Joel Gott Wines Zinfandel (2008)

The name -- Joel Gott Wines -- has always had a familiar ring.  It was one of those names that I know that I've heard before, but I just could not remember when or where.  But when I saw a bottle of Joel Gott Zinfandel at my local Whole Foods, I decided to buy a bottle and do a review.  The goal was to find where I had first heard of the winemaker.  I ended up learning a lot more ... and, all the while, I enjoyed a great wine.

Joel Gott has been identified by Wine Spectator with "Robin Hood winemaking."  Gott purchased the sixteen acre plot of land that was originally a chicken farm, but later became one of the wineries of Sutter Home wines, or, as the Wine Spectator put it, "the House that Zin built."  Gott arranged the purchase of the site with the goal of wine makers pooling resources, sharing equipment and producing artisan wines.  The "Robin Hood" part is that Gott planned on leasing the tanks to larger winemakers and using the proceeds to provide the smaller winemakers with the opportunity to make their wines.

But I am not interested in their wines, at least at this time.  I wanted to try the Joel Gott Zinfandel.  Generally, Zinfandel wines are very intense in terms of the fruit, both in the nose and on the palate.  The nose of Joel Gott's Zinfandel wine is heavy on the blackberries laced with a little black pepper.  The taste of his wine is full of fruit, with blackberries, dark cherries and some spice. The ABV of this wine, as with many Zinfandel wines, is a little higher than your average wine, at 14.4% ABV.  But, you easily forget about that as you sip a very drinkable wine.

When it comes to pairing a wine like this Zinfandel, think red meat, like beef, lamb, venison and other game.  I think this wine would go well with my grass-fed strip steak with watercress chili salad or with a bistecca alla fiorentina.  This wine also goes well with aged cheeses, like blue cheese and aged hard cheeses. 

I am generally not a big fan of Zinfandels, but I really like this wine.  It transcends other Zinfandels that I have tried in the past and it is definitely one that I would have again.  I found this bottle at my local Whole Foods for about $16.99 a bottle and it should also be available at wine stores. 

ENJOY!

Grass Fed Strip Steak with Watercress Chili Salad and Citrus Dressing

My beautiful wife, Clare, is always trying to get me to eat my vegetables, which is quite a task given that I am a committed carnivore.  She has made inroads, because I definitely eat more vegetables than I ever did in the past. I've also come to realize that I need to eat more vegetables to have a healthy, balanced diet, but it is hard.  Really hard.

So, when I decided to make a steak, I decided that I would make a salad as a side.  It could not be any salad.  I am not a big fan of iceberg lettuce or other basic leafy greens.  So, when it came to what kind of vegetable I would use for my salad, my thoughts turned to watercress, a semi-aquatic leaf vegetable that, according to Wikipedia, is one of the oldest vegetables consumed by people.  Also, as explained on Wikipedia, watercress is related to garden cress and mustard, and all three are noted for their peppery, tangy flavors.

With the lettuce question solved, I still needed to make the salad appealing to me and, the easiest way to do that is to incorporate chiles and citrus.  So, I bought a red chili, along with a lemon, lime and orange, and I had the basic ingredients to make a Watercress Chili Salad with Citrus Dressing.  Remember, I made this salad for myself, and I love spicy, peppery foods, so this salad has quite a kick to it.  But, if you like chiles like I do, then you could give this recipe a try.

GRASS FED STRIP STEAK WITH

WATERCRESS CHILI SALAD AND CITRUS DRESSING

Serves 2

A Chef Bolek Original

Ingredients:
1 grass fed strip steak (about 3/4 of a pound)
1 bunch of watercress
1 red chile, sliced very thinly
1 garlic, finely diced
1 lemon (zest 1/2 of the lemon)
1 lime (zest 1/2 of the lime)
1 orange (zest 1/4 of the orange)
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
Ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Cook the steak.  Salt and pepper the steak liberally on all sides.  Cook the steak in the broiler for about seven minutes on one side, flip and cook for about another five minutes or until it is done to your desired level (medium rare, medium, etc.).

2.  Prepare the watercress and dressing.  While the steak is cooking, trim the watercress.   Juice the lemon, lime and orange into a bowl.  Add the zest from the fruit to the juice.  Add the garlic and sliced chile.  Whisk in the olive oil until it is incorporated with the citrus juice.  Salt and pepper to taste.

3.  Plate the dish.  Slice the steak and arrange the slices.  Pour some of the dressing over the salad and mix thoroughly.  (Add more dressing if you like.)  Plate the salad.

ENJOY!

Seafood Gumbo, John Besh Style

I wanted to make a nice meal for my beautiful wife, Clare, inspired by Mardi Gras.  While I have eaten many a dish of etoufee and gumbo in my time, I have never made these dishes, or, for that matter, any Creole or Cajun dish.  I thought this had to change, beginning with my first attempt to make gumbo. 

I combed through a lot of recipes on my free time, trying to find  one that would be fairly easy for a novice like myself, but remain true to the culture that underlies the dish.  After a while, I came across a blogger who posted a recipe for seafood gumbo by John Besh.  A native of New Orleans, Besh has dedicated himself to the cuisine of Southern Louisiana.

However, I did not find just any John Besh, seafood gumbo recipe.  I had found the "Gumbo for the Gulf" recipe.  The "Gumbo for the Gulf" was a campaign that called upon cooks to host parties and cook gumbo for their guests, all the while raising money to help families in the Gulf region who were devastated by the spill.  John Besh donated this recipe to that campaign.  So, I had stumbled upon a recipe that had been used for a very good cause, something that is generally, and in this particular case, personally important to me.

With the recipe in hand, I had to turn my attention to the ingredients.  Besh's recipe calls for use blue crabs and andouille sausage.  I could not get the first ingredient in a cost efficient manner for just the two of us (live blue crabs are very expensive) and I could not use the second ingredient because Clare does not eat meat.  (Fortunately, she eats fish and seafood.)  Also, despite checking two different stores, I could not find any okra.  Consequently, I had to make a few tweaks to the ingredients called for in recipe.

I also made one other modification to John Besh's recipe.  The original recipe serves ten people, and I was only cooking for two.  To make matters a little more difficult, some ingredients, like lump crab meat, are sold in 8 ounce containers.  The original recipe called for 1 pound of crab meat (16 ounces).  I could not just buy 1/5 of a pound of lump crab meat.  So, in the end, I decided to cut the recipe in half, hoping that, if I was to prepare the dish properly, we could have some delicious leftovers for lunch. 

In preparing the dish, I confronted the notable characteristic of my style of cooking ... the emphasis on the protein.  As you can see from the pictures, I heaped a lot of catfish, crab meat, crawfish, oysters and shrimp into the bowl.  While a mass of this seafood is usually not considered a negative, it overshadowed the broth, which was the culmination of the first successful attempt on my part to get a roux to reach the appropriate shade of dark brown that is mandated by gumbo lovers throughout the Gulf region. 

So, with all of the changes I noted above, I can't say that this is John Besh's gumbo recipe (nor do I think he would want me to say that given my gumbo falls far short of the gumbo that he would make).  So, I will refer to this dish in the style of the original Iron Chef program.  Whenever an Iron Chef would make a dish inspired by a style of cooking or a place, they would refer to the dish in a particular way, noting it prepared in a certain style.  Along those lines, I present to you, Seafood Gumbo, John Besh style.

SEAFOOD GUMBO, JOHN BESH STYLE

Adapted from a recipe by John Besh from My New Orleans: A Cookbook

     by John Besh, Andrews/McMeel Publishing and reprinted on the

     Gulf State Organizer's blog
Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup flour

1 large onion diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/2 cup sliced okra

1 clove garlic, minced

1 sprig of thyme, leaves only

1 1/2 quarts of seafood stock

1 bay leaf

1/2 pound of shrimp (preferably American)

1/2 cup of lump crab meat

8 ounces of shucked oysters

1/2 cup of crawfish meat

1 pound of catfish, cut into bite size pieces

1/2 cup of minced green onions

Salt, to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste

Basic Creole spices (see recipe below)

Worcestershire sauce

Tabasco

1 cup cooked rice

Directions:

 1.  Make the roux.  Heat the canola oil in a large cast iron or heavy bottomed pot over high heat.  Whisk the flour into the hot oil.  It will immediately begin to sizzle.  Reduce the heat to moderate and continue whisking until the roux takes on a deep brown color, about ten minutes.

Making the roux.

2.  Saute the onions.  Add the onions and continue to stir with a wooden spoon, incorporating the onions into the roux.  Reduce the heat and continue to stir for another five to seven minutes, until the roux is a rich dark brown.

Trying to get that rich, dark brown color.

3.  Saute the other vegetables.  Add the celery, bell peppers, garlic and okra.  Increase the heat to moderate and continue to cook and stir for a couple of minutes.

Celery, bell peppers and garlic.  I wish I had okra.

4.  Create the soup.  Add the thyme, seafood stock and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally and cook for about twenty five minutes at a simmer.

With seafood stock.  Even better with homemade stock.

5.  Add the spices and protein.  Add the Creole spices and taste to make sure that you have just the right amount.  Then, add the catfish first.  Stir gently.  After about three minutes, add the oysters.  Continue to stir gently.  After about one to two minutes, add the shrimp.  Continue to stir and then add the crab and crawfish.  Add the Worcestershire and Tabasco.  Allow the seafood to cook for about two to three minutes more and then take off the heat. 

My favorite seafood ... Crab, Oysters, Shrimp, Crawfish and Catfish

6.  Plate the dish.  Spoon some rice into bowls.  Serve the gumbo over the rice.

And, last but not least, the recipe for basic Creole spices.  One note, I upped the cayenne pepper because I like things spicy.  For those who do not like the heat, just add 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper:

BASIC CREOLE SPICE

Adapted from a recipe by John Besh from My New Orleans: A Cookbook

     by John Besh, Andrews/McMeel Publishing and reprinted on the

     Gulf State Organizer's blog 

Makes 1/4 cup

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of celery salt
1/2 tablespoon of sweet paprika
1/2 tablespoon of coarse sea salt
1/2 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon of onion powder
1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice.

Directions:
Mix all of the ingredients together.

As I noted above, I ended up plating a lot of catfish, oysters, crawfish and shrimp, which obscured the very good broth that lies underneath. In doing so, I learned something from this endeavor ... Clare and I need to invite people over for gumbo, so I can divide the protein and rice between more bowls for hungry guests and, in the process, show off the broth. If the recipe turns out as well as it did when I made it this time, I think there will be no shortage of people willing to eat it!

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday.  And, of course,

ENJOY!

Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus Classic

Austrian ...  malt ... liquor.  One would not ordinarily put those three words together.  However, leave it to a brewery who can date itself back to 999 A.D. and has been brewing on a commercial basis since 1681 to tie those words together.  Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg is the oldest family owned brewery in Austria and, in a land that stands in the shadow of Germany's many beers, this brewery makes a truly stand out beer.  I mean, malt liquor.

Samichlaus is "Santa Claus" in Swiss German and the name speaks of the seasonal nature of the beer. The beer is brewed only one day a year -- on December 6 or the day of Saint Nicholas.  The brewers produce this beer in the style of a Bavarian dopplebock. the characteristics of a dopplebock emphasize strong maltiness and richness in both the nose and the taste.  However, the Samiclaus is no ordinary doppelbock.

As the legendary beer hunter Michael Jackson once noted, "it takes almost a year of slow secondary fermentation to develop the full strength of Samichlaus," adding can think of no other beer that has such a long period of cold storage (in German, lagering). Nor could the location of the cellars be more appropriate. The whole of the brewery is set into the foothills of the Alps, where the technique of lagering was born (though that was, it must be conceded, on the more easterly side of the mountains in Bavaria)."  Check out this website for more about Michael Jackson's view of this beer. 

Labeling itself as "l'une des bieres les plus fortes au monde" (or one of the strongest beers in the world), the Samichlaus takes all of the features of a doppelbock to the extreme.  The beer pours not like any beer, but more like a hard liquor.  The only thing betraying the hard liquor appearance is the off-white foam from the beer.  The nose of the beer is very boozy, with intertwining scents of maple syrup and molasses. The scent of the beer is very rich and warns the drinker to proceed with caution.

As you drink this beer, the flavors surpass most barleywines in terms of the alcohol (it is 14% ABV) and the complexity of the taste.  The Samichlaus is probably as close as a beer can come to hard liquor, something to be sipped and enjoyed slowly.  The body of this beer is full, the taste is very boozy, but smooth and soothing as you drink it.  The beer has a sweetness from the malts, as well as the taste of vanilla and candied sugar, with a faint hint of oak (although, to my knowledge, this beer does not age in oak). 

While I would ordinarily try to offer food pairing suggestions, I think this beer is good just by itself.  This is a beer that you enjoy after you have eaten, like a digestif. 

This beer is available at beer stores that have a fairly large international beer section.  It sells for about $20 a four pack or about the same amount for a 22 ounce bottle.  I purchased a four pack at State Line Liquors but I have seen the 22 ounce bottle at Whole Foods.

ENJOY!

Sauteed Rainbow Swiss Chard with Parmigiano Reggiano

An interesting fact ... Swiss chard did not originate in Switzerland; instead, it probably originated in Sicily.  This leafy vegetable, which is a descendant of the sea beet, is very common in both French and Italian cuisines.  So, how exactly did it get the name, "Swiss chard"?   The answer lies probably with seed catalogers in the 1800s, who gave the vegetable its name in order to distinguish it from French spinach varieties.   

Although catalogers sought to distinguish Swiss chard from spinach, the two vegetables share one thing in common ... they are very nutritious.  Swiss chard has a lot of vitamins A, C and K. It also more than thirteen polyphenol antioxidants, including kaempherol, which, according to medical studies, reduces the chance of certain types of cancer (like lung and pancreatic cancer) when consumed as part of a healthy diet.  Swiss chard also has syringic acid, which is believed to aid in the  regulation of blood sugar levels.

For me at least, there is a significant obstacle between all of that goodness and my stomach ... namely the bitterness of the raw vegetable.  I have learned to overcome this bitterness by sauteing chard, usually with a little butter and oil, along with other liquids, such as a dry white wine.  When I came across this recipe, it reminded me of the few times that I have made this vegetable in the past.  The recipe calls for the use of Parmesan cheese; and followers of this blog know that whenever a recipe calls for Parmesan, I only use Parmigiano Reggiano.  However, you can feel free to use other Parmesan cheese or other cheeses when making this recipe.

SAUTEED RAINBOW SWISS CHARD WITH PARMIGIANO REGGIANO
Adapted from Allrecipes.com 
Serves about 4

Ingredients:
1 bunch of rainbow Swiss chard (substitute regular Swiss Chard)
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/2 cup of dry white wine
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (like Parmigano Reggiano)
     (plus more to garnish)
Salt, to taste

Directions:

1.  Cut the stems and center ribs out of the leaves and dice the stems and center ribs.  Coarsely chop the leaves.

2. Melt the butter and olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Stir in garlic and onion, and continue to saute until the onions become translucent, which should take about five minutes.  Add the chard stems and white wine and continue to saute until they soften, which should take an additional five minutes.

3.  Sir in the chard leaves and cook until they become wilted.  Stir in the lemon juice and cheese and season with salt.

ENJOY!

For more information about Swiss chard, check out Wikipedia and World's Healthiest Foods.

Daleside Brewery Morocco Ale

Clare and I were checking out a new beer store in Silver Spring when I came across a beer called "Morocco Ale."  My first thought was that the beer could not actually be from Morocco.  I did not think there could be any craft brewers in a country where the predominant majority of citizens are Muslim, a faith that prohibits the consumption of alcohol. 

In fact, Morocco is England, or, more specifically, south Cumbria, where there is Levens Hall.  Originally, it was a medieval tower built by the de Redman family of the Yealand Redmayne.  In the late 1500s, the Bellingham family acquired the land and built a large residence, which incorporated the medieval tower.  About one hundred years later, Colonel James Grahme of Levens acquired the property and the residence, which became known as Levens Hall. 

So what is the connection between Levens Hall and a beer called Morocco Ale?  The recipe is believed to have originated around the time that Colonel Grahme of Levens was a courtier in the Court of King James II.  According to legend, Grahme called the beer "Morocco" because of the Moors who visited the court when Catherine Braganza married Charles II.  Part of Catherine's dowry included the city of Tangiers, which is located in present-day Morocco.  The legend behind this beer continues ... during the English Civil War, someone buried the recipe in the gardens of Levens Hall, near some evergreen trees.  It was eventually recovered and used to brew beer for special occasions. 

Today, the beer is brewed by Daleside Brewery for Levens Hall. Despite the history of the recipe, this beer is not an Old Ale.  Instead, I think it is better described as an English Brown Ale.  The beer pours a very dark brown, with an off-white foam.  The nose of the beer is not very hoppy, but more malty and sweet in character.  The malt also provides the predominant flavor of the beer, accompanied by sweeter flavors of caramel and, to a lesser degree, toffee.  The ABV of this beer is 5.5%

The flavors of this beer are milder than some other English Brown Ales that I have tried.  I think that, based upon the flavors in the beer, the Morocco Ale can be paired with hamburgers, stews or chili.  I also think this ale could be paired with roast beef and mashed potatoes, which could make for a classic British meal.  I'm sure that there are other pairings that could work well with this beer.  

Overall, this is a good beer.  It is available for $4.99 a bottle at Fenwick Beer and Wine in Silver Spring.

ENJOY!

For more about Levens Hall, check out its website.  

Grass-Fed Ribeye with Bone Marrow Mushrooms and Parmigiano Reggiano

Red meat gets a bad rap.  There are a lot of studies out there that say eating red meat is not good for your health.  Yet, if you make certain choices, you can actually enjoy a steak that can also be healthy.  For example, as I have mentioned in a previous post, I always try to buy grass fed beef, because it has more Omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for a healthy diet.  One can add to the health benefits of eating red meat with the ingredients used in the dish.  For example, from what I have read, beef bone marrow is high in protein and monounsaturated fats, which are supposed to lower your LDL cholesterol levels. 

Previously, I tried my hand at cooking beef bone marrow as part of my Iron Chef challenge.  It was my first effort at roasting the bones, extracting the marrow and then using it as an ingredient in three different dishes.  Although I think I did okay for a beginner, I have always wanted to use this ingredient in different ways, seeing what I could do to impart the flavor of the marrow to other ingredients. 

For this dish, I decided to use bone marrow in making a topping for a grass-fed ribeye.  I first roasted the marrow in the traditional way.  After removing the marrow from the bone, I used it in place of oil or butter to saute oyster and shiitake mushrooms with various herbs and spices.  Generally, if you overcook marrow, it reduces to a liquid; however, that is exactly what I wanted for this recipe.  The bone marrow would become the liquid in which I would cook the mushrooms, which would soak up the liquified bone marrow as they cook.  When the mushrooms were done, and the ribeye was almost done, I topped the ribeye with the mushrooms and a good amount of Parmigiano Reggiano.   I finish the ribeye off under the broiler, allowing the cheese to melt into the mushrooms and begin to brown.  The end result is a very decadent, but somewhat "healthy," topping for the ribeye. 

GRASS-FED RIBEYE WITH BONE MARROW MUSHROOMS

AND PARMIGIANO REGGIANO

A Chef Bolek Original
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

6 marrow bones

1 pound of grass-fed ribeye

3.5 ounces of oyster mushrooms

8 ounces of shiitake mushrooms

4 cloves of garlic, diced

2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, chopped finely

2 tablespoons of fresh sage, chopped finely

1 tablespoon of fresh thyme

1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon of mixed peppercorns, cracked

Salt, to taste

Ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions:

1.  Roast the marrow bones.  Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cook the marrow bones for 30 minutes.  Remove the bones from the oven and remove the marrow from the bones into a bowl.

2.  Begin to cook the ribeye.  Start the broiler.  Salt and pepper the ribeye to taste.  Place the ribeye into the broiler and cook for about eight each side.

3.  Saute the mushrooms.  Add the bone marrow to a pan on high heat.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about two minutes.  Add the mushrooms, rosemary, sage, thyme, cracked peppercorns and crushed red pepper.  Cook for about ten minutes.

4.  Add the mushrooms of the ribeye steak.  After flipping the ribeye and about five minutes into the cooking of the second side of the ribeye, add the mushrooms and top with the Parmigiano Reggiano.  Return to the broiler to cook for three minutes and perhaps more until the cheese begins to melt and brown.  When that starts to happen, remove the steak.  Let rest for a few minutes and then serve.

My mouth is continuing to drool as I finish this blog post and I wished that I had more of both the mushrooms and cheese (as well as the ribeye).  Although I am still learning how to use this ingredient, I really love cooking with bone marrow.  Not only will I make this dish again, but I will also think of new ways to use bone marrow in other recipes.

ENJOY!

San Lorenzo Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (2008)

One night when Clare and I were at one of our favorite restaurants, Cesco Trattoria, we decided to order a glass of wine with our dinner instead of a bottle.  We both ordered a glass of San Lorenzo Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and we both loved the wine.  Since that night, I've been able to find this wine in various stores, like a nearby wine and beer store and Whole Foods.  Whenever I make a meal inspired by Abruzzo, the region in Italy from where my mother's relatives emigrated when they came to the United States, I usually serve this wine.

The Montepulciano grape is grown in many parts of Italy; however, the grape known as Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from Emilia-Romagna to Apulia.  The Denominazione di Origine Controllata for Montepulciano d'Abruzzo -- one of more than forty DOCs established for the Montepulciano grape -- was created in 1968.  The Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOC covers most of Abruzzo and parts of Molise and Le Marche.  The rules of this particular DOC permit winemakers to make a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo with at least 85% of the Montepulciano grapes, blending up to 15% of Sangiovese grapes with the wine.  In addition, a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva must be aged for two years, with six months of the aging in wood.

Located outside of Madonna degli Angeli, San Lorenzo Wines produces its Montepulciano d'Abruzzo entirely from the Montepulciano grapes.  This Montepulciano d'Abruzzo has characteristics of very earthy wines, such as a Syrah.  Although generally a young wine when consumed, it pours a nice deep ruby red. The nose and aromatic elements of this wine bespeak of many deep fruits, like blackberries, plums, and dark cherries.  Those fruit elements are very forward in the taste of the wine, hence my comparison of the wine to a Syrah.  There are definitely cherries and blackberries, but I also get a little earthiness and spice in the wine. 

The winemaker recommends this wine be paired with red meat and game, as well as strong cheeses.  Given the strong fruit character of this wine, I think the winemaker's recommendations are good selections.  However, I think this wine could also be paired with pastas, such as Maccheroni alla Chitarra or other pastas with red sauces.  This wine would also bring out the flavors of the meatballs or sausage served with the pasta.  

This wine is one of my favorites and, what makes it even better is that it can be found for $9.99 or $10.99 a bottle.

ENJOY!

For more about Montepulciano d'Abruzzo grapes, check out Intowine.

Yellowhammer Brewing Belgian White Ale

Along with tens of thousands of Alabama football fans, my wife often chants "Rammer Jammer, Yellowhammer, give them hell Alabama" when watching the Crimson Tide roll over their opponents.  Very recently, I learned that the Yellowhammer is the state bird of Alabama.  And even more recently, while having dinner one night at J. Clyde in Birmingham, I learned that there is a brewery called Yellowhammer Brewing, which is located in Huntsville, Alabama. 

Yellowhammer Brewing is a relatively new craft brewery in a state that is not widely known for its craft beer.  Yellowhammer prides itself on its "European tradition" while remaining "uniquely American."  From what I can find on the Internet, the brewer makes only a handful of beers, such as American IPA and Altbier.  On that night at J. Clyde, I had the opportunity to try Yellowhammer's Belgian White Ale.

As you can see from the picture, the beer has a pale gold color when poured.  Yellowhammer Brewing describes the beer as being produced with ginger and lime leaves.  The nose of the beer heavily emphasizes the ginger.  The ginger flavor is also very prominent in the taste of the beer, so much so that the flavors somewhat morph to take on characteristics of lemon or lemongrass.  Other flavors like grass, wheat and lime play supporting roles in the taste of the beer.  The beer is very crisp, dry and refreshing, with an ABV of 4.8%, that will not overwhelm the drinker.

I enjoyed this beer and would definitely recommend it to people who like wit beers and hefeweizens.  Now, I know about a Yellowhammer, both the bird and the beer.  If I can only learn what in the world is a "rammer jammer" and how it relates to a Yellowhammer.

ENJOY!

Farfalle con le Polpette del Granchio

When my parents were in town, I wanted to make a unique meal for them, but I was not sure what to make.  I have previously made them pasta with lamb meatballs, as well as seafood risotto.  Those meals are based upon recipes and I wanted to do something that I could say was my own creation.  I started with the pasta and meatballs as a springboard, from which I would develop my own dish.  I was confronted immediately with my first obstacle: my wife does not eat meat and meatballs are traditionally either beef, a combination of meats (beef, veal and pork) or, my personal favorite, lamb.  I needed a substitute for the meat in the meatballs.

The first ingredient that immediately came to mind is crab meat.  I've made many a crabcake in my time and so I understood the basics of the meat with binding ingredients (bread crumbs, eggs, etc.).  However, I would need to alter the basic crabcake recipe, by excluding ingredients such as Worchestire Sauce and mustard, because they would not go well with a pasta dish.  After a lot of thought, I had in mind my own recipe for crab meatballs or, as they would say in Italy, Polpette del Granchio.

With the crab meatballs figuratively in hand, I turned my attention to the pasta.  I really did not have the time to make pasta by hand.  Although I would love to make handmade pasta for my parents, I wanted to spend the time with them, rather than over a pasta board.  As followers of this blog know, I don't buy pasta that I can make or have made by hand.  So, not only did I have to buy a pasta that I could not make on my own, but I had to also buy a pasta that I think would go well with the meatballs.

I had a pasta in mind but ultimately ended up going in a different direction.  My initial choice of pasta was orecchiette, also commonly referred to as "ears."  This pasta originates from the southern Italian region of Puglia or Apulia.  I've had this pasta before and I thought it would be something unusual, which would be a perfect complement to the unusual meatballs.  However, I could not find orecchiette in the store.  I came across a box of farfalle, or what are known as "bow-ties," which is a pasta that originated either in Lombardy or Emilia-Romagna.  The word farfalle actually derives its name from farfalla, which is the Italian word for "butterfly," and, if you focus on the pasta, that "bow-tie" shape can transform itself into a butterfly.

Finally, I turned my attention to the sauce.  Italians do not like a lot of sauce in their pasta; instead, they add just sauce enough to cover the pasta. I decided to make a relatively simple sauce using whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, diced onions, and some dried herbs and spices.  Sometimes the simplest of sauces work the best, as it did with this recipe.

Finally, while this is a dish of my own creation, I did have some help from my parents.  I had planned to add about 1/4 of a cup of Parmigiano Reggiano to use as a binding agent when making the crab meatballs, but in the rush of cooking, I forgot to add the cheese.  My father asked about the cheese and, realizing my omission, I needed to improvise.  I decided to roll the crab meatballs in Parmigiano Reggiano.  This last-minute step allows the crab meatballs to get a nice brown crust when sauteed in olive oil.

FARFALLE CON LE POLPETTE DEL GRANCHIO

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 4

Ingredients (for the Crab Meatballs):
1 pound of lump crab, picked and rinsed
1 cup of panko bread crumbs
2 eggs
2 tablespoons of crushed red pepper
3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients (for the Pasta):
1 box of farfalle 
Water, for the pasta

Ingredients (for the Sauce):
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced finely
1 can of whole peeled tomatoes
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon of dried basil
1/2 tablespoon of dried oregano
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
3 tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped
3 tablespoons of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions:

1.  Make the crab meatballs.  Beat the two eggs.  Add the crushed red pepper and the garlic.  Add the panko bread crumbs.  Mix well and then add the lump crab in small batches. Gently mix so as not to break up the crab too much.  Take the mixture and form balls in your hand, compressing them tightly.  Set each ball on wax paper and allow the crab balls to dry a little for about five minutes.  You should be able to make about twelve meatballs out of a pound of lump crab meat.

2.  Bread the meatballs.  Add the grated Parmigiano Reggiano to a small bowl.  Roll the crab meatballs in the Parmigiano Reggiano and try to coat all sides.

3.  "Brown" the meatballs.  Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium heat.  Saute the crab meatballs, in batches if necessary, turning gently until they begin to brown on most if not all sides.  Do not brown the meatballs too much.   Remove them from the pan.

4.  Make the sauce.  Seed the tomatoes and reserve the puree.  Heat the olive oil in a deep saute pan on high heat.  Add the onions and saute until translucent, about five to seven minutes.  Add the tomatoes, the puree and a little water to begin the sauce. Add the basil, oregano, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper.  Stir all of the ingredients well.  Reduce the heat and allow the sauce to simmer.  Add the crab meatballs to the sauce and spoon the sauce over the meatballs.

5.  Make the pasta.  Bring a pot of water to a boil  When the pot of water is boiling, add the farfalle.  Cook for about seven to ten minutes according to the instructions on the package.  Drain the water.

6.  Finish the sauce.  Remove the meatballs from the sauce and plate three meatballs at the center of each plate.  Once all of the meatballs have been removed, add about 1/2 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano to the sauce and stir until the cheese is incorporated into the sauce.  Add the farfalle to the sauce and stir until the sauce coats the pasta.  As you are stirring, incorporate the fresh basil and flat leaf parsley with the pasta and sauce.

7.  Plate the dish.  Plate the farfalle and spoon some sauce over the pasta.  Add a couple of the meatballs and serve immediately.

In the end, you have a dish that focuses itself directly on the crab meatballs.  The sauce is minimalist, but that is not only keeping in the Italian tradition, but it ensures that the sauce is not taking away any of the focus from the  meatballs.  If there was anything that I could do to improve this recipe, it may be to add a little more sauce by perhaps, for example, adding some more puree when I was making the sauce.  I might have been a bit too minimalist in this case.  In any event, I think it was a great dish.

ENJOY!