Wine of the Week: Cusumano Nero D'Avola 2007

When I heard wine expert Joshua Wesson refer to Nero D'Avola as the "next big thing" on a recent episode of The Splendid Table, I immediately knew that a bottle of it was in my future. The grape is a native of Sicily, and still relatively unknown (read: affordable). I found Cusumano's 2007 vintage at my local wine shop for about $12. The young wine is a deep purple color, with an aroma of red fruit and not a little alcohol on the nose. I read several reviews that also referred to an aroma of juniper berries, but I had a hard time picking that up through the alcohol. I found the wine to be medium- to full-bodied, with noticeable tannins and a medium, crisp finish. In terms of taste, it seemed to me that a lot of the fruit got lost behind the tannins, acid, and alcohol. I picked up a strawberry flavor, but the wine seemed a little tight, which is not surprising, since it is so young. Overall, I found the wine to be just okay, but I suspect there is a lot more to it and would like to try decanting it in order to bring out more of the flavors.

"Chicken and Fries" Baguette

When Kevin and I visited Tahiti last November, we spent an afternoon in the capital city of Papeete. After visiting the colorful and bustling public market, Marche Papeete, we found ourselves in the unenviable position of looking for a late afternoon meal just as all of the restaurants in the French Territory's largest city were closing down after lunch. Desperate, we turned to a street vendor, who was selling the baguette sandwiches we had been watching all of the young Tahitian men eat while walking the city streets during the day. What luck! For about $4.50, we received one of the most memorable meals of our trip - simple, but fulfilling (and portable). Tonight, I made my version of the "Chicken and Fries" baguette that I had that day. At its core, this sandwich is exactly as it sounds - chicken, fries, and bread. I added a couple of little twists on the original, toasting the baguette and seasoning the chicken, but you could omit those steps and still get fantastic results. The key is to use good chicken and a fresh baguette.

"Chicken and Fries" Baguette

Baguette

Roasted or Rotisserie Chicken Breast

Medium Russet Potato

Vegetable Oil

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

I roasted my own chicken breast on the bone - rubbing it with melted butter and fresh thyme, then roasting on a rack at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, turning once halfway through. A rotisserie chicken would save time and work quite nicely as well. Let the chicken cool to room temperature before you shred the meat and set aside. To make the "fries", peel the potato and cut into thin matchsticks of about equal size. Toss with vegetable oil (a tablespoon or less), and season with freshly ground black pepper. Let sit for 5 or 10 minutes while you heat a baking pan at about 400 degrees. Once the pan is heated, spread the potatoes out in a single layer and salt generously. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown. While the potatoes are baking, cut the baguette in half and then into 6 inch pieces. Brush olive oil on the cut surfaces and grill until golden. Wait until the potatoes are cool, then pile even amounts of chicken and "fries" on each baguette bottom half. Add the baguette top and enjoy! This is great portable food, but a crisp salad is a good match as well, since it lightens the meal a bit.

Excursion: Portland, Oregon

Kevin and I spent the past few days on an extended weekend trip to Portland, Oregon. Happily, the city easily lived up to its reputation as a great place for food and drink!

We started the weekend with dinner and drinks at BridgePort Brewpub + Bakery, part of BridgePort Brewing Company - "Oregon's Oldest Craft Brewery". Thanks to extensive renovations in 2005-2006, the brewery now has a great modern-historic feel, much in line with its neighbors in Portland's celebrated Pearl District. Taking a seat in the exposed brick-meets-soaring iron second floor, we happily enjoyed housemade pretzels + beer spreads (ESB mustard + Black Strap Stout white cheddar spread), famished after our near cross-country journey. Of course, we also tried the beer! The IPA was floral and hoppy, without being overly bitter, and the ESB was rich, roasty, and slightly bitter itself. On the menu? Grilled Ancho Chili Rubbed Cascade Natural Hanger steak - served with sweet potato fries, chili bourbon sauce, watercress-jicama salad, and chipotle ketchup. http://www.bridgeportbrew.com/

Saturday night we were lucky enough to secure a late reservation at Andina Restaurant, also in the Pearl District. The family-owned restaurant, on the corner of 13th and Glisan, offers a kind of Peruvian-fusion fare. Not familiar with Peruvian dining? Never mind that - just consider it delicious. Our Andina dinner was so good, I couldn't stop eating until I felt like I was going to burst, and then ordered dessert (Tamarind ice cream) anyway! Our meal began with bread and three salsas, including a jalapeno mint salsa reminiscent of pesto. Then came the entrees - Pollito al Pisco con Toques Chorrillanos (Pisco-brined Draper Valley chicken, roasted to order with Peruvian peppers, tomato and chickpeas, accompanied by crispy quinoa-coated potato croquettes and a corn purée) for Kevin and a Panko-crusted Chilean Sea Bass with pecan-pesto pasta beneath, and a fried egg on top, for me. Beautiful. With its excellent food and glowing atmosphere, complete with live musicians strumming in the background, Andina was well worth the wait. http://www.andinarestaurant.com/

On Sunday afternoon, a last minute cancellation afforded us a spot at the table for brunch at Beast, on the northeast side of the city. The funky French-themed spot truly is an adventure in eating. Seating is family-style around two large tables, though courses are served plated. The menu is set, based on local and seasonal availability. But if you are feeling deterred by those two details, don't be. Anyone who loves food will feel right at home at a table with the like-minded clientele, and even the picky eaters can't deny the pure heaven of a meal at Beast. The food is French-inspired, but accessible and local. The atmosphere? Traditional and irreverant all in one. The open kitchen and chalkboard-painted quote-covered wall will make you feel right at home, but this food isn't home cooking (unless your mother is a very accomplished chef). The menu for our brunch included:

Brioche & Baguette Bread Pudding
Maple Bourbon Hard Sauce
Hazelnuts & Candied Bacon
Soft Whipped Cream

~'Tails and Trotters' Pork Hash~
Market Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts & Yams,
Poached Farm Egg & Traditional Hollandaise

Selection of Steve's Cheese
'Gathering Together' Winter Green Salad
Poached Apricots & Figs

La Bette Noir
Chocolate Truffle Cake
Calvados Creme Anglaise

I'd love to say which was the best course, but that would be impossible. Even the less adventurous among us found the Bread Pudding divine, the Pork Hash delectable, the Poached Apricots delicious, and the Chocolate Truffle Cake decadent. This was easily the best meal that I have had in a very, very long time, if not ever. The best part - brunch was only $28 a plate. What a steal! If you are in Portland, be sure to get yourself a reservation at Beast. http://beastpdx.com/

Food Read: The Omnivore's Dilemma

There's so much fantastic "foodie lit." out there! This past summer I read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. I was a little behind in reading it (Dilemma came out in 2006 and Pollan's next book In Defense of Food was published in 2008), but I'm so glad that I didn't give in to my desire to skip right to Defense. I'm a city girl at heart, but this book made me want to farm. While I found it in the Sociology section of my local book store, Pollan is actually a professor of journalism by trade. His writing can be very convincing, despite the slight feeling of sensationalism that peers through here and there, undoubtedly due to Pollan's passion for his subject, as well as the surreal realities of the subject itself. In the book, Pollan follows the three primary food chains, starting with industrial farming, then organic farming, and, finally, hunting and gathering. The book was an eye-opener for me not only in its portrayal of modern food production (I will never, ever look at factory farm chicken the same way again), but also in its exploration of alternative methods of food production. Pollan's discussion of the effects of a surplus of cheap, subsidized corn on our diet (thanks to high fructose corn syrup and corn-based additives, corn has made its way into almost every processed food we eat), our environment (a fertilizer-induced "dead zone" the size of New Jersey now exists in the Gulf of Mexico), and even our cattle (cows are built to eat grass, not corn, remember?) is chilling. But equally adrenaline-inducing is his discussion of an alternative to industrial agriculture, Joel Salatin's Polyface Farm, a place where the natural systems, instead of machinery and chemicals, create efficiencies that can only be described as symphonic. This book not only got me thinking about where my food comes from, but also moved me to make changes in the way that I eat. For that reason, I highly recommend The Omnivore's Dilemma, and look forward to reading In Defense of Food within the next couple of months.

Roasted Garlic

Admittedly, I have a bit of an affinity for garlic (reference title block!). But even if you are not as into garlic as I am, it is worth it to consider roasting a head. Why? Because roasting the garlic carmelizes the sugars and mellows out the "bite", leaving you with a smooth, flavorful, sweet/savory morsel - perfect to use as a flavoring, or even as a spread. If you are trying to limit the saturated fat in your diet, roasted garlic is for you! It is great on bread instead of butter. But don't let that deter you - this isn't "diet food". You can also use it to make fancy appetizers, pasta dishes, mashed potatoes...the list goes on and on. I like to roast mine at a lower temp - around 350 degrees - due to the low smoke point of the olive oil. The technique is easy:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut a slice off the root end of the head of garlic to make a flat surface. Leave the paper on.

3. Cut the top off the garlic to expose the cloves.

4. Set the garlic on a baking sheet or in a small baking pan.

5. Pour about 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil over the cloves. Let soak in for a couple of minutes.

6. Pour another1/2 teaspoon of olive oil over the cloves.

7. Cover with tin foil.

8. Roast for about 45 minutes.

When it is done, the garlic cloves should be toasty brown and soft. Remove them from the paper with a small fork/spoon, or just extract them with your hands. Enjoy!

Chicken Breasts with Garlic and Parsley

Despite my efforts to the contrary, Mondays always feel a bit...rushed. I have a brand new to-do list for the week, the inevitable errand to run, and a strong determination to go to the gym. Monday also tends to be the day that I do my grocery shopping. So, although that means that I often don't arrive home for the evening until 8 P.M., it also means that I arrive bearing fresh ingredients. The meal I made tonight is perfectly suited to my Monday routine - quick, simple and fresh. Jacques Pepin's Chicken Breasts with Garlic and Parsley is quickly becoming a staple at my house. We ate it with slices of crusty bread and a simple salad of red leaf lettuce, celery, red onion, and freshly ground pepper, dressed with a vinagrette. Delicious!

Chicken Breasts with Garlic and Parsley
from Jacques Pepin Fast Food My Way
(Recipe at foodandwine.com)

Wine of the Week: 2006 X Winery Red X

I chose this bottle because I really enjoyed an X Winery Cabernet Sauvignon that I had in a flight a few months ago. Also, frankly, it has an eye-catching label. It was about $12.99 at my local wine shop, which feels like a deal, since it is listed at $14.99 on X Winery’s website (www.xwinery.com). If you’ve never heard of X, it bills itself as “The winery [that] utilizes new technologies along with traditional winemaking to produce wines that have the texture and traditional flavor profile of wines that normally cost two to three times the price,” with a goal “to create wines that [have] an outstanding value proposition for wine consumers.” Red X is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Syrah, 12% Zinfandel, and 6% Petite Sirah. It has a ruby to purple hue, and the dominant scent is probably a red fruit, like cherries, with a slight mineral note. In terms of taste, this wine is relatively full bodied with moderate tannins and a slightly spicy black cherry flavor. I find it to be well-structured with a medium finish. X Winery describes it as “Dark purple, blue red color with aromas of ripe cherries, blackberries, plum with just a hint of mocha and anise. Well integrated tannins lead to a smooth texture. Fully extracted with wonderful balance; this unique blend is quite versatile.” At this price point, I’d say this is a good everyday wine – well worth keeping on hand to drink with Tuesday (or even Friday) night dinner.

Stracciatella

In January and February, when the temperatures in Michigan drop into the teens and the ground seems to be permanently covered with ice and snow, I often feel compelled to put a pot of simmering soup on the stove. It seems that nothing else can do such a thorough job of warming a person both inside and out! So as I sat at the kitchen table with my coffee this morning, watching yet another four inches of snow falling on my front yard, it became apparent that it would be a soup day. In addition to its warmth, soup is also great because it is often easy to make, and usually good to freeze for later. Today I tried out this recipe for Stracciatella (literally "little rags") from cookbook author Martha Rose Shulman, courtesy of Sunset magazine. After a particularly indulgent holiday season, I found this soup to be just perfect. As Shulman says, the "Broccoli rabe's slight bitterness contrasts nicely with [the] mellow chicken broth". The result is a sufficiently light, yet filling, winter dish. I ate it with a slice of bread and a glass of crisp white wine to make it a meal. As an added bonus, this soup was very quick and easy to make, and is a wonderful way to get your leafy greens!

Stracciatella with broccoli rabe
- Martha Rose Schulman (from Sunset magazine)
(Recipe at myrecipes.com)