(WSB photos by Ellen Cedergreen)
South Seattle Community College‘s food and wine programs are famous in their own right – perhaps because they’re open to even international education, with guests like the team from Spain that came in on Thursday. Among the team that led cooking and wine classes and presentations almost all day was guest sommelier Jesús Sanguino Collado (above). The featured wines and foods were from the Castilla y León region of Spain. Click ahead to see what they tried, and how:

WSB contributor Ellen Cedergreen reports that the presentation was sponsored by Junta de Castilla y León in conjunction with Ade Internacional Excal. The Spanish chef on hand was restaurateur Francisco Alongo Martin-Hinojal (below left), who was also at SSCC a year ago:

The culinary students were treated to demonstrations by Francisco with SSCC chefs on hand in the kitchen. Each dish was passed around and students were encouraged to sample, comment, and ask questions:

The ingredients were a huge part of the affair since they are local to the Castilla y León region of Spain and are not readily available at any supermarket. Here, the class examined an ingredient list:

Ellen says she learned that would-be chefs can find Junta de Castilla y Leon products locally at the Spanish Table near Pike Place Market, and a more limited selection at Whole Foods markets. Behind the scenes, there were impromptu culinary conferences like this one:

The menu in order of presentation:

Sabores de Castilla con aceite de oliva — Flavors of Castile with olive oil
Sopa de Ajos Castellana con Jamon, chorizo, yema y cruijiente de jamon — Garlic soup with Serrano ham, egg yolk with crispy ham
Tortilla de Patata con 3 mayonesas — Spanish omelet with 3 mayonnaise sauce (that’s what’s being passed around in our next photo):

Queso de Cabra Frito con carmelo de pimiento — Castillian Goat Cheese with caramelized pepper
Morcilla Rebozada de Pistachos con salsa de piñones y pasas — Breaded Blood Sausage with pistachios in a pine nut and currant sauce
Carne de Cerdo con aire de queso y patatas chips — Pork with cheese foam and potato chips
Bizcocho con salsa de naranja al amaretto y sorbete de mandarina — Biscocho with orange amaretto sauce

Then, reports Ellen, came the wine tasting. Jesús Sanguino Collado, with a focus on enjoyment, began each and every round with encouragement to “always enjoy … one wine, one woman, one food” and then proceeded to engage the class in a discussion:

Students tried two whites, a rosé, and five reds, all from the Castille y León region. Olives and pickles were passed around after each initial tasting to bring out particular notes and encourage further discussion. After swirling, smelling, tasting, and then decoding each wine’s particular attributes, tasters were encouraged to discuss optimal food pairings.

As you probably know, SSCC is home of the acclaimed Northwest Wine Academy, whose Regina Daigneault facilitated the guest sommelier’s presentation:

The wines that were featured:
*Martísancho Verdejo 2009, D.O. Rueda
*Pazo de Arribi Godello 2009, D.O. Bierzo
*Fuente del Conde Rosado 2009, D.O. Cigales
*Viña Gormaz Ribera del Duero 2009, D.O. Ribera del Duero
*Vega Montán Mencía 2009, D.O. Bierzo
*Dehesa la Granja 2004, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León
*Flor de Páramo Prieto Picudo 2009, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León
*Tinto Pesquera 2007, D.O. Ribera del Duero

For more information on SSCC’s Northwest Wine Academy, you can go here; information on the Culinary Arts programs is here.