Bucatini all’amatriciana

Bucatini all’amatriciana with Mastro Scheidt 2017 Sangiovese Vecchio

1 slice double thick bacon cut into small chunks (yes, I know it’s should be Guanciale or Pancetta, but it’s a crisis and it’s what I’ve got in the kitchen)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon dried Aleppo pepper (or a regular red pepper flake is fine)
1 cup of tomato sauce (my previously made sauce included several whole sausages, yellow onions, garlic and black pepper – I removed the whole sausages from the sauce for this recipe)
Half a pound of bucatini
Grated Parmigiano or Romano Cheese, whichever you prefer
Small handful of chopped parsley

Get your pasta boiling, bucatini can take longer than you think

Cook your bacon in a sauté pan until cooked thoroughly and crispy. There should be just enough bacon drippings to complete the sauce. Add the three crushed garlic cloves and Aleppo pepper and cook for a minute. Then add all of your tomato sauce and warm everything through. It takes longer to cook the bacon than the actual sauce

When the bucatini is ready, drain the pasta quickly and drop all the pasta in the sauce (yes, I want a little of the pasta water in the sauce) Toss through the pasta and the sauce off heat until the pasta is thoroughly coated. Add some of your grated Parmigiano or Romano, all of the chopped parsley and serve

Recipe for Frittata with Mushrooms and Green onion

Just so you know it's not all about wine, here's a recipe that pairs very well with your coffee in the morning. I prefer mine with a double espresso

Recipe for Frittata with Mushrooms and Green onion

6 Eggs beaten
2 tablespoons Bacon drippings (from all that bacon you hoarded)
6 Large Mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 Green Onions, thinly diced
Large handful of shredded cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Turn on your oven broiler before you start

In a sauté pan, heat bacon drippings on high heat then add all your mushrooms and toss through. Let cook undisturbed for about 2 minutes. Add green onions and toss through. Continue to stir so nothing burns or sticks. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and then add all your eggs. Stir through everything so that it comes up to temperature, meaning, the eggs are starting to noticeably cook but aren’t quite scrambled eggs. You don’t want scrambled eggs. Once the eggs have set on the bottom add all of your cheese to the top and put the whole sauté pan in the oven to broil. As you begin to see the cheese bubble, let it go until the cheese throughout the pan is rapidly bubbling and pull out the frittata to rest. Serve it once it cools down and the egg separates from the side of the sauté pan

Tortellini in Tomato Cream

Recipe for Tortellini in Tomato Cream with a green salad, served with the Jug. Another Shelter in Place meal

¼ cup Tomato sauce + ¼ cup chicken broth
¼ cup of Heavy Whipping Cream (use it at the end)
Finely chopped parsley (toss in with the cream)
Salt and Pepper
Parmigiano cheese (a little is good, a lot wouldn’t be very Italian)

If you raided the grocery store for some pre-made sauce, now’s the time to use it. If you made your sauce from scratch like I did, then you already know how to make tomato sauce/gravy and you don’t need me to tell you the recipe

Heat up your tomato sauce in a sauté pan. You can use fresh tortellini or a frozen one (lots of people are right now). Boil your pasta until al dente (drain water) and toss the pasta in the sauté pan with the Heavy Cream and parsley. Toss all the pasta through the sauce and allow to thicken for about a minute or so. You should notice the sauce get thick, so cook it until it does. If you like more sauce, add more tomato or cream sauce, that’s fine, especially if you’re eating some bread with this dish. Don’t add the extra sauce at the end, at it at the beginning or you’ll overcook your pasta

I chose the Jug on this one because this is an easy-going meal that I had complete in about 12 minutes. I’m not fussing with a cork and just want a good glass of Sonoma County’s finest Jug

Green Salad
Handful of Mixed Greens
Sliced tomato
Tablespoon of Parmigiano cheese
Fresh ground Black Pepper
Drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar
Drizzle of Olive oil

Seriously, if you don’t know how to make a green salad, you’ve got problems

Minestrone Soup Version 384

There are so many versions of Minestrone, there is no definitive one. All that matters is that you have something in the pantry and refrigerator to make it from. This is what I had that day.

Minestrone Soup (one version of many variations)

Bulk Italian style sausage, medium hot

2 Carrots, rough chop

½ large Yellow Onion, more finely chopped

2 Celery stalks, rough chop

2 Garlic cloves, finely minced

1 Potato, I prefer Yukon Gold, rough chop

1 can of diced, stewed tomatoes

Kale of Choice, ribs and all, cut up good so it breaks down

Chopped Parsley

2 cups of Broth of Choice or Water (I used half chicken broth and half water)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Break up the bulk sausage into smaller pieces and brown it in a 3qt sauce pot on medium heat. When the sausage is browned (and make sure there is enough fat to do a little sauté), add the garlic and onion and slowly cook for about 5-8 minutes. When that’s done add all of your other ingredients to the pot and turn the heat up to high and bring this pot to a boil. Once it reached a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook the soup until it gets some flavor, say 30 minutes or so. Taste for salt, pepper and flavor (it shouldn’t taste like water or tomato juice). If you want it “brothy” (if that’s a word) add some chicken/beef stock to the desired consistency.

Wine of choice, Mastro Scheidt 2017 Cuvee. It’s the all-weather, all-purpose wine.

Pasta with Artichokes and Bacon recipe

As many of us are experiencing during the time of crisis around the world of the global pandemic of Covid-19, we are reminded that we can actually cook at home. To that end, I’m a fan of pasta.

Pasta with Artichokes and Bacon recipe

Pasta, enough for two people, the shape should pick up stuff, like Fusilli, Bowties, Big Shells

2 strips of bacon, rough chopped (not a sweet style)

1 can of artichokes, with artichokes cut in half and drained of any excess water/oil

1 garlic clove, minced

3 solid pinches of a generalized dry Italian seasoning

3 pinches of rough cut parsley

1 tablespoon of butter (to finish)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Grated Parmigiano Reggiano to taste

Cook the bacon in a hot sauté pan until almost fully cooked. Pour off any excess bacon fat (don’t worry, you’ll use it for another dish) Add your artichokes flat side down and slow cook with the remaining bacon in the pan until artichokes develop a caramelization on the bottom. Turn the pan heat down to mid-low and add the garlic, pepper, Italian seasoning, parsley and toss everything through.

When your pasta is done, drain it and add all the pasta to the sauté pan and the extra butter and toss all the items over and over to incorporate all the flavors together. Check for salt and pepper and make additions as necessary. Add some of the grated Parmigiano and serve.

I recommend the 2019 Mastro Scheidt Hunter Bordeaux inspired white wine blend.

Gazpacho or the original juice cleanse?

There isn't a day that goes by where I'm forced to hear about another person that's on some kinda cleanse. 3-day cleanse, 5-day detox, juice cleanse. 

I've got a suggestion, have a classic "cleanse" for dinner and make fresh gazpacho. It involves going "old school" with your mother's blender or modern day with a Nutri-Bullet or Ninja mixer. You'll get all the same satisfaction of telling your friends that you're on a cleanse, but this will actual taste good.

Tomato Gazpacho

3 garden fresh tomatoes, de-seeded
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup red onion
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
A few cracks of black pepper
Fresh Thyme and olive oil to garnish

Put everything but the thyme in the blender and blend until smooth. Done. Pour into a bowl and garnish. Eat.

If you're still inclined to tell people you're on a cleanse, put the gazpacho in a glass and take a selfie.

Tomato Gazpacho

"Baked Potato" Risotto Recipe

I've been on a bit of a risotto kick since I got back from Italy in February. My experience at the Risottoria in Vicenza made me think outside of the box with regard to risotto. Why can't risotto be as varied as pasta?

At the start of the night, the risotto was going to be a plain, straightforward style that paired well with the main star, filet mignon. But as the risotto sat there, waiting to be finished, it struck me that normally we'd have a baked potato with all the fixings with our steaks.

Why can't I make a risotto with the customary garnishes of an American baked potato? Finish the risotto with sour cream, a heavy hand of chives and some fresh proscuitto.

My wine pairing suggestion? With the combination of filet and risotto, I'd favor straight-up Signature Cabernet Sauvignon or Superstrada, to give it the Italian influence the meal deserves.

Finished dish of risotto, filet mignon and grilled red onion and squash

Recipe:

5 tablespoons of butter
1 cup Arborio rice
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup Chardonnay
6 slices of prosciutto di Parma
1/3 cup of chives
1/3 cup of sour cream
salt and black pepper to taste

Add the butter to a medium high-heat saute pan and melt. Add the rice and cook, while stirring, for 5 minutes until the rice becomes translucent. Add the wine, increase the heat to high, and stir constantly. When the wine has been absorbed, lower the heat to medium and add a 1/2 cup of the hot chicken stock. Once the stock is absorbed, add a little more; repeat this process, stirring constantly (will take in upwards of 45 minutes), until the rice is nearly cooked. Remember, risotto is not meant to be mushy in texture, but have a hint of resistance.

When the rice is cooked, still hot and bubbling, but OFF HEAT and just before serving, add the chives, sour cream and prosciutto and stir together. Risotto is ready,

Steelhead Salmon Dip for the 4th of July

It's hot in Fresno all Summer. Real hot. 100 degrees plus. Fresno is all about backyard parties, cold beer and white wine (generally white wine, some Fresnans will put ice in red wine during the summer, I usually just pop the whole bottle in ice).

A simple cream cheese and salmon (cooked and cooled salmon, not a tartare) based dip, kept cold, is an easy appetizer to wash down with beer and wine all summer long. 

The proportions in the picture below, outline the entire recipe and ingredient list. Rather than write everything down, I just shot a picture instead. Remember to juice the lemon and chop the taragon for those that take things literally. Stir everything together until incorporated.

You can scoop the dip with vegetables, such as celery or carrots, or serve with toast points or crackers. If you want your salmon dip to have a creamier texture to it, add sour cream and/or mayonnaise and a bit more salt and pepper to taste.

Cooked salmon, cream cheese, lemon juice, red onion,taragon, capers, salt and pepper - stir all ingredients vigorously until combined

Finished product, salmon dip topped with taragon

The Hunter and the salmon dip are a natural pairing