Chehalem Cerise (2006)

Chehalem is one of the many vineyards in Willamette Valley that produces great wines.  Located in Newberg, Oregon, which is located in the northern portion of Willamette Valley, Chehalem -- which is the Calapooia Indian word for the phrase "gentle land" or "valley of flowers" -- grows a wide range of grapes in its vineyards, including, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gruner Veltliner, and Gamay Noir.

The grapes are grown in three vineyards ... Corral Creek, Ridgecrest, and Stoller.  Ridgecrest is the oldest vineyard, where Pinot Noir grapes are primarily grown, along with Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gamay Noir and Riesling grapes.  The other vineyards also grow Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling.  The three vineyards provide Chehalem with over 360 plantable acres.

When Clare and I were in Oregon, we did not have a chance to visit those vineyards.  Instead, our tour guide took us to the Chehalem tasting room, which is located in Newberg, Oregon.   We had the opportunity to sample several of Chehalem's wines, all of which were very good.  And, after our visit, we left with a couple of bottles, including a bottle of the 2006 Cherise.

The Cherise differs from the typical wine produced in the Willamette Valley.  The most well known wines from the valley are Pinot Noirs, as that is the predominant grape grown through the region.  However, in the Cerise, the Pinot Noir grape plays a secondary role.  The principal grape is the Gamay Noir grape.  The Gamay Noir is primarily grown in France, in Beaujolais and along the Loire, near Tours, France.  The grape was introduced into Willamette Valley by Amity Vineyards, and it has spread throughout the valley, with growers producing wines like the Cherise.  Chehalem produces the Cherise with 80% Gamay Noir grapes and 20% Pinot Noir grapes. 

Unlike many of the Pinot Noirs that I've had (and I've had many), the Cherise pours a little lighter, with more ruby tones than burgundy tones.  The lighter color is also reflected in the taste, as the wine has a brighter flavor.  Rather than dark cherries, one is greeted by an intense cherry flavor.  The cherry flavor is followed by a small amount of pepper on the finish.  The end result is a very drinkable wine that is a little sweeter than expected. 

To the extent it is still available, you would need to go to Oregon or perhaps shop for it online.  For more information on Chehalem and its wines, check out the vineyard's website.

ENJOY!

Around the World in 80 Dishes: Mongolia

After tackling the culinary challenge in Greece, my adventures take me half-way around the world ... to Mongolia.  For me (and, I would guess, a lot of Americans), Mongolian cuisine conjures a certain image ... a cook standing over a flat top grill cooking meat and vegetables with some sort of sauce.  That image is derived from what "Mongolian" cuisine is in the United States.  While in college, I would go to Tony Cheng's in Gallery Place, which held itself out as an all-you-can-eat Mongolian Barbecue place.   Later it was BD's, which is a large chain of all-you-can-eat Mongolian Barbecue places.  At either Tony Chengs or BD's, customers choose their meat, vegetables and sauce, handing over the overflowing bowl to a cook who then cooked (or, in some cases, played) with the food until it was done.  The food was good, but it is not true Mongolian cuisine.  This concept of "Mongolian Barbecue" is more American than Mongolian.  Actually, it is more Japanese than either American or Mongolian, because the cooking style is actually patterned after Japanese Teppanyaki. 

True Mongolian barbecue involves something a little more basic, like Hoorhog, which involves heating stones to very high temperatures and stuffing the stones into a milk can, layering meat on top of the stones.  One then closes the can to allow the stones to cook the meat.  Or Boodog, which involves heating stones and placing those stones in the cavity of a goat that is tightly sealed to cook like the sheep in the Hoorhog recipe.  While I would love to try either of these recipes, I lack a metal milk can and, most likely, the patience of my neighbors because all of this type of cooking would have to be done in my back yard.

Yet, there were a wide range of other dishes available for me to make. I chose two dishes, a soup and a main course, for my personal culinary challenge. First, I made Guriltai Shol, which is a soup that, at least according to what I have read, is fairly common in Mongolian cuisine.  Second, I made Huushur, which are basically deep-fried meat dumplings.  Although both dishes are fairly simple when it comes to ingredients, the preparation requires some more skill, which, during the course of this challenge, I learned I still have to develop.

THE APPETIZER

Guriltai Shol is a soup of meat, vegetables and dough strips.  The key to the soup is the broth.  Mongolians make the broth using fatty meats, allowing the fat to flavor the broth.  Traditionally, this soup is made with mutton.  But mutton is not always available, so I decided to make the soup with the younger version ... lamb.  I bought lamb in the supermarket that included some bones, because the bones would also add to the flavor of the broth.

GURILTAI SHOL (MEAT AND DOUGH SOUP)

Adapted from e-Mongol.com  and Mongolfood.info
Serves 4 

Ingredients: 

1/2 pound lamb, cut into thin slices

1 onion chopped

1 carrot, sliced

2 1/4 cups of flour

1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of dried thyme

3/4 cup of Water

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

8 cups of water or more for the broth

Directions:

1.  Saute the vegetables.  Saute the onion in a pot with the vegetable oil.  Add the carrot and continue to saute until the onion is translucent and the carrots are softened.

2.  Saute the meat.  Add the lamb, salt and pepper.  Saute briefly, but do not let the lamb cook completely.

3.  Make the soup.  Add the water and bring it to a boil.  Then reduce the heat and let the soup simmer.  If you have lamb bones available, add the bones to give additional flavor to the broth.  Let it simmer for about 25 minutes.

4.  Make the dough strips.  Make the dough strips by adding flour to 3/4 cup of water.  Kneed until smooth.  Let the dough rest for about 15 minutes.  Knead the dough again.  Roll out the dough until it is thin.  Cut the dough into strips and sprinkle with flour to keep the strips separate.

5.  Add the dough strips and finish the soup.  Add the dough strips and continue the simmer for about five minutes.  The dough strips (with the flour) will work to thicken the soup.

6.  Plate the dish.  Spoon the soup into bowls and serve immediately.

This soup worked out well.  If there is one tip that I can give, it is to make sure that the pasta strips have enough flour on them or are completely separated from one another.  Otherwise they will stick together (as they did when I made the dish).  I tried to pull them apart, but that is very difficult.  As a result, the dish got a more "rustic" look.  

THE MAIN DISH

Hushuur is a meat dumping that is, as with the Guriltai Shol, made with fatty mutton or lamb.  To add to the artery-clogging nature of this dish, most recipes call for the hushuur to be deep-fried in animal fat.  A little wary of consuming that much fat and cholesterol, I decided to use ground lamb in the meat mixture and to deep fry the dumplings in vegetable oil.  

HUSHUUR (FRIED MEAT DUMPLINGS)

Adapted from Epicurious.com
Serves 4 

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground lamb

2 cloves of garlic, mashed into a paste

1 cup of minced onion

2 scallions, minced

1/4 cup of water

6-8 cups of vegetable oil

2 1/4 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup of water

Directions:

1.  Make the dough.  Make the dough by stirring together the flour and salt and then stirring in warm water until the dough forms.  Transfer to a floured surface and knead briefly.  Form into 14 or 16 balls of about one and one-half inch in size.  Let stand, covered by an inverted bowl, at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.

2.  Prepare the filling.  While the dough is resting, make the filling by stirring the lamb, onion, scallion, garlic, water together in a bowl.  

3.  Make the dumplings.  Roll out the dough balls into rounds on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin.

Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture to each round.
 

Fold the round to make a half-moon and flatten slightly.

Begin to seal the edges (I used a fork). Before sealing each half-moon completely, make sure the air is forced out.  

4.  Fry the dumplings.  Heat the oil on high (to 350 degrees Fahrenheit) in a wok.  Cook four dumplings at a time.  Drain the cooked dumplings and use a paper towel to remove any excess oil.  Put the dumplings in a preheated oven to keep warm while cooking the others.

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The Hushuur turned out well, especially considering this was the first time that I ever deep fried food outside of a restaurant.  Deep frying food is much easier with a large deep fryer and baskets.  It is a little more difficult when doing it with a wok.  Still, if I could change one think, I'd probably trim the edges of the Hushuur.  I did not do that this time because I wanted to leave them on to ensure that the dumplings cooked without breaking open. 

THE BEVERAGE

Finally, I decided at the last minute to make a beverage to go with the meal.  I found a recipe for Suutei Tsai, a Mongolian milk tea.  This is a fairly straightforward recipe, but I decided to use a short cut.  I used a green tea teabag and steeped the combined water/milk until it began to boil. 

SUUTEI TSAI (MILK TEA)

Adapted from Recipes Wiki
Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 cups water

2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tablespoon green tea

Directions:

1.  Boil the water.

2.  Add the tea and salt.  Then add the milk.

3.  Boil again and strain.  Serve warm.

*     *     *

In the end, I would say that I passed the culinary challenge in Mongolia.  I was pleased with the fact that I able to make a meal using the two principal ingredients in Mongolian cuisine, meat and milk.

Mongolian food is not very healthy, whether it is the use of fatty meat in the soup or the deep-frying of the Hushuur, but that is to be expected when you consider that they live on the steppes, where the fat is needed to help keep them warm.

If there is one thing that I came away with from this challenge, it is that Mongolian cuisine is much more than some high school age kid standing over a flat top stove playing with the ingredients you choose from a long bar-like counter.  I hope you come away with that same understanding.  Until next time....

ENJOY!

Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter

There is something to be said about a brewery whose motto is a quote from Hunter S. Thompson, "good people drink good beer." I think of myself as a good person.  And Flying Dog has some really good beers.  The brewery puts out a range of beers, including the "pack" of year-around beers and seasonal beers.  But it is the Canis Major series, beers like the Double Dog Double Pale Ale and the Horn Dog Barleywine that are true standouts.

Another standout Canis Major beer is the Gonzo Imperial Porter. A run-of-a-mill porter is generally dark, with some taste of roastiness, with flavors like chocolate, coffee, or caramel.  An Imperial Porter is usually pitch black, and very roasty, with substantial flavors of chocolate and coffee.  And that best sums up the Gonzo.

As you can see from the picture, it pours black, with a little foam.  The beer is smooth, but not subtle.  With every sip, you can taste the deep flavors of the beer, which come from the Crystal, Chocolate and Black malts used in the brewing process.  You can also taste the alcohol.  The beer's ABV is about 9.2%  The beer is also a little bitter, with an IBU of 85, coming from Warrior, Northern Brewer and Cascade hops.  Flying Dog increased the IBU by dryhopping the beer with, in the brewer's words, "a shitload of cascade hops."

Imperial porters are a rare breed.  Not every craft brewer makes this style and those who do, usually do it right.  Flying Dog does it right with this beer and I recommend it for those who like darker beers.  You can find this beer in stores that generally carry Flying Dog.

ENJOY!

Eliseo Silva Cabernet Sauvignon (2008)

Usually, I buy wine for the grape (like Petit Syrah or Montepulciano) or the region (such as Willamette Valley or Chianti Classico).  However, on a rare occasion, I'll buy a wine because of the label. So, a while back, I was perusing wines at Adega Wine Cellars and Cafe, a local wine bar/restaurant that also sells wine, and I saw this wine called Eliseo Silva.  The wine was dedicated to the Vineyard Manager of the Alice and Arete Vineyards of Tagaris Winery.  The label of a Cabernet Sauvignon that is from the Columbia Valley appellation and that is dedicated to an employee of a winery caught my attention and, hence, I decided to buy it.

The story behind Eliseo Silva is that he was the second youngest of twenty children, who came to the United States from Mexico at age 14.  When he went to work at Tagaris Vineyards, Eliseo worked his way up the ranks to become the Vineyard Manager.  The man with the "green thumb and golden shears" is responsible for two vineyards where the winery grows, not only Cabernet Sauvignon, but also Gewurtzraminer, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Malbec, Mourvedre, Petit Verdot, and Counoise, along with Syrah and Merlot.

The wine is a made with 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 2% Syrah from the Arete Vineyard.  This combination of grapes has produced a great wine.  The taste of the wine is deep and dark.  According to the winery, the wine has tastes of black cherries, black tea, leather and chocolate. While I can't say what leather tastes like, I can say that there are definitely black cherries and chocolate. 

This wine is definitely a great wine and, at $18.99, it is not too expensive.  The wine is available at Adega Wine Cellars and Cafe.

ENJOY!

For more about Eliseo Silva and the wine, check out this website.

Around the World in 80 Dishes: Greece

The eighth stop on my culinary adventure is Greece.  While Ethiopia may have been the birthplace of mankind, Greece is, in some ways, the birthplace of cooking.  In 320 B.C., Archestratos wrote the first cookbook.  Ancient Greek cuisine focused typically on wheat, olive oil and wine.  The use of meat was not common; instead, fish was the principal protein, which is to be expected given the large amount of coastlines and islands that are a part of Greece.  Oregano, parsley and dill are the principal herbs used in Greek cuisine.  Over time, more spices were introduced into Greek cooking, principally because of the country's geographic position between Europe and the Middle East.

THE APPETIZER

Returning to the present day, my personal challenge requires me to prepare a main dish; however, I wanted to make a Greek meal.  I decided to begin with a mezze, which is an individual plate designed to each provide a different eating experience.  Normally, one would have a couple of mezzes; however, given I have to make a main dish for my personal challenge, I decided to make only one.  The mezze is Domatokeftedes, a dish from Santorini of fried tomato fritters.  

DOMATOKEFTEDES

Adapted from Whats4eats.com

Serves 2-3 

Ingredients:
1 to 1 1/2 cup of fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 bunch of parsley, chopped
1/4 bunch of mint, chopped
2 scallions, minced
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
3/4 cup of flour
3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
Salt, to taste
Ground pepper to taste,
Olive oil for frying

Directions:

1.  Prepare the batter.  Mix the tomatoes, herbs, scallions, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Adjust seasoning to your tastes.  In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder together, then stir into the tomato mixture to make a batter.  If the batter is too thick, add a little water.  If it is too thin, add a little flour.

2.  Fry the Domatokeftedes.  Heat the olive oil on medium-high.  Drop small spoonfuls of the tomato mixture into the oil and flatten slightly. Watch for splattering.   Fry on one side until brown and then flip to brown on the other side.  Drain on paper towels.  Serve either immediately or at room temperature.

To accompany the Domatokeftedes, I decided to make some Tzatziki, which is a cucumber/yogurt sauce or meze that is typically identified with Greek cuisines (although there are variants of this sauce in Bulgarian, Turkish and Persian cuisines). The Tzatziki was a great dipping sauce for the Domatokeftedes.

TZATZIKI

Adapted from About.com

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 tablespoon of vinegar
1 clove garlic, diced finely
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of white pepper
1/2 cup of Greek yogurt, strained
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 cucumber, diced and seeded
1/2 teaspoon of fresh dill

Directions:

1.  Combine the olive oil, salt, garlic, vinegar and pepper in a bowl.

2.  In a separate bowl, blend the yogurt and sour cream with a whisk.  Then add the olive oil mixture and stir well.

3.  Add the cucumber and dill.  Continue to stir and then refrigerate for at least two hours.

THE MAIN DISH

For the main dish, I decided to make Psari Spetsiotiko or Fish Baked with Tomatoes and Breadcrumbs.  This dish is supposed to have originated in Spetses, which is fishing town southwest of Athens.  It is a simple fishing village food consisting of fish baked with breadcrumbs and a tomato sauce that includes parsley, honey and a few other ingredients. 

PSARI SPETSIOTIKO (FISH BAKED WITH TOMATOES 
AND BREADCRUMBS)
Adapted from Whats4eats.com
Serves 2-3 

Ingredients:

1 pound of fish fillets

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 cup of breadcrumbs

1/2 lemon, juice only
1-2 garlic cloves, diced finely

1 cup of crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup white wine

1 teaspoon of honey

1/8 cup of chopped parsley

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Prepare the fish.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spread the half of the olive oil in a baking dish large enough to hold all of the fish in a single layer.  Sprinkle half of the breadcrumbs over the bottom of the dish.  Lay the fish over the breadcrumbs.  Sprinkle the lemon juice over the fish.

2.  Prepare the sauce.  Heat the remaining olive oil over medium.  And the garlic and saute briefly for one minute.  Add the tomatoes, honey, wine, parsley, salt and pepper and simmer for about 5 minutes.  

3.  Cook the fish.  Pour the tomato sauce over the fish and sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs.  Bake in the oven until the fish is cooked through, about fifteen to 20 minutes, and the breadcrumbs have formed a golden crust.

THE SIDE DISH

Finally , I decided to make a vegetable side dish to accompany the Psari Spetsiotiko.  I wanted to challenge myself with the side dish, so I decided to make something with artichokes.  Artichokes have their place in Italian cuisine and I have read a lot about the use of artichokes in recipes.  They also have their place in Greek cuisine.  So, for the side dish, I decided to make Aginares Latheres (pronounced ahg-kee-NAH-rehs lah-theh-RES) or αγκινάρες λαδερές. 

AGINARES LATHERES (ARTICHOKES WITH VEGETABLES)

Adapted from About.com
Serves 2-3 

Ingredients:

1 carrot, cut in to thick slices

1-2 potatoes, cut into cubes

1 bunch of scallions (or 1 onion), chopped

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

1-2 tablespoons of fresh dill, finely chopped

1 1/2 lemons, juice only

1/2 tablespoon of flour

1 teaspoon of sea salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 to 1 1/4 cups of water

Directions:

1.  Prepare the artichokes.  Clean the artichokes by removing the outer leaves and the stems.  Cut off the top (down to just above the choke) and scoop out the choke with a spoon.  Trim off remaining leaves around the sides to leave just the pale colored heart.  Rub the artichoke hearts with lemon as soon as each is cleaned and immediately place the hearts in a bowl with water and half of the lemon juice.  This will prevent the artichoke hearts from turning black.

2.  Saute the vegetables.  In a soup pot, saute the scallions or onion until translucent.  Add the carrots and potatoes and continue to saute for about 5 minutes more.  Thereafter, add the artichoke hearts, dill, celery, salt, and pepper, continuing to stir.

3.  Add liquid and flour.  Add the remaining lemon juice to about 1/2 cup of water.  Add flour and continue to mix until smooth.  Add the mixture to the pot, stirring until it is mixed well with the vegetables.  Add the remaining water to cover the vegetables and bring to a boil.

4.  Finish cooking the vegetables.  Then reduce the heat so that the vegetables simmer.  Cover and let cook over low heat until the vegetables are done, after about one-half hour.

*     *     *

Overall, the Domatokeftedes (along with the Tzatziki) and the Psari Spetsiotiko were very good and I would definitely make these dishes again.  The Agineres Latheres did not turn out well, primarily because of my inexperience with cooking artichokes.  I did not include any pictures because I was not happy with the final product.  I included the recipe, which was reduced for two people, for anyone who wanted to try it.  You can also click on the about.com link to get the full recipe. I definitely intend to try cooking with artichokes in the future, but I think I need to do more preparation before attempting this Agineres Latheres or any other dish featuring artichokes in the future.

In the end, this may not have been my best meal (although I have to say again that the Domatokeftedes were very good), I think that it was definitely a good experience.  Well, until next time....

ENJOY!

To learn more on Greek cuisine, check out Wikipedia or Greek Food.

A Couple of Quick Post-Thanksgiving Thoughts

When I wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, I did not expect to do any cooking.  But, as it turned out, I did quite a bit of cooking over the weekend.  It was no bother, as I love to cook.  And, whenever I cook, I try to take away some lessons or new ideas.  And, after a couple days of cooking on Thursday and Friday nights, I came away with two things that I will keep in mind for the next Thanksgiving.

First, on Thanksgiving night, Clare's father, Frank, had the great idea of using the neck of the turkey, along with the organs (gizzard, liver and heart) to make a quick turkey stock.  I think most people simply throw those parts of the turkey away during the preparation of the turkey for the oven.  However, Frank and I were able to create a great turkey stock that has a lot of potential uses.  We used it to give the stuffing a great turkey flavor, substituting part of the water required by the recipe with the stock, creating the impression that the stuffing had been cooked inside the turkey.

QUICK TURKEY STOCK

Ingredients:
Turkey neck
Turkey innards (heart, liver, gizzard)
4 cups of water
1/2 cup of white wine
2 bay leaves
18 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon of dried thyme
Salt, to taste

Directions:
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan or pot and bring to a simmer. 

2.  Let the ingredients simmer for at least three or four hours, reducing the liquid by about half.

3.  Strain the liquid and set aside for use in the stuffing or other dishes.

One great benefit from this stock recipe that the meat from the neck, along with the organs, is very tasty, because they have been infused with the flavors from the stock.

Second, on Friday night, a couple of close family friends cooked a turkey for a large group of guests, who were also family and friends.  Their interesting twist to cooking the turkey was that they stuffed the cavity with grapefruit.  Generally, if you are not going to stuff a turkey with traditional stuffing, you need to add something in the cavity to prevent the turkey (especially the turkey breasts) from drying out during the cooking process.  I had heard of using oranges, lemons or limes to stuff the cavity, but never thought of using grapefruit.  What I can say is that the turkey was definitely moist.

Well, those are the quick culinary thoughts that I took from this past weekend.  I am very grateful to everyone who opened their homes for two great evenings, complete with delicious dinners and great times with family and friends. 

ENJOY!

Risotto dell'Aragosto con Zafferano

I've been wanting to make Saffron Lobster Risotto for Clare for some time.  I've made the dish for Clare a couple times in the past, but I had the urge to make it for her again.  And, I had a great opportunity recently because a local supermarket has been having a sale on lobster tails, $5.99 per 6 ounce tail.  So, I bought four tails and went to work on making the risotto. 

Generally, when I make this risotto I try to draw my inspiration from Abruzzo, the region in Italy from where my mother's relatives emigrated to the United States.  Abruzzo is a truly interesting region in the culinary sense.  To the east, there is the Adriatic Sea, which is the source for a lot of seafood.  In the west, there are the mountains, where farming is limited but herding provides lamb and mutton.  And, in between, there are fields and valleys, where farmers grow wheat, olives, grapes and, for this recipe, saffron.

Crocus Sativus (Picture is from Wikipedia)

Saffron, which is the dried stem of the Crocus Sativus, grows on the Navelli plain in the province of L'Aquila in Abruzzo.  According to legend, a priest named Santucci brought saffron to Abruzzo from Spain during the height of the Inquisition.  Since then, farmers have cultivated and grown saffron in Abruzzo; however, they do not produce enough to export the spice outside of Italy.  When you see saffron in the stores, it is most likely from Kashmir or Spain, but its cultivation practically extends around the world, where farmers in Greece, Turkey, Iran, India, China and even the United States cultivate the flower for the precious stems that provide a truly unique flavor -- and its signature yellowish color -- to any dish.   

So, for me, the lobster represents the coastline of Abruzzo, the saffron represents the fields of the region and, for the hills and mountains, there is the wine.  The recipe calls for 1 cup of white wine and, in my nod to the Abruzzo region, I used a Trebbiano d'Abruzzo.

Finally, I decided to change how I made the risotto.  I made the rice and the lobster separately, combining the two at the end just before plating the dish.  The reason for the change is that I wanted to try to perfect the saffron risotto itself, without adding the flavors of the lobster into the risotto.  In other words, I wanted to be able to take a fork of risotto and just taste the risotto and the saffron, without the lobster. 

In the end, this dish is like two separate dishes -- lobster and saffron risotto.  Whether taken separately or together, lobster and risotto make for one great dish.

RISOTTO DELL'ARAGOSTO CON ZAFFERANO
A Chef Bolek Original
Serves 2-3

Ingredients for the broth:
4 cups of seafood stock
2 cups of water
Several large basil leaves
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
A healthy pinch of saffron

Ingredients for the Risotto:

1 1/2 cups of arborio rice
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 sweet or Vidalia onion, minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of white wine
2-3 tablespoons of fresh flat leave parsley, finely chopped

Ingredients for the Lobster:
4 lobster tails
2 cloves of garlic, diced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Several basil leaves, chopped finely
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper.
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1.  Take a pair of kitchen scissors (scissors that you use to cut food, like chicken or seafood) and cut down the back of the tail.  Cut down the middle and then open the tail.  Work your fingers in between the meat and the shell to separate them.  Pull the lobster meat out gently.  Cut into even size pieces and set aside in the refrigerator.

2.  Make the broth by combining the seafood stock and water in a pot.   Heat the broth until it is just about to boil, reduce the heat and allow it to simmer.  Add the basil and the saffron.  Let the broth simmer for about 15 to 30 minutes. 

3.  Add the olive oil in a separate pot and heat to medium.  Add the onions first and saute for several minutes until translucent.  After a couple of minutes of sauteing the onions, add the garlic and continue to saute.

4.  When the onions and garlic are translucent, add the arborio rice and stir to cover the rice with the olive oil, onions and garlic.  Then add the white wine and continue to stir until the wine is almost absorbed by the rice.

5.  When the wine is just about absorbed by the rice, add 1 cup of the broth and continue to stir.   Simmer slowly and stir often until the liquid is almost absorbed.  Adjust the heat of necessary so that the stock does not evaporate too quickly.  Once that cup of broth is almost absorbed by the rice, add another cup of the broth and continue to stir.

6.  Continue adding stock either by 1/2 cup or 1 cup amounts to the risotto, stirring continuously until the stock is absorbed.  Every once in a while, taste the rice.  Once the rice becomes creamy in consistency and is cooked al dente (firm to the bite), it is done. 

7.  When the rice is almost finished, heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a saute pan on medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and saute for one minute.  Add the lobster and garlic.  Saute the lobster for about five minutes, until the lobster is translucent.  Stir often to ensure that all sides of the lobster are cooked through.

ENJOY!

For more information about the history of saffron in Abruzzo, check out Delicious Italy.

Happy Thanksgiving

I don't have any recipes to post for Thanksgiving, as I have the opportunity to be a guest, rather than the cook. I have a lot of great ideas for cooking the turkey and for the various side dishes; however, I don't post recipes until after I have tried making them.  So, all of those ideas and recipes will have to wait.  (It will be a different case when it comes to Christmas, as I will be making feasts for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  I hope to have a lot of recipes to share at that time.)

Still, I wanted to take this moment to say that I am thankful for my family and my friends.  I am truly blessed to have such supportive people who take an interest in the dishes that I make (as well as my thoughts about beer and wine) and who support me even when I am uncertain about the results.  Your support has helped to motivate me in the pursuit of my hobby -- or, as I like to call it, my culinary adventures -- and have put me in a position that I never thought would be possible ... broadcasting my cooking to the entire world through a blog. Although I could say that my cooking abilities have been developed by the many books and Internet sites I read, or by simply cooking a lot, I think that the reason why I cook as well as I do is because of the support from people like you.  

In short, on this Thanksgiving day, I am thankful for all of you....

I hope you have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

ENJOY!

Dogfish Head -- Saison du Buff

One craft brewer can make some great beers.  When you get three craft brewers together, they can make some unbelievable beers.  Such is the case of the Saison du Buff, which is a collaboration between Dogfish Head, Stone and Victory Brewing.  The three brewmasters brewed a saison, but the ingredients they used are truly special because they are some of the flavors that I love to use in my cooking.  The ingredients ... parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.

The beer pours like a saison, light gold in color with a good foam.  But the beer hardly tastes like a saison.  No banana or clove flavors.  It is primarily sage and rosemary, although the thyme and parsley can also be tasted.  The beer is fairly dry, which is also different than a typical saison.  The ABV is about 6.8%.

But one does not expect anything typical from breweries such as Dogfish Head, Stone or Victory.  Each brewery brewed this beer, using the same recipe.  The one I tasted is the one brewed by Dogfish Head although I also have a bottle of the one brewed by Stone.  Dogfish was the last to brew the beer, having brewed it in August of this year.  Victory brewed it in July and Stone brewed it in late April.

The beers are relatively cheap, about $3.50 for a twelve ounce bottle, but they are hard to find.  I bought the Stone version at Binny's in Chicago, Illinois and the Dogfish Head version at State Line Liquors in Elkton, Maryland.  If you can find a bottle, I strongly recommend that you buy it and try it!

ENJOY!

Abita's SOS

A couple years ago, when we were visiting Clare's parents, her father bought a six pack of Abita Restoration Ale, which really got me interested in Abita beer.  Abita is one of a handful of breweries in New Orleans, Louisiana and, after Hurricane Katrina, it may be the only one left.  The troubles endured by New Orleans and Southern Louisiana have inspired Abita to produce some really good beers, like its Restoration Ale, which is dedicated to the restoration of the city after the hurricane.

More recently, while oil was spewing into the Gulf and devastating the environment, Abita used its beermaking prowess for good, brewing a beer called "Save our Shores," a charitable pilsner.  The SOS is a Weizen Pils that is brewed with pilsner and wheat malts. As you can see from the picture, the beer pours a nice golden color and is very carbonated, producing a thick foam at the top.  The beer is smooth, with just a hint of hoppiness from the Sterling and German Perle hops.  The beer has an ABV of 7.0%, which gives it a little more punch than your average pilsner. 

Abita dedicates seventy-five cents of every $4.99 bottle to the rescue and restoration of the environment and the the fishing industry, both of which have been devastated by the oil spill.  While I would normally encourage people to buy this beer for that fact alone, this little bit of charity has a good return, namely, a very good pilsner. 

ENJOY!