Here in the Rioja, it's all about the ham. And the lamb. And the wine. A glass of tinto and a plate of pinxos starts with thinly sliced jamon. Anything less would be an insult. You think the TV chef is going to prepare those greens without a generous shot of sauteed jamon? Hah!
Vegetarians would have a hard time in Spain, country of meat-eaters, where the best jamon comes from pampered, free-range pigs fed nothing but acorns.
Not to slight the lamb. Cutlets grilled over vine clippings, hard to beat that. Today's lunch at La Cueva de Dona Isabela in Casalarreina starts with smoked salmon roulades, potato croquettes and codfish salad, then continues with crepe stuffed with blood sausage. Would be plenty anywhere else. Not here. Next up is massive chunks of roast lamb: complete foreleg, entire rib cage, the whole haunch. All very formal, too. The wine, a 2002 Puelles Crianza, is served in Riedel stems. And goes down very well.
Scorecard: 4 reds, 2 whites, 1 corto (short beer, hit the spot mid-morning in Haro).
