(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
Carlos' Food & Wine is excited to share with you a new wine partner, Kauzo wines!
Kauzo wines hail from the renowned Uco Valley in Argentina, where Malbec wines rule.
Uco Valley is located south of the city of Mendoza, at the foot of the Andes Mountains, and offers a beautiful view of Tupungato Volcano. This area is characterized by scarce rainfall where soils are calcareous. At an altitude of approximately 1,200 metres above sea level, irrigation is sourced from pure snowmelted from The Andes. All these aspects make Valle de Uco a place with excellent winemaking potential.
Kauzo's grapes come from two different locations in the valley, and the combination of these two terroirs results in a complex and unique expression in thier wines.
Altamira: is an area with an altitude of approximately 1,100 metres meters above sea level. This small town is located in the center of the alluvial cone of the Tunuyán River, and the soils are calcareous. The area has a wide thermal amplitude. This region provides fresh fruit and represents the backbone of our wine.
La Consulta: is located at an altitude of 1,095 metres above sea level and has a wide temperature range. The soils are clay of alluvial origin, mostly rocky (oval stones). This terroir gives our Malbec its roundness and fleshiness.
Let‘s get cooking!
Menu: Beef tenderloin tips tacos with refried black beans, roasted pasilla salsa, avocado and Cotija cheese.
Wine pairing: 2020 Kauzo Malbec
(Valle de Uco, Argentina)
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Steak:
1lb of organic beef tenderloin tips https://wildforkfoods.com/products/organic-beef-tenderloin-tips?algoliaHit=true&variant=39394778251330
Sea Salt, cracked pepper, oregano and cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons of extra Virgin olive oil
Tacos:
1 (16 ounce) package of soft white corn tortillas
1 (8 ounce) package of Cotija cheese
Refried beans:
1 (14 or 16 ounce) can of refried black beans
Avocados:
4-6 Haas avocados (ripe, thinly sliced)
Salsa:
1 ounce packet of dried pasilla negra pepper
4 small tomatillos
1 large white onion, quartered
2 red chili, seeded
1 garlic head, cut 1/4 way
1 cup fresh cilantro
1 tomato
3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of cracked pepper
Directions:
Salsa:
Wipe off any dusty crevasses on the Pasillas using a wet paper towel, then de-stem and de-seed them. Roast them in the oven at 400F for 1-2 minutes.
Add the roasted Pasillas to a bowl and cover them with the hot tap water. Let them reconstitute for 20-30 minutes.
Pull the husks off the tomatillos and rinse them. Roast the tomatillos, garlic, onions, red chili, in a 400F oven for 10-20 minutes.
Drain the reconstituted pasilla chiles and add the chile pieces to a blender along with the roasted tomatillos, onions, red chilis, tomato, and roasted garlic cloves (that have been squeezed out of garlic bulb), olive oil and cilantro.
Combine well, adding water to thin it out if necessary.
Transfer to a bowl and set aside until ready to serve (salsa can be stored in an air right container and refrigerated for upto 5 days).
Refried beans:
Heat up canned beans according to instructions.
Steak:
Season steak with salt, pepper oregano and cayenne pepper to taste.
Heat up extra Virgin olive oil on a large frying pan or cast iron pan on medium-high heat.
Add steak and cook for about 7-10 minutes, making sure they don't overcook.
Taco tortillas:
On a large non-stick pan, in low heat, heat up corn tortillas for about 2 minutes per side. Remove them from pan and store them in a heat-proof covered container until serving time.
Serve it up!
On an individual plate, place a few corn tortillas on top and spread some of the refried beans on the tortillas.
Next, spoon the steak tidbits along the center, place sliced avocados next to the steak, top steak with salsa and finish by dusting the taco with some Cotija cheese.
Buen provecho! Enjoy!
(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
About the wine…
Kauzo is made especially as a co-fermented wine, a process in which two Malbecs from different regions are fermented together: Altamira and La Consulta.
2020 Kauzo Malbec (Valle de Uco, Argentina)
(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo by Carlos Sarmiento)
Tasting notes:
Deep ruby red, with purplish glints. The nose presents good aromatic complexity with fruity and floral notes, including plum, black cherry and violets, with subtle hints of vanilla and cocoa.
The palate is friendly, with round, silky tannins and a long, lingering finish. A wine with an excellent structure, that is complex and elegant.
Grapes:
100% Malbec (equally from two different regions)
Food pairing:
Grilled meats, (especially Filet mignon, Striploin), Pasta with tomato sauce, Stews, Pizza, Hamburger, Humita, Empanadas, Tomaticán.
Accolades: 93 Points James Suckling
For more information, visit:
Special thanks to my friends at Kauzo Wines for this memorable wine pairing collaboration.
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Decorative wine drip collar by: https://dripstosips.com
(Special discount promo code: CFW15)
(Photo by Rocio Guillén)