Goosecross Cellars

Last fall we were fortunate enough to spend one gorgeous, sun-drenched afternoon in the Napa Valley (the fact that I haven't written about it up to this point only serves to underscore how incredibly hectic that particular stretch of 2010 was for us). To be honest, it was a bit of a last minute excursion during a weekend visit with friends. And, to be even more honest, I realized after we'd decided to go that I just hadn't been drinking a lot of Napa Valley wine recently. So our agenda was a bit, ahem, unstructured.

Luckily for us, sometimes a lack of plan is the perfect catalyst for a fresh experience. On that particular day, Goosecross Cellars was a big part of just such an experience for our little group. Thanks to a friendly tip, we headed over to taste wine in the barrel cellar at Goosecross. The laid back atmosphere of the barrel cellar was just our style. And we loved hanging out with Jose, who entertained us with lively stories and trivia questions while he poured us our tastings. It was a ton of fun and the wine was absolutely delicious. Delicious enough that Kevin sprang for our most expensive bottle ever - an exquisite Merlot (okay, it wasn't that expensive, but when you buy as much wine as I do, there has to be a limit somewhere). I also loved the Syrah and, among the whites, the Viognier especially stood out.

A few weeks after our trip, I searched out the Goosecross website, wanting more info on the wines that we'd tasted. I was surprised, though I shouldn't have been, to find a website that goes well beyond an online store... What I found instead was a website dedicated to the wine enthusiast. Ever the school nerd, I was happy to see that Goosecross has a Director of Education on staff and tons of online educational content, including articles and a quick, but entertaining Wine Trivia Challenge.

The real win for me, though, was finding Napa Valley Wine Radio. The podcast, which is available via the website and also on iTunes, is released every three weeks. Generally hosted by Nancy Hawks Miller, who is the Director of Education at Goosecross, the episodes are just about perfect in length and cover various wine and food topics. Recent episodes include a 2010 Harvest Recap, a conversation with Master of Wine Benjamin Lewin about Wine Myths and Reality, and an interview with Duane Dappen, president of Zinfandel Advocates and Producers. I have to say that after listening to the recent episodes, and perusing the list of back episodes, I am eager to dig into the archives to learn more about wine clarification, the integration of food and wine, even how to plant a vineyard from scratch. There are over 100 episodes, so I might be busy for a while...

So, if you find yourself in Yountville, definitely search out Goosecross Cellars and make an appointment for a tasting in the barrel cellar (try to be more prepared than we were..!). If not, consider taking advantage of all of the awesome education Goosecross provides. If you are even a bit of a wine geek like me, you will be fascinated!

Roasted Squash with Egg

When I recently realized that I had never covered this preparation in the blog, it was a shocking revelation. Why? Because it's been my "go to" fall dinner for a few years now. It is easy, relatively quick, and takes advantage of the vegetables that are available this time of year. I can't let another moment go by without sharing!

So in the interest of full disclosure, I originally got the idea for this dish from a Sunset magazine experiment "One-block Feast" in which all of the ingredients for the meal were sourced from the magazine's own land. I often use it in much the same way, except that all of the ingredients are sourced from my CSA! In the Sunset version, they used pattypan squash, and filled it with aromatics, thyme, and a whole egg right from the shell. I prefer to use a small winter squash variety, and to channel my inner Mark Bittman with the rest. That is, I freestyle a bit... Here is the formula: One small winter squash, an aromatic (garlic, onion, both), another vegetable (optional, but fresh kale or frozen corn or broccoli work wonderfully if you have them), a fresh herb, an egg, and a bit of grated cheese.

My favorite squash variety to use for this is delicata, but a small acorn, or any smallish squash variety will do. Just keep in mind, obviously, that the cooking time and the amount of filling will vary with the size of the squash.

The first step is always to preheat the oven to 375 degrees. While the oven is heating, halve the squash lengthwise, scoop the seeds, and brush the cut side with enough olive oil to cover. Place the squash halves cut size down on a baking sheet and bake until the flesh is soft. For a delicata this will take around 15 or 20 minutes, but the acorn squash in this picture took more like 30 minutes.

While the squash is baking, melt a pat of butter over medium heat in a pan and add about 1/8 cup or so of diced onion, sliced leek, or chopped shallot to the pan. Cook until translucent, then add 1/2 clove of minced garlic. Saute for a minute more, until the garlic is fragrant. At this point, if you are using a hearty herb (sage, rosemary, thyme), add it to the mixture and cook for another 30 seconds. Herbs like flat leaf parsley are better left to add at the end as garnish. If your vegetable is kale, it is a good idea to wilt it in the pan for a few minutes as well.

When the squash is done, remove it from the oven and turn the halves over so the hollow side is facing up. Fill the bottom of each squash half with some of the onion/garlic mixture. Add a layer of corn, diced cooked broccoli, or some other vegetable of your choice (or don't). At this point, the squash halves should be relatively full, so one egg should cover both of them. Beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork, then pour it over the contents of each of the squash to cover. Finally, sprinkle the cheese on top and slide the tray back into the oven. Bake until the egg is set and the cheese is golden. Once again, this is about 15 minutes for the delicata, but more like 30 minutes for a larger, deeper squash.

Though it will look delicious, try not to do what I always do and please wait for the squash to cool a bit before taking a bite! This is a great little weekday meal for two, especially when paired with a hearty potato side and a crisp cabbage slaw.

Food Read: Palmento

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend a wine tasting and book signing with Robert Camuto, author of the 2010 book Palmento: A Sicilian Wine Odyssey. The tasting featured the wines (and real live winemakers) from two of the wineries highlighted in the book, which chronicles the evolving wine scene in Sicily. The wines were interesting - something like a wine nerd's dream, as they departed significantly from the usual styles in their utterly unaltered Mt. Etna-ness. Well, actually, though the Mt. Etna terroir undoubtedly contributes, "unaltered" is probably the key here. The wines are raw, minerally, acidic, fruity, oxidized...and strangely attracting. These are wines that have practically made themselves in how unmanipulated they are. Interesting.

Also interesting is Camuto, who can claim Sicilian roots, but was born in New York, has lived in Texas, and now resides with his wife in southern France (his book on French wine country, Corkscrewed: Adventures in the New French Wine Country, is next on my list). Sometime mid-tasting, Camuto wandered over to my end of the counter and was generously forgiving in his evaluation of the amateur explanation of wine regions and their varietals that I was imparting upon my beer-centric countermate. We had a lovely conversation, at the end of which I found myself with my very owned signed copy of Palmento (which I purchased, of course).

The next day, on the plane to California, I found out just how fortunate I'd been. If Camuto is pleasant in conversation, his writing is twice as captivating. This is not a stuffy wine book, but rather wine lit, a foodie read, and travel writing all in one. Camuto's descriptions of food are like poetry. His accounts of the countryside, the wine, the weather, the people - are all shockingly vivid. The end result is a tome that will make you want to immediately travel to Sicily, or at least to wine country, and that really makes that wine information stick. How can you forget the details of making fine Marsala once you've read about its modern caretaker? I read the whole book over the weekend. My only regret? That I wasn't able to read it before the tasting, so that I could have appreciated the experience all the more.

Mint Your Melon

Mint is an aggressive plant, to say the least - it sometimes seems like you just couldn't kill it if you tried. In fact, I have a window box of mint that I have been neglecting for several years, but it never fails to come back in the spring, even after the most cold and bitter winter weather! Currently, it is mounting a campaign to expand right off my back deck.

Since mint is so omnipresent in my outdoor space, I am always on the lookout for more uses for it. It can be tricky, but necessary, since one can only have so many mojitos before needing to move on...

A few years ago, in a pinch for a picnic side, I grabbed the two things I had on hand - a fresh watermelon and a few sprigs of fresh mint and...viola! The most simple, but refreshing, fruit salad to accompany my turkey sandwiches with rosemary mustard. The combination of watermelon and mint is unendingly cool.

This month, I was reminded of the simple genius of melon and mint when I came across this recipe for Watermelon Salad with Mint and Lime in Food & Wine. I love the addition of lime to the watermelon and mint combo - it is so bright. I think this is great with just the three ingredients, but of course you can always add the cayenne and salt to round out the recipe. And, interestingly, if you add the rum...well, then, I guess you're back at the mojito.

Tomato-Goat Cheese Tart and A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen

I wish I could give you the recipe for this Tomato-Goat Cheese Tart. I really do. Its tangy goat cheese filling, juicy tomato topping, and fragrant rosemary crust are like summer in a perfectly sunny savory pastry. And to top it off, this might be the most effortless meal I've made all season. Really. But, alas, copyright laws exist, and that means that I must refrain from sharing the details with you. Instead, it's probably time for me to pay proper homage to the source of this gorgeous item - A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop.

I am not a vegetarian (I think that is obvious), but I love this book. And while not every recipe that I've tried has fit my particular style of cooking (both Spaghetti with Crispy Browned Artichokes and Red Lentil and Basmati Rice Croquettes with Romaine-Mango Salad and Cucumber Raita were good, but went well beyond my threshold of time and effort), enough have made it onto my repetoire to keep me trying more. And it's a good thing - after eighteen solid months of owning this book, I have just now gotten around to trying the tart. And it's good.

Also good is the Warm Greek Lentil Salad with Feta and Dill, which has not only satiated more than one group of staunch meat-eaters, but also triggered word-of-mouth recipe requests after I brought leftovers to the office for lunch. I like to serve it as a lettuce wrap in a cup of butter lettuce. And the Savory Corn Griddle Cakes, which are best made with fresh corn, but can easily be prepared with frozen corn as a fitting companion to a spicy vegetarian chili in the winter (increase the dairy and decrease the cooking temp for a richer, more custardy cake). Somehow the Soft Corn Tacos with Garlicky Greens manage to transcend their simplicity to become a filling meal. And the Spiced Red Lentils (Dal) is so savory that I would swear that there was chicken broth involved if I didn't know better, having prepared it.

In addition, honorable mentions go to both the Spinach and Pesto Risotto and the Winter Squash Risotto with Sage and Parmesan, as well as the Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Asparagus and Eggs, and Caribbean Black Beans with Sauteed Plantains. And, who knows? There are probably more. I am still working through the book and, if you are interested in eating more vegetarian meals, you should too! Consider picking up a copy - it's definitely worth its weight...