La Rioja

Because it neighbours the more famous Basque country, lovers of Spanish food often overlook the cuisine on offer in the sprawling countryside of La Rioja.

Famous for its red wine, it is amazing that so few people talk about the great food served here. The tapas are wonderful. The vegetables are fresh and full of flavour. And the meat dishes, so often cooked in locally produced red wine, are memorable. Fruit and vegetables are abundant here. The local markets, such as the one in Haro, offer up quality ingredients. Not just fruit and veg, but also snails and mushrooms.

In the hills sheep and game provide good quality local meat. Red bell peppers, goat’s milk cottage cheese and chilli sausage are also on offer. Then there are the wonderful locally grown potatoes. They are often served to you, Riojan style, in a stew with green and red bell peppers, onions and garlic. Quail is served with baby fava beans (Pochas con Codornices). A lamb stew is brimming over with ingredients such as artichoke hearts, chilli, potatoes and peppers.

And to finish? It has to be Sorbete de la Rioja (La Rioja wine sorbet). Ideal when sitting outside in the summer sunshine. La Rioja is rightly famed for full bodied, quality red wine. But the area is no ‘one trick pony.’ Don’t just drink there. Eat there!