recipephile

Wine Musings From Jerry - Do the “Legs” of a Wine Indicate Quality?

The “legs” are the tiny rivulets of wine that run down the sides of a glass after the wine has been swirled around the glass. The speed of the legs will tell you more about the alcohol and growing climate of the wine than anything else. Slow moving legs indicate a warm climate; quick moving legs – a cooler climate.

When someone in the know says that a wine has "nice legs” this implies the presence of good quantities of glycerin, a natural component of a balanced wine, and alcohol, and tends to be associated with full- bodied wines.

Not My Mother's Meatballs

On Saturday my friend Scotty hosted a little dinner soiree at his place. All invitees were asked to pitch in and prepare a dish. The theme... German food and the basis for the meal was a apple and dijon pork loin, which turned out to be absolutely delicious. I really really wanted to make Swedish meatballs with that sweet and tangy sauce. Although not German I figured Sweden is close enough and with the many similarities in their choice of foods my meatballs would be fine.

So I took my mother's traditional recipe and altered it a little to give it a little lederhosen flair. These are pretty easy to make and tasty too.

Notes on Creativity - Take a Class

If you have a passion for cooking and have never stepped into someone else's kitchen to learn their methods and favorite techniques then you are really missing out. Kudos go out to my close friend Kara for taking the plunge and diving into the world of baking when she decided to take a professional course that lasted for six months. She and her husband are now the proud and successful owners of Kara's Cupcakes. You may not be in the market to go professional, so a costly class is likely not up your alley. But we can all learn a lesson from Kara. She loved baking and wanted to learn more. You can too. Check the Internet for local classes in your area. Everything from seminars on cheese, wine and Chinese cooking to baking and sauce making are likely happening at your local community college or kitchen supply store. So jump online now and get back to school.

Vinegar Soaked Cippolini Onions

While I was growing up my parents and the rest of my family called me "Pickle". I was led to believe that this name was given to me in tribute for my love of all things pickled. Whatever the reason this obsession continues to please my palette and if not every day, every other day you can find me downig a few pickles. One of my favorite little restaurants in San Francisco, L'Osteria del Forno serves the most delicious pickled cippolini onions. After chatting with the owner and chef I learned that these are pretty easy to prepare. The following is my rendition of this delicious recipe.

Notes on Creativity - Save It or Write It Down

So why do I keep notes on my favorite dishes and ask restauranteurs for a copy of the menu? This is the best way to add to your list of easy to prepare favorites. Goat Cheese and Dates came from a restaurant I ate in about 10 years ago. While dining at one of my favorite eateries I discovered Giant Beans with Lemony Marinara. And nothing beats the simplicity of White Beans with Garlic and Olive Oil. All of these were discovered at some of my favorite restaurants and then recreated in my very own kitchen. So ask the server to tell you the ingredients, write em' down and make sure they get you a copy of the menu. Keep all your notes and menus in a folder and then do your best to recreate the things that make your mouth water.

Last Minute Platter...

So I am putting my money where my mouth is and last night I followed my own advice. After working all day, I realized that there would be a planning committee meeting at my house for a Champagne Fundraising Event in November to benefit Under One Roof. With only an hour and a half to prepare I hurried myself to the grocery and picked up...

Notes on Creativity - Simplify Things

Many people fear the kitchen, because they are so afraid of taking on what may seem like a daunting task. Believe me when I say that daunting it is not and never has to be that difficult. If you create an arsenal of simple to prepare appetizers, even the most novice cook can create a fantastic cocktail party in under an hour. It all comes down to simplicity and ease of preparation.

Sweet and Savory Jam and Cheese...

During a recent trip to Italy we had the chance to visit an amazing restaurant in the small town of Lamole called Ristoro di Lamole. At the beginning of every meal they serve a small plate of Pecorino Romano cheese with pepper jelly and truffle honey. You cannot believe how DELICIOUSLY simple this is to recreate. When I got home from the trip I wanted to share my discoveries with friends so I of course hosted a dinner party that included an Americanized variation on what was served in Lamole.

Frico

This week the entire Volpatt family is together in Hutchinson Island, Florida eating, drinking, relaxing, and of course arguing just like any family would do. The majority of our time is spent cooking and yesterday my father said... "oooh, who wants frico?". We all jumped at the chance to sink our teeth into this cripsy and delicious Italian pan fried cheese dish. Now when I say fried do not think Mozarella sticks with tangy Marinara sauce. This is far from the boxed and frozen version you get at your local theme restaurant. The end result reminds me of the bottom of a fondue pot at Artisinal (a fantastic cheese restuarant in Manhattan). The cheese is almost gone and as the flame burns below it cooks the leftover until you need a fork or knife to scrape it off. The end result is always so delicious.

Gram's Torta Frita

While I was growing up weekends were spent with my grandma Volpatt. On Saturday mornings we would wake up early, make fresh dough and head downtown to do errands and more shopping while the dough was rising. Once we were finished with our jaunt downtown we would come home and roll out the dough using a big wine bottle. Then we'd heat up some oil, fry up thin slices of the dough until golden brown, top with salt and eat. Ahhhh.... they were so so so good.

There is a much easier way to do this, which does not involve making your own dough.