Wine With Life Please. . .

Low Cost Delicious - Pappradelle and Pork Ragu

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 16:39:00 +0000

It doesn't get much cheaper than four country style "pork ribs", a can of tomatoes, a carrot, an onion, a celery stalk, a cup of red wine, flour, eggs, olive oil, water and salt.

I know I have mentioned before that I am a cookbook freak. I love all of the beautiful pictures and I really do thumb through each and every page for inspiration even though I rarely use the recipes--exactly.

There is a wonderful Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Italian cookbook that I have had for a while now and one recipe just stuck in my head. It was Papparadelle with Pork Ragu. The photo in the cookbook looks succulent for lack of a better description--it just makes your mouth water. Williams-Sonoma's website does have a pappardelle with beef ragu recipe but not the pork.

Saturday was our trip to Fiesta to see what was on special. Country style pork ribs were on sale for $.99 per pound. Now you can't beat that price no matter what you plan to do with the pork.

It is a fairly standard recipe. After browning the "pork ribs" in a Dutch oven, you braise them with a mix of sauteed chopped onion, carrot, celery, some red wine (Spanish Tempranillo) and tomatoes, cooking everything for about 2 hours until the meat falls off of the bone and then shred the pork back into the sauce.

I also made a batch of fresh egg pasta dough from the W-S cookbook--2 1/2 cups of flour, 4 eggs, 2 tbs of olive oil and I added a couple of grinds of salt. This was a great dough recipe. The key to the papparadelle was letting the pasta dry for about 30 minutes before dropping it in a pot of boiling water.

We topped the platter with tons of fresh grated Parmesan and there was enough to feed 6-8 adults. My photos don't really do it justice and I was just too hungry to stage a plate, but I can tell you we all agreed that it was succulent.

Nothing but good days,

Crown Pork Roast for the New Year

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 17:14:00 +0000

From Food & Wine Oh!

December was really busy for my family. I started a new assignment at the law firm that I have worked for for 22+ years--I'm now in the IT department call center instead of working as a legal secretary. This has been a great change for me.

I also found out that Himself and I are going to be grandparents! My grandchild is due July 15, 2009. Lots of changes at my house for the new year.

Finally, I have a moment to sit and blog about food. My Dad is very traditional (as far as what we have for dinner) during the holidays. We ALWAYS have turkey at Thanksgiving and ham for Christmas--no deviations. I really wanted to try Tyler Florence's crown pork roast recipe at Christmas, but I was unsuccessful so we gathered on New Year's day at my Mom and Dad's and tried out a new recipe.

We cooked a 17 bone crown pork roast and Mom and I followed the recipe for the roast exactly, including the Calvados in the gravy. We rubbed the roast with a past of fresh herbs--sage, thyme, and rosemary and salt, pepper and good olive oil. Mom didn't think the gravy would be good because she didn't like the taste of the Calvados, but the gravy was a huge hit. Our only deviation to the recipe was to the gravy--I used the roasted vegetables in the bottom of the roaster instead of cutting new ones and sauteing them. Everything turned out great.

From Food & Wine Oh!

The only thing I would change is to either toast my bread for the stuffing or bake it outside of the roast for 1.5 hours and then stuff the pork. The dressing was just a little moist for me. You can get the recipe off of Food Network.

I wish all of you out there a happy and prosperous new year.

From Food & Wine Oh!

Risotto "all’onda" with Sautéed Mushrooms, Spinach and Garlic Shrimp

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 22:39:00 +0000

One of Himself's favorite dinners is risotto. It doesn't really matter what we are having along with the risotto, he just wants risotto. So the rules to the risotto game are "you keep my wine glass full while I stand here and stir, and I'll make your risotto." Works for me anyway!

So, Sunday night was risotto night. Part of the afternoon was spent making homemade chicken broth which made the house smell delicious and the other part was trying to figure out what to make to go with the risotto. I finally decided that the "go with" would be sautéed mushrooms and fresh spinach and garlic sautéed shrimp.

Now, I don't really go by a recipe. I just make sure that there is enough chicken broth on hand (sually 5+ cups) and enough wine (1 white and 2 reds) to make the risotto with and to drink while I'm stirring. I finely chop 1-2 stalks of celery, about 4 large cloves of garlic and about a ½ to 1 cup of red onion. It depends on if I'm making a 1 cup or 2 cup batch of risotto.

I sauté the veg in olive oil until tender and then add in the risotto and stir to coat with oil. After cooking the risotto for a couple of minutes, I add in at least a cup of dry white wine, reducing for a few minutes before I start the long 20-25 minute process of ladling in the chicken broth.

Now, we like our risotto with a little texture and it has to be "all’onda" or wet-style. I don't want it to hold its shape when I put in on my plate—it should cover the plate. To achieve this, I usually add in a little extra broth or wine or both at the end, at least an entire stick of butter and about 2 cups of parmesan cheese grated on the micro plane. I cover it and let it sit for at least 5-10 minutes before serving.

In the meantime, I sautéed the mushrooms until caramelized, flamed them with a little Jameson Irish Whiskey for good measure and the fun of setting something on fire, added in fresh baby spinach and sautéed until tender. I had previously marinated the shrimp in olive oil, lots of chopped fresh garlic and parsley, salt and pepper. The shrimp was sautéed separately in olive oil with a touch of white wine at the end.

We served the risotto in bowls and topped with our condiments. It was really, really good if I do say so myself—and I do.

Risotto is not hard to make, long process sort of, but once you have made it and you have the formula you will never need a recipe again.

Non Food Related Post Script: It actually snowed last night. Yes, here in Central Texas before February! Our high temp on Tuesday was a record setting 81 degrees and before I could get home by 7:00 p.m. it was 33 with a wind chill in the 20's and a killer north wind of at times 30-40 mph. Anyway, like every little kid in town, I ran to the door in my pj's and yelled "It's snowing" and quickly grabbed the camera to document it. It's not a lot of snow--I know, but it was something. Enjoy.

Yummy, Crunchy Goodness - Corn Pudding Sticks!

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:26:00 +0000

From Food & Wine Oh!

I've had blogging block lately and haven't posted since early November, but I did manage to take pics of some of our creations.

What to do, what to do with all of the Thanksgiving leftovers...fried...you just can't go wrong.

After eating all of the leftover corn pudding we could stomach we still had half a casserole left and we didn't want to waste it. Since most everyone has their favorite corn pudding/casserole recipe and I won't add another one to the internet. I sliced our cold leftover corn pudding into 1 inch thick rectangles and set up my breading station--flour, egg and seasoned breadcrumbs. The result was a crunchy corn pudding stick--sort of like a mozzarella stick. They were great.

Vichyssoise? Well sort of. . .

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 18:12:00 +0000

From Food & Wine Oh!

Sometimes you just feel like soup. Hot, creamy, hearty, sumptuous. Makes your mouth water doesn't it? With a pot of homemade chicken stock simmering on the stove, I started poking around the pantry to see what I had on hand. Leaks? Check. Onions? Check. Potatoes? Not enough, but I did have a pot of garbanzo beans. (If you have never cooked chick peas from the dried version, you don't know what you are missing. They have an entirely different flavor from canned chick peas--very creamy.) Cream? No, but I could work around this problem too--I had sour cream.

The soup was terrific hot and it was even better the second day cold.

From Food & Wine Oh!

Vichyssoise (with Chick Peas)

1/4 c olive oil
3 leaks, cleaned and chopped
1 onion, medium dice
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Kosher salt
1 t Thyme
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of parsley
1 t black peppercorns
8 c chicken stock (or broth)
2 1/2 c cooked chick peas (reserve a few for garnish)
4 medium russet potatoes, medium diced (frozen oven roasted garlic and herb potatoes will work too--this is what I had)
1 1/2 c sour cream
chives or green onion tops chopped for garnish
fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a heavy pot. Sweat leaks, onions and garlic with a sprinkle of Kosher salt (salt to taste please) until wilted/translucent.

Add in herbs, peppercorns, stock, potatoes and chick peas. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer soup until potatoes are done. About 20-25 minutes.

Remove pot from heat and puree soup using an immersion blender (or a regular blender) until smooth.

Add in sour cream, salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or cold with reserved chick peas and chopped green onion tops for garnish.

Serves 10-12

Friday Night Wine Oh's! - Halloween - True Blood?

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:26:00 +0000

From Food & Wine Oh!

Our Spec's purchase on this Friday night was made more in the spirit of Halloween than in the search of great wine and we just couldn't pass up these spooky bottles of juice.

But with the Univ. of Texas playing Tech we knew it would also be a Jameson-Irish-Whiskey-Manhattan-weekend and we should be ready for whatever came--and Tech brought it. Our beloved Horns looked like crap. Well the No. 1 ranking was great while it lasted and the Manhattans were fabulous as usual.

We passed out gobs of candy to lots and lots of little ghouls and goblins, princesses and fairies. The "V" was good--pretty much standard Merlot-ditto for the "W".

From Food & Wine Oh!

Manhattan's "Friday Night Wine Oh's!" Style

We make a serving for 2--

In the shaker:

Fill shaker with crushed ice
4 shots of Jameson Irish Whiskey

In the (frozen) glass:

1 T Sweet Vermouth (to taste)
1-2 Maraschino cherries
3 dashes of bitters (to taste) Shake Whiskey vigorously until the shaker frosts, pour into glass. Find your favorite lounge spot and enjoy.

Herb-Garlic Grilled Lamb Chops with Roasted Vegetables & Grapes, Toasted Walnuts & Blue Cheese Salad

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:18:00 +0000

From Food & Wine Oh!

This dinner is just too easy--and you get gourmet results! We served it with a bottle (or two) of Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon. Yum.

From Food & Wine Oh!

Herb & Garlic Grilled Lamb Chops with Roasted Vegetables

1 large sweet potato, peeled, large cubes
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled, large cubes
3 carrots, peeled, 1.5" chunks
3 zucchini, 2' chunks
2 medium onions, quartered
7 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1-2 tbs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1-2 tbs fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tbs dried oregano (use fresh if you have it)
olive oil
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
6 lamb loin chops

Preheat Oven to 400° or 425°

Prepare vegetables and toss with 1/4 cup or so of olive oil, salt and pepper and half of the chopped garlic and herbs. Sprinkle lightly with balsamic vinegar. Spread onto a large baking sheet and roast in the oven until golden and caramelized--about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, season lamb loin chops with salt and pepper, rub lightly with olive oil and coat with remaining garlic and herb mixture.
With about 15 minutes left on the vegetables, heat grill to high. Grill lamb loin chops to medium rare--about 5-4 minutes on one side and 4 minutes on the other depending on your grill. Turn once. Remove to platter and let the chops rest for about 8 minutes.
Serve chops on top of roasted vegetables with a little drizzle of good quality finishing olive oil.

From Food & Wine Oh!

Grapes, Toasted Walnuts and Blue Cheese Salad

1/2 bunch green seedless grapes, washed and removed from stems
1/2 bunch red seedless grapes, washed and removed from stems
Blue cheese, crumbled (brand and quantity to taste)
1 c broken walnut halves, lightly toasted
olive oil, just enough to coat grapes and walnuts with oil and cheese

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl. Taste for seasoning and lightly salt and pepper if necessary. Serve immediately or keep chilled until service.

Friday Night Wine Oh's! - Tapas

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 15:09:00 +0000

Friday Night Wine Oh's are back!

Himself and I have been really busy for the past month and we haven't had the energy to blog. Last night I didn't want to cook so we made our usual stop by Spec's and picked up a bottle of Antano Crianza, jamon Serrano, truffle pate, dolmas, a brick of Manchego cheese and a can of piquillo peppers. Odd combination I know, but it all worked together--and no we didn't just pick up one bottle of wine. We grabbed a couple of bottles of Gruve and an Italian wine that I'll blog on later this weekend.

I stuffed the piquillos with a wedge of Manchego cheese and sauteed them in olive oil perfumed with garlic and red pepper flakes, just until the cheese started to brown and bubble. We wrapped the dolmas with some jamon Serrano--the Spec's deli guy gave me a sample of this little treat while I waited on my jamon--good move because he sold me on some dolmas too. We sliced a few pieces of baguette and pate. Dinner was served.

From Food & Wine Oh!

Manchego Stuffed Piquillo Peppers

1 can Piquillo peppers, drained
1/4" slices of Manchego cheese, cut in wedges
olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
pinch of red pepper flakes

Place one slice of cheese in each pepper.
Heat oil in non-stick skillet and saute red pepper flakes and garlic until the garlic is slightly browned and remove garlic from pan.
Saute peppers until cheese is bubble and slightly browned and peppers have blistered. Cook peppers in batches. Place on platter and drizzle the flavored oil and crunchy garlic over the peppers. Sprinkle a few extra pepper flakes and serve.

Serves 8 - 10 for appetizers

Tamales

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 14:03:00 +0000

From Food & Wine Oh!

Making tamales has always been one of life's mysteries to me. About 4 years ago I attempted to make a batch. Needless to say, they were bland, thick and doughy. Everyone agreed that tamales were best left to the professionals and those families with a history of tamale making passed down from mother to daughter. Oh, and did I mention that my tamales were thick and doughy?

I guess enough time has passed that the memory of those ill fated tamales faded slightly and the challenge to make tamales set in again. So on my weekly grocery store run (a trip to Fiesta International Foods) which supposedly was only for flour, carrots, celery and yeast--I ended up with tamale masa, country style pork ribs and dried corn husks and a resolve to make tamales.

Himself just rolled his eyes and mouthed "not again!"

Well he can kiss mine--this time I was successful. I did it! I did it! The tamales were flavorful and tender. Some were a little too thin, but I know how to fix that. No more store bought tamales and I don't have to wait until Christmas to buy a couple of dozen from someone whose family makes tamales.

By the way Himself has eaten at least 2 dozen since Saturday night.

From Food & Wine Oh!

New Mexico Red Chile Pork Tamales

2.5 lbs country style pork ribs (any cheap cut will do)
2 tbs salt
2 oz + 2 tbs New Mexico Red Chile powder (reserve 2 tbs for masa)
olive oil
1 medium onion diced
4 cloves garlic chopped
2 bay leafs, finely ground
6 whole allspice, finely ground
3 tbs cumin
.5 cup dry red wine (optional--after all it is Wine With Life Please)
1 large chicken bullion cube
enough water to cover pork
1 large package of dried corn husks
2 lbs masa dough (I bought pre-mixed masa at Fiesta)
1.5 c butter, softened
.5 c shortening
1-2 tbs Adobo seasoning (it has salt in it)
1 tbs garlic powder
*Note you will want to cook the pork prior to mixing your masa dough and soaking your corn husks.

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2. Coat pork with salt and chile powder and set aside.

3. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron or heavy bottomed dutch oven. Brown pork on all sides and remove from pan and set aside.

4. Add more oil if necessary and saute' onion and garlic until translucent. Mix in ground bayleaf, alspice and 2 tbs cumin and red wine and bring to a boil. Add in bullion cube and dissolve.

5. Add back to pot the browned pork and cover with water. Cook in the oven for at least 2.5 hours or until the pork shreds easily with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool.

From Food & Wine Oh!

6. Meanwhile, put the butter and shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer) and whip until light and fluffy, as when beating butter for a cake.

From Food & Wine Oh!

7. Continue beating the butter mixture and gradually add in the wet masa dough. When all of it has been added and the mixture is light and spreadable, beat in the Adobo powder, garlic powder, remaining chile powder and cumin. (You can just add in 2 tbs of salt if you don't have Adobo.) Cover tightly with plastic wrap to prevent mixture from drying out.

From Food & Wine Oh!

8. Put corn husks in a large bowl or pot and cover with hot water. Weight down the husks so that they are totally submerged and soak for 30 minutes.

9. Remove cooled pork (meat only) from dutch oven and shred into a bowl. Add just a small bit of chile sauce to moisten slightly. You don't want this drippy just moist. Cover and set aside.

From Food & Wine Oh!

10. Drain the corn husks and pat dry with a clean dish towel. Place one large corn husk (or overlap two smaller ones) on your board. With the back of a spoonula spread the masa mixture onto the center of the husk to the edges of the long side (see image). Leave space at the top and bottom of the corn husk for sealing.

11. Place a tablespoon, more of less, of the shredded pork into the center of the masa. Fold one of the long sides of the corn husk over the filling making sure the masa on that edge completely seals in the filling. Fold over the other long side to seal the packet. Pinch the masa at the bottom and top of tamale to seal the ends and then fold up the bottom of the corn husk. Stack on tray, folded side down until finished making tamales. Note: The top of the corn husk will be open, but the masa seals the top of the tamale filling.

From Food & Wine Oh!

12. Place the tamales in a steamer basket over simmering water in a large pot with lid and steam for 90 minutes. Top the water off as needed--I checked mine every 30 minutes or so. Check for doneness. The husk should peel away cleanly. Let the tamales rest for 10 minutes. Pile tamales on a plate and start shucking. (These freeze well. Reheat in microwave.)

Makes 4 - 5 dozen

CarneVino - Las Vegas & Mario Batali

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:51:00 +0000

There is something to be said for the old adage, "You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy." Take a breath, it's a long article.

In early September Himself and I took a business trip to Las Vegas—yes, really, it was a business trip—to attend a union organizing conference. (By the way, Himself is my husband David.) I am always eager to go along on the conference trips to Vegas not only because we get to see many of our union friends from across Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Arizona, but also because the dining options in Vegas have just exploded.

I was particularly looking forward to this trip because I had my heart set on dining at CARNEVINO Italian Steakhouse; a new restaurant endeavor by the partners of chef Mario Batali and winemaker Joe Bastianich located in the Palazzo Hotel and Casino next door to the Venetian. I had done my research by downloading a copy of the press kit and menu, and I knew the guys would go for the "steakhouse" part of the menu.

The menu is set up for an Italian course-style dining experience with antipasto, pasta, meat and veg courses and dessert.

There were 12 of us in all and we did make reservations although I don't know if it was necessary, just recommended. We continued to add people as the evening went along and the restaurant was very accommodating. The dining room was beautiful with soaring ceilings and windows looking out on the garden view—it was not stuffy at all.

Cheesecake with Marionberries

The staff was excellent and very good natured towards our semi-rowdy group. (After all, we had spent happy hour in the Tequila Bar at Bally's. During HH each beer comes with a free shot of tequila! I don't think we disrupted the other diners but I'm sure it was entertaining to watch our group.) There were at least 4 wait staff and 2 sommeliers assisting our group. The menu, food portion was one page long and the wine list was another six pages—this is when it got interesting with the country boys.

Like any nice restaurant, the wait staff was very attentive--the napkins were folded and placed back in your spot if you got up to go relieve yourself (the guys found that amusing), dirty flatware was taken away and replaced with new, shiny clean forks and knives (I've never seen so may guys worried that they wouldn't be able to eat because "he took my fork"). Menu items like papardelle with porcini trifolati, orecchiette, bucatini all'amatriciana all needed explanations. My personal favorite was when the East Texas boys got to "puttanesca". It was all down hill from there.

Halibut with Risotto

The table was set with hot bread baked on site and served with butter and lardo. If you have never tried lardo, put that entry on your bucket list! "That shit is good!" was heard several times—country boys and tequila shots. . . It was supposed to be a compliment to the chef.

Cannelloni with Duck and Amarone

Four of our diners shared the dry aged bone in ribeye for 2 ($135), and Himself ordered lamb chops “scottadita” 3 double chops for $45. Other dishes ordered by the group included a 16oz New York strip ($51), cannelloni with duck and Amarone $35.00, halibut and spaghetti ai frutti di mare $47.

Of course my order was the most adventurous of the group—antipasto course was beef carpaccio with warm lardo crostini (that shit is good) ($18.00), then I ordered the black fettuccine with crab jalapeños and shallots as my pasta course and it was delish! ($16 for the pasta course sized portion). For my entrée I ordered the osso buco alla Milanese with saffron orzo and gremolata complete with marrow bone (yum) ($38). Since I make my own osso buco I usually don't order it out, but I was dying to try Mario's and it was really wonderful. The lemon zest in the gremolata and in the orzo just set the dish off perfectly. I had a tawny port for dessert. Wine: was a Barbera d’Alba Sandrone 2005 Piemonte ($16/glass) and a Malbec, Tritono 2004 Mendoza ($20/glass).

Osso Buco alla Milanese with Saffron Orzo and Gremolata

We passed plates, forks and spoons full of food across and down the length of the table so that everyone could try a bite of it all.

This definitely goes down as one of the best dinners in my lifetime.

Ok, there is one in every crowd. This was grape sorbet, which was really good, but the entire table agreed that it looked like. . .well you fill in the blank.

Sonnhof Jurtschitsch GrüeVe 2005 (Austria)

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:17:00 +0000

$ - ($3.99 Spec's)

Will I buy this again? You bet!!!

Well I took a gamble and bought another pretty label and this gamble paid off a double bonus. The wine was CHEAP at only $3.99 and it tastes GREAT.

This is a nice, drinkable white wine and I guess the best way to describe it is that its a cross between a Gewurztraminer and a Sauvignon Blanc. It's Grueve baby! Visit The GrüeVe.

Friday Night Wine Oh's! Labor Day Fish Fry AFL-CIO Style

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Being married to Himself (a/k/a David, my husband), who is among other things, the central labor council president of the Austin AFL-CIO, I spent the Friday before Labor Day milling through the crowd of union leaders, state and local politicians and friends of labor who gathered in the parking lot of the AFL-CIO headquarters to brave the afternoon Texas heat and enjoy their annual Labor Day Fish Fry.

Hot pavement, fried catfish, cold beer and rousing political speeches especially after such a great finale to the DNC--what a way to spend a Friday night.
The catfish dinner was catered by Vic's BBQ--yes, Vic's is a BBQ restaurant, but they also cater luncheons and it is my understanding that they make a mean pot roast per Himself. The fish is always crispy and moist inside and the beans and coleslaw are equally as good. (You don't see a lot of cold slaw in the t-can when Vic's does the catering.)

As for the political (let's all respect each other now), it's always nice to hear the politicians supporting labor, unions and workers rights--now if those same politicians will just keep those promises. . .

So instead of wine tonight, I yield to the gentleman from the Austin AFL-CIO--cold beer it is dear.

Center: Congressman Lloyd Doggett; Right: David

Candidate for U.S. Senate Rick Noriega speaks to the AFL-CIO at their Labor Day celebration.

Sonnhof Jurtschitsch Mozart White 2005 (Austria)

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:57:00 +0000

$$ - (>$12.00 World Market French Section)
Gruner Veltliner [12%]
Artwork by Adi Holzer (www.adiholzer.com)
Will I buy this again? You bet!

Yes, I bought another pretty label but the dry white wine inside was just a nice. It was crisp, citrusy and nicely dry. Be sure and check out the art work by Adi Holzer--nicely done too.

Torres Family Sangre de Toro 2006 Red Wine (Spain)

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:51:00 +0000

$ - (<$7.00 World Market) Catalunya, Spain [13.5%] Will I buy this again? Yes.

This is a great bargain find and a pretty good red table wine. (I like their white also.) This red is a blend of garnacha and carinena and is a go to daily red on a budget. Nice balance and finish. Would make a great braising liquid.

Garnacha de Fuego Old Vines Tempranillo 2007 (Spain)

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:46:00 +0000

$ - (<$10.00 Spec's)
D.O. Calatayud, Spain
Will I buy this again? Maybe.

Garnacha de Fuego Old Vines Tempranillo is a dark, intense wine that was better with a little air time. Cherry fruit and peppery flavors.

On Vacation In Vegas Baby!

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:36:00 +0000

We are on vacation in Vegas this week. I'll have some blogging to do when I get back. We had a fabulous dinner at Carnevino last night--Mario Batali's new Vegas restaurant. Got pics and all. Stay tuned.

Finca El Retiro Malbec Rose´ 2006 (Argentina)

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:04:00 +0000

$$ - ($10.00 - $12.00 Specs)
Mendoza, Argentina [12.5%]
Will I buy this one again? You bet!

The color of a sunset where the orange and pink streaks meet in the sky--that is the color of this beautiful wine.

The bottle says hints of raspberries and strawberries. I got the strawberry part but also tasted tripical fruit like papaya. This is a very nice light wine good for just a glass to sip or to be paired with lighter food and appetizers. Very, very nice.

Friday Night Wine Oh's! Italian

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:01:00 +0000

Friday Night Wine Oh's! *Italian*

During our weekly trek to Specs this past Friday, Himself and I decided to start a new tradition—Friday Night Wine Oh's! (Yeah, right, like we really needed another excuse to buy more wine.)

Setting a specific criteria—a region, country, grape, etc.—we will focus on our criteria selection, in both food and wine choices, and report in our Friday Night Wine Oh's! blog. So while we were shopping, we decided on Italian night and then carried that forward to deem September Italian Month (starting now).

We chose 4 Italian wines. Three reds and one white. Two of the reds (2005's) and the white (2006) were blends (grape varieties not listed) from the region of Toscana. The other red was a Cabernet-Merlot-Sangiovese blend 2006 from Umbria. (Each wine will have it's own post for categorizing.)

The Food-

Because we were tasting Italian wines naturally I thought of Mario B. and pulled out my new cookbook, Mario Batali Italian Grill. Friday at the office had been tiresome (this is the word I'm choosing to replace what I'm really thinking about it) so I didn't want to fix anything elaborate. I just wanted to relax and unwind with some nice wine. I flipped through the appetizer section and decided on Grilled Vegetable Salad Capri Style. I had most everything except the eggplant and I'd picked up prosciutto, mortadella, a hunk of Ilvillaggio Italian Fontal (a semi-soft cheese with a yellow rind) while I was shopping for wine at Specs.

I threw together the vinaigrette/marinade, which consisted of red wine vinegar, garlic, dried oregano, cumin, dry mustard, red pepper flakes, some OJ and olive oil, salt and pepper. We brushed some of the marinade on the vegetables and got to the grilling. Himself got in on the action and let his inner-pyromaniac loose in the kitchen. By the way, the house is still standing!

We also put together another decadent, heart attack of an appetizer from his book Fresh Robiola Wrapped in Mortadella and grilled. Yes, that's right, cheese wrapped in lunch meat and basically fried. Hey, it was served with some salad greens ok. This is a real recipe folks.

The thing is I couldn't find Robiola cheese because I couldn't remember its name. I kept asking the Spec's guy for Albarino—which is a grape from Spain and makes fabulous white wine. No wonder he kept looking at my like he wanted to say "are you sure lady?" I did pick up a bottle of Albarino, but had to settle for the Ilvillaggio Italian Fontal that my youngest daughter said smelled like @$$. (I started to wonder how she knew, but she is 20 so I decided I didn't really want to know.) The cheese actually tasted pretty good.

Anyway, it was only 77 degrees outside instead of 100+ so we spent the evening on the patio—Himself, me and the 4 dogs. The sunset was beautiful and the wine was relaxing. Sometimes you just take what you can get and enjoy it.

The Wine-

First up was the white Villa Antinori Toscana 2006. Grape blend of 70% Trebbiano and Malvasia, 30% Chardonnay Toscano and Pinot Bianco. This wine was under $10 and was really fabulous. Crisp, floral with just enough acid to stand up to the vinaigrette on the grilled vegetables. We each had one glass and corked it to save for Saturday. The Antinori family history states that the family has been making wine for over 600 years.

Next was Aia Vecchia Lagone Toscana 2005. Grape blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. The most expensive wine of the night at $14.99, Lagone was good but not the best red of the evening. This medium-bodied red wine got better with some air time. It had nice fruit and smooth tannins.

Then we tried Corte alla Flora Giuggiolo Toscana Rosso 2005. Grape: Prugnolo Gentile 100%. Under $10.00. Intense ruby red, fruity, soft and velvety. This was a very fresh wine and the best red of the evening and it was perfect with the Italian meats, cheeses and grilled vegetables.

P.S. I'm having hell with the photo uploader at blogger. Hopefully, I'll be able to load more photos and the pyro video later so check back.

Inkberry Shiraz Cabernet 2006 (Australia)

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0000

$$ - ($12.00 HEB)
Central Ranges, Australia [13.5%]
Will I buy this again? You bet!

I have steered clear of Australian wines for quite a few years--very afraid of the oak factor--but I was pleasantly surprised by a couple of Australian wines that I was lucky enough to taste prior to purchase.

Inkberry 60% Shiraz/40% Cab was a dark purple-red wine. It was great right out of the bottle. Clean, not oaky, fruity. I'm even getting used to the screw tops and kind of like them now.

Villa Antinori Toscana 2006 (Italy)

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0000

$ - ($9.00 Spec's)

70% Trebbiano and Malvasia

30% Chardonnay Toscano and Pinot Bianco [12%]

Will I buy this again? You bet!

Villa Antinori Toscana 2006. This wine was under $10 and was really fabulous. Crisp, floral with just enough acid to stand up to the vinaigrette on the grilled vegetables. We each had one glass and corked it to save for Saturday. The Antinori family history states that the family has been making wine for over 600 years.

Aia Vecchia Lagone Toscana 2005 (Italy)

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0000

$$ - ($14.99 - Spec's)

Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese [14%]

Will I buy this again? Probably not.

Lagone was good but not the best red of the evening. This medium-bodied red wine got better with some air time. It had nice fruit and smooth tannins.

Giuggiolo Toscana Rosso 2005 (Italy)

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0000

$ - ($9.00 Spec's)

Prugnolo Gentile 100% [13%]

Will I buy this again? You bet!

Corte alla Flora Giuggiolo Toscana Rosso 2005 has an intense ruby red color and it was fruity, soft and velvety. This was a very fresh wine and the best red of the evening and it was perfect with the Italian meats, cheeses and grilled vegetables.

Flour Tortilla Pizzas

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:22:00 +0000

We had lots of leftover tortillas from Saturday morning's breakfast, so we opted for gourmet mini pizzas.

Center: Grilled shrimp with oregano, tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella.

Goat cheese w/basil spread under yellow tomatoes, fresh garlic and fresh mozzarella.

Grilled scallions over goat cheese spread.

Roasted red peppers with grilled scallions and cheese.

Grilled eggplant with tahini, sesame seeds and grilled scallions.

Respectable Flour Tortillas (even for a Gringa!)

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:30:00 +0000

Black Bean Breakfast Tacos with Avocado Mash

(recipes below)

Flour Tortillas

3 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4-8 Tbsp. vegetable shortening or lard
about 1 to 1 1/4 cups warm water

1. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Cut in vegetable shortening or lard (or a combination of half lard, half shortening) using a fork or a pastry cutter to cut in the shortening or just do it the old fashioned way and use your hands.

3. Add warm water a little at a time until your dough is soft and not sticky. You do not need very hot water.

4. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead for a few minutes.

5. Pull off pieces of dough to form about 12 small dough balls. Let them
rest for at least 10-30 minutes (the longer time seems to work better).

6. Heat up the comal while rolling dough balls. You will want to set it at medium to high heat. If it is too hot the tortillas will cook too fast.

7. Roll out the dough with your tortilla rolling pin. Dust each ball with a little flour just before you roll them out. Lay the rolling pin in the center of the dough ball and roll up, center and roll down. Lift the dough and turn it. Again, rolling pin in the center and roll. Roll them out fairly thin. Lay your tortilla on the hot comal. It takes just a few seconds to cook. Flip to the other side.

When they are done it should have lots of nice brown speckles. Place them in a towel. If you would like you can use a tortilla warmer to keep them warm longer. They are ready to be served!

For the refried black beans:

3 slices of bacon
1 can of black beans
garlic, to taste
cumin, to taste

1. Fry 3 pieces of bacon in a non-stick skillet until crisp, remove from pan and drain on kitchen paper.

2. Keep some of the bacon fat, saute garlic for a minute or so.

3. Drain beans of half of their liquid, pour beans in hot skillet and mash with a potato masher until you get desired refried bean consistency. Continue to cook beans until most of the extra liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

4. Spread beans onto tortilla, top with cheese of choice, pico de gallo, salsa or hot sauce and guacamole, avocado slices or mash.

Makes 2 servings.

Avocado Mash (not guacamole--I was in a hurry)

1 Hass avocado
1 small Mexican lime (size of a key lime)
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Mash avocado with a fork, sprinkle with lime to keep avocado from turning brown, and season with salt and pepper. Mix well.

**The drink is just a 50:50 mix of OJ and cranberry juice with a splash of lime served over crushed ice in a martini glass.

Simply Grilled Salmon with Hawaiian Pink Salt and Herb Crust

bja101@gmail.com (Brenda Adamson) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:21:00 +0000

My youngest daughter's newest trend is her claim to be a vegetarian. Actually, her practice is more semi-vegetarian. She does try to avoid all red meats (when she knows about it), but she still eats chicken and fish and other animal byproducts such as eggs and dairy. (I also think this trend was "boyfriend" induced—but he's out of the picture now--I think.) She was never really a picky eater before except for (like any kid) tomatoes, onions and mushroom, but now she loves them—even onions.

So, when I find myself cooking for just her and me, it becomes sort of tricky to satisfy both of us without overstepping her definition of "vegetarian" or undercutting my sense of gratification for interesting and flavorful food that is not always a calorie conscious adaptation. (One of my favorite things is to try to re-create restaurant meals at home.)

Tuesday was our day to eat together—she would be at home for a change. Amanda is almost 20 and is rarely around even though the mass of stuff in her room and in my garage indicates that she lives with us. I knew that I wanted to re-create a dish that I saw on Big Daddy's House—the new FN star— the grilled asparagus, sun dried tomato and crispy shiitake mushroom salad, but the New York strip steaks just wouldn't do for her. So my local HEB had wild caught Alaskan Salmon and it looked wonderful. Asparagus and salmon—how could I go wrong? We paired with Irony Chardonnay, which was delicious and the slight oak played nicely off of the char grilled asparagus and salmon. I'm not a huge fan of Chardonnay—burnout from my early wine drinking days and those heavily oaked Australian wines.

Her only comment was "is any of this meal fattening?" Of course I said no, and that olive oil was good for you.

Simply Grilled Salmon with Hawaiian Pink Salt and Herb Crust

1 ½ lb salmon fillet, skin on
1 T fresh thyme, chopped
1 T fresh rosemary, chopped
extra marinade from the asparagus dish (my adaptation follows)
Hawaiian pink salt or Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

1. Crush Hawaiian pink salt into a finer consistency (if necessary – mine was course) and season salmon on both sides with salt and pepper.

2. Coat salmon with left over marinade and rub the fillet with the chopped herbs. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Heat grill to high and place salmon flesh side down for 5-6 minutes depending on your grill and the thickness of the salmon. Turn fillet once and let the skin side crisp for another 1-2 minutes. You want to get a nice char and grill marks on the fillet, which will help crust the salt, pepper and herbs. Serve immediately.

Marinade (for Grilled Asparagus)**

1/3 c chopped garlic
1 T sun dried tomato oil (from jar)
¼ - 1/3 c olive oil
1 ½ T balsamic vinegar (my addition to the mix)
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients.

**I opted to put the herbs on the salmon instead of in the marinade. The original recipe for grilled asparagus salad can be found on Foodnetwork.com, Big Daddy's House.

Sauceless Salmon & Asparagus Fettuccini

Leftovers of this meal became a whole new pasta dish. I broke the salmon into bite-sized chunks, added a few more grilled asparagus, sun dried tomatoes and some additional marinade ingredients to the mix and tossed it all with hot fettuccini, then garnished with chopped flat leaf parsley and basil. Presto--a whole new presentation and taste.

Wine With Life Please. . .

Low Cost Delicious - Pappradelle and Pork Ragu

Crown Pork Roast for the New Year

Risotto "all’onda" with Sautéed Mushrooms, Spinach and Garlic Shrimp

Yummy, Crunchy Goodness - Corn Pudding Sticks!

Vichyssoise? Well sort of. . .

Friday Night Wine Oh's! - *Halloween - True Blood?*

Herb-Garlic Grilled Lamb Chops with Roasted Vegetables & Grapes, Toasted Walnuts & Blue Cheese Salad

Friday Night Wine Oh's! - *Tapas*

Tamales

CarneVino - Las Vegas & Mario Batali

Sonnhof Jurtschitsch GrüeVe 2005 (Austria)

Friday Night Wine Oh's! *Labor Day Fish Fry AFL-CIO Style*

Sonnhof Jurtschitsch Mozart White 2005 (Austria)

Torres Family Sangre de Toro 2006 Red Wine (Spain)

Garnacha de Fuego Old Vines Tempranillo 2007 (Spain)

On Vacation In Vegas Baby!

Finca El Retiro Malbec Rose´ 2006 (Argentina)

Friday Night Wine Oh's! *Italian*

Inkberry Shiraz Cabernet 2006 (Australia)

Villa Antinori Toscana 2006 (Italy)

Aia Vecchia Lagone Toscana 2005 (Italy)

Giuggiolo Toscana Rosso 2005 (Italy)

Flour Tortilla Pizzas

Respectable Flour Tortillas (even for a Gringa!)

Simply Grilled Salmon with Hawaiian Pink Salt and Herb Crust

Friday Night Wine Oh's! - Halloween - True Blood?

Friday Night Wine Oh's! - Tapas

Friday Night Wine Oh's! Labor Day Fish Fry AFL-CIO Style

Friday Night Wine Oh's! Italian