Herb Focaccia Pizza

Carlene got hungry while she was working in the store last night, so she whipped up a focaccia pizza using some items we had on hand here. It was fabulous! Half a loaf of bread made eight good-sized pieces – enough for all four of us to go home thinking we didn’t need to have dinner!

Ingredients:
One baked herb focaccia loaf, split laterally
Tomato paste
Olive oil
La Piana Basil Pesto
La Piana Grilled Eggplant
Fresh tomato, sliced
Cucina Viva Mozzarella

Preparation:
Drizzle olive oil over cut side of focaccia, then spread a layer of tomato paste over all. (Any of the tomato tapenades we have in stock would also work well for this.) Arrange grilled eggplant on the tomato paste base, then spoon on pesto evenly. Distribute sliced tomatoes, then top with fresh mozzarella. Bake at 375°F until the cheese softens, then slice and serve. If you’d like to add meat, try some of our Busseto prosciutto or Molinari pepperoni. Buon appetito!

Just in time for Insalata Caprese: Fresh Mozzarella

Fresh basil and tomatoes are beginning to appear at farmers markets, and Grapevine Cottage just received its first order of fresh Mozzarella cheese made in Wisconsin for Cucina Viva.

One of the great summertime salads is Insalata Caprese, which is as simple to make as it is delicious. All it takes is sliced fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, fresh basil, freshly-ground pepper, a little salt, and a drizzle of high-quality olive oil.

Cucina Viva’s Farmstead Fresh Wisconsin Mozzarella is $4.95 for an 8-ounce ball.

Entering picnic season – be prepared!

The Symphony on the Prairie concert schedule is under way, and the summer movies at the Indianapolis Museum of Art have begun. And it’s June, which increases the chances you’ll be needing to buy someone a nice wedding gift.

For all those events, a picnic cooler is the perfect solution. Some models are high-tech, insulated ripstop nylon upgrades of traditional wicker picnic baskets, while others are built along the lines of backpacks or carry-on bags – but packed with plates, glasses, utensils, napkins and tablecloths instead of clothes and three-ounce travel bottles.

Grapevine Cottage carries picnic coolers in a variety of configurations from Picnic Time and Picnic at Ascot, ranging in price from $24.95 to $129.95. Come pick one out, and start planning some picnics!

A little wine art

Looking for a new way to utilize your wine accessories? Here’s a shot of downtown Zionsville as seen through Grapevine Cottage’s front window in a Ravenscroft decanter stopper placed on the granite base of a Rogar wine opener....

Shrimp and Grits

by Tom Landshof

Last week we visited Bridgeton Mill, which is located in Parke County, Indiana – home to 32 covered bridges and an annual Covered Bridge Festival. The Bridgeton Mill is a beautiful historic site as well as a fully operational gristmill using massive French Buhr stones to gently grind wheat into flour and corn into meal and grits. We bought some blue corn grits (which accounts for the color of the grits in the pictures) and it inspired us to make the following recipe.

Adapted by Suzanne and Tom Landshof from recipes by Martha Nesbit, Paula Deen and Southern Living magazine.

Ingredients: (makes 4 servings)

2 cups water
1¼ cup chicken broth
¾ cup half-and-half
¾ tsp. salt
1 cup stone ground grits
1½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs. butter
½ tsp. hot sauce (optional)
6 bacon slices
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
¼ tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
¼ cup flour
1 cup sliced mushrooms
½ cup chopped green onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup chicken broth
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp. hot sauce (optional)

Preparation

Bring water, broth, half-and-half and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 to 25 minutes or until thickened. Stir in Cheddar and Parmesan cheese, butter and hot sauce. Keep warm.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 3 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Cut bacon in ½ inch strips while warm, and set aside.

Sprinkle shrimp with pepper and salt; dredge in flour. Sauté mushrooms in hot drippings in skillet 5 minutes or until tender. Add green onions and sauté 2 minutes. Add shrimp and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly brown. Stir in chicken broth, lemon juice and hot sauce and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet.

Serve shrimp mixture over hot cheese grits. Top with crumbled bacon; serve

Note:

This recipe calls for stone ground grits, not hominy. Hominy or nixtamal is dried maize (corn) kernels which have been treated with an alkali. Easy to make and easy to eat.

Hominy or nixtamal is dried maize (corn) kernels which have been treated with an alkali. The traditional U.S. version involves soaking dried corn in lye-water (sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide solution), traditionally derived from wood ash, until the hulls are removed. Hominy grits is grits made from nixtamalized corn, or hominy.

Grits is a Native American corn-based food, common in the southern United States, consisting of coarsely ground corn. Grits can be served hot or cold and as a base for a multitude of dishes from breakfast to dessert, depending on the additives. Traditionally the corn for grits is ground by a stone mill. The results are passed through screens, with the finer part being corn meal, and the coarser being grits. Many communities in the U.S. used a gristmill up until the mid-20th century, with families bringing their own corn to be ground, and the miller retaining a portion of the corn for his fee.

Three-quarters of grits sold in the United States is sold in “the South” stretching from Texas to Virginia, also known as the “grits belt.” The state of Georgia declared grits its official prepared food in 2002. Similar bills have been introduced in South Carolina, with one declaring, “Whereas, throughout its history, the South has relished its grits, making them a symbol of its diet, its customs, its humour, and its hospitality, and whereas, every community in the State of South Carolina used to be the site of a grits mill and every local economy in the State used to be dependent on its product; and whereas, grits has been a part of the life of every South Carolinian of whatever race, background, gender, and income; and whereas, grits could very well play a vital role in the future of not only this State, but also the world....”

Yellow grits include the whole kernel, while white grits use hulled kernels.

Slow cooker Osso Bucco

I’m not a big fan of convenience food, but my experience yesterday with a slow cooker dinner from Delicaé Gourmet changed my thinking somewhat.

These aren’t complete dinners – think of them as a kind of Hamburger Helper for gourmets. In the case of the Osso Bucco, one needs to provide meat, diced tomatoes, beef broth and wine in addition to the barley, spice and vegetable packets included in the Delicaé Pantry kit.

The box promises a “5 Minute Prep Time,” but that didn’t hold true in my case. I used three whole lamb foreshanks, and took some time to trim away a lot of fat and fell. I seasoned them with pepper and browned them on all sides in olive oil. After that, it went together quickly – I just put the shanks in the bottom of my crock pot, layered the contents of the barley, vegetable and spice packets over them, poured a can of drained diced tomatoes over all that, added beef broth and wine, turned the slow cooker on to low then left for the day. Quite a bit less time-consuming than making it from scratch!

When I returned that evening after working all day on remodeling my dad’s bathroom, the house was filled with a wonderful aroma – and dinner was ready! It was quite toothsome, and how nice to be able to simply put Osso Bucco in one bowl, salad in another, and sit down to eat! I will definitely make this again, though I may try the Mediterranean Lamb Shanks kit first.

Some tips: If you plan on using a round slow cooker, the shanks will fit in the pot better if you have your butcher saw them in half. If you use an oval pot, you should have no problem fitting them in.

The recipe calls for low-sodium beef broth. I used some that wasn’t particularly low in salt, but compensated by seasoning the lamb shanks with pepper only.

Two cups of red wine are called for, and I used Château Pesquie Cuvée des Terasses 2006. At $10.99 per bottle it’s inexpensive enough to cook with, and it’s excellent to drink – it went perfectly with dinner.

A variety of Delicaé Pantry slow cooking kits are available at Grapevine Cottage; all are $6.50.

Rustic Olive party sandwich

Our operations manager, Paul Johnson, came up with a novel and tasty way to use a loaf of the olive bread we bake on Saturdays....

1 Rustic Olive loaf
8 oz. ground meat
1 small can or 4 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup Napa Valley Roasted Tomato Balsamic Condiment (available at Grapevine Cottage)
2 Tbs. sun-dried tomato strips, olives, or other goodies
6 oz. shredded Mozzarella

Preheat oven to 360°F, or turn on your gas grill to medium heat.

Brown the meat in a skillet, seasoning to taste with a little salt and pepper. I used ground beef, but turkey, Italian sausage, or a combination would work. No tofu!

Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté for a couple of minutes.

Moisten with the tomato stuff (or use whatever marinara-type sauce you have handy) and heat until some of the liquid reduces and the mixture "tightens up" a little. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cut off about an inch of bread from each end of the loaf and then biversect it, separating the top from the bottom. Sprinkle about one-third of the cheese on the bottom of the loaf and the rest on the cut side (inside) of the top. Put the meat mixture on the bottom half and spread it around. Carefully – or not, if you like sweeping up cheese – turn the top over onto the bottom.

Wrap the loaf in heavy-duty foil and bake for 20 minutes in the oven, or just throw it on the grill and close the lid.

Unwrap the loaf and start figuring out how to slice and serve. Enjoy!

Southwest Salad

Here’s a good, warm-weather salad for 6 to 8 people. It also makes a great topping for tacos, tostados and omelettes. Earth & Vine products are available at Grapevine Cottage.

Ingredients:
1 can corn kernels, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large avocado, peeled and diced
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 medium red onion, peeled and diced
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup Earth & Vine Provisions Key Lime Kiwi Tangerine Marinade & Dressing
1 cup or more broken corn chips for topping

Preparation:
Toss all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and top with broken corn
chips. This would be good paired with the Girard Sauvignon Blanc 2007.

Serious herb and garlic mashed potatoes

As those who frequent the store on Saturdays know (that’s when we offer samples of our gourmet food), the Life in Provence Herb & Garlic Eurocreme cheese is very tasty on pretzels or a slice of baguette. This spreadable Gournay cheese also makes a good vegetable dip, and shines as a sandwich condiment.

It also works quite well with potatoes, whether used as a baked potato topping or incorporated into Serious Mashed Potatoes (the link connects to a recipe on our Web site). Last Saturday we simply substituted the contents of an 8-oz. container of Herb & Garlic Eurocreme for the milk and sour cream, and it was fabulous!

If you’re not a fan of garlic, try the French Onion Eurocreme — it’s a bit milder, but still delicious.

New! Spiegelau Bordeaux glasses

Today our UPS driver delivered two very large boxes of our newest line of wine glasses from Spiegelau, a German crystal maker that was purchased five years ago by its Austrian competitor, Riedel. Similar in shape to the corresponding Riedels, the Spiegelau Festival Series Bordeaux and white wine glasses sell at a lower price point – just $6.99 per stem. We think this is an excellent price – especially considering that the discounted price at a big-box discount store a couple of miles away is $9 each.

At this moment, only the Spiegelau Festival Bordeaux glasses are in stock at Grapevine Cottage. The white wine glasses are on back order, but are expected to arrive some time in April – just in time for deck wine season!

Update: The white wine glasses arrived today (April 3).

Hickoryworks Shagbark Hickory Syrup now in stock

Our latest Indiana-made product, Hickoryworks Shagbark Hickory Syrup, is now on the shelves.

Made in Brown County by the wife-husband team of Sherrie Yarling and Gordon Jones of Trafalgar, the syrup is not as sweet as maple syrup and nutty, slightly smoky and complex. Euell Gibbons would have loved this stuff! We took some to pour on the pancakes served at the Parke County Maple Syrup Fair recently and found it delicious, as did the couple from Illinois who were seated across the table from us. (The fresh Parke County maple syrup is also very good.)

In addition to pouring it on pancakes, Hickoryworks’ syrup can also be used in a variety of recipes, from drink mixes to glazes and desserts. I’m thinking that in case of a cold or sore throat, a half-and-half mix of Shagbark syrup and Maker’s Mark Bourbon would be a great way to treat the symptoms, too.

Hickoryworks Shagbark Hickory Syrup sells at Grapevine Cottage for $8.95 per 8-ounce jug.

Ravenscroft stemware on sale

Grapevine Cottage is bringing in a new line of Spiegelgau stemware, so all of the Ravenscroft must go! Normally $13.99 per stem, all Ravenscroft wine glasses are now half price – just $6.99 each!

Made in Poland of unleaded crystal, the Ravenscroft in stock of this writing includes shape-specific stemware for Pinot Noir, Single Malt Scotch, Sauvignon Blanc, Cognac, Chardonnay / Mature Bordeaux, Champagne and one lonely Riesling. Sale is limited to stock on hand.

Onion Pie

by Tom Landshof

We got the basic recipe for this from an article in The New York Times a few years ago and just got around to making it. Boy, was it good! Our son, Tim was here for dinner, and though not a big onion fan, liked it so much he took some of the leftovers home. It reheats well. We served it as a side dish to a porterhouse steak. You could also use it as a luncheon dish with a salad. We purposely stayed away from sweet onions so it would be more on the savory side. A very easy and unusual recipe that is very good.

Adapted by Tom and Suzanne Landshof from a recipe by Cheryl Rogowski (The New York Times, Oct. 24, 2007).

Ingredients: (serves 6 to 8)

12 Tbs. unsalted butter

4 oz. crackers (about 36, see note)
1½ lbs. yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 4 1/2 C)
½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
3 large eggs
¾ Cup heavy cream
4 oz. grated -sharp cheddar cheese (about 1 cup).
4 slices chopped, cooked bacon (optional)

Preparation:

Heat oven to 375°F (360°F convection bake). Melt butter in a large skillet or sauté pan over low heat; set aside. In a food processor, pulse crackers to coarse crumbs and transfer to a medium bowl. Pour 4 Tbs. melted butter over crumbs and toss with fingertips or a rubber spatula until evenly coated. Press mixture firmly into a deep-dish 9" pie pan, using a second pie pan, if possible, to compact them evenly against bottom and sides of pan. While onions are cooking, bake pie crust about 4 minutes.

Reheat remaining melted butter in skillet over medium-high heat until frothy. Add onions and ¼ tsp. salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are evenly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer onions to pie pan, patting them down in an even layer on crust.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with a whisk and add heavy cream and remaining ¼ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. black pepper, whisking gently. Pour mixture slowly, in a thin stream, into center of onions in pie pan. Spread optional chopped bacon over top. Sprinkle grated cheese over top and place in oven. Bake until puffy and slightly browned on top, 30 to 35 minutes. Slice with a serrated knife into wedges and serve.

Notes:
We use Nabisco’s Ritz Social Savory crackers. Saltines were called for in the original recipe. I would not use regular Ritz crackers.

The bacon is optional but adds a nice flavor contrast.

As a side dish this will serve at least 8.

Braised Lamb Shanks

by Tom Landshof

We make this once or twice a year and it sure fills the house with great aromas. Here in Indianapolis I get good foreshanks from Kroger. Most of the time involved is prepping the shanks removing the fat and silver skin. The easiest way is to slide a sharp pointed knife just under the silver skin and with blade angled slightly upward slice it off in sheets. This also works on leg of lamb. Enjoy!

Ingredients: (Serves 4)
4 lamb shanks, external fat trimmed
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 yellow onions, coarse dice
2 celery stalks, coarse dice
2 carrots, coarse dice
2 Tbs. butter
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups red wine
1½ cups chicken stock
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1 Tbs. rosemary, ground
1 tsp. Herbes de Provence
½ tsp. sage
1 bay leaf

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 330˚F for convection bake, 350˚F regular bake.

2. Season lamb shanks with salt and pepper. In large, deep sauté pan over medium high heat, warm olive oil to nearly smoking. Brown shanks on all sides in batches as needed. Transfer shanks to plate.

3. Add onions, carrots, celery to pan, stirring occasionally. Add butter. Cook until vegetables are golden and translucent. Add garlic at end so you don’t over cook it.

4. Remove pan from heat, add stock, to deglaze bottom of pan. Stir in tomato paste.

5. Return pan to heat and bring to simmer. Add red wine, scraping up any brown bits from pan bottom. Add spices and return shanks with any accumulated juices. Bring to boil.

6. Cover pan and transfer to oven. After 1½ hours, carefully rotate shanks, (meat should be almost falling off bones), stir sauce and continue to cook covered for ½ hour. Uncover and cook 15 minutes.

7. Let rest 15 minutes. Using tongs carefully remove shanks. Remove and discard bay leaf. Strain sauce (defat if necessary), puree solids and stir into strained sauce. Correct seasonings. Pour some of sauce over shanks and serve, passing rest of sauce.

Note:
I usually cook 6 shanks, serving 4 and freezing 2 for a later meal. After browning I divide the shanks between 2 pans, make the sauce and divide it between the two pans and proceed from there.

Remove as much of the fat and silver skin from the shanks as you can. This gives a better flavor with less fat to the sauce.

“I Love You” Chocolate Roll

by Laurel Steffes

This recipe has been a favorite in my family for many years. I can’t even remember now exactly where it came from, but my mother was the one who stumbled across it and all her family has been grateful ever since! It has been a staple in my house every Thanksgiving and Christmas – demanded by my husband and three daughters.

The usual version of this dessert uses plain whipped cream as a filling, but this year the “I Love You” jam that we sell in the store just screamed Valentine’s Day to me and was the inspiration for this version of Chocolate Roll. “I Love You” jam is a decadent and delicious combination of raspberry jam and dark chocolate. The Two Cookin’ Sisters of Brookston, IN deserve kudos for creating this sumptuous treat. Visit their website at bigsistersalsa.com. (We carry many of their wonderful homemade items in addition to the “I Love You” jam.)

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 Tbs. coffee
5 eggs, separated
1 ¼ cups sugar, divided
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pint whipping cream
2 Tbs. I Love You Jam

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grease a jelly roll pan with shortening, such as Crisco. Line the pan with wax paper and then lightly coat the wax paper with vegetable oil. Set aside.

Slowly melt the chocolate chips and 3 Tbs. coffee over hot water.

Beat egg whites with ½ cup of the sugar until stiff. Beat egg yolks and ¾ cup of the sugar until thick and light yellow.

Fold the melted chocolate into the egg yolks. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg whites. Fold in the 1 tsp. vanilla.

Spread mixture evenly into prepared jelly roll pan. Bake for 17 minutes.

While cake is baking, lay a sheet of wax paper that is approximately 6-8 inches longer than the jelly roll pan on the counter. Dust with sifted cocoa. Turn the cake out onto the wax paper. Remove oiled paper from the bottom of the cake and let cool completely.

While the cake cools, whip the pint of whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Add the “I Love You” jam and whip just until incorporated. Spread the whipped cream mixture over the cake, leaving any excess closest to you along the long edge. Roll the cake up away from you, using the wax paper to help. Transfer wax paper wrapped roll to a cookie sheet or other platter, seam side down. Refrigerate.

Serve cold. Carefully unwrap rolled cake and serve in slices. Garnish each slice with fresh raspberries and drizzle with melted dark chocolate or a little of the “I Love You” jam which has been heated enough to liquefy it – or use both!

Notes:
If raspberries and chocolate aren’t your thing, experiment with adding other flavors to the whipped cream (or even to the cake itself in place of the vanilla.) Try another type of jam or add any flavor extract that appeals to you. What about Grand Marnier, Kirsch, Kahlua, Baileys …? There are any number of ways to change this dessert to suit your taste or the occasion.

Word of caution: Because there is no flour in the cake, it’s more like a mousse and therefore rather delicate. It’s difficult to transfer to a platter and have it look pretty. I unwrap it and slice with a hot serrated knife without trying to move it off of the wax paper. Also it’s a good idea to remember to let the cake cool completely before topping with the whipped cream and rolling it up. Early in my Chocolate Roll days I once dumped the whipped cream on top of the cake almost right after taking it out of the oven. I ended up scraping it into a bowl – it made excellent pudding!

A Step Beyond Reduction

by Jim Bandy

Using wine in your cooking can help tie together the flavors of your food with the bottle you’re serving at dinner. I find this especially true in finishing sauces. There's the classic buerre blanc and buerre rouge sauces, as well as straightforward reductions you could use. In cooler months, I enjoy working with this form of gastrique from Seattle’s Brasa restaurant. The concept uses caramelized sugar (no – it’s not a dessert sauce) to add complex flavors to a wine reduction. It’s simple and delicious. Mark Bittman in The Minimalist Cooks Dinner
shares this basic sauce I use for grilled or broiled salmon, lamb steaks, pork roast, and more.

Ingredients: (makes 4 servings)
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups Pinot Noir *
1 sprig rosemary, about 4"
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar (one of Grapevine's many selections)
1 Tbs. butter

* Sebastiani, Mark West, or other good value Pinot works well.

Preparation:
In a medium, heavy-bottomed sauce pan add sugar and place over medium heat. Cook about 10 minutes until the sugar liquifies and begins to turn brown. Shake occasionally to distribute the sugar, do not stir! Watch this carefully as it caramelizes incredibly fast and will burn even faster.

When a medium caramel color (light brown is fine, too) remove pan from heat. Standing back from the pan, slowly add the wine. There will be a short tantrum, as the wine and sugar act like two spoiled children being forced to share the same sandbox – until they find they like each other and settle down.

Add the rosemary. Place the pan over high heat. Stir to incorporate the caramelized crystals into the wine. Reduce until syrupy, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the balsamic vinegar and butter. Top your salmon.

From this basic preparation you can enjoy extraordinary variation. I’ve also used Las Rocas Garnacha and a Cru Beaujolais with good results. Try your favorite fruit-forward red wine. Adjust the herbs, try a white balsamic, use a some chopped figs or dried cherries. So many options! What’s your signature combination?

Chicken Marsala

by Tom Landshof

I first made this recipe last October. Since then we’ve made it a few times and modified it a little to yield more sauce. Fairly easy and hard to screw up. To us the key was sautéing the mushrooms and keeping them separate so they didn’t become Marsala sponges. Also, we never buy cutlets. It is easy to use boneless chicken breasts, pound them to about ½ inch thickness and cut into serving pieces. Hope you enjoy this one!

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen by Suzanne and Tom Landshof

Ingredients: (serves 4)
8 chicken cutlets (about 1½ lbs. see notes)
Salt and pepper
¼ cup flour
3 Tbs. olive oil
4 Tbs. butter
½ small onion, chopped fine
8 ozs. white mushrooms, quartered
1 garlic clove, minced
1½ Cups dry Marsala wine
1¼ Cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs. minced fresh parsley

Preparation:
Pat the cutlets dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the cutlets in the flour to coat and shake to remove excess. (An easy way to do this is to put flour, salt & pepper in a plastic bag that you get at the supermarket, add chicken and shake). Heat 1½ Tbs. of oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat until almost smoking. Add 4 cutlets and cook until golden brown, 2 to 2½ minutes on each side. Transfer to a large plate and tent with foil. Repeat with the remaining oil and cutlets.

Melt 2 Tbs. of the butter in the now-empty skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion and mushrooms until browned, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a bowl and cover with foil.

Add the Marsala and broth to the empty skillet bring to a boil over high heat, and cook until reduced to 1½ cups, about 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, return the chicken and accumulated juices to the skillet, and turn the chicken to heat through, about 1 minute. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Off the heat, whisk in the remaining 2 Tbs. butter, lemon juice, parsley, and mushroom mixture. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Enjoy.

Note:
The reason for keeping the mushrooms separate is that they will soak up the Marsala like a sponge and lose their mushroom flavor.

It's easy to make your own chicken breast cutlets. Just pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap using a meat pounder or the bottom of a heavy saucepan or skillet. You want them about ½ inch thick. Cut into serving pieces.

You can also try other mushrooms such as cremini, baby portobellos, or porcini.

Use a good quality dry Marsala—one you would drink. Because of its fortification, an open bottle will keep for several months.

Veal Marsala

by Tom Landshof

Ingredients: (Serves 6)
12 slices scaloppine of veal
flour seasoned with salt & pepper
2 to 3 Tbs. oil
2-3 Tbs. butter
½ lb. sliced mushrooms
1 garlic minced
2 Tbs. chopped chives
2 Tbs. chopped parsley
1½ cups beef broth
¾ cup dry Marsala wine
paprika (Penzey’s smoked paprika adds a nice touch)
salt and pepper

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Dust veal slices lightly in flour. Heat 2 to 3 Tbs. oil in skillet. Sauté quickly over high heat 3 to 4 slices of veal at a time until lightly browned. Transfer slices to casserole sprinkling each with paprika. Repeat ’til veal is finished.

2. Turn heat to medium and melt butter, add mushrooms and garlic and sauté about 5 minutes. Add chives, parsley, beef broth and pepper to taste. Check and add salt if needed. Add ½ cup Marsala and simmer 5 minutes. Thicken with a 1 to 2 T flour if necessary. [Add a little Marsala to flour, mix and then stir into skillet.]

3. Pour above over veal slices. Add remaining ¼ cup Marsala to top and place casserole in 350˚F oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with hot buttered noodles.

Note: The secret is to pound the veal slices before you begin, the thinner the better. Can be made ahead and reheated in oven. Freezes well. Another easy recipe that takes less than an hour.

Ethel's Pot Roast

by Tom Landshof

We have been making this once or twice a year for over the last 15 years, tweaking a little bit each time. Guests seem to love it and the leftovers, if any, freeze well. We usually serve it with mashed potatoes. It is pictured with noodles on the second time around. A fairly easy recipe that takes a lot of oven time but not much attention.

Modified by Tom Landshof Feb. ’08
(From my mother, Ethel Landshof)

Ingredients
3–5 lbs. chuck eye roast (see note)
2 Tbs. oil
2 onions sliced very thin
3 celery stalks small dice
1 cup water
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 cup red wine
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 Tbs. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
4-5 whole peppercorns
3-4 whole cloves
½ tsp. thyme
12 – 14 Nabisco ginger snaps ground
1 cup beef broth
½ cup milk

Preparation:
Adjust oven rack to accommodate pot and heat to 310°F. In a large Dutch oven or pot, melt some (2 Tbs.) oil (I use bacon or duck fat) and brown meat well on all sides. Remove meat and add onions and celery scraping fond on bottom of pot. Sauté about 10-15 min. till clear. Add butter if needed.

Add 1 cup water, ¼ cup Vinegar, 1 cup red wine (Pinot or Merlot preferred), ¼ cup light brown sugar. Add following spices: 1 Tbs. salt, some ground pepper, 2 bay leaves, few whole peppercorns, 3 or 4 whole cloves, ½ tsp. thyme.

Return meat and any juices and cover tightly and bring to simmer. Transfer to oven and cook turning every 30 minutes for about 2 hours until internal temp is 210°F. [Can also do on stove top.]

Crumble 12-14 Nabisco Ginger snaps very fine (Cuisnart) and whisk into them 1 cup beef broth. Remove meat and whisk in ginger snap mixture and ½ cup milk.

Return meat and juices to oven [or stove top] for 1½ to 2 + hours turning every 30 minutes until fork tender. Leave uncovered last half hour. Cool meat in juice. Remove and slice. Let slices stand in gravy till needed. Heat gently and serve. Leftovers, if any, freeze well.

Note: This is another recipe of my mother’s that I’ve modified somewhat over the years.
I use chuck eye roast from Costco but any of the following work well: chuck eye roast (best) (4-5 lbs.), chuck top blade roast (3-4lbs.), chuck shoulder boneless (4-5 lbs.), or bottom round rump roast (5-6 lbs.). The eye round roast has very little fat so skimming fat off is not necessary. You may have to do this with some of the other cuts.

Lentil Soup

by Doug Pendleton

We were served a delicious lentil soup at a wine dinner and Linda spent a Saturday afternoon trying to come up with a similar recipe. And she did it – hers was better than the chef’s!

Ingredients:

2 slices thick cut bacon, cut into ½ pieces
1 medium onion, chopped

¾ cup each of coarse chopped carrots and celery

2 cloves minced garlic

1 Tbs. olive oil

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1-1/2 cups lentils

8 – 9 cups beef broth

2 bay leaves

1 Tbs. fresh Thyme, chopped

¾ cup finely diced ham

1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

Brown the chopped bacon in large pot for 3 – 4 minutes, then add olive oil, garlic, onions, carrots and celery and continue sautéing over medium heat for about 10 to 12 minutes. Add salt, pepper and lentils, sautéing for about 1 minute. Add 8 cups of beef broth (depending on how long you cook the soup and your “thickness” preference, you may want to add some more). Add remaining ingredients, and simmer for 1-1/2 hours.

At this point we took two cups out and puréed it in a food processor and then blended it back in to smooth things out a little. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve with a nice Grenache, Côtes du Rhône or even the Crios Malbec we were reviewing that evening.

Uncle Charlie’s Kalamata Tapenade

by Mark Finch

Here’s a simple and delicious tapenade that’s perfect with grilled leg of lamb.

Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 3/4 cups whole kalamata olives, pitted
1 2-oz.can anchovy fillets, rinsed
2 Tbs. capers
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
3 Tbs. lemon juice
4 Tbs. olive oil

Preparation:
Combine garlic, olives, anchovies, capers, thyme, rosemary and lemon juice in an electric blender. Slowly drip the olive oil into the blender while you are blending the ingredients together. Blend until a paste is formed.

Source: figandplum.com.