La Rioja is associated with its fantastic wines which are renowned throughout the world but the local cuisine of the area also deserves a mention.  Vegetables play an important part in the gastronomy of La Rioja.  The rich fertile soil produces a wide variety of vegetables, including peppers, artichokes, tomatoes and aubergines.  Having many fine trout streams and rivers, the area has some good trout recipes and in many of the region's restaurants you will find dishes like trucha a la Riojana and trucha con jamón  which are fried trout stuffed with ham.  Simple meat and vegetable dishes are probably the most notable of the region's specialities.  Chorizo sausage is another favourite and a combination of chorizo cooked with potatoes  Patatas con chorizo and patatas a la Riojana with added peppers and meat are amongst some of the most popular dishes.

 Being landlocked, La Rioja relies on other regions for fresh seafood.  At one time only salted fish was available in the La Rioja region and  bacalo (salt cod) is very popular in the region. Bacalo Rioja style is a dish of salt cod which has been soaked in water overnight, with a combination of tomato garlic and red pepper stewed on top of the stove in an earthenware dish.  Quail dishes are also common pochas con codornices  are quail cooked with white beans red peppers and tomatoes.

La Rioja even has its own variety of Paella which substitutes seafood with snails, chicken and a variety of beans,

 Mini Cruise and tour of the Basque Country and La Rioja

Travelsphere have a great six day mini cruise and tour which includes the Basque Country and wine tasting in La Rioja from only £349.

Itinerary

DAY 2
Early afternoon arrival in Santander. Transfer to Bilbao for a three night stay. Enjoy an included guided tour of the highlights of this fascinating 700 year-old city.

DAY 3
Relax or join us on an optional guided tour of the elegant resort of San Sebastian, situated on a shell-shaped bay guarded by the tower-topped hills of Mount Urgull and Mount Igeldo and looking out over the picturesque island of Santa Clara.
 
DAY 4
Our included excursion takes us along the Rioja Wine Route to visit the Marqués de Riscal, the region’s oldest winery to enjoy a tasting of the famous wines. Our next stop is the beautiful medieval hilltop town of Laguardia before continuing to the quaint town of Haro with its lively old quarter full of wine taverns and mansions.

DAY 5
After breakfast, we return to Santander with free time for a stroll around the town, before setting sail on the return cruise this afternoon.

DAY 6
Morning arrival in Plymouth

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DVD's

If you enjoy the food and wine of La Rioja, you'll enjoy some of these great dvd's from Amazon.

Paella is the Spanish national dish and is eaten throughout Spain.  Sunday lunchtime is the traditional time to eat paella and all the family troop down to their local restaurant and spend most of the afternoon eating and drinking.  Paella varies from region to region. Paella originated in Valencia and the Valencian paella is still regarded as the authentic version.  It usually consists of a mixture of seafood and chicken with either beans or peas.  If you'd like to try paella, I've put my recipe here.