I made lamb chops. Since a four-year-old was coming over for dinner, I also made pasta. This led me to conclude I should make a pasta sauce that also goes well on top of lamb, so I sautéed carrots and onions in olive oil, added canned tomato sauce, and used Spanish pimentón dulce to mask its pre-manufactured flavor. I intended the dinner mostly as a base for our bottle of Priorat, a deep red wine from Catalonia. It’s one of the two internationally famous wines from the region, the other being cava, a more low-key but no less delicious alternative to champagne. Priorat is a good match for lamb and other savory red meats; I could also imagine drinking it with the alchemic Catalan dishes that combine meat, seafood, and a blend of sauces.

(Photo: Security gate, Vila de Gràcia, Barcelona.)

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