Wine Country Cook

A Main Course Salad Made for Cab

2010-08-05T06:29:14-07:00

I love a challenge. Can’t resist a dare. A little competition…it’s all good.

So you can imagine what my reaction was when vegetarian Barbara Evans, aka Seattle Wine Gal, lamented at lunch during the Wine Bloggers Conference that the challenge of being a vegetarian is finding a lettuce-based salad that can be paired with Cabernet Sauvignon.

It was like throwing down the gauntlet. In the ensuing weeks I have compiled dozens of combinations in my head I think would work. Each time, my thoughts would circle back to a balance between richness, piquant and texture. An unapologetic carnivore, what I ultimately wanted to achieve was the illusion of meat without the meat.

Tofu was out, despite how much I love it. Roasted peppers were out—too overpowering. Beans sounded good, but didn’t offer enough oomph. Raw and grilled veggies floated in and out of the picture, but ultimately were left out because composing a salad shouldn’t take all night.

Roasted, toasted and grilled ingredients seemed right to me but in what form? I tried grilled avocado, but it wasn’t worth the effort. A small remnant of a baguette caught my eye. I split it lengthwise and drowned the dough part in olive oil then grilled it. I cooked it just enough to toast the edges and the crust, leaving the inside chewy enough to evoke the texture of meat.

Next, I added some pickled red onion for bite, toasted walnuts for complexity, avocado for richness, some fresh parsley and finished it with a tangy blue cheese dressing to pull it all together.

Then came the wine decision. A Napa Cab? Sonoma? No, it had to be Washington, so I landed on a bottle of Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon ($7.99 at Trader Joes), a fruity, non-fussy Cab. It worked! If you don’t believe me try it yourself.

Vegetarian Salad for Cab Lovers Serves 4
Blue Cheese Dressing: 1 small shallot, minced 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 ounces mild blue cheese, crumbled 2 tablespoons sour cream or Greek yogurt 1/4 olive oil 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt Freshly ground pepper	Dressing: Combine the shallot and vinegar in a small bowl. Let sit 20 minutes. Add the blue cheese and mash with a fork until almost smooth. Stir in the sour cream, olive oil, sugar, salt and a pinch of pepper. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use.
Salad:	Salad: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Preheat a gas grill to medium-high heat or a broiler.
1/4 medium red onion, sliced paper thin 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar	Put the onions and the rice wine in a small bowl and let sit for 20 minutes.
1/2 cup toasted walnuts	Spread the walnuts out on a baking sheet and bake until the nuts begin to release a toasted aroma, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool.
1/4 of a French or sourdough baguette 2 tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt	Cut the baguette down the center lengthwise. Drizzle the olive oil over the dough side of the bread. Put the two pieces together and press to push the olive oil through the bread. Place on the grill over direct heat or under the broiler. Cook until the edges begin to brown, about 1 minute. Turn, move to indirect heat and cook until the crust is crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and sprinkle the dough side with salt. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces 1 avocado, diced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Freshly ground pepper	Put the romaine in a large bowl. Top with the parsley. Add the avocado and walnuts. Drain the onion and add to the salad. Add the dressing a toss to coat the salad evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with the bread cubes and serve.

Lamb Chop

2010-07-16T06:49:33-07:00

Feeling Like Mutton when Everyone Else is a Rack

Who was your first celebrity crush? Mine was Desi Arnez Jr. Oh yeah. It started when I watched him in a totally sappy movie I was too young to stay up and watch the end of. But years later I saw the movie in its entirety and ever since then the lyrics, “If I could save time in a bottle,” from the theme song, have played over and over in my head—usually when I’m under the gun time-wise.

Lately I’ve been singing that tune because time has flown by since the Wine Bloggers Conference, the catalyst for me to jump back into blogging. Now, three weeks later, the four days in Walla Walla play back in my head like a slideshow:

Me crying at the airline counter over lost luggage after a very long day on Thursday
The delicious lunch at the taco truck when I finally sauntered over to the Marcus Whitman—in a dress that was actually the shirt I’d worn the day before—to join my fellow bloggers on Friday. Thank you Walla Walla Wine Alliance!
The array of Washington wines I passed up so I wouldn’t pass out during my presentation with Bob Silver and Craig Camp Mutineer Magazine’s Alan Kropf’s dramatic awards ceremony
The spread St. Michelle put out on Friday night, including a solid sparkling brut, which I’d never tasted before
The Waters rosé we were served on the Saturday morning tour, which reflected the pure pink hue of rose petals and tasted like freshly pureed berries with a zest and zing that made us declare it a perfect breakfast wine
The Cayuse vineyard, named for the French word for stone, cailloux, because it is covered in large stones and is reminiscent of the vineyards in Chateauneuf du Pape
Visiting Walla Walla Vintners to tour Leonetti’s Mill Creek Upland vineyard and meet WWV’s neighbor àMaurice
Meeting the principals from the irreverent Naked Winery, who also happened to be my table companions at a dinner sponsored by Washington Wine Commission
And, perhaps the best part of the weekend: the inspiring and entertaining keynote speakers by the great Steve Heimoff and the fabulous Lettie Teague

The rest seems like a blur probably because I become painfully shy in large crowds. I begin to wonder why I am there—and whether or not something is stuck in my teeth or on my nose, which leads to constant swipes to make sure there isn’t, which probably makes me look like I have a nervous tick.

At a writing conference several years ago, Ruth Reichl, who had just moved to Gourmet at the time, talked about earning a previous job and how when it occurred she suddenly thought to herself that she was a fraud. That was exactly how I felt at the conference and suddenly couldn’t remember how to speak English—or any other language—or how to hold a simple conversation.

First of all with my missing luggage I couldn’t help but wonder if I was the only wearing underwear washed in the hotel sink. It’s true. And second, the only other thought occupying my mind was that while I love to drink wine, love to discuss wine and love to read about wine, I most love to cook for wine. This is fine on paper, but if you want to talk about it it’s just inviting a snoozefest.

I once heard Margrit Mondavi discuss the merits of wine, which included its ability to inspire conversation and encourage friendship. So, well I might have felt like I had two heads at the conference, the wine served eventually proved Margrit’s claim and I began to truly enjoy visiting with friends and colleagues, and even meeting a few new people.

The weekend turned out to be fun-filled and educational and I tip my hat at Zephyr Adventures, especially Allen Wright and Reno Walsh who organized it all so seamlessly. And I feel a ton of gratitude towards the wineries and associations, from Yakima Valley, which offered addictive chocolate-covered cherries, Walla Walla Wine Alliance, Washington Wine Commission and every winery that opened a bottle for “us” bloggers so would learn more about such a fascinating wine region.

I’d like to encourage everyone to open a bottle of wine from Walla Walla this weekend and to enjoy it with this recipe for grilled lamb chops perfect for the delicious Cabernet Franc from Walla Walla Vintners.

Baby Lamb Chops with Mustard and Herbs Serves 4
1 Frenched rack of lamb	Remove the lamb chops from the packaging and trim any excess fat if necessary.
1/2 cup white wine 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary 1 small glove garlic, chopped 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper	Combine the wine, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender; puree until smooth. Put the lamb chops in a self-sealing bag and add the wine mixture. Marinate at least 30 minutes, turning once or twice to evenly coat the lamb.
	Preheat a gas grill to high heat.
	Remove the lamb from the marinade and pat dry. (This is critical or the meat will steam rather than sear.) Season the lamb with salt and pepper and add to the grill meat-side down. Reduce the heat. Cover and cook for 8 minutes. Turn and cook until a thermometer inserted into the center of the meat reads 130°F for medium rare, 5 to 7 minutes.
	Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into chops and arrange on a platter. Sprinkle with salt and serve.

An IPA and A Do Over

2010-06-25T11:14:34-07:00

I am starting this cooking journal to save my life. Not literally, and maybe it sounds over dramatic, but for me it has the same sense of urgency.

I’m not the first person to turn to the kitchen for salvation. I hope that like my predecessors I will find redemption behind the stove and discover what is missing from my life.

I need to do this, because somewhere between the onslaught of bad news of wars and economic travails and the daily challenges of balancing marriage, motherhood and work, I’ve lost my sense of pleasure and happiness. I need to rediscover my soul…my heart...my voice and in doing so resuscitate my writing and cooking ambitions that once fed my sense of self.

My writing career began in earnest in the spring of 1996 when I sold my first cookbook proposal. It was empowering and gave me confidence and purpose that I was missing. Ironically, I was completely broke at the time and had to move to the Napa Valley to live in my sister’s garage—a structure with a dirt floor and plastic over the holes in the wall where there were once windows—and yet they were heady days.

A few months after the sale of that proposal, on the day that first manuscript was due at the publisher, my 30-year-old brother died suddenly. It was devastating, but buoyed by realizing my dreams I wrote from the heart and when I read my work from that time I am surprised it’s mine. It shows a carefree spirit I’ve nearly forgotten I once had.

But then, three years later my 56-year-old father died just as suddenly. The boat that had been sent rocking by the loss of my brother completely capsized when my father passed. My then-nascent writing career also slipped to unreachable depths.

After a few years of wandering somewhat aimlessly, I began to recover some of my oomph and met and later married a warm-hearted man. Between our then-budding relationship, a son who soon followed, everyday marriage, a nine to five office job, and the endless chores that go hand in hand with all that, I lost my creative way. And my writing for work or play has become mostly canned and very dull.

When I first moved to the wine country, I found pleasure at every turn. Standing in a cellar and inhaling the aroma of freshly pressed grapes would make me smile. Biting into a tomato from the farmers’ market would make me count my blessings for living somewhere that produced such glorious food. I was constantly inspired to rush into the kitchen and make a meal and then put it all down on paper.

With this blog I hope to reignite my ability to write from the heart, to feel the joy of watching a tractor load of grapes being pulled along the highway at the height of harvest and to indulge in the pure pleasure of being in the kitchen cooking something I can share.

As I write this, I am seated aboard Horizon Air enjoying a COMPLIMENTARY glass of IPA so delicious it is pulling me back to the days when I spent countless hours on the Top of the Rock at Berkeley’s TripleRock brewery daydreaming about the day I would be a published author.

The name of this journal may be slightly misleading as it's more a reference point. I plan to include stories and recipes that focus on where I live—Wine Country—as well as the people and places that I discover away from home. In the spirit of this delicious beer and the wine country of Walla Walla, Washington, where I’m headed to the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference, below is a recipe that showcases Walla Walla Sweet Onions that will taste great with a hoppy IPA. Cheers!

Caramelized Onion-Topped Portobello Burger

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 large Walla Walla sweet onions, quartered and sliced thin

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons dry red wine

1/4 cup fresh goat cheese

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 small clove garlic, minced

4 high-quality bread rolls, halved lengthwise

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 cup baby arugula

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

4 large Portobello mushrooms

4 tsp. prepared pesto

Melt the butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and reduce the temperature to low heat. Cook for 20 minutes until the onions are very tender but not brown. Stir in the sugar and thyme and cook for 5 minutes. Add the wine, increase the heat to high and cook for 2 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat.

While the onions are cooking, preheat a grill to medium-high heat.

Mix the goat cheese, mayonnaise and garlic together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the rolls on the grill, crust-side up and cook until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter and spread equal amounts of the garlic-mayonnaise over the bottoms.

Whisk together the olive oil and vinegar in a large bowl. Add the arugula and toss to coat evenly. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Arrange even amounts over the top of each roll bottom. Top with equal amounts of the onions.

Spread 1 teaspoon of the pesto on the underside of each mushroom and place on the grill, top down and cook, covered, until tender, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into thick slices, slicing at an angle. Spread the slices of each portobello over the onion-topped rolls. Put the top on and serve with lots of napkins.

What to drink: Beer. Ice cold beer. I prefer IPA, such as the Mactarnhahan's Summer Grifter IPA (Portland, Oregon) served on Horizon Air or Russian River Brewing Company's Blind Pig IPA (Petaluma, California). Both are exemplary brews with a slight bitterness and lots of full-bodied flavor.