; mash gently with wooden spoon until fruit releases some juice, but is not totally crushed, and sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Stir in orange juice, Triple Sec, and wine; refrigerate for at least 2, and up to 8, hours.

2. Before serving, add 6 to 8 ice cubes and stir briskly to distribute settled fruit and pulp; serve immediately.


May, 1998
Original article and recipes by Adam Ried

[aggie94]

Kathy,

I should have mentioned - these were all white wine sangria recipes. If you're still interested, I'll get them and post them. If you're looking for a traditional red wine sangria, I won't be of much help!

[RobinC]

I would love to have the white whine Sangria recipes!

I am also on the quest for great Sangria. Thanks!!

[BethH]

Try a search at Epicurious.com! We are crazy about the Sangria recipe with brandy and cointreau in it...I think it is call Sangria II. I guzzled a huge pitcher of it myself last time we were in FL. Yum! :o

[KimberlyE]

Hey I got my August issue and there is a little article and a picture of the bbers weekend at CL...cool~!