Recipe Round Up - Harvest Box

Ingredients

Salad greens
Your favourite salad ingredients such as shaved carrot, sliced radish, diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and/or chopped celery

Dressing
4 tbsp EVOO
2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Freshly grated ginger
1 clove finely diced garlic
Finely diced herbs (chives, tarragon, thyme)
1tsp Dijon Mustard
1tsp Maple syrup
Salt and Pepper

1lb sustainably caught deveined shrimp

Method

1. Combine dressing ingredients and shake well. Set aside

2. Wash and prepare salad ingredients and set aside

3. In a large skillet, add 1tbs EVOO. Toss shrimps until rosy pink. Season lightly with salt and pepper to taste and a squeeze of lemon.

4. Dress salad, and top with warm shrimps and serve immediately. 

 

Whenever tasting Italian wines there is always this specific ‘somewhereness’ about them.  Perhaps you aren’t familiar with the grape or the region that the wine is from, but when tasting it, it’s clearly Italian. This undercurrent of identity precipitates to so many things in Italy like fashion, architecture, and even food.  That is also interesting as there is so much diversity in Italy from region to region, and yet something somehow remains constant.  In wine it seems to be a lifted earthiness that’s almost inexplainable. And that is where this pairing comes from, bringing even more life and energy to the wine. The beautiful mushrooms bring out the wild earthiness in the wine, while the body of the Frappato and Nero d’Avola do not overwhelm the subtle and silky texture of the risotto.  Fresh herbs of thyme and rosemary compliment and accentuate the fragrant herbal notes that run through the nose and palate of the wine.  It is a sophisticated pairing that shines in its simplicity and elegance.

Ingredients

8 cups chicken broth, low sodium
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, diced, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1 pound fresh portobello and cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon truffle oil
1-ounce dried porcini mushrooms, wiped of grit
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
Fresh Italian parsley, for garnish

Method

1. Heat the chicken broth in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 onion and 1 clove garlic, cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms, herbs and butter. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes until lightly browned, season with salt and pepper. Drizzle in truffle oil then add the dried porcini mushrooms which were reconstituted in1 cup of warm chicken broth. Season again with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Sauté 1 minute then remove from heat and set aside.

3. Coat a saucepan with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Sauté the remaining 1/2 onion and garlic clove. Add the rice and stir quickly until it is well-coated and opaque, 1 minute. This step cooks the starchy coating and prevents the grains from sticking. Stir in wine and cook until it is nearly all evaporated.

4. Now, with a ladle, add 1 cup of the warm broth and cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining broth, 1 cup at a time. Continue to cook and stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. The risotto should be slightly firm and creamy, not mushy. Transfer the mushrooms to the rice mixture. Stir in Parmesan cheese, cook briefly until melted. Top with a drizzle of truffle oil and chopped parsley before serving.

 

This is a really simple pairing that excels in its pure deliciousness.  This illustrates that amazing food and wine pairings don’t have to be stuffy or inaccessible, but instead can be something you can enjoy and experience on any day of the week.  For all intents and purposes, this is a fancy ham and cheese sandwich.  But that’s ok, in fact it’s better than ok - it’s amazing.  What we are doing here is making it a perfect ham and cheese for this wine.  The alpha and omega lies with great ingredients.  Further, both the Manchago cheese and Iberian ham hail from Spain giving a decisive regional nod.  With the richness of the ham, the grilled smokiness of the bread, and the fattiness of the cheese, it all just works in amazing harmony.

Ingredients

Manchago cheese
Thinly sliced Iberian ham
Baguette sliced lengthwise

Method

1. Turn broiler on in oven, and set rack in the middle. 

2. Place baguette in until slightly browned. 

3. Remove and top with Manchago.  Return to oven and watch carefully until cheese is melted. 

4. Remove and top with Iberian ham. I also enjoy this with some onion marmalade if I have it on hand.