|
|
World of Wine: Recipes |
| |
"Hot Bath" (Bagna Cauda)
Serves: 4 as an appetizer (approx. 1 cup)
Wine Pairing: Crios de Susana Balbo Torrontes or Cliff Lede Sauvignon Blanc.
Perfect for this time of year when our garden veggies are
coming back into season, this simple dipping sauce or "bath" for raw vegetables and crusty bread is adapted from a recipe in the famed revolutionary chef Alice Waters' classic "The Art of Simple Food." One of the most influential female chefs of all time, she taught us to delight in the simple things rather than fussing them up too much. I take the liberty of adding fresh parsley to this classic dish, but it's equally good without.
- 5 salt-packed anchovies
- 6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- Zest of one lemon
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
- Assorted raw vegetables and crusty Italian semolina bread
- Soak anchovies in water for 5 minutes, then debone and finely chop.
- Heat water to simmer in a double boiler. In the top pot,
combine all ingredients. Heat and stir until butter is melted. Salt to taste.
- Serve warm as a dipping sauce for bread and vegetables.
Easy Recipe for Greener Eating
This month's "recipe" is one for greener eating without going crazy trying to figure out when it's important to buy
organic, or otherwise. Each person needs to set their own guidelines based on what's most important to them, but a few suggestions:
When to go organic:
Meat, Milk and Eggs: Those growth hormones and heavy
antibiotics get passed on to you, not to mention facilitate rather
unhygienic and environmentally devastating "factory farming." You have a much better chance of getting well-tended meat and dairy when you buy Free Range, Organic and/or Hormone Free.
Peaches, Apples, Bell Peppers, Celery, Berries, Leafy Greens and Grapes: Basic rule of thumb - if you eat the skin or outer
membrane, you don't want the chemicals on the outside. Many
pesticides don't wash off easily with water, so go organic with these types of fruits and veggies whenever possible.
When you can get away with the conventional:
Fruits and vegetables with a protective skin (bananas, avocadoes, kiwi, mango, onion, pineapple, papaya) generally keep the
chemicals on the outside. So if you can peel it, you're better off.
Soupe au Pistou
Serves 4
Wine Pairing: Bourillon Vouvray Dorleans 2007
This warm vegetarian stew is a French countryside favorite, and a versatile dish that will pair well with all of the wines chosen for this month, red or white. This recipe was adapted from Chef Suzanne Goin.
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 cup chopped plum tomato
- 3/4 cup diced carrot
- 2 15 oz cans white cannellini
- 3/4 cup diced celery
- beans, drained
- 1/2 cup diced fennel root
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 3-4 tsp basil pesto
- 1 French baguette
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sautée garlic, onions, carrot, celery, fennel and herbs until onion is translucent and soft. Add vegetable stock, tomatoes and beans. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower heat and simmer for 35-45 minutes.
- Divide soup into bowls, garnish each serving with a dollop (about
1 tsp) of pesto. Serve immediately with crusty French baguette.
Spicy Garlic Shrimp
Serves 4 as an appetizer
Wine Pairing: Txakoli Blanco, Rueda Blanco, or red wine from Montsant
This simple to prepare dish is a traditional tapas favorite in Spain. You can choose between mild or spicy (picante) smoked paprika to customize your level of heat; most
specialty gourmet food stores have begun carrying both in
recent years.
- 4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb raw shrimp, shelled and de-veined
- 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- Toss shrimp with olive oil, smoked paprika and garlic in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2-6 hours so that flavors can combine.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Separate the shrimp into four individual ramekins or shallow baking dish.
- Bake until shrimp turns pink and firm, about 10 minutes.
- Serve.
Chimichurri Sauce
Wine Pairing: Argentine Malbec (Nico by Luca or Durigutti Classico) or Chilean red blend ( Concha Y Toro Don Melchor, Emiliana Coyam, or Perez Cruz Liguai.)
Known as the national condiment of Argentina, Chimichurri sauce is the perfect accompaniment to any char-grilled red meat. Try it on a good beef tenderloin, porterhouse steak, burgers, or if you're adventurous, barbecued goat.
- 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp minced garlic (3-4 cloves)
- 2 tbsp minced shallots
- 1 tsp course sea salt (preferably smoked)
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
This one's simple, folks. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Drizzle on top of meat and serve. Also delicious on salads.
Note: blending the ingredients a few hours before serving will allow the herbs and spices to infuse into the oil and vinegar a bit more, magnifying the flavors.
Easy Holiday Hors d'Oeuvre Menu
We all have enough to do preparing the main meal for a house full of holiday guests, so the hors d'oeuvres should be the easy part. Try these simple suggestions, and consider them delicious little bites of sanity. Gary's can even help with the grocery shopping!
An assortment of Italian Cheeses: Pecorino Romano, Ricotta Salata, and Burrata (all available at Gary's)
Wine Pairing: Coste Petrai Prosecco NV
Potato Latkes with Smoked Salmon, Créme Fraiche and American Caviar (Simply assemble into bite-sized portions in that order; salmon, créme fraiche and caviar available at Gary's)
Wine Pairing: Lucien Albrecht Cremant d'Alsace Rose NV
Jamon Serrano or Iberico (top-quality cured ham from Spain)
Wine Pairing: 2005 Bodegas Enguera Angelical
Sliced Filet Mignon and Gorgonzola on Toast Points
Wine Pairing: 2004 Go Figure Cabernet Sauvignon Napa,
2005 Hewitt Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford, or
2006 Chiarello Family Vineyards Bambino Cabernet Sauvignon
Wild Mushroom Gravy
Serves: 6-8
Wine Pairing: 2005 Domaine Huguenot Pere & Fils
Marsannay Les Echezots or other Pinot Noir
Have a little fun choosing an assortment of wild mushrooms from your local specialty food store to go in this gravy. The sauce can be spooned over pieces of a whole roasted turkey after carving, or you can sautee a few turkey breast fillets to go with the gravy for a smaller meal.
- 6-8 servings of whole-roasted turkey or pan-roasted turkey breast
- 4 Tbsp (1 stick) butter
- 32 oz (2 lbs.) assorted wild mushrooms (Cremini, Porcini, Shiitake, Bluefoot, Chanterelle, and/or Morel)
- 3 shallots, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups turkey or chicken broth
- 8 Tbsp Pinot Noir
- 1/2 cup tarragon and/or sage, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- In a large saucepan or skillet, melt butter on medium heat. Add shallots and mushrooms, stir to blend. Cover and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender, about five to seven minutes.
- Stir in broth, sherry or wine, and half of the herbs. Turn the heat to high and allow the sauce to bubble and thicken, about five minutes. When the sauce has reached the desired consistency (should coat the back of a spoon), remove from heat,. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over turkey, sprinkle the remaining herbs over the top, and serve.
Tagliatelle with Brown Butter and Sage
Serves: 4
Wine Pairing: La Mozza Morellino di Scansano I Perazzi
The beauty of this dish is in its simplicity and variability. For a weeknight meal, you can easily find good quality fresh-made pasta (soft, not hard) in any specialty grocery store, and the rest takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. To change the recipe up from time to time, try adding julienned zucchini, porcini mushrooms, chestnuts or pancetta to the sautéing butter.
- 8 oz fresh taglitelle (flat egg pasta)
- 4 Tbsp. butter
- 3 Tbsp fresh sage, sliced into very thin strips across the leaf
- 1 garlic clove, very finely minced
- Freshly ground salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
- Freshly shaved Parmesano Reggiano
- Bring water to a boil. Prepare fresh pasta according to the package instructions (usually boils 2-5 minutes.) Check pasta frequently so as not to overcook. Drain pasta reserving about 1 cup of the water.
- Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Watch carefully until
butter begins to turn golden. Add garlic and sage, sautée for about one more minute, and remove from heat when butter is brown and
garlic is softened. Do not allow butter to burn.
- Toss the butter sauce and egg pasta in a bowl to coat pasta, adding a small amount of the cooking water if necessary.
- Grind a bit of salt, pepper, nutmeg and Parmesano to taste, and serve immediately.
Bordeaux-soaked mushroom, shallot, and
Roquefort salad
(Serves 2)
Wine Pairing: Any Red Bordeaux from this month's
Selections
Nothing goes better with a well-structured red Bordeaux wine than steak, and we all have our favorite preparations. The
following recipe is an ideal accompaniment to any steak, and complements the wine as well as the meat itself. Vegetarians can make a meal of the dish alone by doubling the amounts.
- 1 cup red Bordeaux wine
- 1/2 cup dried shiitake, morel, chantrelle or portabella mushrooms (or one cup fresh)
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 1 cup mache or arugula
- 1.5 oz Roquefort or other high-quality blue cheese
- Soak dried mushrooms in wine for one hour at room
temperature.
- Turn a skillet to medium-high, and sauté the shallots until caramelized. Add the mushrooms and 1/2 cup of the wine.
Allow the mixture to bubble and reduce until it coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat.
- Arrange the mache on plates, and place the reduced mushroom mixture on top. Crumble Roqufort over the salad and serve warm, with our without steak.
Homemade Peri-Peri Sauce
Wine Pairing: 2006 Spice Route Viognier or 2007 Simonsig Chenin Blanc
Peri-Peri (or Piri-Piri, as it's sometimes spelled) is a popular chile pepper-based sauce used as a condiment in South Africa and West Africa. We like it best as a marinade for grilled shrimp, or mixed with a little mayonnaise to top fish and chips: the South African answer to tartar sauce.
- 1 1/2 to 2 oz. minced red chiles, preferably African birdseye
- 4-5 minced garlic cloves
- 2 cups olive oil
- Minced rind and juice of one lemon
-Mince chiles, garlic and lemon rind very finely.
-Combine with olive oil and lemon juice and store in a tightly sealed jar. Refrigerate for a minimum of three days before using. The flavor will intensify as it ages and reach a peak of flavor within about two weeks.
-When using as a marinade for shrimp or chicken, soak the shrimp or chicken in the sauce for at least five hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Grill and serve.
New England Lobster Rolls with Dilled Mayonnaise
(Serves: 6)
Wine Pairing: 2006 Wolffer Reserve Chardonnay or 2007 Hendry Unoaked Chardonnay
This is an adaptation on a classic picnic recipe we developed at this time last year, and has become a Fourth of July tradition for East-Coasters like us. To match the buttery-rich lobster salad, a Chardonnay of either the toasty-oaked or crisp unoaked persuasion works best.
- 1 1/2 lbs lobster meat, torn into generous chunks
- 9 Tbsp. good quality mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika 2 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1 small head of Bibb lettuce 6 hot dog rolls
- 6 Tbsp. butter, softened
-In a bowl, gently mix lobster, mayonnaise, celery, dill, and smoked paprika. Salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
-Butter the cut sides of the hot dog buns and toast until lightly browned. Lay several pieces of lettuce on each bun, then fill with the lobster salad. Serve with fresh corn on the cob, cucumber salad, and other picnic fixin's.
|
|
|
|
|
