California Wine Country - April 2008

Diva: Lovina

Drinks: Tamara
Red and White Wines from the California Wine Country
White Grape Juice with sparkling water mixed over ice.

Appetizer: Sara
Avocado Taco Rolls

I used IndiaLife Tortillas

8 Avocados
1/4 c lime juice
Mashed together

Cilantro Sauce:
1/3 C Lime Juice
1/3 C Olive Oil
2 bunches of Cilantro stems and all
1/2 jalapeño pepper seeds and all
whipped up together in my food processor

Mole Sauce--

4 ½ c chicken broth
3 T olive oil
1 c finely chopped onion
3 T chopped garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
2 ½ T chili powder
3 T all-purpose flour
2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (I usually use Hershey Special Dark, it has a sweetness that mellows the sauce)

Heat oil in a large saucepan over med/low heat. Add onion, garlic, oregano, cumin and cinnamon. Cover and cook until onion is almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Mix in chili powder and flour, stir for 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in chicken broth. Increase heat to med. high. Boil until reduced, about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Whisk in chocolate; season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Salad: Erin
Spinach-Orange Salad

½ c fresh orange juice
¼ c Sherry wine vinegar (I used both Sherry cooking wine and wine vinegar)
3 T honey
1 T fresh lime juice
¾ tsp chili powder
¾ c olive oil

2 6-ounce packages baby spinach (I used mixed greens and spinach)
4 oranges, peel and white pith removed, quartered, cut crosswise into
¼-inch-thick slices
2 c matchstick-size strips peeled jicama
1 avocado, peeled, seeded, cubed
½ c chopped red onion
¼ c chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk fresh orange juice, Sherry wine vinegar, honey, fresh lime juice and chili powder in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Combine remaining ingredients in another large bowl. Toss salad with enough dressing to coat lightly.

Soup: Stacey
Homemade Tomato Soup
Serves: 6 Servings

1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
¾ c extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 T butter
¼ c chopped fresh basil leaves
½ c heavy cream, optional

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, to taste, drizzle with 1/4 c of the olive oil and roast until caramelized, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted chopped canned tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, bay leaf and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil and cream, if using. Puree with a hand held immersion blender until smooth.

For garnish:
1⁄4 c extra virgin olive oil
2 c basil leaves
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Heat a medium sauté pan over high heat. Add the olive oil and the garlic. Cook the garlic until it begins to turn golden brown, stand back and add the basil leaves (they will pop and splatter slightly). Fry the basil until crisp. Using a slotted spoon remove the basil and garlic to a plate lined with a few layers of paper towel, season lightly with salt and reserve the oil.
To serve: ladle the hot soup into bowls and garnish with a few crispy basil leaves, slices of fried garlic, and a drizzle of the reserved oil.
Serve this soup as the perfect partner to a hot grilled cheese Panini.

Side Dish: Nicole
Ravioli with Butternut Squash, Sage and Hazelnuts in a Marsala Sauce

6 Ts shallots, chopped
1 ½ c hazelnuts, toasted and crushed
5 c Marsala cooking wine
2 c white wine
1 pound cold butter, cubed
1 bunch sage, chopped
2 T olive oil

Cook the shallots and hazelnuts in a medium-sized saucepan. When the shallots become translucent, add all of the Marsala and white wine to begin reducing. Reduce until there is about two c of liquid remaining. Reduce heat to a high simmer and begin adding the butter very slowly, stirring constantly. Once all of the butter has melted into the sauce, add the sage.
Cook the ravioli (recipe follows) and toss with olive oil. Add the freshly made Marsala Sauce and serve.

Ravioli
Pre-made butternut squash ravioli can be purchased at local pasta shops during the fall, or you can make your own. A good recipe from the Food Network's Emeril Lagasse follows:

3 T minced shallots
1 c roasted butternut squash puree
3 T heavy cream
3 T grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus 2 ounces
1 recipe pasta dough, rolled out into wide ribbons, about 1/4-inch thick
1 T finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
Pinch nutmeg
Freshly ground white pepper
Salt

In a large sauté pan, over medium heat, melt 1 T of the butter. Add the shallots and sauté for 1 minute. Add the squash puree and cook until the mixture is slightly dry, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cream and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 3 Ts cheese and nutmeg, to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Cool completely.

Cut the pasta ribbons into 3-inch squares. Place 2 tsp of the filling in the center of each pasta square. Bring 1 corner of the square to the other, forming a triangle and seal the pasta completely. Add the pasta to pot of boiling salted water. Cook until al dente, about 2 to 3 minutes or until the pasta floats and is pale in color.**
Remove the pasta from the water and drain well. Season the pasta with salt and pepper.
**Editor's Note: You can also use pre-made wonton wrappers instead of making your own pasta
Makes 6 servings. Enjoy!

Entrée: Colleen
Margarita Pizza:

Bread Machine Basic Dough
1 1/3 c water
¼ c extra virgin olive oil
3 ½ c unbleached all purpose flour
1 T sugar
1 ½ t salt
2 t SAF yeast

put ingredients into bread machine on dough cycle. remove immediately at end of cycle. divide into desired # of portions. knead a few times and cover with a damp towel to rest for 30 minutes. can refrigerate 24 hours and let rest for 20 minutes before using.

Sauce:
~2 T olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic sliced thin
1 can diced tomatoes

heat oil. add garlic and sauté for 60 seconds or so. add tomatoes and reduce until liquid has evaporated and sauce is thick and will not run when moved with a spoon. (hope that makes sense).

Toppings:
fresh tomatoes sliced thin
fresh mozzarella sliced thin
fresh basil sliced in strips

assemble pizza and bake at 450 until crush is golden brown. (7-20 minutes depending on thickness of crust)

For the Goat cheese Pizza:

Blue Corn Meal Crust
1 ½ c water
¼ c olive oil
3 2/3 c flour
1/3 c cornmeal
1 t salt
2 t yeast

follow same directions as above. When I made this crust I was surprised because it was very, very sticky and I ended up having to add quite a bit more flour. I didn't measure. sorry!

Rosemary infused olive oil:
add chopped fresh rosemary and garlic to olive oil and infuse at least over night. I didn't measure this either.

Caramelized onions:
small onion - slice in 1/4 inch rings
several T olive oil
sugar
vinegar

heat oil. add onions, sprinkle lightly with sugar and sauté over medium heat stirring frequently until onions are caramel in color (maybe 20 minutes or more?). when nearly finished, add a splash of vinegar and cook for about another minute. cool completely.

toppings:
light layer of mozzarella cheese
caramelized onions
thinly sliced pear (I coated in OJ to preserve color for travel)
thinly sliced dried fig
crumpled goat cheese

Dessert: Mariah
Poached Pears with Chocolate Carmel Sauce

1 c pear nectar
1 c dry white wine
½ c honey
4 slightly under-ripe pears, peeled, halved, cored
4 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
Vanilla ice cream or Good Karma Rice Cream

Stir pear nectar, white wine and sugar in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and syrup comes to boil. Add pears to syrup in saucepan. Cover pan, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until pears are tender, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to plate. Increase heat to medium-high and boil poaching liquid until reduced to 3/4 c, about 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until chocolate melts and sauce is smooth.
Place 1 warm pear half, cut side up, on each plate. Top with vanilla ice cream and warm chocolate sauce. Or cover pears and chocolate sauce separately and refrigerate up to 2 days; then serve pears cold with ice cream and sauce, rewarming sauce, if desired.

WildCard: Aven
Gorgeous handmade grape earrings for all.


Lottery: Ashley
Bottle corks – prize winner received a bottle opener!

Citrus - March 2008

Diva: Ashley

Drinks: Mariah
Sangria
CranRaz Juice
Red Wine
Dash of triple sec
Fresh squeezed mandarins
Mint leaves
Grapefruit wedges
Lemon wedges
Bubbly water
Mix it up your way, baby.

Minty Citrus Drink
The Syrup:
1 c sugar
1 c water
Handful of mint leaves
1 each orange juice and lemonade concentrate
Bubbly water

Prep:
Boil the water, sugar and mint leaves and simmer 5 minutes with the lid off.
Remove mint, stir in juice concentrates

To serve:
Pour 3 Ts over ice and add bubbly water.

Appetizer: Ivy (sub for Lovina)
Pears with Spicy Lime Chili Chutney

3 pears
5 tsp lime juice and zest from 1 lime
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic – minced
1 tsp soy sauce
¼-½ c raw almonds – roast on baking sheet until both sides are slightly browned
springs fresh mint for garnish

Cut each pair into 6 slices – lengthwise. Using a melon baller, create a well in the center of each slice.

Mix the lime juice and zest, cayenne, garlic, soy sauce and brown sugar.

Grind almonds in a food processor and add to other ingredients.

Spoon chutney in heaping spoonfuls into hollowed pears.

Garnish with sprigs of mint and drizzle with a syrup made from equal parts honey and lime juice.


Salad: Stacey
Orange Avocado Slaw

1 avocado
1/2 c orange juice
1/2 t. curry powder
1/4 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. sugar
2 t. white wine vinegar
1 T. olive oil
5 c cabbage/slaw mixture
(red cabbage, green cabbage and carrots)
1 t. sea salt
1/2 t. black pepper

Peel avocado, remove pit, and chop the meat into 1/4 inch pieces. In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange juice, curry powder, cumin, sugar and vinegar. Add the oil in a stream, whisking until emulsified. In a large bowl, toss the avocado with the slaw mix. Drizzle with the vinaigrette. Chill until ready to serve, and season with salt and pepper. Makes 6 servings.

Soup: Colleen
Chickpea, Ginger and Coriander Soup

extra virgin olive oil
organic canned garbanzo beans (chick peas)
ground cumin
ground coriander
half a seeded Serrano chili
fresh garlic,
fresh ginger
juice from a lime,
cilantro avocado and yogurt for the garnish.

Pour one can of organic garbanzo beans, liquid and all, into a food processor or blender. Blend the garbanzo beans into a smooth puree. The puree will be fairly smooth but still a bit grainy in consistency, that’s fine.

Get your ingredients ready. Mince or press a couple cloves of garlic, grate a one-inch cube of fresh ginger, mince a chili if you want some heat (I used half a seeded Serrano chili), measure out a tsp or two of ground coriander and half a tsp or so of ground cumin (the amounts are entirely up to you). Heat a medium saucepan and add a T or so of olive oil. Add the garlic and chili and cook for a minute or so. Throw in the grated ginger and cook for a minute or so longer. Add the coriander and cumin and stir for about half a minute until the spices are fragrant. Stir in the chickpea puree. If you want, you can thin the soup with a little chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water. If you are in a hurry, just cook the soup until it’s heated through then taste and season with a bit of salt and pepper. If you have the time, cook the soup for a bit longer on medium-low heat to let the flavors intensify. If you decide to cook the soup longer, it’s best to thin it with the broth or water first because it will thicken again as it cooks and the liquid evaporates. Garnish the soup with fresh chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice (lemon would be fine if that’s what you have on hand).

Recipe Notes: If you prefer not to use the liquid from the canned beans, you can drain and rinse them and then puree the beans with some chicken or vegetable broth or water. I’ve done it both ways and I actually liked the original version the best. I’ve been using the organic canned chickpeas from Trader Joe’s that are just packed in water and sea salt. Another of my favorite brands of canned beans is Goya. But, use whatever you happen to like!
Beware of adding too much salt if you are using the bean liquid from the can. The beans are packed in salted water so you may not need to add any salt at all. Taste first, then season if necessary!
If you don’t have any fresh chilies but want to add a little heat to the soup, stir in a little crushed red chili. If you really want it spicy, try using both. If you prefer no heat, don’t add either. Feel free to use more garlic and/or ginger if those are flavors that you really like.
The soup is really great with a dollop of plain yogurt on top. Sour cream would also work.
This recipe makes two small servings of soup or one large serving.


Side Dish: Emily
Orzo and Tomato Salad in Lemon Cups

For the salad:

1 pound orzo 

2 cloves garlic, chopped 

2 lemons, juiced 

1 c extra-virgin olive oil 

2 c cherry tomatoes, halved 

¼ c roughly chopped Italian parsley leaves

For the lemon cups: 

6 lemons

For the salad: 
In salted, boiling water, cook the orzo until al dente. Strain and cool. Whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, and extra-virgin olive oil. In a large bowl, toss the orzo together with the tomatoes, parsley, and olive oil mixture. Season, to taste, with salt and fresh ground pepper.

For the lemon cups: 
Cut a small piece off both tips of the lemon. Make sure the cut does not expose any flesh, only pith. Cut the lemon evenly in half across the diameter. Use a spoon to remove the flesh of the lemon and scrape the skin clean, being careful not to cut or damage the skin.
To assemble: 
Fill each lemon cup with the orzo salad and arrange on a platter for service.

Entree: Nicole
Chicken Breasts with Citrus Pan Sauce

4 bone-in chicken breast halves with skin
5 tsp ground cumin, divided
4 T olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, pressed
½ c chicken broth
½ c orange juice
¼ c fresh lemon juice
2 tsp grated orange peel
1 ½ tsp grated lemon peel
1/3 c chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 425°F. Slide fingertips beneath skin of each chicken breast to loosen. Sprinkle each chicken breast with 1 teaspoon cumin and salt and pepper; rub seasoning beneath and on top of skin.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken, skin side down, in pan and cook until skin browns, about 5 minutes; turn chicken over. Place skillet in oven and roast until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Transfer chicken to plate. Add remaining oil to drippings in skillet; add garlic and sauté over medium-high heat 30 seconds. Add chicken broth, orange juice, lemon juice, orange peel, lemon peel, and remaining 1 teaspoon cumin; boil until reduced to 1 scant cup, about 3 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken; sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Dessert: Sara
Bavarian

6 tight-skinned tangerines
1 (1/4-ounces) envelope unflavored gelatin
8 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup chilled heavy cream

Remove side of spring form pan and invert bottom, then reattach side (to make Bavarian easier to remove). Lightly oil pan.

Grate enough zest from 1 tangerine to measure 1 teaspoon, then juice tangerines. (You will need 1 1/4 cups juice.)

Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup tangerine juice in a small bowl and let stand about 5 minutes.

Whisk together yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and remaining cup tangerine juice in a heavy medium saucepan, then cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until mixture just comes to a simmer (do not let boil). Remove from heat, then whisk in gelatin mixture until completely dissolved. Transfer to a metal bowl and chill in an ice bath, stirring frequently, until mixture has thickened to consistency of raw egg whites. Remove from ice bath.

Meanwhile, beat cream with zest until it just holds soft peaks.

Stir one third of whipped cream into yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining cream gently but thoroughly. Spoon into spring form pan and chill until set, at least 4 hours and up to 24.

Candied Tangerine Peel

8 tight-skinned tangerines, washed well
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water Superfine granulated sugar for coating
preparation

Remove peel, including a little of pith, from tangerines in (2- by 1-inch) strips with a sharp vegetable peeler (preferably Y-shaped). Cut into thin (1/8-inch) julienne strips.

Cover strips with cold water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Drain in a sieve, then repeat procedure with more cold water 2 times.

Bring granulated sugar, water, and zest strips to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then simmer until zest is translucent and syrup has thickened, 45 to 50 minutes.

Lightly oil a large rack and set over a wax-paper-lined baking sheet. Transfer candied peel to rack with a fork, separating strips. (Discard syrup or reserve for another use.) When peel is cool (but not completely dry), toss with superfine sugar in a bowl to coat. Return to rack until dry to the touch, about 30 minutes.

Cooks' note: Candied peel keeps in an airtight container at room temperature 2 days.

Tangerine Caramel Sauce

Tangerine juice plays two roles here: It stops the cooking of the sugar, and its bright perfume brings complexity to the sauce.

Makes about 1 ½ cups

6 tight-skinned tangerines
1 ½ c sugar
¼ c water
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
1 T fresh lemon juice


Remove 3 (2- by 1-inch) strips zest from 1 tangerine with a sharp vegetable peeler (preferably Y-shaped), then scrape off any white pith. Juice tangerines. (You will need 1 1/4 cups juice.)

Bring sugar, water, bay leaves, and zest to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals from side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil, without stirring, until sugar is deep amber. Remove from heat, then carefully add tangerine juice (mixture will bubble and steam vigorously) and simmer, stirring, until caramel has dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and a pinch of salt, then remove from heat and cool. Chill, covered, until ready to serve (sauce will thicken slightly). Discard bay leaf and zest.

Cooks' note: Sauce can be chilled up to 3 days.

WildCard: Tamara (absent)

Lottery: Aven