Bravas Marinated Steak Salad with Smoked Paprika Rub with Pickled Sherry Vinaigrette Salad. Served with Bodega Magaña 2005

Bravas Marinated Steak Salad with Smoked Paprika Rub with Pickled Sherry Vinaigrette Salad

4 pieces hanging tender, skirt, or flank steak

Bravas Sauce
1 tablespoon oil
1 shallot - sliced
1 clove garlic - minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 16 ounce can roasted red peppers (puréed)
1 16 ounce can pureed tomatoes
1 quart chicken broth
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin

Sautee garlic and shallot; then add remainder of ingredients and bring to a boil and simmer and reduce for 1 hour. Adjust salt and pepper.

Dry Rub
3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
Combine all and grind In coffee grinder.

Pickled Vegetables
2 cucumbers, peeled, cored and sliced
10 cherry tomatoes, cut in ½
1 red onion, cut in ½ and thinly sliced
1 yellow pepper, cored and thinly sliced

Dressing
1 ounce fresh parsley
2 whole shallots - sliced
2 tablespoons Dijon
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons sugar
½ cup sherry vinegar
3 cups extra virgin olive oil.

In blender, combine all ingredients except the extra virgin olive oil.
On medium speed, slowly add oil in steady stream.

For Salad
24 ounces spring mix
1 head romaine
5 ounces maytag blue cheese or your favorite blue cheese.

Procedure
1. Prepare Bravas sauce and cool
2. Clean any excess fat off meat
3. Marinate meat in Bravas sauce in a zip lock bag and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Reserve any extra marinade for another use (also makes a great pasta sauce).
4. Cut the pickled vegetables and combine in bowl with vinaigrette and refrigerate for 4 hours; then strain the dressing and reserve.
5. Pull steak out of wet marinade and pat dry. Then rub steak down with dry rub and grill to desired temperature.
6. Let steak rest for 5 minutes and slice.
7. Toss spring mix with desired amount of reserved dressing and put desired amount in center of salad plate.
8. Arrange steak on one side of salad, leaving room for pickled vegetables
9. On other side of plate, arrange pickled vegetables.
10. Sprinkle salad with crumbled blue cheese.

Bodega Magaña 2005

Every wine has a story. My job is to not only taste the wine, but to uncover the stories. Often it is about the winemaker, how a site was chosen, how the grapes are grown or why the varietal was chosen. Like a great story, they often include humor, desire, and sometimes a little deceit. Such is the case with this month’s wine – Bodega Magaña 2005

Diego Magaña, a young, Spanish wine maker came into my office, relayed the story of his winemaking heritage, the accolades of the wines, the farming practices – all the usual stuff. But as the story began to unfold, I became more interested in the details and so was revealed the deceit and humor. Sometimes you just have to break the rules.

In the 1970’s Juan Magaña travelled to France and fell in love with Merlot – the great Merlots of Bordeaux and specifically Chateau Petrus. He found a nursery that sold to St. Emilion and Pomerol, and the most notable and coveted Chateau Petrus. The nursery owner even hailed originally from Spain, and knew what climate and soil there in Magana’s Navarra would grow his vines best. At the time the Spanish D.O. (Spain’s regulatory classification system), didn’t permit Merlot in Spain. So how was Magana going to import illegal vines from France to Spain? The answer was simple, in one door and out the other.

In my office, Diego, proceeded to tell the story of how his father smuggled the vines over the great, Pyrenees Mountains. The story went that he knew of a house with the front door on the French border and the back door on the Spanish border. Juan Magana managed to sneak the vines into Spain without incident.

It then took him 7 long years to plant the vines. He would graft and grow the vines, make cuttings and sell them to other wineries in order to make ends meet. Every time the D.O. made a visit to check on vineyards, Magaña would claim all of their vines as Tempranillo to avoid questioning and stay within the law. Years later, the D.O. came to Magaña to ask his advice! They explained that his “Tempranillo” was clearly superior to any other in the region, and, as they were looking to admit new clones, and wanted him to let them in on his secret. He did. . . and the rest is history!

The winery is known as one of the very few, who make a 100 percent Spanish Merlot, which is made in only great vintages – sometimes spanning a decade. Bedegas Magaña produces only four wines. However, the more affordable Bodegas Viña Magaña is a find with a production of only 2,300 cases,. This wine is 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet, 10% Tempranillo, and is aged 14 months in 70% new and 30% 1 year old oak.

While the Merlot is outstanding, our staff decided on the Baron for its taste, value, and aging potential. We agree with Robert Parker that It is an outstanding value (think how much a 2005 Bordeaux of this quality would cost.). Available at Joy Wine and Spirits. 1302 E. 6th Avenue at Marion.