Food for Thought

Indeed.

Chardonnay Poulet

I'm not a super big fan of a classic coq au vin, but I did find something intriguing about the coq au vin blanc recipe that ran recently in The New York Times as an accompaniment to an article on Oregon Chardonnays. (That's not a run-on sentence or anything.) The idea of making the recipe with white wine and oyster mushrooms just sounded lighter and more spring-like than the more classically heavy winter dish. Flo Fab left out the pork, but c'mon, how can I not include it, especially when cooking with my partner in crime, Chad?) You can read about some of our other cooking adventures here, here, here and here.) This was one of the tastier recipes that we have made in a long time. Aside from the pain in the neck step of blanching and peeling the pearl onions (maybe you can find them frozen?) it was a pretty straightforward, uncomplicated recipe with outstanding results. (Unlike my photos.) And like last week's Mad Men season premiere, it goes quite nicely with Zou Bisou Bisou.

Coq au Vin Blanc

1 tablespoon grape-seed or canola oil
1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, in 10 pieces without backbone, dried
Salt and ground white pepper
8 ounces white pearl onions, blanched 3 minutes and peeled
8 ounces pork belly, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
4 cloves garlic, sliced
9 ounces oyster mushrooms, trimmed, clumps separated (or mixed wild mushrooms)
1 cup Chardonnay
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter (unsalted or black truffle)
1 tablespoon minced tarragon

1. Heat the oil on medium-high in a 4-quart stove top casserole or sauté pan. Add the chicken, skin side down, as many pieces as fit comfortably. Cook until lightly browned, season with salt and pepper and turn to brown the other side. Remove to a platter when browned and repeat with the remaining chicken.

2. Add the pork belly to the casserole and cook until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Remove to a dish.

3. Add the pearl onions to the casserole and toss in the fat until lightly browned. Remove to a dish. Reduce the heat to low. Add the chopped onion, celery and garlic, cook until softened, about 5 minutes, and then stir in the mushrooms. When the mushrooms wilt, add the wine, increase the heat to medium, bring to a simmer and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Return the chicken to the casserole with any accumulated juices, baste, cover and cook for 30 minutes, basting a few more times.

4. Remove the chicken to a platter. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook the sauce and mushrooms about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly. Lower the heat and add the pearl onions and butter. When the butter melts, check the seasonings, return the chicken to the casserole, baste and simmer for a few minutes. Serve from the casserole or transfer to a deep platter. Scatter the tarragon on top before serving. Makes 4 servings. Serve with crusty bread to dip in the sauce.

Short Rib Weather

It's finally cold enough to make cold weather comfort food! I mean, what is the point of winter if you can't make soups, stews and braised meats? Or go skiing? (What do people in Florida do all winter?) My fave slow-cooked, braised meat is a pile of short ribs. Fatty and delicious, you can't go wrong with short ribs...especially if they are cooked in red wine. Perfection.

You'll see that I included a few pics of the short ribs as they cooked along, since, for some reason, Whole Foods gave me short ribs that were like, 8 inches long! Usually they are only about 4 or 5. Whatevs. It wasn't a problem cooking them, just fitting them in the pot so that they were nicely nestled into their red wine bath.

I enjoyed a delicious meal with a fab red wine (a much more pricey bottle than the $10 bottle that I cooked with) and then froze the leftover meat and sauce (separately) so that I can eventually make a beefy pasta sauce not unlike this one. But it will all depend on the weather.

Red Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs

Adapted from Bon Appétit

4 pounds meaty beef short ribs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (about) vegetable oil
1 (750-ml) bottle Cabernet Sauvignon

2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon all purpose flour

1. Arrange the ribs in single layer in 15 x 10 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Mix the rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle all over the ribs. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Let the ribs stand at room temperature 1 hour before continuing.

2. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy, wide ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the ribs to the pot and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes per batch, adding more oil to the pot by tablespoonfuls as needed. Transfer the ribs to a large bowl or platter.

3. Pour off the extra fat drippings from the pot and discard. Add the wine and broth to the pot and bring to a simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Return the ribs and any accumulated juices to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover and transfer to the oven and braise (cook) until the meat is very tender and almost falling off bones, about 2 hours. (DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Bring to a simmer before continuing.)

With bones - before sauce reduction

3. Using tongs, transfer the ribs to a large bowl and cover tightly to keep warm. Skim any fat from the top of the braising liquid. Boil the liquid until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes.

4. Mix 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon flour with a fork in small bowl until well blended. Whisk the butter mixture into the reduced braising liquid. Whisk over medium-high heat until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper. Return the ribs to the pot and coat with the sauce.

After sauce reduction

5. Spoon the Gorgonzola Polenta (see recipe below) onto plates. Top with the ribs and extra sauce.

Gorgonzola Polenta
Adapted from Bon Appétit

5 cups (or more) low-sodium chicken broth
1 3/4 cups polenta (coarse cornmeal)*
3/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/3 cup whipping cream
*Sold at some supermarkets and at natural foods stores and Italian markets. If unavailable, substitute an equal amount of regular yellow cornmeal and cook about half as long.

1. Bring 5 cups of chicken broth to a boil in heavy 4-quart saucepan. Gradually add the polenta, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the polenta is tender, stirring frequently and adding more chicken broth by 1/4 cupfuls if polenta is too thick, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the Gorgonzola and cream. Stir until the cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Drink Up!

It's only National Wine Day for a few more hours. (You don't have to ask me twice.)

French Onion Dip

Just because you enjoy Champagne you don't have to stick to oysters and caviar as your only snack, though it's a pretty effing fab combo. Thing is, I'm pretty sure that I would shuck my thumb right out of its socket if I attempted to prep my own oysters, and I'm also pretty sure that there are better ways for me to spend my caviar money. Like on Champagne. And potato chips.
Hold the phone. Did I just say potato chips?? Why, yes, I did. Fatty, salty snacks are way better with an extra brut or brut style sparkler (which contain a very, very little amount of sugar) than...say...wedding cake. Trust. Have a cup of coffee with that cake and have some Champs with your snacks! And furthermore, by Champagne I mean, THE sparkling wine from the Champagne region in France. Similar style sparkling wines from anywhere else in the world, including France, are simply: sparkling wine. By law. Whether a cava from Spain or a sparkler from Cali or a Franciacorta from Italy, it's all sparkling wine, people. Not that there's anything wrong with that. My budget is more Prosecco than Champagne anyway.
But I digress. Back to my dip. As much as I hate sour cream and similarly gloppy substances, I've always been a sucker for that dried onion soup mix stirred into sour cream and scooped up onto a nice salty chip. Oh. Yeah. That screams summer BBQ to me. Lately the rage has been to make the dip using caramelized onions (if making a dip can be called a rage). And let me tell you, it's worth the hour spent cooking those babies down to their essence because the result is super fantabulous. Coupled with a glass of bubbly, that's a memorable Wednesday night (along with good friends like Wendy, Stacy, Jen, and Alyssa)! Stop saving your Champagne for special occasions, peeps. It becomes a special occasion when you pop open that bottle (watch your eye!). And a bag of chips.

Caramelized Onion Dip
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 medium onions, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream (1 cup)
4-ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
Potato chips, for serving
1. Melt the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and ½ teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally to loosen any onions that may be stuck to the bottom of the pan, until the onions are deep golden brown, about 30 minutes more. Remove from the heat and let cool. 

2. In a medium bowl mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper until smooth. Stir in the cooked onions, reserving a tablespoon for garnish, if desired. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with the chips. Makes about 2 cups.

Lock, Stock, and Barrels

This past weekend I made my maiden voyage to the North Fork of Long Island while on a field trip with my wine class, or rather a couple of peeps from my wine class. (I could have brought friends!) The educational emphasis was on viticulture and vitification because that is the unit that we are currently studying, but let's face it, it was also about tasting and buying wine.

We started out at Paumanok Winery, then moved on to Lenz Winery, both smallish but quite well established wineries making delicious wine in Long Island. (No, it's not an oxymoron, though it certainly could be.) We ended up capping off the day with a trip to a goat cheese farm called Catapano Dairy Farm to buy some delicious goat cheese and then finally ended up at Briermere Farms where several peeps stood in line to buy one of their abundant pie selections. I just bought some beets to roast up to go with my bevy of goat cheese (lavender-honey and plain chevre). All in all it was a pretty fabulous day.


Yep. With 30-some-odd wineries (vs. just a couple in the South Fork) the North Fork is synonymous with wine country.


An example of the trellising/pruning technique called replacement cane pruning. I won't bore you with the details that I have to know about this. Gnarly. Harvest was just completed a few days ago, hence, no grapes.


Hello, Cabernet Franc.


Extra barrels just waiting to be used.


A Lenz Gerwürztraminer just after fermentation. Cloudy yet delicious, but not quite as Gerwzy (my word) or clear as it has yet to become.


Paumanok Winery on a lazy October afternoon.

Warm Goat Cheese Salad

Here's a recipe from The Ski House Cookbook in case you ever have an excess of goat cheese, and eating it with a spoon just won't do.

2/3 cup bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
6 ounces goat cheese
6 - 9 ounces baby greens

Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette
Whisk together:
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Extra virgin olive oil

1. In a small bowl mix the bread crumbs, pepper, thyme, and parsley. In another small bowl whisk the egg with the salt and mustard.

2. Cut the goat cheese into 4 equal pieces and form into disks about 3/4” thick. Roll the disks in the egg wash and then in the bread crumb mixture, pressing the crumbs gently into the cheese to coat. Place the disks on a small baking sheet and transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a large bowl toss the greens with the vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the cheese from the freezer and brush the tops lightly with the oil. Transfer to the oven and bake until golden, about 10 minutes.

4. Divide the salad among 4 plates and top each with a goat cheese round. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Newsflash!

Today I FINALLY received the results of my wine exam. That I took in May. And...I passed WITH DISTINCTION! That's like an "A"...so I'm stoked.

And now back to your regularly scheduled last batch of vacay photos until I can actually get myself to make something. Out of actual ingredients. And turn it into something to eat. I. Can. Do. It.

Random photos from Capri and Rome. I could get used to this. The living there. Not the looking at random photos, obvs.