Acciughe con Salsa Verde (Anchovies in Green Sauce)

I recently picked up a Saveur magazine because there was an article that caught my attention.  The article, written by Roberta Corradin, discussed the Occitan culture in the Italian Alps.  The Occitan are an ethic group that can trace its routes back to the fifth century, A.D. For decades, and, indeed, centuries, they were a predominant ethnic group in what is now Southern France and Northwestern Italy.  Today, the Occitan ethnic group is much smaller in size, living in just a few pockets in Catalonia, Spain; Languedoc, France and a few valleys in the Italian Alps.

The article focused on Occitain cooking in Italy, which it described as "rustic" and "peasant fare" focused on cheese, grains and vegetables that are native to where they live.  As noted above, living in southern France, eastern Spain and northern Italy means that their cuisine is Mediterranean in nature. Given the geographical expanse, the cuisine draws upon all three countries. There is the emphasis on ingredients such as garlic, olives, olive oil, salted fish, and wine. The intriguing aspect of Occitan cuisine, so it is said, is the lack of cookbooks. To cook Occitan cuisine, as journalist Gianluca Biscalchin once wrote, "one must be inspired by domestic recipes, passed down secrets, and the region's own ingredients." That sounds like my kind of cooking.

Corradin's article included several recipes, but the one that I wanted to try as soon as possible was Acciughe con Salsa Verde or Anchovies in Green Sauce.  I made this recipe, although I omitted the boiled egg yolks.  The end product was still delicious.

ACCIUGHE CON SALSA VERDE (Anchovies in Green Sauce)

From Saveur, No. 134 (Dec. 2010)
Serves 8

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup minced basil

1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parlsey

2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 hard boiled egg yolks

Salt, to taste

4 ounces (about 20) anchovies

Country bread for serving

Directions:

1.  Prepare the salsa verde.  In a bowl, wish together the oil, basil, parsley, vinegar, chile flakes, garlic and egg yolks.  Season lightly with salt.

2.  Cover the anchovies.  Arrange a third of the anchovies in a bowl and then cover with a third of the sauce.  Repeat this two times.

3.  Marinate the fish. Cover and let the anchovies sit at room temperature for one hour.  Serve with bread.

ENJOY!

La Mozza I Perazzi (2007)

When one thinks of wines produced with the Sangiovese grape, names such as Chianti Classico or Brunello di Montalcino.  The Sangiovese grape is used to make some lesser known wines, including the Morellino di Scansano.

The Morellino di Scansano has its own DOCG (Denominazione di origine controllata garantita) for the hills around the town of Scansano in the Maremma region of Tuscany.  The rules for this DOCG require that the wine be made from 85% Sangiovese grapes and 15% non-aromatic black grapes, such as Mammolo, Canaiolo Nero Alicante, Malvasia, Nera, Nero Francese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Ciliegiolo. While the rules permit the use of grapes other than the Sangiovese, there are some wine producers who make the wine using only Sangiovese grapes. 

In addition, Morellino di Scansano is a wine that was released during the March after the harvest.  This means that the wine is only aged for about eight months.  By contrast, a Morellino di Scansano Riserva must age for two years, with one of those years being in oak barrels.   Thus, a Morellino di Scansano reaches the market at a relatively young age.

La Mozza follows the rules of the DOCG for the I Perazzi, using 85% Sangiovese along with 4% Syrah, 4% Alicante, 3% Colorino, 4% Ciliegiolo.  The vineyard uses indigenous yeasts are used and ages the wine in tonneaux (barrels).

The I Perazzi provides a good contrast to the other wine made by La Mozza, the Aragone.  Everything about the I Perazzi -- from its scent to its taste -- is more subtle than the Aragone.  Still, the wine has a nice fruit flavor, with ripe grapes and blackberries.  Despite these little differences, both wines share one thing in common ... they are both great wines.

Only 6,000 cases of this wine are produced in a year.  But, like the Aragone, if you see this wine in a store, grab it immediately.  You will not be disappointed.

ENJOY!

For more about the Morellino di Scansano DOCG, check out Wikipedia and Intowine.

Brodetto dei Pescatori di Abruzzo (Abruzzese Fishermen's Stew)

Back in April 2008, I posted the very first recipe on Chef Bolek, which was a recipe for Brodetto alla Pecarese.  This recipe was not just any recipe; instead, it represented a few firsts for me.  It was the first time that I took several recipes for a dish and tried to navigate my way through them -- taking bits from each one -- to create a dish that I could call my own.  It was also the first dish that I "mastered," with some (including myself) calling it my "signature dish."  Finally, it was the first time that I actively researched  a recipe so that I could understand the various ingredients and cooking processes for the recipe (as opposed to simply following a recipe).  Looking back over the past two and one-half years, I've seen that my cooking skills (and blogging skills) have grown a lot.  And, for the first recipe of this new year, I decided that I would return to where it all started.

Generally, a brodetto is a stew made by fishermen along the coast of the Adriatic Sea in cities like Venice and regions like Emilia-Romagna, Le Marche and Abruzzo.  Brodetto was the food of the poor; it was made by fishermen from the catch that was not good enough for the market or by their wives from the fish and seafood that did not sell at the market.  Brodettos were not considered the food of high society or even the middle class.  It was the food of the working poor, and, as is often the case, that food can often rival the food prepared in the finest restaurants.

Perhaps the fact that Brodetto was basically considered "peasant fare" is what attracted me to this dish, but it could also be the fact that Brodetto can vary significantly from region to region.  Fishermen used to use whatever fish, shellfish or other catch was on hand, as well as other local ingredients.  For example, in Abruzzo, fishermen would add a lot pepperoncino or crushed red pepper flakes, because peppers are used a lot in the local cuisine.  Many recipes for Abruzzese brodettos also call for the use of saffron, because farmers cultivated the flower in the fields near the capital of Aquila.  While I usually include saffron in the brodetto, it is to acknowledge a local ingredient.  I recognize that most fishermen do not have ready access to such an ingredient.

When making brodetto, there are a few things to keep in mind.  First, a Brodetto uses a couple types of fish and a couple types of other seafood, such as shellfish or squid; however, when you are only making it for yourself or for a couple of people, I use one type of fish and a couple types of other seafood, usually shrimp and squid.  Second, you can use either whole fish or fillets.  I generally prefer to use fillets because it is easier to cook the fish along with the other seafood.   Finally, I try to use a white wine that from the region in which I am basing the brodetto.  In Abruzzo, that would be a Trebbiano d'Abruzzo; however, that wine can sometimes be hard to find.  So, any dry white wine -- or for that matter -- any white wine from an area close to the region would be okay to use.  When making this recipe, I used an Orvieto, which is a white wine from the neighboring Umbria region.

BRODETTO DEI PESCATORI DI ABRUZZO (Abruzzese Fishermen's Stew)
A Chef Bolek Original

                                                                 Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
1 pound of fish (such as red snapper, bluefish, turbot and/or tilapia)
1/2 pound of shrimp, preferably U-12 or 16/20 count shrimp
1/3 pound of cleaned squid (both heads and body)
1 can of whole tomatoes (canned with tomato puree and basil)
1 can of water
1 cup of a dry white wine (such as a Trebbiano d'Abruzzo or Orvieto)
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 medium sized shallot, diced
1 large onion, sliced
1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme
1 large pinch of saffron stands
1 tablespoon of fresh basil, chiffonade
2 bay leaves
1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of flat leaf parsley, chopped
Sea salt, to taste
Ground peppercorns, to taste
Baguette, sliced

Directions:

1.  Saute onions and garlic.  Pour the olive oil into a pot and heat to medium. Add the onion and shallots and cook for about ten minutes until the onions are translucent.  Then add the garlic. Continue to saute the onions, shallots and garlic for about two to three minutes more.  

2.  Add tomatoes, liquid and spices.  Add the whole tomatoes and, with a potato masher, work to break up the tomatoes.  Then add the white wine and the water.  Mix the ingredients together with a slotted spoon, continuing to break up the tomatoes. Add the crushed red pepper, saffron, bay leaves, salt and ground pepper. Continue to stir until everything is well incorporated.  This is the base of the brodetto and it should simmer for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.

3.  Add seafood to broth.  Add the fish and allow the fish to cook for about four to five minutes or until the fish begins to become opaque.  Add the squid and continue to cook for about three to four minutes or until the squid starts to becomes opaque.  Add the shrimp and continue to cook until the shrimp is opaque. 

4.  Finish the dish.  Remove the brodetto from the heat. Toast the baguette slices and put a slice at the bottom of each bowl. Spoon the brodetto into each bowl and top the brodetto with flat leaf parsley.

ENJOY!

For more information about Brodetto, check out About.com.

Cleto Chiarli Vecchia Modena Premium

With this wine, I return to where all of my wine reviews started.  The very first wine "review" on my blog was of Cleto Chiarli's Villa Cialdini. Although I have tasted many wines, and have tried to refine my wine reviewing skills, I still have a lot of work to do. Having the opportunity to try some great wines is perhaps the best incentive to continue to review wines.

Cleto Chiarli is one of the more well known Lambrusco vineyards in Emilia Romagna.  It was founded in 1860 near Modena and, for more than 150 years, Cleto Chiarli has been producing some amazing Lambrusco wines.  One such wine is the Vecchia Modena Premium, a wine that, in 1900, got an "Honorable Mention" at the Exposition Universelle de Paris.  And, for 110 years, that "Honorable Mention" has been printed on the label of the wine.

The grapes for this wine are selected from the vines of Azienda Agricola Chiarli of Sozzigalli.  The treatment of these grapes by Cleto Charli produces a wine that shares many of the typical features of Lambruscos, while still retaining a couple of unique qualities that make it stand out from those wines.  Like other Lambrusco wines, the Vecchia Modena Premium is a highly carbonated, light red wine.  The wine has a low alcohol content, at around 11%.  However, the Vecchia Modena Premium pours a very pink color, which is much lighter in color than other Lambruscos that I've had.  This wine is very light and very refreshing, which is nice in a Lambrusco, but that lightness dulls the flavor of the fruit in the wine. 

The Vecchia Modena Premium does not appear to be widely distributed. I found this wine at the Italian Store in Arlington, Virginia and it is most likely found at other Italian stores that sell wines.  The wine sells for $14.99 a bottle. 

ENJOY!

Abita Christmas Ale

With the Christmas holiday, attentions turn to holiday ales.  I've already reviewed a couple of holiday ales, such as the Delirium Noel and Great Lakes Brewing Company's Christmas Ale.  These two Christmas Ales roughly represent the two poles of Christmas Ales.  On the one hand, the Delirium is a very good Belgian ale, but it does not have many of the Christmas aromas or tastes that one would expect from a holiday ale.  On the other hand, the Great Lakes Christmas Ale has a more pronounced ginger and cinnamon flavors.

And, in between these two poles, there is the Abita Christmas Ale.  Abita makes some great beers, like the Save Our Shores and Restoration Ale.  It's Christmas Ale is also a very good beer, which changes from year to year.   For 2010, Abita brews its Christmas Ale in the style of an American Brown Ale.  The brewery also gives a good hop kick to the Christmas Ale though the use of Willamette, Cascade and Columbus hops. 

The beer pours a reddish brown color and the aroma does reveal some of the hops used in the brewing process. The beer does have some of the flavors that you would expect from a Christmas ale; however, those flavors are a little subdued when compared to other ales of this style. The one taste that does come through is cinnamon, which seems to be the dominant "holiday" flavor in this beer.  This beer is a good example of the Christmas Ale style.

Like all Christmas ales, Abita's Christmas Ale is available only for a limited time in November and December.  During that time, it is available at beer and wine stores.  So, if you are interested, you may have to wait until the next holiday season.

ENJOY!

Handmade Fettuccine with the Bolek Family Tomato Sauce and Chef Bolek's Lamb Meatballs

For many years, my grandparents would make a pasta dinner entirely by hand.  They made the pasta from eggs, semolina and flour.  They made the sauce with fresh tomatoes, including tomatoes grown by my grandfather in his garden.  And, they would make the meatballs and sausage by hand.

My grandparent's "workshop," so to speak, was in their basement, where they had a big pasta table, a second stove and a second refrigerator, not to mention a walk in pantry.  When making pasta for a big dinner, such as our multiple-course dinner on Christmas Eve, the preparations and work began many hours in advance.

I do remember, as kids, my sister and I helped our grandparents make the pasta. Obviously not wanting us around a hot stove making sauce, or working with raw meat, our grandparents assigned us to help them with the hand-crank pasta machine.  We dutifully cranked out fettuccine pasta, setting the stage for what was always a great meal. 

 THE PASTA

As my grandparents grew older, they stopped making most of the meal by hand.  When they stopped making pasta they began to rely upon fresh or boxed pasta from the grocery store.  As for myself, I did not make pasta again by hand for more than twenty years.  It was not until after a culinary Renaissance (that is, my trip through Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany), that I started making pasta on my own.  I took a class at L'Academie de Cuisine, which provided me with some basic instruction on the old volcano technique; and, ever since then, I've basically taught myself to make pasta by hand.  

I am still a novice, usually making pasta with one egg and two or three cups of flour at a time. I also stick to basic pastas, such as fettuccine, linguine or ravioli.  These restrictions slow down the process, but I avoid a lot of headaches, such as the mess from eggs leaking out onto the counter. The following recipe is the simple recipe that I use to make basic fettuccine.

HANDMADE FETTUCCINE
Makes about a quarter pound of pasta.

Ingredients:
1 egg
2-3 cups of flour

Directions:

1.  Make a mound with the flour and a well in the middle of the mound.  Reinforce each side of the mound with the back side of a spoon.  Crack the egg into the middle of the mound.

2.  With a fork, carefully begin to beat the egg.  As you are beating the egg, add a little flour at a time into the egg.  Continue beating and adding flour until the dough begins to form.  This may take a little while.  Always be mindful of the sides of the well and make sure that there are no cracks where the egg can escape.

3.  Once the dough has formed enough to pick up (it may still be a little runny), scoop up the dough into one of your hands and cover it with flour.  Continue to work the dough into a ball in your hands by adding flour until there is no more "liquid."

4.  Return the dough to a floured surface and begin to kneed the dough with the palm of your hand and your fingers.  Continue to kneed the dough for about ten minutes or until the dough no longer seems "wet."  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap to sit for about ten minutes.

5. Follow the directions on your hand-crank machine, running the dough on the widest setting and working toward the narrow setting. Sprinkle flour onto the dough if you feel any "wet" spots.

6.  Let the dough sit for a couple of minutes.  Then use the attachment for whatever type of pasta you would like to make.

7.  As you cut the pasta using the attachment, make sure that the pasta noodles are separated from one another by either hanging the noodles on a pasta rack or arranging the noodles in a way that will prevent them from sticking together as they dry.  You should also sprinkle flour over the noodles, which will help to keep the noodles separate.

Although the pasta may be "basic" in technique, the end product is a pasta that is light and actually somewhat airy, especially if you are able to run the pasta through the thinnest setting on the pasta machine before cutting it into fettuccine.  You should let the pasta dry before using it in a meal.  Also, because an egg is used in making the pasta, you should refrigerate or freeze the pasta if you are not planning to use it the same day.

THE BOLEK FAMILY TOMATO SAUCE

The process of making pasta is only the beginning; it is like preparing the canvas in order to paint a work of art.   And, for chefs and cooks alike, the "paint" is the sauce.  In my family, the tradition is to make a smooth sauce, one laced with herbs and spices and whose velvety texture coats the noodles in a thin layer of goodness.  My grandparents always made a smooth sauce, and my Mom follows in that tradition.  Although I have experimented with a more chunky sauce (that is, a sauce with bits of tomato, onions, garlic and other vegetables, like carrots), I have to say that there is nothing like what I now call the Bolek Family Tomato Sauce.


The mention of the herbs and spices brings me to the difficult part.  This sauce recipe has been passed down from generations in my family and, the one thing that each generation has in common is that no one measured the herbs and spices that went into the sauce.  There was no attempt to reduce the basil, oregano, garlic powder, or crushed red pepper to cups, tablespoons or teaspoons.  Rather, whether it was my grandmother, my Mom or myself, we rely upon our senses, both of smell and taste, to determine what is the right amount.  You begin by adding a good amount of each spice (but not too much) and continue to add herbs and spices as the sauce cooks, to reach the taste that you want.  

THE BOLEK FAMILY TOMATO SAUCE

Serves Many

Ingredients:
2 cans of tomato puree
3 cans of tomato paste
Dried basil, to taste
Dried oregano, to taste
Garlic powder to taste
Crushed red pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Pour the two cans of tomato puree into a big pot.  Fill each can with water to get the remaining tomato puree out of the can and pour it into the pot.  Add the tomato paste, one can at a time.  Whisk the puree into the sauce before adding the next can of tomato paste.

2.  Add the herbs and spices.  The only general rule is that I add 2 parts of basil for 1 part of oregano.

3.  Let the sauce cook for a couple of hours to reduce.

CHEF BOLEK'S LAMB MEATBALLS

And, last but not least, there are the meatballs.  Traditionally, meatballs are with a mixture of ground beef, pork and veal.  For that reason, supermarkets sell ground meat for "meatballs" that often includes all three types of meat.  There are also endless variations on the other ingredients used to make meatballs, such as using different types of breadcrumbs, cheeses and binding agents, such as milk and eggs.  Generally, I try to keep the meatballs simple ... using meat, Italian breadcrumbs, and an egg.

As for the meat, I prefer using ground lamb for two reasons.  The first reason is that meatballs are a  mainstay in Abruzzese cuisine (with Abruzzo being the region from where my relatives emigrated) and are featured in many dishes such as Maccheroni alla Chitarra and Minestra Maritata.  The second reason  is that lamb is much more predominant in Abruzzo than beef and veal.  When my relatives lived in Abruzzo, shepherds tended to sheep and lamb more than cows.  The relative scarcity of beef meant that it was reserved for special occasions.  I'm sure that the situation is different today, with modern distribution networks and refrigerated storage making beef much more available than in the past. 

So, whenever I make meatballs, I pay homage to the past in Abruzzo by using lamb, in a simple recipe that requires only bread crumbs, eggs, herbs and spices.  As with the Bolek Family Tomato Sauce, the amount of herbs and spices added to the ground lamb is not measured, but done using a "gut sense" as to what is just enough to make a good meatball.  (And, for me, that is to make sure that the meatballs have a good, spicy kick to them.)   

CHEF BOLEK'S LAMB MEATBALLS
A Chef Bolek Original
Serves many

2 pounds of ground lamb
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1 egg
Dried basil, to taste
Dried oregano, to taste
Garlic powder to taste
Crushed red pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Mix the ground lamb, breadcrumbs, egg, herbs and spices in a bowl.  Make sure to mix everything well so that the herbs and spices are spread throughout the meat and that every meat ball will have an adequate amount of flavor.

2.  Make medium-sized meatballs by taking an amount of the mixture that is smaller than a tennis ball but much bigger than a golf ball.  You are looking to make meatballs that are about two inches to two and one half inches in diameter.  Put another way, you should get about twelve meatballs per pound and, for this recipe, you should get about twenty-four meatballs. 

3.  Heat a pan on medium heat.  Add several meatballs to the pan at a time.  Brown the meatballs until the pinkness of the meat is no longer evident on the outside of the meatballs.  You should not cook the meatballs entirely on the pan.  Instead, once they are browned, remove them and place them on a paper towel to collect the excess oil and grease.

The reason why you should never cook the meatballs entirely on the pan is that you should always add the meatballs to your sauce.  By adding the meatballs to the sauce, you will give that sauce a lot of extra flavor. The herbs and spices in the meatballs, as well as the lamb meat itself, will reinforce the herbs and spices in the sauce.  (And, for that reason, if you are planning to have meatballs with your pasta and sauce, you may want to add a little less of the herbs and spices when you make the sauce). 

Making a meal by hand -- the pasta, sauce and meatballs -- is a lot of work.  But it is rewarding work, because the end product is an amazing meal.  This is a meal that has been shared and enjoyed by family and friends on Christmas Eve for decades.

And, for this year (2010), I was fortunate enough to make it for family and friends on Christmas Eve.  I also lucky enough to have the able assistance of my beautiful wife, Clare, her parents and my parents.  Their assistance in making the pasta, the sauce and the meatballs contributed to the great success of the dinner on Christmas Eve.  I am very grateful for all of their help in making this meal, as well as their company as we dined together for the holiday.

ENJOY!

Great Lakes Christmas Ale

Great Lakes Brewing Company makes many great beers, like the Lake Erie Monster and the Nosferatu.  But the most sought after Great Lakes beer comes only one time a year.  It is the Christmas Ale, which has won five awards at the World Beer Championship.

The "Christmas Ale" style has a lot of leeway for brewers.  According to the Beer Judge Certification Program ("BJCP," which issues style guidelines for individuals who are training to become beer judges), "many interpretations" are possible when it comes to the flavors of a Christmas Ale, as well as the aromatics of these beers.  With regard to flavors, the spices used should complement, but not overwhelm, the beer.  Brewers have a wide array of choices when it comes to spices, whether it is dried fruit peels (such as raisin, plum, fig, orange or lemon) or holiday spices (like allspice cinnamon, clove, ginger,or nutmeg). 

In addition to using all natural ingredients (barley, hop, yeast and water), Great Lakes brews its Christmas Ale with honey and spices it with fresh ginger and cinnamon.  The beer pours a nice amber color.  The aromatics are subtle.  The spices provide some aromas that are evocative of the holiday season.  The cinnamon and ginger are much more pronounced in the taste of the beer.  Overall, it is a great beer and definitely worth having in the refrigerator for the holiday season.

Great Lakes Christmas Ale is usually available in November and December every year. However, the brewery makes only a limited amount of the beer and it tends to sell quickly.  The beer can also be expensive, costing more than $12.00 per six pack.

For more information about Great Lakes' Christmas ale, check out the profile provided by the brewery.  For more information about the Christmas Ale style, check out the Beer Judge Certification Program.

French Onion Soup

Although the centerpiece of the Bolek Christmas dinner is the standing rib roast, the dinner always begins with french onion  soup.  There are a wide variety of onions that could be used for the soup ... such as yellow, red, or sweet.  Generally, I am a big fan of a particular sweet onion, the Vidalia, which I strive to use whenever I make french onion soup.

So, as the story goes, a farmer named Moses Coleman "discovered" the Vidalia onion in 1931.  Coleman was surprised to find that his onions were sweet (which, probably, was due to the fact that the soil in that particular area of Georgia has a low sulphur content).  Over the years, farmers in Georgia continued to plant the sweet onion, which began to develop quite the reputation.  In 1986, the Georgia State legislature passed a law -- aptly named the Vidalia Onion Trademark Act -- that trademarked the "Vidalia" onion.  Later, the federal government enacted a federal marketing order, which added certain restrictions and requirements on the growing of Vidalia onions.  As a result, a  true "Vidalia" onion is a sweet onion grown within a designated area in the State of Georgia.  These onions are very sweet, due to the low amount of sulfur in the soil. 

The problem is that Vidalia onions are only shipped between April and the early fall.  So, when Christmas time rolls around and I want to make french onion soup, I have to use "regular" sweet onions, which, in all honesty, do the job just as well as Vidalia onions. 

When making the soup, I usually use Anthony Bourdain's "Onion Soup Les Halles" recipe as a guide.  Bourdain's recipe is very interesting, because it uses both port and balsamic vinegar.  These two ingredients together provide a sweetness to the onion soup.  However, Clare is a vegetarian and the recipe's use of bacon and dark chicken stock makes the soup very unfriendly to vegetarians.  So, I've modified the recipe by taking out the bacon and substituting vegetable stock for dark chicken stock.  The soup may not end up as dark and subtle as that made by Anthony Bourdain when he worked at Les Halles, but it does create a tasty french onion soup that everyone, carnivore and vegetarian, can enjoy.

One final note, the cheese you use should be Gruyere cheese, as that is the traditional cheese used in french onion soup.  You can usually find Gruyere at Whole Food Markets or similar stores.  

FRENCH ONION SOUP
Adapted from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook
Serves 12

Ingredients:

18 tablespoons of unsalted butter

15 medium sized Vidalia or sweet onions, sliced thinly

8 tablespoons of port

8 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

3 quarts vegetable stock

1 big bouquet garni (4 sprigs flat parsley, 8 sprigs fresh thyme and 4 bay leaves)

24 baguette croutons

18 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

Directions:

1.  In a large pot, heat the butter over medium heat until it is melted and begins to brown.  Add the onions and cook over medium heat until they are soft and browned (at least twenty minutes).  The onions should be an even, dark color.  But, realistically, when you are working with a large amount of onions, it is very difficult to get the onions to a dark color.  So, when the onions have become really soft, it is okay to go on to the next step. 

2.  Increase the heat to medium high and stir in the port and balsamic vinegar.  Deglaze the bottom of the pot, scrapping the brown bits and incorporating them into the liquid.  Add the vegetable stock and bouquet garni.  A bouquet garni is basically 1 sprig of parsley, two sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf.  However, I usually use several sprigs of parsley, even more sprigs of thyme and three to four bay leaves. to give a little boost to the flavor of the soup.

3.  Bring the soup to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for about forty-five minutes.

4.  Remove the bouquet garni.  Ladle the soup into individual oven-safe bowls or crocks.  Float two croutons in each bowl and place a heaping (but even) amount of cheese on top.

5.  Place the bowls or crocks into an oven preheated to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Leave the bowls in the oven until the cheese melts.

Making french onion soup is not easy and I still have to work at making this soup before I can say that I've mastered it.  While my french onion soup would probably not make the menu at Les Halles, it is well liked by my family and friends.  And, in the end, that is what really counts....

ENJOY!

For more information about Vidalia onions, check out the Vidalia Onion Committee or Wikipedia.

La Mozza Aragone (2006)

Back in 2001, three individuals -- Lidia Bastianich, Joe Bastianich and Mario Batali -- founded La Mozza, a vineyard located in the Maremma region of Tuscany, Italy.  The vineyard, which has about 100 acres is near Scansano, southwest of Montalcino and just ten miles from the shores of the Tyhrrenian Sea.  This triumvirate of food and wine leaders choose the Maremma region because it sits outside of the DOC and DOCG regions in Italy.  (For more about DOC and DOCG, check out my review of the Frescobaldi Nipozzano Reserva.)  In Mario Batali's view, this location provides the vineyard to be more flexible and creative with the wines, particularly when it comes to incorporating grapes other than Sangiovese grapes.  La Mozza expresses that creativity by incorporating other Mediterranean grapes, such as Alicante, Petit Verdot and Syrah grapes.

La Mozza's Aragone is a blend of those Mediterranean grapes.  The exact breakdown of the grapes is 40% Sangiovese, 25% Alicante, 25% Syrah and 10% Carignan.  Indigenous yeasts are used during the fermentation process, which is followed by aging in tonneaux. 

The wine pours a nice cherry red.  There is a lot of fruit on the bouquet of the wine, such as cherries and raspberries and, maybe, a little plum.  Those fruit also are very prominent in the taste of the wine as you drink it. 

The name "Aragone" is a tribute to the Aragons of Spain, who, along with the Medici family of Florence, ruled over the Maremma region.  The label represents an aerial view of Fort Stella, a military fort built by the Aragons in the 15th century in Port Ercole.

This is one of the best Italian wines that I have had.  It is very drinkable, which means that before you know it you have gone through the glass and you are looking for the bottle to get a re-fill.  The wine sells for $40.00 per bottle.  This wine was available at VinoMatique in Berea, Ohio, but, unfortunately, it had to close its doors.  Once again, I will miss that wine store, but I am grateful for being able to purchase the wine from VinoMatique when I had the chance.

Moreover, only 1,200 cases of Aragone are produced per year. So, if you have been as fortunate as me to find this wine, buy it immediately.  You will not be disappointed!

ENJOY!

For more information, check out Mario Batali's website or Bastianich Winery.

The Bolek Family Standing Rib Roast

The centerpiece of the Bolek's Christmas dinner is the standing rib roast, which is a truly amazing cut of beef.  A full rib roast is seven ribs, from the sixth rib to the twelfth rib of the cow.  Each rib will have enough meat to serve about two people and the full standing rib roast is about fifteen pounds. And it is called a "standing rib roast" because the beef "stands" on the ribs while it is roasted.

Traditionally, when we order a rib roast, we should ask for the butcher to separate the bones from the meat and then tie everything back together.  The separation of the bones from the meat will make the carving of the roast much easier when it is done.

For years, my mother made the rib roast and every year she would make an excellent roast.  The origins of this recipe come from a butcher at a local grocery store, who used to work for a local steakhouse.  The butcher told my mom that, at that steakhouse they would use dried french onion soup mix, like Lipton's, during the cooking process.  More specifically, after searing the meat at a high temperature, you take the out and use the dried onion soup mix as a rub, thoroughly rubbing the mix all over the meat.  You return the roast to the stove at a reduced heat to cook.  The result is that the soup mix will create a very tasty crust.

When I started making this roast, I decided to add some additional flavors to the onion soup mix.  I usually add fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, fresh or ground garlic, and other herbs and spices. 

STANDING RIB ROAST

A Bolek Family Recipe
Serves 10-15

Ingredients:

10 pounds of standing rib roasts, with bones

3-4 packs of dried onion soup mix

1/2 package of fresh rosemary, chopped finely

1/2 package of fresh thyme, chopped finely

1/4 cup of fresh garlic, minced or 3-4 tablespoons ground garlic.

Ground pepper, to taste

Salt, to taste

Directions:

1.   Sear the rib roast.  Heat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.  At this point, you want to sear the meat to lock in the juices for the long, dry heat of the cooking process.  Place the rib roast in a roasting pan, with a little water on the bottom of the pan, and put in the oven for about forty minutes. When you pull out the roast, you want to see the roast stating to brown.

2.  Prepare the rub for the rib roast.  While the rib roast is searing in the oven, it is time to prepare the rub.  Combine the packs of dried onion soup mix, rosemary, thyme and garlic, along with ground pepper and salt.  Make sure that everything is mixed thoroughly. 

3.  Add the rub to the rib roast.  Remove the roast from the oven and place on top of the oven.  Take small handfuls of the rub and begin to rub the all of the meat.  Be careful when doing this because both the rib and the roasting pan will be very hot.  Use all of the rub and try to get the rub on all sides.  

4.  Continue to cook the roast. Lower the temperature of the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Return the rib roast to the oven, covered, to cook for about three hours.  I usually try to cook it for about two and one-half hours initially, and then check the temperature.    About once per hour, you should baste the roast with the juices; however, do not keep the roast open for long, as that will prolong the cooking.

5.  Let the roast rest.  When the roast has reached about 125 to 130 degrees, which between rare and medium rare, I pull the roast out and let it rest for about fifteen minutes.  The roast will continue to cook and increase about ten degrees.  (I like the rib roast to have a good pink center to it.)

Generally speaking, 120-125 degrees is rare, 130-135 degrees is medium rare, 140-145 degrees is medium, 150-155 is medium well and 160 plus is overdone (at least in my opinion). I have to say that when you cook with a gas range, as opposed to an electric one, the cooking times may be a little less and you may want to check the roast more often during the cooking process to make sure that it does not overcook.

ENJOY!