Porcini Polenta with Sun Dried Sauce

This recipe uses polenta made the day before and, perhaps, enjoyed with another meal. In this preparation, the dish will serve as a filling appetizer or side dish. The photo shows polenta made with red wine.

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

1 cup dry white wine

½ cup finely chopped dried porcini mushrooms

1 cup polenta

4 cups water

½ cup grated parmesan or asiago cheese

1 dash salt

¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, rinsed, patted dry and chopped small

½ cup dry white wine

½ cup ricotta cheese

¼ cup grated hard cheese; manchugo, asiago, pecorino etc.

METHOD

POLENTA: In a small sauce pan, bring the wine to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Add the mushroom pieces and cover. In a large sauce pan on high heat, bring the water to a boil, add a pinch of salt, and gradually stir in the polenta meal. Reduce the heat to medium and, continually stirring, cook the polenta for about 10-12 minutes.

 

Stir in the mushrooms and their liquid and continue to cook and stir for about another 10 to 12 minutes until the polenta is really thick and will barely fall off the stirring spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the grated cheese. If you wish to have part of the polenta this day, serve it now. Otherwise, , allow it to cool back to room temperature. Place into a cylindrical container no more than four inches wide and place into the refrigerator.

 

SAUCE In a small sauce pan, add the wine and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5-6 minutes. Puree the mixture in a small blender. Remove to a dish, and add the ricotta, mixing well

Remove the polenta from its container and slice into the needed number of slices, all about ¾ inch thick. Place on a microwaveable plate, cover the tops of the polenta slices with the sauce and cook for 1 ½ to 2 ½ minutes depending on the microwave power and the number of slices. Remove, sprinkle with the grated cheese and serve, 1 per person

Sherried Cutlets with Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS
4-6       thin sliced cutlets of turkey, pork, chicken or veal
2          tablespoons olive oil
2          cups sliced mushrooms, white or Cremini
1          cup Heritage dry white wine or similar
½         cup Emile’s Sherry
1          small onion, chopped
4          cloves garlic, minced
1          teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or dry thyme
1          teaspoon butter or butter substitute
1          teaspoon all purpose flour
1          tablespoon chopped Italian parsley for garnish

METHOD

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add one tablespoon olive oil and brown the cutlets on both sides. Remove and reserve. Lower to medium heat, add the onions and garlic and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until they are transparent. Add the second tablespoon of oil and the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sherry, wine, cutlets and thyme, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash the flour and butter together with your fingers and mix until it forms a paste. Set aside. When the cutlets are done, strain the liquid into a small skillet. Using small bits at a time, over high heat, add the flour/butter paste and stir in to the liquid. When it hicens to the right consistency, remove from the heat and pour over the cutlets.

Serve over pasta, rice or polenta with a steamed green vegetable and a medium bodied red wine, such as Barbera or Sangiovese or the three TRE red wines.

 

Stuffed Tomatoes or Peppers

INGREDIENTS

4 medium tomatoes

2 medium red, yellow or green Bell peppers

FOUR CHEESE STUFFING

1 cup Arborio rice

2 tablespoons chopped chives or scallion greens

¼ cup each of four of the following cheeses:

Parmesan Fontina Mozzarella Monterey Jack

Ricotta Edam Gouda Havarti

In a sauce pan, add three cups of water, bring to a boil and add the one cup of rice. Boil for 8 minutes, drain and allow it to cool. Grate the parmesan and any other cheese that can be grated. Dice the other cheeses (except Ricotta) into ¼ inch dice. Mix all the cheeses together, mix in the chives, then add the rice when it has cooled.

RICE AND SALAMI STUFFING

½ cup Arborio rice

½ cup Molinari salami

½ cup Mozzarella cheese, diced ¼ inch

½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

In a sauce pan, add three cups of water, bring to a boil and add the one cup of rice. Boil for 8 minutes, drain and allow it to cool. Grind the salami to hamburger size in a blender or food processor. When the rice cools, mix the two cheeses, rice and the salami.

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 325 for tomatoes or 350 for peppers. Place an oven rack about 7 inches from the top of the oven. Cut the tops off the vegetables, retaining them. Cut the inside seeds and ribs out of the vegetables, leaving a cup. Be careful to not pierce the outside of the vegetables

Stuff the vegetables with your choice of stuffing, replace the tops, place on a baking sheet and put into the oven. Tomatoes should cook about 15 minutes, peppers about 30 minutes. Remove and serve.

Braised Fish with Dilled Rice

INGREDIENTS

2-3  Fillets of Tilapia, Flounder, Sole, Swordfish, or other

          mild fish, 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick,about ¼ pound each

1     cup Arborio rice

3     cups boiling water

1     tablespoon dried dill weed

½    cup dry white wine, like TRE Chardonnay

¼    cup sherry wine vinegar

2     tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

½    tablespoon butter or butter substitute

½    tablespoon all purpose flour

½    cup chopped flat leaf parsley

 

METHOD

In a large sauce pan, add three cups water. Bring to a boil and add 1 cup Arborio rice. Boil for 8 minutes, drain and add 1 tablespoon dried dill. Stir well and set aside.

 

In a small dish, work the flour and butter together with your fingers until it forms a paste. Cover and braise fish with 1 cup white wine for 7-10 minutes, turning once. . Remove fish and cover to keep warm. To the skillet, add the sherry vinegar and lemon juice. Cook over high heat until reduced by half. Slowly add and stir in the butter/flour paste until sauce is slightly thickened. May not need all of it.

 

Serve fish on a bed of dilled rice, pour sauce over the fish and sprinkle with chopped flat leaf parsley. Make sure you have a bottle of chilled Reserve Pinot Grigio on hand to accompany this dish. Serves as many portions as fillets were purchased

Turkey Picatta

Turkey slices or Chicken slices made with this recipe will bring new tastes to the table.

INGREDIENTS
1 Turkey Breast, sliced thinly (about 1/4 inch)
1 1/4 cup chicken broth, unsalted or low salt
1/3 cup Guglielmo dry white wine
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons butter or butter substitute
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon capers, drained, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons fresh chopped Italian parsley plus some for garnish


METHOD
Pat the turkey slices dry with paper towels. Lightly oil a large skillet and heat until oil is almost smoking. Fry the turkey slices, turning once, until golden brown on both sides. Transfer with tongs to a plate and cover to keep warm.

In a large sauce pan, boil the stock and wine until reduced by half to 3/4 cup, about 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk together the flour and 2 tablespoons of water in a separate cup then slowly whisk into the stock mix.Bring back to a boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and lemon juice. Add the capers and mix in the 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley. Mix thoroughly.

Arrange the turkey slices on a serving plate or individual plates, pour the warm sauce over the turkey, sprinkle with the garnish and serve.

Serves 2 to 3. Can be made with chicken breast, also sliced thinly. Try it with pre-formed ground turkey patties.

Cannellini and Mussel Stew

A recipe inspired by Spanish wines, but very good with Italian white wines. Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a small plate dish. The attached photo shows one half of the amounts in this recipe.

 

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds mussels, scrubbed

¾ cup Emiles Sherry

¼ cup TRE Chardonnay

           ¼ cup olve oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans (14oz) Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 pinch (or more ?) red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley fr garnish

Toasted crusty bread slices to accompany

METHOD

In a large sauce pan or deep skillet, combine the wines and the mussels. Bring to a boil and cook covered for 3-5 minutes until the mussels open. Remove from the heat and let cool. Remove the mussels from the shells, tossing out any that are not open, and discarding the shells ( unless you wish to use a few for garnish.) Strain the broth and reserve one cup.

 

Clean out the pan and add the olive oil, minced garlic and pepper flakes. Saute for a few minutes on medium heat for 1 minute. Add the broth and mussels and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the beans and parsley and continue simmering for another 3-4 minutes.

 

Serve with the toasted crusty bread and a chilled bottle of Guglielmo Pinot Grigio.

 

Based upon a recipe in : Food and Wine Magazine

Sherry Vinegar

Yes, Virginia, there IS Sherry Vinegar and Guglielmo has it. A short while ago, I was looking for Sherry Vinegar for a recipe I wanted to test. I couldn't find it anywhere; major supermarkets, specialty stores, and not even Joe. Then Virginia came in the tasting room and asked if the winery carried it. Determination eventually turned to success and now,  we do. Made from sherry wine by the people in Spain who make sherry wine,  it has very unusual flavors and is Spains answer to Italian balsamic vinegar. Look for more information later in a separate page: for now just a simple recipe for sherried onions - roasted and glazed with sherry vinegar, great over a steak. Or, make yourself famous with these onions and mushrooms on a hamburger.They are so good, you could serve them as a side dish for many things - try them and then let your imagination go wild.

INGREDIENTS
1 large white or small bunch of cipollini onions
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup sherry wine
1 teaspoon brown sugar

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the onion in half and slice thinly. In a large sauce pan, bring several cups of water to a boil and add the sliced onions. Boil for 3-4 minutes until tender.

Drain the onions and place them in a baking dish with the vinegar, sugar, olive oil and thyme. Bake uncovered for 12 minutes. Remove the onions from the baking dish to a skillet and add the 1/4 cup of sherry. Saute until the lquid is absorbed and the onions begin browning. Serve and enjoy.

Why Are They So Expensive ?

A good question. The Strianese on the left in a small can cost the same as the DiNapoli in a large can on the right. Twice as much per ounce? Yes, because the Strianese are San Marzano tomatoes, hand picked and processed from a small region in the south of Italy, and considered by many chefs to be the very best in the world. The DiNapoli Italian style tomatoes, while very good, are mechanically harvested in the US where ease of process can be more important than quality and taste. The Strianese have the two seals required to be official San Marzano tomatoes. controlled by the European Union and the San Marzano growers association.

For the full story, read the background article found by clicking on the San Marzano tab at the top of this blog. Then, try them out. Visit here a bit later for a simple pasta sauce made from the very best tomatoes in the world - yes, better than home-grown.

San Marzano sauce

Well, I promised a simple recipe for San Marzano pasta sauce, so here it is. Some folks said I should show pictures of the finished dishes, but I am not a food photographer as I am sure you will agree. This photo is the finished dish

INGREDIENTS
One can San Marzano tomatoes, mushed by hand or implement

1/2 package (8 ounces) of your favorite fast cooking Fettuccini

basil

flat leaf parsley

garlic powder (1 tablespoon)
fresh grated Parmesan cheese 
 

If you are using dried herbs, one tablespoon each added to the tomatoes before cooking. For fresh herbs. two tablespoons each added after the sauce and pasta are combined.

METHOD
Heat the tomato sauce for five minutes before starting to heat the pasta water since the pasta will cook in four minutes. When the pasta is cooked al dente, drain and add the sauce and fresh herbs. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve. Dinner done in 15 minutes. Serves two as a main course or four as a side dish.

Black Olive Soup - an Italian Crema

In Italian, a crema is a puree that is thickened with potato. This soup is quite thick and should be served in small quantities either as a soup course or as an anti-pasto as shown here.

INGREDIENTS

1 small white onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 ½ cups chicken stock

2 large cans (6 oz) pitted black olives, chopped

½ cup marsala wine

1 small golden potato, diced

1 Pinch black pepper, freshly ground

METHOD

In a large sauce pan, add the olive oil and warm over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until onion is translucent. Add all the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil for three minutes and then reduce to simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and, in small batches, puree in a blender or food processor. Serve hot, garnished with chopped Italian parsley.

As an anti-pasto, serve with either Sauvignon Blanc or Rosatello. As a soup dish, a medium red like Sangiovese or a continuation of the pasta wine.