deVine Table

Pantry Ingredients for Thai Cooking

I recently had the pleasure of taking a cooking class from Chef Toby Kim of NuCulinary after I got a great deal for it on Living Social. This class is based on easy everyday Asian cooking. Every week over the course of the summer, Toby has visited a different Asian cuisine and offered pantry items and tips to make it an easy addition to the home cook’s repertoire. The week I attended we learned how easy it is to make Thai Red Curry with Chicken and Vegetables based on a recipe from Fine Cooking. This recipe is very versatile in that you can substitute the vegetables in the recipe for whatever is fresh at the market. You can also make it vegetarian by substituting tofu for the chicken. This is a great recipe to help us prepare for our Feast and Tweet Taste of Thai!

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Thai Food Served On the Patio

We recently did a great food and wine pairing experiment with Thai food. While I had the best intentions of preparing some homemade dishes with recipes from our friend Naomi of NuCulinary, my plan derailed. Not to worry, my local Thai carryout restaurant saved the day.

On the Menu

• Phad Thai
• Swimming Rama Chicken
• Cashew Chicken
• Red Curry Shrimp
• Green Curry Eggplant and Green Curry Mussels (these were homemade by Bean)

All of these dishes were prepared with medium spiciness.

The Wine List

The varieties of wine we tasted with the food included Chenin Blanc (one from France and another from Washington state), Gewürztraminer, Viognier, and Torrontes. There were also a couple of white blends and a rosé. Here are the wines that our group of 5 tasters felt paired best with the food.

• Chateau Ste. Michelle 2008 Gewürztraminer
• Coyote Canyon 2008 Viognier
• Domaine Pichot 2007 Vouvray
• Northwest Totem Cellars 2008 Salish (a Riesling/Viognier blend)
• Del Rio Vineyards 2008 Rose Jolee (produced with 80% Early Muscat, 10% Merlot, 10% Malbec)

Quesadilla and a Glass of Salish

Okay, we’re not talking about someone getting lucky on the first date! We’re talking about a meal that’s light on the budget that you can put together in a snap – and pair with wine. A $10 bottle of quality Washington wine.

On the Menu

Shrimp Quesadillas with Mango Salsa

Peachy Curried Quinoa Salad

Northwest Totem Cellars 2008 Salish

Shrimp Quesadillas

Serves 2

• 2 large flour tortillas
• 1 cup mild semi-soft or semi-firm cheese, grated
• 1/3 pound shrimp
• 1 container prepared mango salsa

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Inspired by our recent tour of farmstead cheese makers, and trying to use up the excessive amount of cheese we purchased, I adapted this recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites cookbook. It’s quick and easy to put together, and pairs well with wine! Serves 8.

Mac and Cheese Goes Glam

• 2 cups grated cheese (8 ounces) such as Pleasant Valley Dairy Gouda
• 1/2 cup grated onion (approx. 1 small onion)
• 1 16 ounce container Appel Farms low fat quark
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons dried mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound whole wheat pasta – I use chiocciole, but elbow macaroni or rigatoni are also good choices
• 1/4 cup grated goat cheese Gouda such as that produced by Silver Springs Creamery
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs or crumbled shredded wheat

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Estrella Family Creamery's Valentina

Imagine eating 20 different cheese dishes, each paired with a wine, over the course of 3 hours. For students in the Cheese and Wine Pairing class at Northwest Wine Academy, this is how we spent our last class. Each student’s wine and cheese pairing presented to class is part of that person’s grade.

There were some pretty creative preparations, too. In fact, this was the first time I’ve been served cheesy grits. Even if I had tasted them before, I don’t know that it would have occurred to me to serve them with Semillon. One of the bolder pairings of the evening was a blue cheese fondue. Even though each serving was delivered in a small ramekin, it was full of big flavor, and paired with a big Washington red wine to boot. One of the students even went to the effort of preparing cheese soufflés. As a memorable way to wrap up class, the final pairing of the night was blue cheese ice cream served with a sauternes.  

If this kind of learning experience intrigues you, consider enrolling in Advanced Food and Wine Pairing with Chef Lenny Rede this summer.

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The Rib Fest Table

Food and wine bring people together. Here is a perfect example. It was barely a year ago that Bean, Vivian, Ed, and I met through the Northwest Wine Academy. Shortly after that, we began getting together for food and wine pairing experiments. Since last summer, we have become fixtures at each other’s tables. Now, we are celebrating birthdays together. Just as we did last Saturday for my husband Roger’s birthday.

Menu planning for this event could not have been easier for me. These three folks who have known my husband for less than a year were able to get him to reveal the favorite at home dishes he’d like to eat on this occasion. I find that impressive. When I ask what he wants for dinner, I don’t get any specifics. Not even a hint.

Dinner Time!

The Menu

• Spinach Salad with Candied Bacon prepared by Ed paired with Walter Dacon 2008 Roussanne
•  Costco Ribs, as requested by the hubby, contributed by Vivian and Ed paired with Sheridan Vineyard 2005 Syrah
•  Risotto and Roasted Veggies prepared by the Missus and
• Smoked salmon, smoked tomatoes, smoked mushrooms, and “Seattle Slugs” prepared by Bean paired with Mount Baker Vineyards 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon
•  Tiramisu paired with Moscato d’Asti

Pesto Risotto

I love that these friends of ours took such great joy in soliciting a menu from my husband. Then they went on to plan, purchase, transport, prepare, and contribute food and wine to a dinner to celebrate the most important person in my life. It was a wonderful evening that we will always treasure.

So, are you feeling inspired to invite friends to your table to share food and wine? I bet it will be a night you won’t soon forget.

"Seattle Slug" aka Portabello Piece

 Preparation

It’s easy enough to pick up some ribs from Costco! Unless, of course, you don’t have a membership. As Vivian learned from this experience, however, chances are we all know someone who does.

The risotto is prepared by tweaking my recipe, Risotto for Wine Lovers. Simply substitute 1/4 cup of pesto for the garlic cloves, and use beef stock rather than chicken.

Bean’s preparation for salmon can be found on her blog, Fairbanks Fantastic Foods and Feasts. Her ”Seattle Slugs” can be duplicated by making her recipe for Portabello Pieces.

Tiramisu has long been one of Roger’s favorite desserts. I learned to make a traditional version from Iole Aguero. She provides authentic Italian recipes and teaches with passion. Classes with Iole  can often be found in Seattle at the PCC Natural Markets and Blue Ribbon Cooking School. It’s great to have Tiramisu in your party repertoire, because it needs to be assembled the night before.

Wine Pairing

At Roger’s request, we opened a bottle of the Walter Dacon 2008 Roussanne this evening. It is his favorite white wine. We are grateful that Vivian was willing to transport this back from the winery in Shelton for us!

Party Wines

Not being a rib eater, I turned to Bean and Vivian for a suggested variety to pair with the hubby’s eagerly anticipated meat fest. Taking their advice into account, we opened a Sheridan Vineyard 2005 Syrah to go with the ribs. Only they can tell you how the two paired. However, I can tell you this Yakima Valley Syrah is terrific with roasted leeks. Vivian somehow managed to save a splash of the Roussanne for her ribs, and said the two were delicious together.

Since we enjoy experimenting with food and wine pairings, we also opened a bottle of Thurston Wolfe 2006 Petite Syrah. This turned out to be Roger’s favorite red wine of the evening.

Continuing on in the spirit of experimentation, a bottle of Rex Hill 2005 Jacob-Hart Vineyard Pinot Noir made its way onto the table. After all, Pinot and portabellos are a classic pairing. This Oregon wine offers bright cherries on the nose and palate.

The Mount Baker Vineyards 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon was a recent purchase of ours. We bought a magnum of this wine during a recent visit to the tasting room after Roger learned that the winery still had this vintage available. Back in 1999, he had brought a bottle of this Washington Cabernet Sauvignon to a dinner party I hosted, and the wine still haunted him! The wine has aged remarkably well, and it was wonderful with the risotto. Then we tried it with roasted tomatoes and, discovered a match made in Heaven!

We always seem to have a bottle of Moscato d’Asti in the fridge. Serve it with Tiramisu and you have a classic pairing.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to open as many wines as we did to have as much fun. Experimenting with wine and food pairing just makes it more interesting!

Melon Wrapped in Prosciutto

Gathering around the table with friends is absolutely one of my favorite things to do. Part of what makes it a joy is that I am very fortunate to have friends who like to bring their own dishes to share. Great anticipation builds while we wait to see what food will make its way onto our table. This weekend, Roger and I had the pleasure of hosting Julie and Ken. 

We selected an Italian theme for our dinner. This encouraged me to serve something incorporating the fresh ricotta made from my home cheese making experiment. So, what to do with that cheese? Make Baked Rigatoni with Fresh Ricotta. Delicious!

The Menu

• Bruschetta with Roasted Garlic, and Roasted Pepper and Artichoke Tapenade
• Melon Wrapped in Prosciutto with Arugula
• Baked Rigatoni with Fresh Ricotta
• Tarragon Chicken
• Chocolate Truffles

Here is one of my secrets. I don’t always make everything from scratch. I aspire to. However, when preparing multiple courses, I often find it best to make a couple of dishes of my own. Then, the menu gets rounded out with food made from scratch by local purveyors. This way, I don’t get stressed and our guests are able to eat at a reasonable time. For example, the tapenade served on this occasion came from my local PCC Natural Market. The Smoked Tomato Sauce for the rigatoni came from Cucina Fresca based in Pike Place Market. The fresh pasta from La Mondellina, a small shop in Magnolia.

Rigatoni Plated

Whenever possible, I choose recipes for a dinner party that can be prepared ahead of time, and need only be put on the table or in the oven when guests arrive. Both the Baked Penne and the Tarragon Chicken can be assembled in advance, then wait in the fridge until it comes time to put them in the oven. So, before guests arrive, it’s important to be sure the oven is preheated.

A prepared appetizer plate is also ready and waiting for our guests’ arrival. I recommend always having food and beverages ready to offer your guests right away. Don’t offer them drinks until some food is ready. I mean it! Why? I’ve been to that party where everyone got drunk at the start of the evening. Drunk and hungry. Hungry and….let’s say, less polite than usual.

On this evening, I breathed a sigh of relief as our guests enhanced our menu with Melon Wrapped in Prosciutto and chocolate truffles from Oh! Chocolate.

The Time Table

Up to one week in advance make the fresh ricotta.

Up to 2 days in advance boil the fresh penne until just al dente, and assemble the pasta dish with the ricotta. It can be tightly sealed and refrigerated until ready to bake.  

Up to 1 night in advance begin marinating the chicken.

The afternoon of the dinner finish any prep work for the pasta and chicken dishes. Refrigerate them until time to bake.

One hour before guests are scheduled to arrive plate the appetizers.

Fifteen minutes before guests arrive, preheat the oven to 375°.

When guests arrive, serve the appetizers.

Upon completion of appetizers, place the pasta dish in the oven. Set the timer for 30 minutes.

Serve the melon and prosciutto.

Take the pasta out of the oven when ready.

Remove plastic from the chicken dish and put it in the oven.

Serve the pasta at the table.

Serve the chicken when ready.

Wine Pairing

The opening wine for the appetizer platter and melon was Boomtown Pinot Gris. This light, crisp wine paired very well with the variety of foods.

 Our friends brought a bottle of Epicuro Salice Salentino Riserva. This red wine offers plum on the palate and a nice, velvety finish. It is a food friendly wine that doesn’t overpower. We enjoyed it with the pasta. In the spirit of experimentation, we also tasted it with the chicken, which brought out nice smokey notes in the wine.

Syrah is our favorite variety to pair with the Tarragon Chicken. So, we left Italy momentarily, returning to the Northwest for a Nefarious Cellars 2006 Estate Syrah. As always, a terrific pairing.

Our thanks to our guests for joining us at our table.

Milk Tranforming into Ricotta

Now that I am enrolled in a cheese and wine pairing class at Northwest Wine Academy, I feel inspired to give home cheesemaking a try. Recently, I saw a recipe for Rosemary Garlic Ricotta Cheese  come across the Twittersphere via TableFare that looks fairly easy. Turns out, it really is!

The hardest part is trying to figure out if  the curd development is progressing as it should. When it took over 45 minutes for the milk to get up to temperature, slight panic set in as I wondered if I really would have time to prepare everything else for dinner. Or would this experiment require constant supervision for hours? Turns out I could have turned the heat up a little higher. In any case, the cheese turned out fine. Better than fine, actually! Way better than anything I’ve ever purchased at the supermarket.

Ricotta Draining

So, what to do with that cheese? Combine it with fresh basil, mozzarella, and rigatoni pasta, top it with smoked tomato sauce, then bake it. Easy and delicious! You can even assemble this dish up to one day ahead of time. Just keep it tightly covered in plastic in the fridge, and add about 5 minutes of baking time. This recipe is adapted from the cookbook, Pasta Recipes and Techniques by Julia Della Croce.

Makes 6 servings.

• 1 batch homemade ricotta cheese
• 1/2 pound water packed mozzarella
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 pound fresh rigatoni pasta
• 1 jar Cucina Fresca Smoked Tomato Sauce
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

While the oven preheats to 375°, prep the ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, eggs, and basil.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Then, add the pasta, and cook until almost al dente. It will still be a little firm and will soften up more during baking. When I prepared this recipe, the pasta only needed a little over one minute in the boiling water. When it is ready, drain it, then add it to the bowl with the herbed cheese mixture, and combine.

Baked Rigatoni

Assemble the ingredients in a small oven proof casserole or baking dish, such as an 8″ x 8″ Pyrex dish. Begin by drizzling half of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the dish. Add the cheese and pasta to the baking dish, and spread it out so that you have an even layer. Top with the remaining sauce and the Parmigiano Reggiano.

Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese on top is slightly browned. Serve and enjoy!

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed this dish with a Salice Salentino. For dinner party inspiration, see the full Viva Italia menu.

Chicken Right Out of the Oven

Sometimes the best meals are the most basic. Or they start out with a classic recipe and have an updated element added such as truffle butter, making them even more worthy of a special occasion meal. Throw in a bottle of great wine such as the Sheridan Vineyard  Cabernet Franc, and it’s party time! 

For the hubby’s birthday, I wanted to make him something delicious.  At the same time, I didn’t want it to be so time consuming that he’d have to wait until midnight to eat (but let’s not speak of the homemade pasta episode). The inspiration started with a recipe for roast chicken from The Art of Simple Food by the great Alice Waters. As luck would have it, I came across a tub of truffle butter during my last visit to The Cheese Cellar here in Seattle. So, why not vary the recipe by putting some of that truffle butter under the skin of the breast before roasting? Alice’s suggestion to add a few sprigs of thyme was also incorporated. 

Chicken and Roasted Leeks

On the Side

Whevever the oven is on for roasting a main course, consider throwing in some veggies so that everything can cook simultaneously. During the last thirty minutes of cooking time for the chicken, a sheet pan covered with leeks was popped onto the bottom shelf of the oven. Cut in half and lightly tossed in olive oil, they were laid out in a single layer to ensure they would roast rather than steam. In keeping with the truffle theme, a drizzle of truffle oil and a dusting of truffle salt finished the leeks after they came out of the oven. It may sound like truffle overkill, but I’ll go to any lengths to get the hubby to eat his veggies! Besides, it was his birthday, after all.

Wild rice simply cooked according to the directions on the package rounded out the dinner. It not only enhances the meal with another interesting flavor, it adds some nice contrast to the plate with its dark color.

 Wine Pairing

On this occasion, a Sheridan Vineyard 2006 Cabernet Franc was indeed paired with the meal. Never had Cabernet Franc? Give it a try at your table! When Leslie Sbrocco was in town last month for Taste Washington, she said Cab Franc is the wine she likes to introduce to Pinot Noir drinkers. The Cabernet Franc grape is typically lighter in tannins and fruitier than Cabernet Sauvigion. It was a lovely pairing with this birthday dinner, and didn’t overpower the food.

Not ready to move on from Pinot Noir? Then, go ahead and enjoy a glass of Pinot with this menu. While we were visiting Ken Wright Cellars last week, we favored the Carter Pinot Noir. Or, if you’re in the mood for a white wine, try this menu with a lightly oaked Chardonnay. The Rulo Birch Creek Chardonnay is a good one to consider.

A Few Korean Pantry Items

NuCulinary is offering a great new series of unique classes called Everyday Asian at the new Renton Uwajimaya. Are these classes for you?

• Do you find grocery shopping during the week exhausting?
• Are you trying to be more economical by cooking at home more frequently?
• Would you like to learn more efficient cooking techniques?
• Are you bored with your current rotation of everyday meals?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, give these classes a try! They’re taught by Chef Toby Kim who has an amazing bio. Not to mention, he’s an engaging instructor with lots of handy tips.

I attended the friends and family preview on March 29th and was impressed by how efficient the program is. Class is just 90 minutes. Yet, Toby offers a wealth of information during that time. At $55, it is a good deal. Class concludes with a Uwajimaya store tour so that you can find all of the ingredients on the shelves. NuCulinary has even spared you from having to fill your own shopping cart. They offer a pre-filled pantry bag that would retail for $21, but is available the day of class for just $15. Now that you’ll know what to do with all those ingredients, it’s a must-buy!

Chop Ch'ae

The night I attended, the Korean Pantry was featured. Chap Ch’ae (Korean Sweet Potato Noodles with Meat and Vegetables) was prepared and sampled. Each week highlights a different Asian cuisine, and demonstrates a different recipe. This is a unique program, and a great concept for home cooks.

Quick Tips from Chef Toby Kim

• Cut your onions lengthwise for Asian cooking. If you cut them horizontally so that they make half rings, they break down more.
• After your noodles are cooked and drained, cut them with kitchen scissors so that they’re easier to work with and eat.
• White pepper gives off more heat than black pepper.

 Handy, yes?  If you think so, give it a try. Classes are every Thursday from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Renton Uwajimaya. The next open class is on April 8th featuring the Japanese Pantry with a demonstration of Chicken Donburi. Register for 4 classes and save $25.00.

Wine Pairing

When I prepared the dish at home, we tried it with the Hudson Shah 2007 Riesling. This is a dry riesling reminiscent of apples and citrus. I consider the pairing neutral. Some of the vegetables in the dish highlight the acid in the wine. Next time, we’ll try an off-dry Riesling to see how the residual sugar plays off the subtle heat in the food.