Category Archives: Food & Wine

What the Mother?!

What is that disgusting blob of gunk you sometimes find floating at the bottom of your bottle of vinegar? It is actually a by-product of the process that turns wine into vinegar, and it’s called The Mother.

The Mother is a mass of acetic acid bacteria that feeds on the alcohol in wine and ferments it into vinegar. It forms naturally on the surface of wine when that wine is left in contact with oxygen. Most often, the vinegar you buy in the supermarket is filtered so there is no residual sugar or alcohol that would fuel the development of a Mother. However, unfiltered vinegar, such as Bragg’s Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, will often have a Mother floating at the bottom. You can also make your own Mother with some time and patience, borrow one from someone else, or purchase one at a specialty online retailer.

Once you get a Mother, you can place it into a clean glass jar and use it as a starter to make your own vinegar. It’s a great solution for any unfinished glasses or bottles of wine. Just pour any leftover wine into the jar with the Mother and let it sit, covered, on your counter at room temperature.

It will take a month or two to ferment the wine into vinegar, but the Mother will last almost indefinitely. My mom has a vinegar mother that was given to her by my grandmother decades ago and it’s still going strong.

Once your wine has been converted to vinegar (taste it to find out) siphon it off into a separate jar for use, and continue adding leftover wine to the Mother jar to start creating a new batch.

Wine with Mushrooms Makes A Fun-gi!

I was at my local farmer’s market this past weekend and there was a mushroom vendor selling a variety of fungi, some of which looked like they came from another planet! I simply couldn’t resist buying some. I love that rich earthy, umami character of sautéed mushrooms, especially when cooked with garlic, onions and butter – yum!

There are over 2,000 edible species of mushroom in the world, so how the heck do we even start to figure out how to pair all of this variety with wine? Luckily, there are only a small handful of mushrooms that commonly make their way onto our plates, and we can fairly easily divide these into two categories.

  1. Delicately flavored mushrooms such as lobster, enoki, maitake, oyster, and button mushrooms. These are best paired with creamy white wines, such as Chardonnay, Viognier, and white Rhone blends. They can also work well with lighter reds, especially those that have an earthy character, such as Pinot Noir. For something a little different, you can even open a bottle of Champagne for its yeasty, earthy note and acidity that contrasts with the savoriness of the mushrooms.
  2. Hearty, earthy mushrooms such as truffles, shiitake, portobello, porcini and morels. These bolder and meatier mushrooms can definitely stand up to bigger red wines. Again, look for big reds that have an earthy character, such as Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Bordeaux and Syrah.

So, my local mushroom vendor at the farmer’s market inspired me to make a mushroom risotto for dinner. I tend to prefer a blend of various mushrooms in my risotto that combines both delicacy and boldness. As a result, I chose shiitake mushrooms, a maitake mushroom (commonly known as Hen-of-the-Woods) and dried porcini mushrooms. As a side note, dried mushrooms reconstituted in hot broth will add a very bold pop of umami flavor!

Click here to check out my recipe for Mushroom Risotto!

As for the wine pairing, I chose a 2005 Corino Vigna Giachini Barolo from Piedmonte, Italy that has been maturing quite nicely in my cellar for more than a decade. It could have remained in the cellar for a few more decades, but I knew it was going to be perfect with this dish, so Carpe Diem! I was not disappointed.

This wine had that telltale pale, brick red color of Barolo with pronounced aromas of earth, dried leaves, roses, sour cherry, smoke and leather. Its high acidity and high tannins not only allowed it to age so well, but provided brilliant structure to the fruit. The finish went on and on, both lingering and evolving on the palate. The wine’s earthiness perfectly complimented the savory mushrooms, while its high acidity cut through the creaminess of the risotto. Barolo and mushroom risotto is a match made in gastronomic heaven!

RECIPE: Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce package of dried porcini mushrooms
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 chopped onions
  • 1lb of chopped mushrooms of your choice (e.g., shitake, portabello, crimini)
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon truffle oil (optional)
  • 2 cups Arborio rice
  • 1 cup dry white wine (e.g., Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio)
  • 9oz package of frozen peas, thawed
  • 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Pour the broth into a medium saucepan. Add porcini mushrooms to the broth and bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes until mushrooms are reconstituted. Keep the broth warm over very low heat.

    Dried porcini mushrooms in broth

  2. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for about 8 minutes.

    Saute onions in butter and olive oil

  3. With a slotted spoon, removed the porcini mushrooms from the broth to a cutting board and chop them.
  4. Add all of the mushrooms and garlic to the saucepan with the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms are tender.

    Use any variety or combination of mushrooms that you’d prefer

     

     

    Saute mushrooms and garlic with onions

  5. Add the truffle oil (optional)

    Add an optional drizzle of truffle oil for a stronger umami flavor

  6. Stir in the rice and let it toast for about 2 minutes.

    Toast the rice

  7. Add the wine and stir frequently for about 2 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

    Add any dry white wine that you prefer. If drinking red with your risotto, just re-cork the bottle, store it in the fridge, and enjoy a glass of white tomorrow!

  8. Being sure to keep the heat at medium-low so the broth doesn’t cook off too quickly, add 1 cup of hot broth to the rice until the liquid is absorbed (about 3 minutes), stirring often. Repeat this process, adding 1 cup of broth at a time, until all of the broth is used. The entire process should take up to 30 minutes. Do not walk away from the stove – you must stir often so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

9. Stir in the peas and the Parmigiano. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

5 Wine Pairings for any Charcuterie & Cheese Board

Tis the season for parties with families, friends, neighbors and co-workers! There is no better and more festive time to gather together those closest to you to celebrate, unwind and be merry. Yet to truly throw the perfect party, there must be outstanding food and beverage offerings.

Arguably, one of the easiest, most eye-catching and crowd-pleasing party food around is a beautiful, international charcuterie and cheese board. Every board is unique and reflects a variety of different flavors and textures sure to please even the pickiest party guest.

The staple of any charcuterie board is an array of salted, cured and smoked meats. This often includes selections such as prosciutto, jamón, salami, chorizo and pâté. A combination of hard and soft cheeses, ranging from mild to robust, will offer something for every palate. The board can be rounded out with sweet and sour flavors from olives, pickled vegetables, cornichons (those adorable tiny pickles), mustards and jams.

With such an array of flavors and textures, the idea of pairing such a curated charcuterie board with one or two appropriate wine selections can be daunting. Fortunately, it is much easier than you would imagine.

The primary flavor components of a charcuterie board are salty, spicy/smoky and fatty. Any wine selection should pair well with each of these elements. There may be a temptation to pair a big, bold red wine with a charcuterie board because of the meats, however, this would not be the ideal choice. The complex flavors in a big, red wine from tannins, oak and high alcohol will have negative interactions with the variety of flavors on a charcuterie board, making the wine taste more bitter and astringent.

The ideal pairing for charcuterie would be wines with high acidity to cut through the creamy fats, as well as fruity flavors that can stand up to the bitter salt and spice. Here are a selection of five can’t miss pairings for even the most diverse charcuterie and cheese boards.

 

#1. Reyneke Chenin Blanc 2017, $25

This wine is bright and fresh with a nice streak of acidity to cut through fatty meats and creamy cheeses, while ripe fruit flavors of apple, citrus and peach add a striking balance to smoky meats.

 

 

 

#2. Charles Smith Kung Foo Girl Riesling Evergreen 2017, $12

Riesling’s naturally high acidity is the perfect compliment to balance decadent creamy and salty cheeses. The cheeses also tone down the sweetness of the wine, bringing this pairing into perfect balance. Kung Foo Girl is brimming with lively acidity, and peach, apricot and citrus flavors.

 

 

 

#3. Medici Ermete Concerto Lambrusco Reggiano 2018, $20

This light, fizzy Italian red that is slightly off-dry is perfect for smoothing out those spicy and smokey charcuterie flavors. The high acidity and delicate bubbles keep the palate fresh after creamy, heavy cheeses, and the berry and bubblegum flavors make this a fun and lively wine for any party.

 

#4. Erath Pinot Noir 2016, $14

The best way to successfully pair red wine with charcuterie is to select a light-bodied, fruity pinot noir from a cooler climate, like this Erath from Oregon. This wine has mellow tannins that are smoothly integrated with tart cherry and raspberry flavors and high acidity that will compliment and not fight with the flavors on your charcuterie board.

 

#5. Tio Pepe En Rama Fino Sherry 2015, $15

If you want to wow your guests with an unexpected pairing, consider serving this Fino Sherry. Sherry is a fortified, dry white wine with aromas of bread, almonds and citrus. Legend has it that tapas was invented by a Spanish king after he drank sherry while eating cured ham, so charcuterie was made for this wine!

 

5 Ways to Use Old Wine

As much as we might try, it’s not always possible to finish an entire bottle of wine in one sitting, or even over the course of a few days. Maybe you opened a bottle the night before a business trip or vacation, or perhaps the week is filled with kids activities and it’s going to be take-out and late nights for the next several days, or maybe you opened a bottle and it just didn’t taste very good.

Whatever the reason, there will come a time when you have leftover wine that is no longer drinkable, but that you also don’t want to dump down the drain. There is no need to waste that wine. Here are a few things you can do with it instead.

1. Cooking

There are lots of recipes out there that call for wine as an ingredient. Wine adds acidity, sweetness and flavor to a dish. Homemade pasta sauce is a perfect use for old wine, and I add it to my family’s generational bolognese sauce recipe. However, one of my other favorite wine recipes is a Red Wine Risotto:

  • 3 1/2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup arborio rice, or medium-grain white rice
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 1/3 cup frozen peas, defrosted, optional
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus additional for garnish
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1. Bring the broth to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover the broth and keep it warm over very low heat.
  2. Melt the butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in the rice and cook for about 2 minutes until the rice is toasted. Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup of hot broth; simmer over medium-low heat until the liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 6 minutes. Repeat, adding 3/4 cup of hot broth 2 more times, stirring often, about 12 minutes longer. At this point, the risotto can be made 4 hours ahead. Refrigerate the risotto (the rice will still be firm) and remaining broth, uncovered, until cool, then cover and keep them refrigerated until ready to proceed.
  3. Bring the remaining broth to a simmer, then cover and keep it warm over very low heat. Stir 3/4 cup of hot broth into the partially cooked risotto over medium heat until the broth is absorbed and the risotto is hot, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining broth and simmer until the rice is just tender and the mixture is creamy, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the peas and parsley. Add the 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Spoon the risotto into bowls. Sprinkle additional cheese over and serve.

(Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis)

2. Marinade

Make a wine marinade for steak or chicken.

  • 1 cup wine (red wine for steak, white wine for chicken)
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Pour over meat/poultry and marinate in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours before cooking.

3. Homemade Vinegar

Wine will naturally turn to vinegar over time, so why not help the process along so you can put that vinegar to good use? For a constant supply of vinegar…

  1. Pour your leftover wine into a wide-mouthed jar or other container.
  2. Add a “mother of vinegar” to the wine (which can be purchased online), or add live, organic vinegar, such as Braggs Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, to the wine in a 2:1 ratio of wine to vinegar. This will provide the necessary bacteria culture to start fermentation.
  3. Cover the container with a cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band. Set it aside in a warm location out of direct sunlight. Give it a stir or shake every few days.
  4. Start tasting it after a week to see how it’s coming along. In a few weeks the “mother” will settle on the bottom of the jar and the vinegar above it will be ready for use.
  5. Keep adding more leftover wine to the jar as you use the vinegar.

4. Vinaigrette

Don’t have the time or patience to turn your wine into vinegar, but still want to make a delicious vinaigrette? You’re in luck. Here’s a recipe for using wine in place of vinegar to make a nice dressing.

  • 1/3 cup white wine
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)
  • 1 teaspoon honey if the wine is dry. If using a sweet wine, omit the honey.
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3/4 cup olive oil

Blend or whisk the wine, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Slowly add the olive oil while whisking/blending.

5. Wine reduction

This red wine reduction enhances the flavor your dish when spooned over beef or pork.

  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 2 shallots, diced
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 cup beef or chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  1. Coat a pan with olive oil.
  2. Add the shallots and cook for 3-5 minutes.
  3. Add the red wine, stock and tomato paste and reduce by half (10-15 minutes).
  4. Add the butter, salt and chopped rosemary.

Bonus: Freeze it

When in doubt, freeze the wine for use at a later time. The best way to freeze wine is to pour it into an ice cube tray. When frozen, pop out the cubes into a plastic freezer bag and store them in your freezer. When an opportunity arises, just toss a few cubes into any recipe that calls for wine.

Recipe: Pappardelle with Scallops

This recipe is filled with umami flavors! Umami is the “fifth flavor” in addition to sweet, salty, sour and bitter. It is that earthy, savory flavor you find in monosodium glutamate (MSG) – think miso soup, cooked mushrooms and soy sauce.

Umami is not an easy flavor to pair wine with. It tends to make wine taste more astringent and bitter, especially wines high in tannins (big red wines). The typical suggestion is to pair umami dishes with white or sparkling wines. However, salt is a magical pairing agent for wine. If you add sufficient salt and salty ingredients (in this case, parmesan) to your dish, you can easily pair umami flavors with red wines with delicious results!

I chose to pair this recipe with a 2014 MACHETE by Orin Swift. Not only does this wine have the most bad-ass label EVER, it is wine is bursting with rich, ripe black fruit flavors – blackberry and black cherry all over the place. It is so fruity that it works beautifully with this rich, umami dish, cutting those earthy flavors with gorgeous berry flavors. Yum!

Ingredients

1 pound large sea scallops, patted dry

1 pound pappardelle pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon sea salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon

2 cups mixed chanterelle, oyster, trumpet, mushrooms, thinly sliced

3 black garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more for serving

3 cups arugula

2 tablespoons white truffle oil

2 ounces best quality Parmesan, shaved

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of salt.
  2. Rinse and pat dry the scallops. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt.
  3. Prep all of your ingredients and have them at ready, then cook the pasta according to package directions.
  4. While pasta is cooking, in a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, add the scallops, cook for 2 minutes then turn over and cook another minute. When scallops are just cooked, remove from heat and set aside, keeping them warm.
  5. Add the mushrooms to the scallop juice in the pan and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Add in the reserved scallops, half of the truffle oil and the parmesan. Add in the drained cooked pasta, then the arugula and gently toss or stir to combine.

(Recipe courtesy of Guy Fieri)