Adventures in Food and Wine
As the chilly brisk days of autumn nudge closer to winter, we retreat to our warm cozy homes. Comfort foods like a long- simmering pot roast, pasta, and full-bodied red wines are center stage at the table.
In continued collaboration with L’Ecole No 41 winery, I tasted two vintages from their Perigee wines. I paired these wines with a Ligurian Tócco (pot roast) made into a pasta sauce. The pairing was everything you wanted to satisfy your tastebuds and hunger on a cold winter’s night….
Most families have a set traditional Thanksgiving menu. Everyone has their favorite dishes that are a must beyond the turkey, but turkey can get complicated too – brined, kosher, smoked, fried, or roasted! I believe adding or changing some of the side dishes keeps the Thanksgiving menu exciting and lots more fun for an adventurer in food. Several years ago, I was determined to perfect my Thanksgiving cranberry sauce.
I grew up in Wisconsin, a national leader in cranberry farming, producing more than 60% of the cranberries Americans consume each year. (source: Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association). My grandfather was a cranberry farmer, so this was a personal mission to create a new family cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving.
I wanted a cranberry sauce that was not too sweet and had no nuts (per my husband.) A memorable cranberry sauce from a previous Thanksgiving included port wine and orange juice. The port wine added flavor and balanced the tartness of the cranberries without being too sweet, and the citrus juice was a refreshing element with the turkey. I experimented and tweaked spices with wine pairings in mind and created a new family Thanksgiving cranberry sauce. The recipe has become a part of our traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
After years of living and visiting Wisconsin, this fall (late September) was my first time actually to experience a cranberry harvest.
“Contrary to popular belief, cranberries do not grow underwater or in standing water. The low-growing, perennial vines blossom in late June or early July. Honeybees assist in pollination, and small green berries are evident by early August. The cranberry matures in fall when beds are flooded, and the crimson berries are harvested.” (source: Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association).
Flooded cranberry field before harvesting
Harvesting cranberries
Since the publication of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” Julia Child has inspired generations of American cooks. Julia Child, along with a handful of other culinary greats, is responsible for changing the food culture in America. Before “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” cooking and eating in America was driven more by necessity and less out of pleasure. Not only did Julia make cooking fun and accessible, but mistakes were allowed, and nobody had to know.
I am a long-time fan of Julia Child, with a library of her cookbooks and a treasured photo of when I met her to prove it. Julia inspired me to be a fearless and joyful cook. She influenced my interest and love of wine when she, along with Robert Mondavi and Richard Graff, established The American Institute of Wine & Food “to advance the understanding, appreciation, and quality of wine and food.”…
It’s that time of year again when Merlot gets a little extra love and attention. October is #MerlotMe month, and the Wine Pairing Weekend group of writers is celebrating their sixth year of Merlot and food pairings. (If you want to explore more of Always Ravenous #MerlotMe highlights from the last four years, here are the links; Beef Rouladen Paired with Merlot, Merlot Pairing: Baked Pasta with Sausage Ragù, Food Pairings with Merlot, Food Pairings for Merlot Lovers, Roasted Pork Loin & Brandy Prune Sauce Paired with Merlot.
My Merlot pairings this year focus on mushrooms and earthy umami flavors. I still dream about the Warm Shiitake Mushroom & Cheese Dip I wrote about for #MerlotMe 2019. That mushroom cheese dip is my inspiration for #MerlotMe 2021, “Mushroom Madness Paired with Merlot.”…
This month the French Winophiles are back in the Rhône Valley tasting and pairing wines from the Southern Rhône; Côtes du Rhone AOC and Côtes du Rhône Villages AOC. These two wine regions make up 46% and 11% respectively of the total wines produced in the Rhône Valley….
Pinot Grigio is that wine variety that seems pretty straightforward. Its light body, medium acidity, low alcohol, and overall a good value. But not all Pinot Grigio is the same. Italy’s northeast wine growing regions of Veneto, Trentino, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, collectively known as “Triveneto,” produces some of the best expression of Pinot Grigio.
The Jura wine region is a mountainous hidden gem located between Bourgogne and Switzerland. The small area extends 48 miles from north to south and covers 5000 acres. Exports of this already modest wine production are just 10%. Jura’s traditional and unique wine styles like Macvin (a fortified must), Vin Jaune (French for yellow wine…
I am a lover of meatballs. I gravitate to them in cookbooks. This recipe for mini turkey-herbed meatballs with butternut squash noodles got my attention. Comfort food (meatballs) lightened up with ground turkey, and lots of herbs served on butternut squash noodles instead of pasta. Finish the dish with a drizzle of citrusy tahini sauce…
If you are like me, I live for farmers markets where I can buy fresh, locally grown, organic vegetables and fruit, especially in the summer. Just last week, I filled my basket with tomatoes (small, large, heirloom, slicers, red, orange, and yellow), the sweetest corn, peppers, melons, herbs, cucumbers, and so much more! So what…