Ahhh summer, it’s finally here.  The vines are blooming, and the floral aroma throughout the vineyard is intoxicating!  We just finished putting the last of the new vines in the ground, and the rush and hustle of spring in the vineyard is slowly winding down.  Throughout the summer we water, thin, and hedge the vines, but for the most part we just let them bathe in the heat and develop delicious fruit.

Blooming Cabernet Franc

Summer heat means summer wines, and while relaxing after a hot day of planting this week, Mike, my mom, Carol, and I enjoyed a chilled bottle of our 2009 Umiker Vineyards Rosé of Syrah while munching on a simple and tasty watermelon salad our friend Emily had shared with us.  It was the perfect afternoon pairing to be shared with friends, an appropriate dish for the coming 4th of July.  Our friend José gave us a similar recipe, though we have yet to make it ourselves.  Give it a whirl, experiment, and let us know if you come up with any additional ingredients that we should try.  If you can’t get your hands on a bottle of our rosé, seek out a dry rosé to try the salad with, you won’t be sorry.  Bon appétit and Happy 4th!

Mint, feta, and watermelon salad with Rose

Watermelon, Feta and Black Olive Salad
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Recipe By: Recipe by Nigella Lawson from Forever Summer With Nigella

Ingredients:

1/2 small red onion
3 limes, juice from
1 lb. sweet ripe Watermelon, (about 1/4 of a large watermelon)
1/3 lb. Feta cheese
1/2 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 bunch fresh mint, chopped
4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 can pitted Black Olives, sliced in half
Black pepper

Directions:

1. Peel and halve the red onion and cut into very fine half-moons and put in a small bowl to steep with the lime juice, to bring out the transparent pinkness in the onions and diminish their rasp.

2. Remove the rind and seeds from the watermelon, and cut into approximately 1-inch triangular chunks.

3. Cut the feta into similar sized pieces and put them both into a large, wide shallow bowl.

4. Tear off sprigs of parsley so that it is used like a salad leaf, rather than a garnish, and add to the bowl along with the chopped mint.

5. Tip the now glowingly puce onions, along with their pink juices over the salad in the bowl, add the oil and olives, then using your hands toss the salad very gently so that the feta and melon don’t lose their shape.

6. Add a good grinding of black pepper and taste to see whether the dressing needs more lime.

Its snowing! I know not everyone is excited about this – but I AM! I love the snow. Everything about it – the drama, the drear, the stillness, and even the shoveling. Enough, I could go on but I will spare you. What I really wanted to share is a beautiful soup recipe that is perfect for a snowy day, great for something light after the crazy Thanksgiving smorgasbord and, I would argue, tough enough for a red wine – particularly our Syrah or if you think it might be too much for the full red, the Rose of Syrah. The recipe comes from one of my favorite food blogs – Heidi Swanson’s 101 Cookbooks. You must check it out! The recipe is from the website and is linked above too:

Green Soup with Ginger

“I [Heidi Swanson] made my own tweaks to Anna’s soup, and my version is as follows. The main difference was that the soup was so pretty after cooking (see photos), that I decided not to puree mine at the last minute. But I did puree the leftovers (also delicious!), just a different soup altogether. It’s up to you really. Anna also mentions that she sometimes adds a bit of miso or tamari at the very end to deepen the flavor, but you should add it sparingly, and taste as you go.

1 large yellow onion (250g)
2 tablespoons (30 ml.) olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
1 large sweet potato (12 ounces; 350 g)
1 large leek, white and light green parts (5 ounces; 140 g)
1 bunch spinach (8 ounces; 225 g)
1 large bunch green chard (12 ounces; 350 g)
3 tablespoons (30 g) chopped fresh ginger, plus more to taste
2 cups (500 ml) good-tasting vegetable broth
2-4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper

Chop the onion and cook it slowly in the olive oil with a sprinkle of salt, stirring now and then, over low heat until it is soft and golden, about half an hour.

Meanwhile, peel and dice the sweet potato and put it in a large soup pot with 4 cups (1 liter) water and a teaspoon of sea salt. Thoroughly wash the leek, spinach, and chard, chop them coarsely, and add them to the pot, along with the chopped ginger.

Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer the soup, covered, for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are completely tender. Add the caramelized onions when they are ready. When the vegetables are soft, add the vegetable broth (you can add less if you like a thicker soup) and decide whether you want your soup chunky, like this, or smooth. If the latter, puree the soup in a blender, in batches, or with an immersion blender until it is smooth.

Stir in 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice and a few grinds of black pepper. Taste, and correct the seasoning with additional salt or lemon juice.

Serves 5-6.

This recipe was adapted from Love Soup by Anna Thomas. Published by W. W. Norton & Company; September 2009. For those of you who want to get books signed, Anna is visiting quite a number of California book stores throughout October and November, more info here.”

This is from a beautiful book I got as a gift from my friend Laura. The cookbook is Clean Food. My favorite part about this book is that it is divided by season. This is one of the yummiest Winter soups I have tried so far. I have read that many dishes with thai spices including lemongrass and using coconut milk pair nicely with wines that are a little sweeter like a Riesling, and I think that our Riesling would be divine with this – but I didn’t have a bottle to try with this recipe. I have also read that Rose can be a nice pair with thai spices and I think that our 2009 Rose of Syrah worked beautifully.

Spicy Coconut Pumpkin Soup

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 large butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded and cubed
2 cups coconut milk
5 cups water or vegetable stock
6 lemongrass stalks (bottom 5 inches only), chopped
1 1-inch piece of galangal, peeled and chopped
4-5 dried Thai chiles, quartered
4 kaffir lime leaves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped scallions

In soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, saute garlic, onion and ginger in 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil until soft. Add squash, coconut milk, and water or stock. Bring to boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes or until squash is soft.

Meanwhile, in small skillet over medium heat, saute chopped lemongrass, galangal and chiles in remaining tablespoon of grapeseed oil until lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

Using handheld blender, puree soup until smooth. Stir in lemongrass mixture and kaffir leaves. Simmer 15 minutes to infuse soup with spices. Pour through a mesh strainer and serve topped with chopped scallions.

Serves 8.

yum.

This might be the best beet salad that I have tried. If you are lucky enough to still have beets and beet greens, you are in for a treat. If you don’t have beet greens just try any greens you like. I have tried it with kale and chard and a mix of green – all amazing, but beet greens do turn to magic in this recipe – so if you have them use them!

This is from a great cookbook called Feeding the Whole Family. I got this as a gift from a member of the family – Thanks Nancy!

I am not as fancy as Pearson with a finished image (because we ate it all too fast) but I do have pictures of all the beets we got from our friend’s garden!

Beets!

Luscious Beet Salad with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Salad
4 large beets
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted (walnuts are delicious too!)
1 bunch beet greens
2 scallions, finely chopped (chives are great too)
1/4 lb. feta cheese (optional)

Dressing
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil

Wash beets and remove tops. Place beets in a large pot filled with water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until beets are tender – about an hour – or pressure cook instead. Set aside to cool.

Toast pumpkin seeds by placing seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat. Move the skillet back and forth over the heat with one hand; stir the seeds using a wooden spoon with the other hand. This will toast the seeds evenly and prevent burning. When seeds begin to pop and give off a nutty aroma they are ready. Remove seeds from skillet and set aside.

To prepare beet greens, bring a large pot of water to boil. Wash beet greens by submerging the bunch in a sink full of cold water. Shake off water and chop the bunch into bite-size pieces. Drop greens into boiling water and let it cook for about 30 seconds, just enough to make the stems tender. Place greens in a colander and run cold water over them to halt cooking.

Enjoy!

Pearson here!

This must be good luck!

It’s Verasion at Colter’s Creek. Verasion is that time when the grapes begin to ripen; the red varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot begin to turn from green to red, a natural signal for the birds to come have a meal. It is a fabulous time of year (but also the time to put up the bird netting….uugh). The garlic is curing in the cellar, onions are ready, the first ripe tomatoes are hanging on the vine, there is copious eggplant to harvest, and Praying Mantis are now all over the vineyard. In my world, that means eggplant parmigiana. If you have only had bad experiences with this fine Italian dish at restaraunts, then read on, head to the store (or preferably your garden) for ingredients, and let’s change your mind.

Home Grown Garlic

I’ll first add my gardening 2 cents here. Plant the Japanese eggplant varieties. They are slender, not as watery or mushy, and in general much better than the huge globe type eggplants found at all grocery stores. They are beautiful plants that work well in containers if you don’t have garden space. They have nice foliage and beautiful purple flowers before the showy fruit develops. Three plants keeps me in great supply for 6 weeks beginning in late July.

Eggplant and Tomatoes from the garden.

Also, use the real stuff when it comes to Parmigiano Reggiano. Get a hunk at Costco. It keeps for months in the fridge wrapped in foil. Grate it as finely as possible. I use a Microplane zester/grater, but a light grating on most cheese graters will suffice. The finer you grate it, the better it tastes and the less you use. Trust me. Parmigiano Reggiano comes from the Parma province of the Emilia Romagna region in Italy. The same region that Proscuitto comes from. In fact, the pigs that give us their legs that are cured into proscuitto, eat whey from the manufacture of Parmigiano Reggiano.

Here’s the scoop on eggplant parmigiana. If you have the big eggplant, follow the entire recipe. If you have Japanese eggplant, use 5-8 eggplant depending on size, and skip the salt/dewatering step.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Ingredients:
2 Large Globe eggplants or 5-8 smaller Japanese eggplants
3 eggs
1 C flour
3-4 C grated Parmigiano Reggiano
4-5 cloves garlic
freshly ground pepper
2 C Plain bread crumbs
3 14.5oz cans of chopped tomatoes
3T olive oil
2 medium onions
1/2 c chopped basil (optional)

Take 2 large globe eggplant and cut into 1/2 inch cross sections, discarding the ends. Place in a colander and sprinkle in 2 T of kosher salt and toss to coat well. Let stand 1 hour and drain. You should get a few tablespoons of liquid. Pat dry with a paper towel.

In the meantime, chop 4-5 cloves of garlic (or more if you’re like me), and 2 medium onions and saute over medium heat in 3 T olive oil until nice and tender. Add 3 cans of chopped tomatoes (I like Muir Glen 14.5 oz, but any similar will do), and simmer until the eggplant is ready. Don’t worry, you can’t over cook it, just don’t let it burn. Pour it into a blender, and puree it until it’s smooth.

Heat the oven to 425F. Put 1 cup of flour in a large bowl and add a bunch of freshly ground pepper. Add as much as you think you will like. I like a lot. I usually stop when my wrist gets tired from grinding. Add the eggplant and toss to coat.

Beat 3 eggs with a fork in a separate bowl until they are pretty consistent.

Put 2 cups of plain breadcrumbs in a final bowl.

Now, dip the eggplant into the egg mixture, then into the breadcrumbs, and place onto a cookie sheet. Put the cookie sheet into the oven for 15 minutes, then turn the eggplant and cook for another 10 minutes or so until nice and golden.

Get out a big hunk of Parmigiano Reggiano and grate a few cups. Remember, very fine grating.

It’s time for assembly.

In a 13 x 9 baking dish, add some tomato sauce to coat the bottom, then add a layer of eggplant. Add more sauce to coat the eggplant followed by a cup (or more) of grated cheese. Add chopped basil to this layer if you desire. Add another layer of eggplant, sauce, and cheese. Top with a few grindings of pepper, and bake for 15 minutes at 425F. Let it cool a bit before serving. It freezes well, and like a good lasagna, it is better the second or even third day.

Serve with a salad. This dish pairs nicely with Colter’s Creek Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec, or Chardonnay.

Cheers!

Eggplant Parmigiana

The following comes from Mike and Melissa – picture later on when I try it out:

Mike and I found the perfect summer food and wine combo the other night after a long evening of working in the garden. Too tired to prepare a timely dinner, we threw down a handful of tortilla chips, covered them with a light layer of cheese, spooned on a healthy scoop of leftover pinto beans we’d cooked a couple nights earlier, and topped them off with a generous portion of pico de gallo. Mike popped open a bottle of our 2009 Estate Chardonnay, and we settled into our deck chairs. Delightful! We found the paring of Chardonnay, slightly chilled, and pico de gallo to be a great combination. Nothing fancy, just a simple meal on a warm summer night. The pico de gallo was some I’d purchased at Costco (still waiting on our tomatoes), as were the chips. Nothing fancy, but man was it ever good. Give it a try!

Here is from myself (Beth) and my Mike!

Ok last night we had the quickest meal and it was outstanding! Also with Colter’s Creek Chardonnay. Mike had pressure cooked some white cannelli beans with olive oil and a handful of sage. I brought in some fresh kale from the garden, torn up in a pyrex dish, and added a pint jar of my mom’s canned heirloom tomatoes from last year. I microwaved (I know what your thinking) the kale/tomato mix for 5 mins. We shelled some peas and I poured boiling water over those and let them sit while the kale tomato mix was microwaving away. When all the bits were done, we salted and peppered the beans and ladled them with broth into a bowl, added some tomato/kale with and sprinkled with the drained, blanched peas. I put a touch of white wine vinegar and olive oil to finish. Seriously, delicious with that wine – wow!

So often wine is paired with meats and cheeses.  Maybe this is because vegetables and fruits have more delicate flavors or can be so easily destroyed if ill-prepared.  Veggie dishes and spices can be quite complex but easily over run by big wines. One of my favorite chefs in the world once said that meats are very full and fatty making them somewhat easier to show off – they come laden with flavor. Creating vegetable based dishes, on the other hand, can be more challenging – each has its own preparation technique, season and locality can really be a limiting factor, and for some they can be intimidating. I think that people are much more likely NOT to try a vegetable again if their first experience with it was prepared poorly. I think that there must be a million outstanding wine matches but they are certainly underplayed.

On a weekend in Seattle recently, I had some of the best vegetables I have had in a long time – the produce was spectacular! The best artichoke I have ever seen or tasted, unbelievable kale, and garlic to die for. These were all from a grocery chain. It was amazing. I went to our graciously donated condo overlooking the water and cooked up these simple items for one of the best late night dinners ever. We had a bottle of red wine, also had excellent bread and goat cheese. Long story short – the wine and the vegetables were heaven! It just got me thinking about why there isn’t more discussion and experimentation with wines and vegetables – fruit for that matter as well.

I did find one cookbook at the condo to my surprise, that actually did just this: Charlie Trotter’s Vegetables.

I also found a pretty good article with some quotes from Mr. Trotter about pairing: Eat Your Vegetables! I think there are maybe a few misleading stereotypes about “bland vegan establishments” but I am not sure where the author chooses to eat vegan food. I have only had the best experience with vegan at restaurants and at home, but I digress. Mainly, I just wanted to throw out there, next time you are getting ready to have a meatless meal or next time you have the opportunity too, taste that wine with the side dishes – and see what you think. Here are a couple other “pairing with vegetables” articles for suggestions.

Pairing Winter Vegetables and Wine
Wines for Vegetables

This post is terribly late and long overdue but worth the wait. My sweet husband (Melissa’s brother) and I had the pleasure of doing some wine tasting in Spokane the beginning of May. The first of every month Spokane has a First Friday art walk series and many of the wineries also double as galleries to display local artists. My good friend Tiffany Patterson was showing at The Second Space Gallery next to Spokane’s Barili Cellars who donated wine to the showing. Tiffany is a wonderful person and her artwork is stunning. The other artists were incredible as well but the place was packed so I only got some photos of Tiffany’s work so we could let others squeeze in for a look.

Tiffany's Artwork

Next we moved over to Barili Cellars and got to visit and taste their wines. The Viogner was delicious and we brought home a bottle of the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon. The tasting room is really welcoming and very beautiful.

Barili Crew

Here is Mr. Mike Sanborn doing some tasting with the Barili folks:

Mr. Sanborn

The real idea I suppose, is to visit as many places as possible but we only made it to one more place – Grande Ronde Cellars. These are some of our favorite people and one of our favorite stops. I had never had the pleasure of meeting Dave Westfall, however, one of the owner/operator/creators of Grande Ronde. Luckily for us, he was there and gave us was kind enough to give us a look around.

Beth and Dave

Put this place on your tasting list!

Dave and his family are gracious hosts.

We brought home the 2003 Seven Hills Merlot and 2007 Walla Walla Valley Cabernet franc – both are outstanding.

Clearly I am longing for summer with this recipe but I want you all to have it too so that we can long together!

RECOMMENDED WINE: Chardonnay
ALTERNATIVE WINE: Sauvignon/Fume Blanc

4 ears sweet corn, husks removed
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped sweet onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon (1/2 tsp dried)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 tsp minced lemon zest
2-14 1/2 ounce cans, plus 6 ounces chicken stock
3/4 cup white wine
1 Tbs chopped roasted garlic
3/4 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup sun-dried tomato halves (rehydrated in water and drained)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
1 Tbs minced chives
1 sourdough baguette, cut on the diagonal into twelve 1/4-inch slices

GARNISH: chopped fresh tarragon

Using a serrated knife, remove corn from cob by scraping down the cob (this will yield about 2 cups). Reserve the cobs. In a large soup pot, heat olive oil. Add onions, tarragon, cumin, turmeric, and 1 teaspoon lemon zest and saute for 7 to 8 minutes. Add corn, reserved corn cobs, stock, and wine and bring to a full, rolling boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 12 minutes. Remove cobs with tongs.

Carefully transfer soup mixture to a food processor or blender. Add roasted garlic, lemon juice, and sour cream. Process soup in batches. Add sun-dried tomatoes and stir thoroughly. Season to taste and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours. Soup can be thinned with a little extra chicken stock, if necessary.

Mix goat cheese, chives, and 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest together using both hands. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, spread goat cheese-chive mixture on sourdough slices. Put under broiler for about 5 to 6 minutes, until goat cheese starts to turn color slightly. Divide soup evenly in large soup bowls. Place two crisscrossed croutons halfway into soup with the other halves resting against the edge of the bowl. Garnish with chopped tarragon.

SERVES 6 AS AN APPETIZER

I wanted to post two videos on tasting. The first is our very own incredibly off-the-cuff video that the Colter’s Creek crew was put on the spot to produce. I did some editing to give an idea of how much fun we were having and also how gracious and receptive everyone was to my last minute prompting. This is the fun of tasting a wine as it is evolving.

Disclaimer: this was not a rehearsed event, the sound isn’t great – kind of like we are in a tin can, and really, the video is intended to give you an inviting look into the fun you could have after bottling!

March 2010 Barrel Tasting from Colter's Creek on Vimeo.

The second is a great instruction on tasting wine at home. Notice the wine glasses that the host, Heather Johnston has filled with different items that represent the profile of the wine – I wish we had thought of that for our tasting experiment! Stay tuned for our refined tasting videos in the future.

I really love Heather’s blog – she has great information, recipes, and more wonderful videos. Take a look: http://sogood.tv/.