Healthy - Part 3

Grilling

I hear so often that summer is the easiest time, other than the holiday/Christmas season, to gain weight, and I’m not sure why - probably because we get together with family and friends and keep on having fun, and with that comes eating.  I find summer to be the easiest time to lose/maintain weight (which I proved handily to myself once again this year).  I’m more active in the summer, I drink a lot more water, but I find summer foods to be far healthier than what I eat/cook in the cooler months.

In the cooler months, I crave bigger flavors and heartier dishes.  And let’s face it, maybe we’re not quite as conscious of what we look like when we have sweaters, jackets, and scarves to cover some of it up.

Grilled shrimp sandwich

But in the summer, sure, we barbecue and drink margaritas and eat pie, but I like to keep some of those things to a minimum, and grilling doesn’t have to mean burgers, hot dogs, ribs, and wings every night.  How about chicken and fish?  How about vegetables?  For that matter, how about fruit?  Grilled corn and grilled peaches and especially grilled tomatoes and eggplants are among my favorites.

This week, grilled shrimp and grilled chicken were on the menu, but there was nothing boring or plain about them.

Sancerre rose

Grilled shrimp sandwiches was dinner a few nights ago.  The fresh jumbo shrimp were peeled and deveined, and brushed with barbecue sauce (a concoction of Jack Daniel’s sauce, worcestershire sauce, hickory seasoning, local wildflower honey, and soy sauce), and after the shrimp were grilled, onto fresh rolls they went, with very thinly sliced red onions, sliced avocado, and sliced (massive) local tomatoes.  I also added a dressing of pureed cilantro, fresh lime juice, olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic.  With a side of sweet local Long Island corn, that’s a perfectly healthy and delicious summer dinner.  And of course I chose a rose for it - an organic rose from a very small producer in Sancerre.  That means it was a rose of Pinot Noir - dry, clean, bright, with notes of barely ripened strawberries, raspberries, lemon, watermelon rind, and fresh herbs, and white stony mineral.

And last night I made something that not only tasted delicious, it looked beautiful on the plate.

Anjou rouge

Salad for dinner

I bought a small bottle of mission fig balsamic vinegar the other day and wanted to put it to use this week.  So I decided on a salad for dinner.  I opted for organic baby greens and tossed them with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic, and then placed it on plates.  I finely chopped shallot and added it to the plates.  Then I added candied walnuts and fresh crumbled goat cheese.  I then grilled somewhat thinly sliced (but not too thin!) chicken breasts which I had seasoned with kosher salt and black pepper, and after they were thoroughly cooked on both sides but careful not to overcook, I removed from the heat, set aside for a few moments, and then sliced the chicken, placed it on top of the salads, garnished with fresh thyme leaves from my plant at home, and drizzled with the mission fig balsamic vinegar.  I can’t remember the last time I was so proud of something so simple, just because it looked lovely and I knew it would taste great.  With it, I sliced a ciabatta loaf, and the wine I selected was a Cabernet Franc.  The Cabernet Franc was an Anjou rouge, from the Loire Valley in France, by a very small producer.  Notes of plum, dark fruits, pine/herbs, pink blossoms, mushroom, forest floor, and a distinct “dirty” earthiness that I expected from a Loire Cabernet Franc, were all present - as well as a fascinating dark inky purple color in the glass but a very clean feel, and medium body, and a lengthy finish - perfect for pairing with the salad.

Healthy dishes don’t have to be boring, and fun, delicious dishes don’t have to be fattening.  Pick fresh, good quality, delicious ingredients for maximum flavor, choose just one or two relatively uncomplicated side dishes, and a good wine, and you’re good to go.

Healthy - Part 2

When I’m trying to eat healthier, aside from the obvious like drink more water and tea, and incorporate more vegetables and fruits into my diet, I also tend to focus on fish and chicken.  And in the warmer months, mostly fish.

A few nights ago, I created a nice summer dish that was simple and healthy and clean, and paired a good wine with it, for dinner on the porch.

Fresh salmon was rubbed in olive oil and seasoned with kosher salt, black pepper, and cumin.  Cook it at 350F until that pale line starts to show on the side of the filet, and it’s done (you could also check it with a fork or butter knife to see if it’s flaking a bit but that would alter the presentation - I just look for that line).

The salsa was chopped mango and peach, and finely chopped red bell pepper and shallot, and seasoned with lime juice, mirin, and black pepper, and then spoon some of the salsa over the salmon, and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.

On the side was fresh local Long Island sweet corn from the farm stand, and a “salad” of black beans, fresh campari tomatoes, chunks of avocado, and scallion, with a dressing of olive oil, lime juice, kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic.

I paired dinner with the 2007 Stag’s Leap “Karia” Chardonnay from Napa - Stag’s Leap is a very good and reputable producer in California and a sort of American icon in terms of California wineries, in that they’ve been around quite some time and have proven their quality over and over again.  I’m not a big fan of heavily oaked California Chardonnays, so this one was excellent because I had stored it in the cellar for quite some time and lots of the oakiness had been tamed by now, leaving a relatively clean feel with some soft, round texture, and notes of baked apple, pear, a hint of butterscotch and just a touch of lemon.  I do love Chardonnay with salmon, and the pairing was excellent.

So there’s a healthy summer dinner - not cheap to make as fresh fish at a good quality and fresh produce cost some money these days, but it’s worth it to eat something healthy and delicious - at least I think it is.

Healthy - Part 1

Tuna, vegetables, mung bean noodles, Asian style sauce

Shame on me for posting so many unhealthy recipes, no?  Sure, I’ve posted some that are good for our health, but very few.  Truthfully, though - I’ve been taking steps to eat healthier lately, and the results have been very good - I found myself in a bit of a health rut and started eating better and exercising more, and so far I feel great!  My energy levels are back up to where I wanted them, my body feels and looks good, my hair and nails feel healthier, and I’m sleeping better at night.

Sure, I still dabble in my less than healthy recipes, but some of them I change out a few ingredients to make it a little less caloric and better for me, but rarely, since I don’t believe in messing around with recipes that have worked for so many years.  A restaurateur once told me in his native Italian, “sempre un po” - “always a little” - yes, we can have things that seem fattening, if we do it only in moderation instead of piling it onto our plates.  We can enjoy food and wine, butter, cheese, meats, etc., and stay healthy, if we just take less of it.  There’s no reason to deprive ourselves of what we love.  Right?

Pinot Blanc

So, I’m big into fish of all kinds, cooked and served all different ways.  Fish is generally really healthy, with lots of nutrients, natural oils, and often fairly low in calories (at least that’s what I like to believe).  I try to eat fish as often as I can, served and prepared lots of ways.  I’ve already told you quite a bit about how I like to prepare salmon many ways, and shellfish too.

What I’ve also told you on more than one occasion is that I like cooking Italian and French style, and lately I’ve been experimenting with Hungarian cooking as well.  Challenges for me include Spanish and German.  Another big challenge for me is Asian cooking.  But I do love Asian cooking methods and flavors.

Pinot Blanc

So a short time ago, I needed something fairly quick and easy, and healthy if possible.  I chose sushi grade tuna at the local fish monger (expensive, yes, but totally worth it if you love good fish) - and I seasoned it with sea salt, black pepper, and coated it in sesame seeds.  I pan seared it (barely) and sliced it into small pieces.

I love beans.  I love foods made with beans.  So I chose mung bean noodles, the clear and fun ones in the Asian section of the food market.  I boiled them for a moment until they were softened (which doesn’t take very long at all).  And I julienned carrots, scallions, cilantro, and thinly sliced avocados.  I then made a sauce of soy sauce, wildflower honey, sesame seeds, fresh lime juice, ginger, mirin, and wasabi.  I whisked it together and poured it over the noodles, added the vegetables, and topped it with the tuna - and WOW was it delicious, and very healthy!

I chose an Alsatian (fairly) dry style Pinot Blanc to pair with it, with orchard and tropical fruit notes and floral characteristics with a white stony minerality and bright acidity with a long finish.  I don’t usually go for Pinot Blanc but not only was this one delicious, it was a perfect pairing.

Black and Blue Steak with Bearnaise Sauce

I was involved with someone a while back - actually, several guys - who insisted, invariably, on ordering their steak well done.  For those of you who like it well done, I’m very sorry for judging, but that just seems a waste of perfectly good meat.  In fact, one guy went so far as to refuse to watch me eat steak that was pink in the middle.  What a fool.

Anyway, I love my meat cooked, well, barely.  Recently, I challenged myself to a meat dish with just a steak and whatever ingredients I had available.  My mom told me about Arthur Schwartz and how he suggested recipes to make when it seems you’ve got nothing in the house.  Well, I learned to cook that way when I was in law school and living away in Connecticut for 3 years.  Sometimes I didn’t have time to get to the market and buy ingredients - and many a recipe was created that way, with items I’d find in the refrigerator, pantries, etc.  (And of course, you’ve got to have a variety of wines in the racks, at the ready, depending on what you choose to make.)

Fortunately, there were some great ingredients available.  I was talking to my sister and snooping around and realized that it looked like ingredients were available for a Bearnaise sauce.  Wow!  Steak with Bearnaise sauce!

I chose a Barbaresco to pair with it.  Just in case you aren’t familiar with Barbaresco, it’s an appellation in Northern Italy, in Piemonte, made form the Nebbiolo grape.  You want it to be a bit aged at least, as Nebbiolo is tannic and therefore bone dry, and shows characteristics of cherry, rose petals, spice, and

The steak was cooked black and blue - seared and darkened on the outside, and very rare on the inside - just the way I love it.  And all the while, I sipped on the Barbaresco as it opened up.

So - the Bearnaise sauce.  honestly, I’d never made the sauce before, but I’ve had it many, many times. All I needed was unsalted butter, white vinegar, lemon juice, chopped shallot, kosher salt, black pepper, egg yolks, and tarragon.  (By the way, I love tarragon.)  Melt the butter and then saute the shallots in it, with a touch of kosher salt and black pepper, and stir in the vinegar.  Set it aside and let it cool.  In the meantime, heat your blender, preferably with warm or hot water.  Heat up more butter.  Put the egg yolks, lemon juice, and some warm water into the blender.  Begin trickling in the warm melted butter.  Once the mixture is pureed smooth, place in a bowl and mix in the shallot mixture.  Season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper, and add in the tarragon.  That’s it!

It was a perfect pairing - the Barbaresco, steak black and blue, and Bearnaise sauce.  Delicious.  And it’s simple, and inexpensive.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Believe it or not, I’ve got It’s a Wonderful Life on in the background (yes, I realize it’s technically a Christmas movie, but I like watching it when I need a little encouragement), and sipping Primitivo (after some Stoli tonight).

Recently for our 4th of July barbecue, I made my first lemon meringue pie.  I love pie, especially these days when I make them at home.  This was, I believe, my fifth pie.  My signature pie is key lime, but I also enjoy making blueberry, banana cream, pecan, and now lemon meringue.

When you make it from scratch, it’s a little less simple than buying a pie crust and the pie filling.  I make a basic pie crust - flour, water, shortening, salt.  I make it very thin, and when it comes to pie crust, practice makes perfect - or near perfect, at least.

The filling isn’t difficult, but you’ve got to plan correctly because you’ve got to keep on whisking it by hand and you’ve got to keep an eye on it.  Milk, egg yolks, lemon, sugar, butter - just pure golden deliciousness.

And the meringue - well, that’s egg whites, cream of tartar, and sugar, and just a pinch of salt I believe.  For the meringue, I used the stand mixer with the whisk attachment.  Once they’re whipped into stiff peaks, they’re done.  A hint - add the sugar once it’s started forming into a foamy texture, and add it very slowly!

To assemble - bake the pie crust a bit - first with rice or pie weights in the pie shell on with a sheet of wax or parchment paper in between, and then again a few more minutes until it’s turning slightly golden and firm, and then once it’s cooled a bit, pour in the lemon pie filling.  Then, top it with the meringue, and form it into peaks with a spoon or a butter knife.  Let it set a while, and enjoy it.

It’s fairly simple, and worth doing it from scratch.

Chicken Paprikash

I probably told you in my goulash blog post (I did write up the goulash, didn’t I?) - anyway, I’m always mentioning that I’m Sicilian.  I don’t often mention that I’m also Hungarian (or a I like to call it, Magyar, which is just another term for an ethnic Hungarian).  Only recently have I been experimenting with Hungarian cooking and wine (the wines I love - a nice sparkling white from Torley, and some Furmint - both dry and sweet - and Kekfrankos - which is Hungary’s Blaufrankisch grape).

And wait until I make the poppyseed strudel again - there’s a fun Magyar dish!  (A little difficult, too.)  It was my grandpa’s favorite.

So last night I finally attempted chicken paprikash.  And I’m happy to report that it’s delicious and quite easy to make, and relatively inexpensive, compared to most things I make.  (We’re also fortunate to have a dear Hungarian friend who sent me a package of authentic Hungarian paprika a little while back, so that certainly helps!)

There are very few ingredients - chicken thighs, sea salt, black pepper, sour cream, cayenne pepper, paprika, chicken stock, unsalted butter, onions, and mushrooms.  If you have a spaetzle machine, by all means, make the spaetzle (or as Hungarians call it, nokedli) - I don’t have such a machine yet, or else I’d make nokedli from scratch.  So for now, I used egg noodles.  And as for wine, I chose the 2006 La Pommeraie de Brown, the 2nd label of Chateau Brown in the Pessac-Leognan part of Bordeaux (just over half Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot), and Peter chose the 2006 Val Sotillo Crianza Ribera del Duero.  Both were very good matches for the dish - for weight I’d go for the Bordeaux, and for flavor match I’d go for the Ribera del Duero, but either way it was delightful.

The whole thing was pretty easy - I asked the local butcher to leave the skin on the chicken thighs.  I patted them dry and seasoned with plenty of sea salt and black pepper, and the melted some unsalted butter in the Le Creuset pot (recipes generally called for a saute pan but I don’t have a real saute pan that’s big enough - the cast iron enamel pot was perfect anyway) - anyway, once the butter was melted (and smelling gloriously), I browned the chicken in the butter, and then I browned some thinly sliced crimini mushrooms, and once I removed them, I cooked the sliced onions in the browning butter, as they began to caramelize, I added plenty of sea salt, a touch of cayenne pepper, and lots of Hungarian paprika (I can still smell the sweet smoky aromas today).  Once the onions were cooked down a bit, I put the mushrooms back in, and poured in some chicken stock.  After all ingredients were incorporated, I put the chicken back in, and cooked it (recipes generally called for 20-25 minutes, but I think I left it simmering for close to 50 minutes), until the sauce had thickened and the chicken thighs were cooked thoroughly.  I removed the chicken pieces briefly, and then stirred in a bit more salt and sour cream, put the chicken back in, and when it was ready to be served, the macaroni gets cooked and the paprikash gets heated again, and placed atop the macaroni.  It’s that easy.  And delicious!

Paella

Paella - the finished product

So I stepped out of my culinary comfort zone again last week - to make a Spanish paella.  It wasn’t quite as easy as I thought, especially since recipes found online rarely are accurate, if ever.  It’s why I prefer cooking by instinct (Italian cooking) or by reading recipes in books written by celebrated food experts like Julia Child and Jacques Pepin that were written long before any idiot could contribute to online recipes.  And most regrettably, a great many of the inaccurate recipes are posted by “celebrity chefs” that people have come to rely on over the past decade or so.  It isn’t fair to those who really don’t have a natural feel for what’s going on in their kitchens, because they put their faith in these so called experts and their recipes and instructions, and end up with disasters - which translate to inedible dishes, lost time and energy, expensive ingredients ruined, and damaged confidence in the kitchen.  It’s precisely why, when I post a request to my facebook wall asking for a recipe, I specifically ask for recipes you use at home, that are tried and true - NOT internet recipes.

Chicken with dry rub

I’ve had paella lots of times, and I love it.  It’s great any time of the year, but I especially love it in the summer, my favorite time for eating shellfish.  Rice, I’ll be perfectly honest, isn’t my thing, and I only eat it when I make risotto.  But this time I’d eat it, since it was a huge part of the paella.  And believe it or not, the rice ended up being the tricky part, both flavor and texture - thanks to what I can say with a reasonable degree of certainty, is a faulty online recipe from a celebrated chef.  Lucky thing I know textures well enough to fix it, at least as well as I possibly could.  The rice was short grain Spanish rice and I cooked it with dry Spanish white wine and chicken stock.  Basically, you’ve got to add liquid ingredients to rice gradually when making that style of rice, at least I think so, otherwise you don’t really know exactly how much you’ll need to get the proper texture.  And that recipe didn’t call for nearly enough salt - when I began tasting it, I decided it had almost no flavor at all.  You be the judge when you’re cooking - you decide how much you need to season something with salt (or black pepper, within reason) - that’s why I love when a recipe tells us to season something “to taste” - only you know your own taste and the tastes of those for whom you’ve prepared the dish - so trust yourself!

Rice cooking with vegetables

Anyway, good chorizo sausage went into it, as did some crazy good chicken (I only buy chicken from the local butcher now, as supermarket chicken has gotten increasingly disgusting and I see no excuse for poor quality chicken in my dishes) - I seasoned it with a dry rub of sea salt, black pepper, oregano, and paprika.  After letting the flavors work together for a while, I sauteed it.  Outrageously good.  The seafood was sauteed shrimp (again, the recipe didn’t call for seasoning of the shrimp, which to me is flat out nonsense), mussels, and clams (all from the local fish monger - please don’t buy the fish at supermarkets - you’ll thank me once you’ve become accustomed to buying at a small shop that has better control over where the fish comes from and how they’re stored, etc.)  Other ingredients included fresh lemon, garlic, onion, peas, parsley, and tomato - and of course, saffron, my favorite Spanish flavor.  Im pretty sure that’s all there was to it.  I also decided I need a paella pan to make this dish next time (and many more times), as I think it’ll be easier than making it in 2 large-but-not-large-enough pans.

White Rioja - oxidized Viura

My advice?  Find someone who has some experience with this dish and ask that person for his/her recipe.  Don’t follow some internet recipe if Spanish cooking isn’t within your comfort zone.

Now, for the wine.  I chose a Spanish wine of course.  When you think of Spanish whites, if you think of them at all, you probably think of Albarino.  And I do enjoy a fresh young Albarino with shellfish.  But this time I wanted something with a little (read: a lot) more depth.  So I chose the R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Gravonia - it’s a controlled oxidized white made from 100% Viura grapes, from Rioja.  And it’s one of my favorite Spanish wines.  This one was vintage 2002.  Funky, salty, stony, and mature, it’s a perfect pairing for many chicken or fish dishes (this dish being both) - plus some fun Spanish cheeses - Mahon and Drunken Goat.  Perfect.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

I don’t think I’ve written this one up yet, so here it is - a fun alternative to typical Italian sauces, I love making roasted red pepper sauce.  (And I can assure you, after you read the ingredients, you’ll see that it’s no less Italian than a standard marinara Sunday sauce - in fact, today is Sunday, and I’m making roasted red pepper sauce for our family dinner.)

And perhaps you’ve noticed I’m writing more often lately - instead of finding time, I’m making time.  I love writing and I love food and wine (no kidding, right?) and writing on my wine blog takes longer generally as I add a lot of philosophy to it and tasting notes, thoughts on terroir, comparison of vintages, etc. - so it takes more effort, whereas most of my recipes and food thoughts are always fresh in my mind and blogging is fun and easy!  And I like sharing my recipes with you - perhaps you’ll comment if you have any experiences with similar dishes and leave your notes, suggestions, or - if you ever try any of my recipes, will you let me know please?  I’d appreciate it so much!

Anyway, the roasted red pepper sauce is fun, and it’s versatile for most red wines, including those from Tuscany (Sangiovese), Sicily (Nero d’Avola or Nerello Mascalese), Piemonte (usually Dolcetto or Barbera), or some of the fun, earthy, fruity reds from southern France (e.g., Languedoc or Cotes du Rhone), or even some New World examples like reds from California or Chile (Cabernet/Merlot).  I like serving it with a fun shaped macaroni, usually farfalle or campanelle, but anything will do, especially penne.  Just boil the macaroni while the sauce is cooking.

For the sauce - in a medium sized pot, heat some olive oil (as nearly all of my recipes begin - heat some olive oil, it seems to be the answer to everything) - and saute a chopped onion.  Once the onion is softened, add a clove of finely chopped garlic and continue to saute.  Add a medium sized jar of red roasted peppers (believe it or not, I actually don’t know how many ounces those jars are, as I’ve never checked, but it’s not the small one that’s the size of your fist - it’s the next size up), anyway, add that and cook about 5 minutes, on low to medium heat, stirring and making sure it doesn’t burn the onions and garlic.  Add about 1 can (again, I don’t know the exact size of the can but it’s the small can) of chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Season with plenty of kosher salt and a touch of black pepper.  Finally, add a large handful of fresh basil leaves, and cook another 5 minutes or so.

Now, here’s the part where you have an option.  Do you have an immersion blender?  It’s the wand sort of thing with a fan type blade at the end, either battery or electric - you can put it in your sauces etc. and blend them that way.  So that’s what I do at this point.  If not, just transfer the sauce (be careful, it’s hot!) into a regular blender and puree it.  (And then go out and buy an immersion blender - I guarantee it will make your culinary life much easier!)

Now that the sauce is pureed, leave it/put it back in the pot and stir in some cream.  I use fat free half and half usually, but you can use regular half and half or heavy cream - just a small amount, enough to make it a little creamy and smooth, and you’ll know you added enough when the sauce turns a slightly salmon-pink color (it’s a reddish orange before the cream) after you’re stirred in the cream, so add it conservatively until you’ve got that color.  Now, heat it up again as the cream should be chilled before adding it to the sauce.  Once it’s back to a near boiling point, turn off the heat, and your macaroni should be done by now (cooked, drained, etc.) - so in a large serving bowl, combine the macaroni and enough sauce to reach all macaroni.

I like plating it on separate dishes, topping it with a little more sauce, and then a basil leaf or two and some grated cheese (for me, it’s parmigiano reggiano, but if you prefer pecorino romano or asiago, it’s your call), and that’s it.  I usually serve with a clean salad.  (Tonight’s salad is organic baby spring greens, a hint of finely chopped shallot, crumbled feta cheese, and chopped walnuts, with a balsamic vinaigrette.)  Remember, you can also add pieces of chicken breast to it if you want some lean protein.

If it sounds easy, that’s because it is.  The whole process takes me probably around 20 minutes from getting onions from my vegetable drawer to grating the cheese over the plated macaroni.  Now, go find your corkscrew, open a fun red wine, pour yourself a glass, turn on some Claudio Villa, and try this easy, healthy, delicious recipe!

Moules Provencale

Shellfish - it’s one of my favorite things to have all summer.  So I decided to try something new last night.

Moules Provencale is a mussel dish prepared (I guess) a sort of Provencale way - which indicated to me that a rose from Provence was absolutely necessary for pairing with dinner, and truthfully, any excuse I have to drink rose in the warmer months is a bonus for me.

The fresh mussels were cleaned and then steamed in a large pot with white wine.

In a separate pot, I heated some olive oil, and sauteed chopped onions, then added finely chopped garlic, and then deglazed with a bit more white wine.  After stirring, I added about a tablespoon of tomato paste, and then about 14 oz of canned plum tomatoes which I rough chopped, and the tomato juice from the can.  Give it another stir, and then I added plenty of kosher salt, black pepper, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, and lots of fresh chopped parsley.  I then let it cook down a bit on simmer, stirring often.

A few moments later, the mussels were opened and cooked nicely, and the sauce was done.  The mussels get placed in a bowl or on a plate, and topped with some of the sauce.  It’s that easy.  Just add some crusty bread and chilled rose and you’re good to go - a quick, easy, inexpensive, delicious, healthy summer dinner!

Veal Osso Buco, Gremolata, & THE BEST Wines

I haven’t yet decided what it’ll be tonight in terms of wine - but I’m leaning California, either Pinot Noir or Cabernet.  It’ll be paired with good quality burgers and undoubtedly fun toppings.  And I’m thinking about tomorrow’s dinner to start the weekend - I think it’ll be mussels cooked in a nice sauce of white wine, onions, garlic, herbs, and tomato, with crusty Italian bread.  And paired with Provence rose.

But last night - oh my.

I love taking requests for dinners, especially of the challenging nature.  And so when my boyfriend requested veal osso buco, I realized I had never actually made it before, even though I’d had it in restaurants a few times.  After some basic research and fortunately some common sense and kitchen know-how, I was ready.  (Bear in mind, there are lots of ways to prepare lots of dishes, even classics can vary - for example, I pulled ingredient ideas from several recipes, and decided to place it on top of fettuccine, although I’d have preferred a heavier macaroni but didn’t have time to get to the Italian store before dinner, but it could just as easily be placed on mashed potatoes, polenta, or risotto - your choice!)

I went to the local butcher and got 2 veal shanks, each about 2 inches thick.  I seasoned them on both sides with kosher salt and black pepper, and then dredged them in flour, before braising them (browning on each side in heated olive oil in the dutch oven on high heat for about 8 minutes per side). I removed them from the pot, lowered the heat a bit, added a bit more oil, and in went 2 chopped yellow onions, 1 peeled and chopped carrot, and one chopped celery stalk.  Once they cooked down for about 5 minutes, I added finely chopped garlic (several cloves) and about 3 tbsp tomato paste, and stirred it in for a moment.  I then added about 2 cups of dry white wine (please remember to use something decent - not expensive, but not something you wouldn’t drink - bear in mind, all “cooking” wine should be drinking wine as well), and used the wooden spoon to scrape the drippings.  I added more kosher salt and black pepper, 1 sprig fresh rosemary, 3 large sprigs fresh thyme, about 14 oz rough chopped plum tomatoes from the can, and about 3 cups of chicken stock.  Once they were stirred together and cooked for a few minutes back on high heat and brought to a boil, I returned the veal to the pot, submerged them in the liquid, covered it, and put it in the oven (preheated to about 350 degrees F), and cooked it for a good 2 1/2 hours.

In the meantime, it’s a good opportunity to boil the water for the macaroni and made a gremolata.  What’s a gremolata, you ask?  Basically, it’s almost pureed (I chop very finely by hand) herbs - I use parsley usually, with some kosher salt, black pepper, garlic, and I also use lemon zest (it’s I believe gremolata Milanese), and then add some olive oil.  It’s that easy.  I like to let it sit an hour or 2 so the flavors come together, and then add a bit more oil to loosen it up.  The fresh brightness of the gremolata is great for picking up the osso buco, I decided, and it just works, plus it’s gorgeous on the plate.

Once the 2 1/2 hours are up, remove the dutch oven from the oven and if the sauce is a bit loose, which it probably will be since we had the pot covered in the oven, remove the lid and bring it to a boil on the stove, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, until the sauce reduces a bit.

Boil the macaroni, drain it, plate it in a fairly deep dish (individual serving plates), carefully top with the veal shank (I was going to use tongs but when I saw how it could fall apart if I did that, I used a large spatula instead - that worked well), and then ladle with some of the sauce.  I then topped with about 2 teaspoons of the gremolata.  And that’s it.  It sounds like a lot of work, but it isn’t, really.  It’s more about doing your homework and executing your recipe decisions fearlessly and confidently.

So - osso buco is a big deal, with big flavors and textures (especially when that glorious cooked marrow comes out of the bone (my dad once bought me an antique marrow spoon - there’s the perfect tool for that part of dinner!), but this means we need a fairly big wine with complexity and presence.

My boyfriend was in charge of the wine selection - and he picked the perfect bottle (and wisely suggested decanting - I recommend a good hour for this one).  It was the 2011 Quinta do Vale Meao, a very traditional dry Portuguese red from Douro made from native Portuguese red grapes (mainly Touriga Nacional, which shows lots of dark, ripe fruit characteristics and floral notes of purple blossoms including violet and lilac), and it was quite the elegant and expressive wine, with plenty of mineral, a clean but rich feel, and an incredible finish.  What a glorious pairing!

A little surprise came while dinner was near ready for consumption though - we decided to open a white just spur of the moment.  I chose something fun and on the luxurious side - the 2000 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Clos Windsbuhl Gewurztraminer from Alsace.  Yes, that’s right, a 14 year old Gewurztraminer, from one of my favorite Alsatian producers.  And it was probably the best Gewurztraminer I’ve ever had, which is saying a lot considering Gewurz is my favorite white grape and I’ve tasted plenty of good ones.  The color was a rich gold with hints of orange, and it was somewhat different from what I anticipated, due to its age.  It aged very gracefully indeed, and while the acidity had softened quite a bit and the expected lychee notes weren’t there, it was all about apricot, canned peaches, rich orchard fruit, some mango, pineapple and tropical fruits, honeysuckle and white blossoms, and even some savory herbs, with white mineral and a wonderful finish - well, we had our last glasses of it after dinner as the Yankees won, so it was the aperitif and digestif as well, and it was perfect.

As my boyfriend remarked, “we’re going all top shelf tonight.”

Indeed.

Sea Scallops et al.

Back to back posts - imagine that!  (I must be feeling inspired.)

In the spirit of quick, easy, delicious recipes, here’s one I did last night, which could not have taken me more than 20 minutes total, and that’s no exaggeration.  Granted, if you’re not familiar with it and you’re working from a recipe it could take a bit longer, but still I’d say no longer than 30 minutes, and that’s the truth.

I was grocery shopping with my mom and had a seafood crave (nothing new there, as I usually crave seafood).  We stopped by the fish monger and the sea scallops were so fresh, there was no resisting them.  What to do?  Well, last time I made sea scallops, I added a side of lemon risotto.  But risotto takes a while, even if you’re working as quickly as I generally do.  (This may come as a surprise to some who know me, as I tend to move very slowly even for rather a young person, but in the kitchen I’m sort of supersonic - go figure.  Mom and I call it “going into the zone” and that’s how it is.)

I patted the sea scallops dry (note: sea scallops are the larger ones, not the tiny pearl sized bay scallops which for those of us on Long Island who eat the Peconic bay scallops, harvest season is in autumn, so the rest of the year we eat sea scallops), and heated some olive oil and a pat of unsalted butter in a large skillet.  I seasoned the scallops on both sides with kosher salt and black pepper and seared them on both sides, no more than 3 minutes per side (I often cook even less than that but my dad likes fish cooked a bit more thoroughly so I gave it an extra minute), and then placed the scallops on plates with a lemon wedge and a sprinkling of fresh finely chopped thyme leaves.

I set aside the pan drippings and poured it into a small bowl, hit it with a few drops of fresh lemon juice and a touch of thyme, and that was the dipping sauce for a fresh loaf of ciabatta bread.

The side salad was baby kale (I rarely eat kale as it seems to be one of those trendy things and I tend to avoid trendy items) but the baby kale was organic and beautifully irresistible and so that was the leaf of choice, with tiny yellow tomatoes, and a lemon and shallot vinaigrette dressing.

I chose an organic Sancerre rose to pair with it.  It’s becoming rose season now, with the warm weather upon us at last.  (Remember, Sancerre is a region, not a grape - so if you’re thinking, I thought Sancerre is white, it is, but only when it’s made with Sauvignon Blanc.  If it’s red or rose, it’s Pinot Noir.  And Sancerre is AOC in the Loire Valley of France.)  The crisp bright acidity and clean texture of the wine, with notes of barely ripened strawberry and red fruit, a touch of cranberry, white citrus fruit, and stony mineral, made for a perfect pairing.

So there’s a healthy, easy dinner and wine pairing best suited for the warmer months, in just around 20 minutes including prep and cook time.  Enjoy!

Chicken with Brie and Mushroom - Incredibly Easy

I love a good challenge in the kitchen - difficult recipes that make me wonder if they’re going to turn out right, until the moment I taste it.  Those can be very rewarding and exciting.

But sometimes, since I have a much busier schedule than I ever thought I’d have, I need some quick recipes that are just as delicious and satisfying as the difficult ones.  Here’s one I concocted a while back that I’d like to share, for home cooks on the go.

All you need are thinly sliced chicken breasts, a wedge of good brie, 2 portobello mushrooms thinly sliced, a bottle of Pinot Noir, and finely chopped fresh parsley.  Well, kind of.

Anyway, preheat the oven to around 250 degrees F.  Heat a dash of olive oil in a skillet, and season your chicken breasts on both sides with kosher salt and black pepper.  Saute the chicken until it’s cooked on both sides, and remove from heat.  Place the chicken in a baking pan(s), depending on how many you are serving.  In the same skillet, saute the portobello mushrooms, seasoning with the kosher salt and black pepper.  Once they have cooked down a bit and begun to brown, add about a cup of Pinot Noir (it doesn’t have to be expensive, but not something cheap and that you wouldn’t enjoy to drink - I suggest a basic Bourgogne rouge but any everyday Pinot Noir will do), and cook down, with the mushrooms, until it begins to thicken and form a sort of sauce.

Over the chicken, places thin slices of the brie, and then top with the mushroom sauce.  Bake at 250F until the cheese melts.  Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve, and enjoy with a glass of Pinot Noir, and maybe some crusty bread.  If it sounds easy, yes, it is.  The whole thing hardly takes more than 20 minutes.

Pesto

A little blogging for my/your entertainment tonight, since it’s almost 11pm and I’m tired of working, and yes, I really am in bed, listening to The Cars and drinking Domaine Le Serp 2012 Madiran (70/30 Tannat/Cab Franc).  There’s something to be said for drinking wine in bed.  Especially a favorite.

Madiran is special to me.  I realize Madiran is a place, but to me, it’s more like Oz (not like Australia, I mean in the Wizard of Oz) - it’s more than just a wine region I can spot on a map.  It’s more than knowing Madiran is red and Pacherenc is white.  It’s more than knowing the wine is made from Tannat.  Yes, that’s all special to me.  But I attended my first Guild of Sommeliers master class a few years ago, and it changed my life.  It was on the wines of Sud-Ouest, or South West France.  The honesty and purity of the wines was shining through and the uniquely expressive aromas were intoxicating as I absorbed the information and tasted through the lineups, and as the 2 master sommeliers made their presentation.  One of them began to describe his travel through Sud-Ouest, including Madiran, and the humble yet endearing, expressive yet mysterious culture began to leave an impression on me (and mind you, I’ve never even been there), yet via the wines, I manage to go there in my mind and on my palate all the time.

Pesto on Penne

Wines of humble means are special to me.  Yes, I love the great wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy, Tuscany and Piemonte, but those rustic creations of God and man from places many have forgotten or have never even heard of are among my favorites.

The foods, too.

Americans seem to be in this peculiar habit lately of serving “peasant food” in luxury settings.  I’m talking about lentils, beans, and the like.  But for me, rustic foods are staples.

Tonight, the one I want to tell you about is pesto.

I know you’ve heard of pesto.  I’m sure you’ve tasted pesto on enough occasions.  Perhaps even in a nice restaurant.  But why?  It’s something you can make in 5 minutes from ingredients you might just grow in your own home garden.

My pesto can go on any macaroni (that’s probably pasta to you - but in our house, it’s macaroni) - and the pesto itself includes about 2 large handfuls of fresh basil, a small handful of fresh parsley, pignoli (about a tablespoon or 2), some sea salt and black pepper, about 3 tablespoons of good olive oil, a small garlic clove (or believe it or not, a few good shakes of garlic powder if you’re a little shy about garlic), about half a teaspoon of anchovy paste, and about a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice.

What else you’ll need - boiling water with a touch of sea salt and olive oil for cooking your macaroni, another small pot of boiling water (to blanche the herbs), and a salad spinner (or you could just dry the herbs with paper towels, but trust me when I tell you that the salad spinner is a godsend.  You’ll also need a food processor.  And a bowl of ice water.

Wash the basil and parsley, and blanche them.  Know what blanching in?  Just in case you don’t, it’s putting the ingredient into boiling water (in this case for about 10 seconds) to lock in the bright natural color.  Then you quickly remove it so it doesn’t keep on cooking, and cool it in the ice water to stop the cooking process.  Remove and place it all in that salad spinner, and let the device do its job.

In a small pan, lightly toast the pignoli (no more than 2 tablespoons), and set aside a few for garnish.

And now for the food processor - place the dried fresh basil and parsley, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, anchovy paste, and pignoli in and begin to puree it.  As it’s pureeing, drizzle in the olive oil.  Once it’s all chopped and mixed, it’s done, and thanks to blanching, it should be bright green still.

Boil the macaroni.  Once the macaroni is drained, stir in the pesto and mix until macaroni is coated.

I like to plate it and serve it as an appetizer, but if you’d like, you cna toss in some slices of chicken breast.  Anyway, plate it individually, and top with grated cheese (for me, it’s parmigiano reggiano), and a bunch of toasted pignoli, and if you’ve got any tiny basil leaves, they look adorable stop the green macaroni masterpiece.

Serve it with a chilled Italian white.  On Easter, it was the 2011 Pieropan La Rocca Soave, and it was perfect.

Easter 2014

http://champagne-taste.blogspot.com/2014/04/easter-2014.html

Post from Champagne Taste

Buona Festa di San Giuseppe!

St. Joseph’s Day was last week - and if you grew up in a Sicilian/Sicilian-American household, you know the importance of celebrating St. Joseph’s Day.

You probably also associate the feast day with pastries.  Yes?

Did you also have the dinner, and not just the pastries?

We do.  We use perciatelli macaroni (thicker than spaghetti and hollow on the inside of the tube), and top it with a sauce.  Some simply use the sardines, fennel, and raisins, but we add it to the basic marinara sauce, ladle it over the macaroni, and top with grated cheese (for me it’s always parmigiano reggiano) and “sawdust” - remember, St. Joseph was a carpenter.  Anyway, the sawdust is sauteed bread crumbs.  And it’s delicious.

The pastries?  I’ve made sfingi at home, which eventually I’ll write about, but on the holiday we usually buy them from the Italian bakery - the pastries, some with cannoli filling and some with custard filling.  Amazingly good.

And bonus: if you can find a cool loaf of Italian bread in the bakery or make it at home - in the shape of the J, or a fish, or a cross, or the like - it’s fun.  This year we had one in the shape of a fish.

Also - pair with Italian red wines - basic Sangiovese wines from Tuscany, Nero d’Avola from Sicily, you know the drill.

Lamb...& Deep Fried Soft Boiled Egg

I rarely blog on the day of the creation, but it’s a snowy night (it was a snowy day - again), and I made some fun things today, and I can’t help but share some recipes.

In keeping with my posting lately what I’m listening to while I write, it’s Boccherini.

I felt like making a cool appetizer tonight before dinner, but I had to use only ingredients that are already in the house, since there was no venturing out in that snow today.  There are usually more than enough fun ingredients in the kitchen anyway but still, I had to choose something that involved only ingredients that were already here.

I chose something new that I’d never made before - deep fried soft boiled eggs.

If it sounds amazing, it is.  I chose a basic Bordeaux blanc for it.  I boiled a few eggs for about 7 minutes and then let them cool in cold water.  After peeling them VERY carefully, I rolled them in flour, and then in beaten egg and then rolled them in panko crumbs.  Into a small pot of very hot oil and remove them just a few moments later with a slotted spoon once they’re just golden brown and ever so slightly crispy, and that’s it!  They’re runny and delicious and I’d do that again in a heartbeat.

For dinner, it was lamb, a green leafy salad, and baked potatoes.  The lamb was awesome.  The chops are pan seared medium/medium-rare.  And then just when the lamb is almost cooked, I deglazed the pan with just a bit of basic Bordeaux rouge.  Once the lamb was removed from the pan, I drizzled it with just a bit of what was left at the bottom of the pan, plus a little balsamic vinegar.  The topping I made for the lamb was minced garlic sauteed a bit, with kosher salt, black pepper, some lemon zest, and fresh chopped rosemary and parsley.  Once it’s all cooked down and mixed together, I just applied it and pressed it a bit into the lamb.  And that’s it.

The lamb was paired with the 2009 Grgich Hills Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.  To me, it’s an old school style, almost Bordeaux type of California wine.  Reminiscent of dark plum and plum flesh, blackberry, raspberry, and black currant, with dark chocolate, subtle vanilla, herbs, lilac, and what I like to call “pencil shaving” - the wood and the graphite minerality - quite delicious anyway, with a soft texture, smooth, dry, clean, and balanced, with a lengthy finish.  I could not have been more pleased.

Coq au Vin & Snickerdoodles

California Pinot Noir and some American jazz standards on this snowy evening...

Snowy day today

Actually, it snowed all day.  So what did I do?  Well, I did the grocery shopping early this morning, and after a very slippery drive home, I did my work from home today, and then baked snickerdoodles, and made coq au vin for dinner, and opened a bottle of Pinot Noir.  And enjoyed a few more chapters of a wonderful book this evening, which was a Christmas gift - George Washington’s Secret Six, by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yeager, about the Culper Spy Ring that was secretly a tremendous part of the American Revolutionary War.  It’s something that fascinates me since a great deal of it took place right here where I live.  Literally.

Snickerdoodles

But about what I made...

I’m really into cookie recipes.  Usually I’m undertaking something difficult or working to perfect recipes I’ve been working with for years (see some of my Christmas cookie recipes back in December posts), or enjoying a classic.  But there was one cookie I really wanted to try (especially since I’d never even tasted one before) - the snickerdoodle.  Don’t ask me why, but I really wanted to.  So when I saw it was snowing this morning, I decided it was a snickerdoodle sort of day.  And it was.

And it’s fun using the new Kitchen Aid stand mixer too.  I blended together butter, sugar, and eggs, and then added flour, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda.  And after chilling the cookie sheets and the dough (which was easy as I just left them out on the covered porch for a few moments in the winter air), I rolled the dough into small balls and coated them with cinnamon sugar, and baked them.  It’s really as simple as it sounds!  And they’re delicious and fun.

Coq au vin going into the oven

Coq au vin - finished!

Coq au vin is not nearly as intimidating as it may sound.  I’ve made it a bunch of times but each time it seems to get better.  I use chicken thighs since I strongly prefer dark meat, but obviously you can use any and all chicken parts.  I heat some olive oil in a dutch oven, and brown the chicken thighs a bit, until they’re golden, and season them with kosher salt and black pepper.  I then remove the chicken pieces and deglaze the bottom of the pot, and add some sliced onions, and cook them until they’re softened.  I return the chicken to the pot, and then cover it with the rest of the bottle of Pinot Noir (I used a Romanian Pinot) and some chicken stock, and finished it off with a bit more kosher salt and black pepper, parsley, thyme, rosemary, and several cloves of popped and roughly chopped garlic.  I simmer it for about 10-15 minutes, and then into the oven, covered, for another hour or so, at about 375 degrees F.  It really isn’t difficult at all.  And it smells amazingly good, and pairs very nicely with Burgundy, Bordeaux, and the like.

Tomorrow night’s menu promises to be easy and fun too - creamy roasted red pepper and basil sauce on macaroni, and a caprese salad, with (in all likelihood) a nice Italian red.

Hasenpfeffer

Cerasuolo

Rabbit in dutch oven

Sunday afternoon and I’m listening to Sylvie Vartan, I can’t help but be happy while listening to her music, and also after the awesome weekend I had.  Some great wines were opened, but that’ll be part of the post and part of my upcoming wine blogs on Champagne Taste.

Friday night I made something really fun - hasenpfeffer.  I’ve had rabbit before but not quite the same style, as last time I had it was at a South Western French themed restaurant.  And while I usually cook southern Italian by instinct and I love working with French classic recipes, this time I was slightly less confident as it was a German/Swiss type dish and I never cook German.

Rabbit and vegetables marinating

So 2 days before the rabbit was to be cooked, I marinated it, with the help of a recipe from a friend.  I ordered the rabbit from d’Artagnan, fresh, and it was labeled young farm raised American rabbit (which means it’ll be less gamey, and American rabbits are all white mean, whereas the typical hasenpfeffer is made from European wild hare, which is generally dark meat).  The marinade consisted of dry red wine (I used a Romanian Pinot Noir), good red wine vinegar, water, sugar, pickling spices, juniper berries, kosher salt, lots of black pepper, and sliced onion and carrot.

On the day the rabbit was to be cooked, I removed the rabbit loins (which I had cut into pieces and removed the veil) and 4 rabbit legs, and seasoned them with kosher salt and black pepper and coated them with flour.  I also removed the onions and carrots and set them aside.  Then I strained the berries and spices out of the marinade, and set the liquid aside, to be used for deglazing, cooking, and sauce.

Hasenpfeffer - plated

I started rendering fat from salt pork but it was getting a little too smoky and decided to supplement the rest with olive oil.  I browned the rabbit pieces in a dutch oven and then removed the rabbit, deglazed with a bit of the marinade, and then cooked the onions and carrots in it.  I then returned the rabbit pieces to the pot and covered with more of the marinade (reserving still more of the liquid for the sauce), and at this point you can also add currant jelly (which I’ve read in recipes), but I opted for lingonberry.  Cover the dutch oven and instead of simmering on the stove, I cooked it in the oven for about 2 hours on 375 degrees F.

Meanwhile, I boiled a pot of egg noodles to be plated underneath the rabbit pieces, and I made the sauce, which was the remaining marinade liquid, made into a roux with a handful of flour whisked in over a fairly low heat.

Hoch Ybrig and Cambozola Blue

Also while the rabbit cooked, in keeping with the theme, I went with 2 cheeses - Hoch Ybrig, a firm cow’s milk cheese from Switzerland with nutty characteristics, and Cambozola Blue, a soft triple cream subtle blue cheese from cow’s milk from Germany.  Both are awesome in texture, flavor, and aroma, and I brought out leftover open samples of German Riesling from Nahe and Elbling from Mosel.

Humagne Rouge

The wine I chose for the hasenpfeffer was a Humagne rouge, a red from AOC Valais in Switzerland, which is what I like to call and “honest” expressive wine with a unique identity, stony mineral notes and bright acidity with an almost elegant rusticity (if that makes any sense) and red fruit notes, some ripe rich fruit, wild berry and red plum skin.  That was a delicious pairing, and the other red we opened was a Cerasuolo di Vittora from Sicily, a blend of Nero d”Avola and Frappato, with notes of mostly red fruits, berry, cherry, and volcanic mineral typical of Sicilian reds, and fascinating characteristics of raw pine nuts and savory herbs and tarragon - another awesome match with the rabbit (which was absolutely delicious and fun to look at before eating it).  Textures, flavors, and aromas came together to make for a great culinary experience in my very own kitchen - just the way I like it.