A Year of Wine : Wine and Food Blog

April 28 - Barbaresco and Mushroom Risotto - Podcast

Ayow042810

April 28 - Mushroom Risotto - Recipe

Mushroom Risotto

8 cups chicken broth, low sodium
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, diced, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1 pound fresh portobello and crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon truffle oil
1-ounce dried porcini mushrooms, wiped of grit
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
Fresh Italian parsley, for garnish

1. Heat the chicken broth in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 onion and 1 clove garlic, cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms, herbs and butter. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes until lightly browned, season with salt and pepper. Drizzle in truffle oil then add the dried porcini mushrooms which were reconstituted in1 cup of warm chicken broth. Season again with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Saute 1 minute then remove from heat and set aside.

3. Coat a saucepan with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Saute the remaining 1/2 onion and garlic clove. Add the rice and stir quickly until it is well-coated and opaque, 1 minute. This step cooks the starchy coating and prevents the grains from sticking. Stir in wine and cook until it is nearly all evaporated.

4. Now, with a ladle, add 1 cup of the warm broth and cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining broth, 1 cup at a time. Continue to cook and stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. The risotto should be slightly firm and creamy, not mushy. Transfer the mushrooms to the rice mixture. Stir in Parmesan cheese, cook briefly until melted. Top with a drizzle of truffle oil and chopped parsley before serving.

April 27 - Fume Blanc and Curry - Podcast

Ayow042710

April 27 - Vegetable Curry - Recipe

Vegetable Curry

1 (1-pound) bag mixed frozen vegetables
2/3 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
2 medium cloves garlic, crushed
3 dried red chiles, stems and seeds removed if less heat is desired
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Black pepper, optional

Poke several holes in the bag of frozen vegetables and microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes or until thawed. Set aside.

In medium mixing bowl, whisk together yogurt and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat oil in a 10-inch, non-reactive saute pan over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds, fennel seeds and mustard seeds, cover pan with a splatter screen, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to pop. Once they begin to pop, turn the heat down to medium, and add turmeric, onion powder, coriander, cinnamon, garlic, and chiles. Saute until garlic turns golden brown in color, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Gently add the vegetables, sugar, salt and pepper, if desired, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until vegetables are heated through. Remove vegetables from heat, pour into bowl with yogurt mixture, and stir to combine. Remove chiles if desired, and serve immediately.

April 26 - Oregon Pinot Noir and Beef Burgundy - Podcast

Ayow042610

April 26 - Beef Burgundy - Recipe

Beef Burgundy

3 slices bacon, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
16 white mushrooms, medium in size, wiped with damp cloth to clean, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
1 cup frozen pearl onions, defrosted and drained
2 pounds lean sirloin, 1-inch thick, trimmed and cubed into 1 inch pieces
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup burgundy wine
1 1/2 cups store bought beef stock
Bouquet of 3 or 4 sprigs each sage and fresh thyme, tied with kitchen string

Herb Egg Noodles:

12 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked to package directions
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, 2 handfuls
12 blades fresh chives, snipped or finely chopped

Heat a large deep skillet with a heavy bottom and a lid over medium high heat. Add bacon to the pan and brown. Remove crisp bacon bits with slotted spoon. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons butter to the pan and melt into bacon drippings. Add mushrooms to the pan and turn to coat evenly with butter and bacon drippings. 

Season the mushroom slices with salt and pepper. Saute mushrooms 2 to 3 minutes and add onions to the pan. Continue cooking onions and mushrooms 2 to 3 minutes longer, then transfer to a plate and return pan to the heat. 

Add remaining butter to the pan and melt it, then add meat to the very hot pan and brown evenly on all sides, keeping the meat moving. Add flour to browned meat in the pan and cook the flour 2 minutes. 

Add wine to the pan slowly while stirring. When the wine comes up to a bubble and you have scraped up the pan drippings, add the stock and bouquet of fresh sage and thyme sprigs to the pot. Cover the pan. When the liquid boils, reduce heat to medium. Cook covered 5 minutes, remove lid and add mushrooms, onions and bacon back to the pot. 

Simmer with the cover off until sauce thickens a bit. Adjust seasoning and remove herb bouquet.

Toss hot egg noodles with butter and herbs. Place a bed of noodles in a shallow bowl and pour beef burgundy over the noodles and serve.

April 25 - Riddling and Langres - Podcast

Ayow042510

April 25 - Riddling and Langres

Langres

In the early 1800's, Champagne was not the limpid liquid we have come to love. Because the second fermentation occurs in the bottle, the dead yeast cells left the wine murky and cloudy. The lack of clarity in Champagne was highly objectionable to Madame Clicquot of Veuve-Clicquot fame. She found that by shaking the bottles and slowly turning them upside down, you could loosen the yeast sediment. The dead yeast would settle in the neck of the bottle and could be removed. This process is called riddling, and though once done by hand, machines now do all of the shaking. Next time you serve Champagne, make the experience complete by also serving Langres, a cheese from the same region. Langres has a strong smell and a firm texture that absolutely melts in your mouth. It is produced in small cylinders with slightly bulging sides and an intentional depression, called a cuvette, in the top. It is traditional to pour a little Champagne in the depression before serving. More than a meal, this is a memory.