The Ash Creek Papers

 Pork Cassoulet & Di Sipo Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo ’13

This is an instance where I wanted to try a wine, and selected a dish that I thought would work.  No need for suspense.  The cassoulet hit the mark for the Cerasuolo.  There are any number of variations for cassoulet.  It’s a French “country” stew composed of cuts of pork, sausages, duck confit and white beans.  I was looking for a recipe that would shorten the hours of cooking time most of the recipes required.  And I found one, only 45 minutes.  That’s 45 minutes for someone else!  From start to finish I was thru in under 90 minutes, and into my second glass of wine!

A great call for wine would have been something from Alsace or the Rhine.  Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris.  But I wanted to try this wine from Abruzzo.  Cerasuolo is a treasured “bistro & café’” wine from Italy’s Abruzzo.  It is a Rosé of Montepulciano, and it gets its name from its distinctive cherry hue. This is unlike any other Rosé I have ever had.  Richer and more complex in both scent and flavor than the Rosés that I so enjoy from Provence.  In every manner this wine behaves like a light flavorful red.  I couldn’t have asked for a better wine to enjoy with the cassoulet.  I thrust the bottle into the snow on my deck for 15 minutes and the wine had a perfect chill.

Di Sipo Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo ‘13 (Abruzzo, Italy)
A bright cherry red, deeper in hue due to the depth of color in Mlontepulciano’s grape skins.  Full and intense aroma of berries, wild strawberries, cherries but with a layering of almonds and garden herbs.  Transition from scent to palate is seamless.  Beautiful red fruit, softened by a subtle earthiness.  Silky, with a fresh dry finish.  Good length, and a palate cleansing level of acidity.  Great wine to enjoy on its own merit or with food!

Ingredients:

6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
3 Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
A Goodly amount of Ice
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cans (15oz) cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1” chunks
12 oz kielbasa, halved lengthwise and sliced ¼” thick
1 onion chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp minced fresh thyme
1 can (14.50z) diced tomatoes

Directions:

1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!”  Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size.  Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass.  Immediately begin consuming.  Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!

2. Process 1 1/2 cups of beans and 1 cup of broth in a blender ’til smooth, about 10 seconds; set aside.

3. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat ’til just smoking. Pat  pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Brown pork on all sides, about 8 minutes; transfer to bowl.

4. Add sausage and onion to Dutch oven and cook over medium heat ’til onion  softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic and thyme and cook ’til fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in remaining 1 cup of broth, scraping up any browned bits.  Stir in tomatoes, pureed beans and remaining beans and simmer ’til slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

5.  Stir in browned pork, along with any accumulating juices, into stew and cook ’til heated thru, about 2 minutes.  About 2 minutes.  Serve.

n.b.  Cassoulet is sometimes prepared with a bread crumb topping, or with croutons.  I sliced a baguette into 1/2” slices, shmeared garlic butter on both sides, and fried the slices in a skillet to make garlic toasts.

Last week I tasted an incredible white wine from Piedmont… the 2013 Castellari Bergaglio ‘Fornaci’ Gavi.  Gavi is one of the finest white wines made in the world, although it comes from a region better known for its majestic reds… Barolo and Barbaresco.  But make no mistake, the richness of this particular wine is grand on its own and a suitable match for a full flavored dish.  I have had other Gavi’s before; but none can surpass this one.  I immediately loved the wine for its complexity.  Not merely fruit or floral, the wine has a marvelous scent with a garden herbal accent that transitioned perfectly to the palate.  Smooth texture with a satisfying palate cleansing level of acidity, which is why this wine is a natural for a great food dish.

Having selected my wine I then turned my attention to find an accompanying recipe.  I found an easy recipe (easy is very important for me) that utilized boneless chicken breasts with a simple sauce using mushrooms, pearl onions and tarragon. I served the chicken with “Any-Night Baked Rice”… a recipe from Wini Moranville’s The Bonne Femme Cookbook. Food and wine worked splendidly.  Other wine choices that would have done very well… a Red Côte de Beaune Burgundy, Crozes-Hermitage Blanc, Cru Beaujolais, or a Barbera (a lighter version).

Castellari Bergaglio ‘Fornaci’ Gavi ‘13 (Piedmont,Italy)
100% Cortese. Medium-deep green-gold. Ripe scents of yellow apple and floral are blended with a note of talcum powder and garden herb; shows less of the stony overlay of the Gavis from Rovereto. The ripe citrus and anise flavors take a tropical turn, picking up a pineapple quality on the rather long, fresh finish. A textbook example of the Gavis made in the area of Tassarolo, less mineral and more fruit-forward than those of Rovereto. I’d drink this beauty over the next year or two.

CHICKEN CUTLETS W/TARRAGON-MUSHROOM SAUCE

Ingredients
6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
A goodly amount of ice
3 blue cheese stuffed olives
2 cups unsalted chicken stock
½ carrot, cut into 1 inch pieces
½ celery stalk, cut into 1 inch pieces
¼ onion, halved
1 bay leaf
4 (6 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
½ tsp kosher salt, divided
½ tsp black pepper divided
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 cup quartered mushrooms
½ cup frozen pearl onions
1 tbsp water
2½ tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

Directions
1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size.  Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming.  Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!

2. Bring chicken stock ½ carrot,  ½ celery stalk, ¼ onion, 1 bay leaf to a boil in a saucepan. Cook 6 minutes or until reduced to 1¼ cups. Remove solids with a slotted spoon; discard.

3. Cut chicken breast halves horizontally to form 8 cutlets.  Sprinkle evenly with a ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.  Place flour in a shallow dish; dredge chicken in flour.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon oil and 1 teaspoon butter to pan; swirl to coat.  Add cutlets 4 to a pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove from pan; cover with foil to keep warm.  Repeat procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon of butter, and 4 cutlets.

4. Return skillet to medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms and onions; cook 5 minutes or until browned.  Add stock mixture; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Combine 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch.  Stir cornstarch mixture into stock mixture; cook 1 minute or until the sauce thickens.  Stir in remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper, and tarragon.  Spoon sauce over chicken.

ANY NIGHT BAKED RICE
From Wini Moranville

Ingredients
1 tbsp unsalted butter
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup long grain rice
¼ tsp dried thyme, crushed
1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Melt butter in a flameproof, ovenproof pot with a heavy lid over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until tender but not brown, 4-5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Add the rice and dried thyme; cook and stir about 1 minute more (the rice should be nicely coated with butter and starting to cook, but not yet brown).  Add the broth and bay leaf; stir to break up any clumps of rice. Bring to a boil.

3. Cover the pot tightly and slide it into the oven.  Bake the rice for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let stand, covered for 5 minutes.

4. Remove and discard the bay leaf.  Stir the rice with a fork and serve immediately.  Or let stand, covered, in a warm place for up to 20 minutes more.  If desired, sprinkle with fresh thyme.

n.b. The rice recipe is insane.  I kept the rice on an unheated back burner while I finished preparing the mushroom-tarragon sauce.

My old friend Art Riccio could weave stories about his “from-scratch” sauces… hours in the making, putting to shame anything pre-made.  It’s a bit intimidating to have a buddy (who I have known since 7^th grade) who watched his parents (and maybe grandparents and assorted aunts and uncles) prepare homemade sauces and, as a result, is intimately connected to the process of creating insanely good sauces.

Me? I was looking for something to do on an afternoon.  This is definitely a “day off” activity… any short-changing of the time it takes to naturally reduce and thicken the sauce will produce a meek version lacking character and depth.

Besides… the patience and care in the preparation, the emerging aromas in the kitchen, the periodic inspection and stirring the pot and the relaxed approach to time offers an excellent opportunity to enjoy a martini or two… occasionally dipping in a chunk of bread to more accurately test the developing sauce.

What could be better?

Wine? From my personal portfolio of café/bistro wines I have selected a red from the Southern Rhône.  I could have just as easily chosen a Primitivo from Puglia, a Montepulciano from Abruzzo, a blend from the Languedoc, a country red from Portugal… or a country red just about from any of the main wine producing regions of the world!  What do these wines share in common?  Good fruit, dry finish with an exceptional palate cleansing level of acidity — which is why the wines work so well with food!  Think about the type of dishes that we would enjoy if we traveled thru Europe and dined at a small bistro or café – a place where the décor maybe nothing special, nor the place settings particularly grand, and yet the food would be well prepared “comfort” type of plates and the “local” wine would always hit the perfect notes regardless of what was ordered.  Further, these reds are usually served slightly chilled. And yes, Mongettes is perfect a little chill & would also be a great “cross over” red to salmon, swordfish and other robust seafood dishes like paella.  Also veal & poultry dishes (and a good choice for the Thanksgiving table!)

Château les Mongettes ’11 (Costières de Nîmes, France)

Some of the most pleasurable wines for “every day drinking” come from the South of France. Vineyards that stretch along the Mediterranean from the Spanish frontier, to the Italian Rivera and trace a path up the Rhône Valley, and produce some of the world’s best drinking wines.  Invariably these wines are a blend of Rhône varietals, and have many of the same flavor attributes of Châteauneuf du Pape; but are less costly! This wine is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre from the Domaine’s vineyards situated in the southeast of Nîmes. A very easy-going wine with plenty of red berry fruits, anis, a touch of spice and a lovely long, fine dry finish.

Linguine Bolognese

Ingredients

6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
A goodly amount of ice
4 blue cheese stuffed olives
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces bacon or pancetta, diced
1 ½ cups chopped yellow onions
¾ cup diced carrots
¾ cup diced celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pound ground beef or ground veal
½ pound pork sausage, removed from the casings, or ground pork
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
2 (14 ½-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes and their juice
1 (14 ½-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup beef or chicken stock or broth
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 pound spaghetti
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size.  Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming.  Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!
2. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until browned and the fat is rendered, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
3. Add the beef and sausages, and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, to deglaze the pan and remove any browned bits sticking to the bottom of the pan, and until half of the liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes and their juices, the tomato sauce, beef broth, and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, to keep the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the sauce is thickened and flavorful, about 1 1/2 hours.
5. Add the cream, butter, and parsley, stir well, and simmer for 2 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and adjust the seasoning, to taste. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm until ready to serve.
6. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and return the water to a low boil. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent the noodles from sticking, until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain in a colander.
7. Add the pasta to the sauce, tossing to coat. Add 1/2 cup of the cheese and toss to blend. Divide among pasta bowls and serve with the cheese passed tableside. (Alternatively, toss only the desired portion of pasta with a bit of the sauce at a time in a serving bowl, reserving the remainder for another meal.)

Miscellany

Don’t let the long list of ingredients throw you off the track. It’s time consuming; but it ain’t hard. This recipe is from a version that Emeril Lagasse used in a Food Network segment in 2004. The cook time of 2 hours and 20 minutes runs less then many recipes I found.  Still, leisurely in its pace, it is miles more time for any other dish I have made not done in a slow cooker. The prep time of 30 minutes is nearly half of what I need (I am notoriously slow and it troubles me not). I made three adjustments to his recipe.  I cut his cinnamon and nutmeg in half based on many comments from reviewers of the recipe.  For the meat I used a meatloaf mixture (pork, beef & veal combination). And lastly, I used linguine instead of spaghetti.  The recipe is as it appears in the Food Network site.