Skewered Lamb with Rioja Red Wine Vinaigrette Yield: 8 appetizer portions

Wine suggestion A no brainer….classic-styled Rioja goes great with lamb cooked in any manner. For something a little more elegant and refined look for a Rioja labeled "Reserva," which has a couple of years of both bottle and barrel aging.

Rioja Red Wine Vinaigrette

• 1 bottle Rioja red wine
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Skewered Lamb

• 4 pound lamb loin, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 2 heads garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 1/2 cups pure olive oil
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 32 roasted pearl onions

To prepare the vinaigrette, in a medium nonreactive saucepan over high heat, reduce the wine to 1/4 cup. Place it in a blender with the vinegar, mustard and honey and blend until combined. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil until emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper. May be refrigerated up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before using.

To make the lamb, soak 8 bamboo skewers 6 inches long in water for 2 hours or overnight. In a large bowl, combine the garlic, olive oil, rosemary and lamb and let marinate 4-6 hours in the refrigerator.

Prepare a grill or broiler. Thread the lamb cubes and roasted onions on the skewers and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill until rare to medium-rare, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Place the skewers on a serving platter and drizzle the Rioja vinaigrette over them.