Marinated Mushroom, Manchego and Vodka Tomato Skewers

Posted on May 3, 2015 by melsmosaic

Was going tailgating recently and was asked to bring fingerfoods. Went through various recipes and put a few together to come up with something that ended up way too good. I made mini skewers (used toothpicks) of marinated mushrooms, squares of manchego, and vodka-spiked tomatoes. Delicious! Then, with the leftovers that I didn’t skewer, combined everything and it made a delicious salad(tossed it with mixed greens, too).

Marinated Mushrooms

1 lb mushrooms
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
(some) garlic — you can never have too much (I was in another kitchen and had to use dry stuff)
S&P
paprika
2-3 bay leaves

Slice mushroom. Mix all other ingredients together. Mix in mushrooms. Let sit 30 minutes-overnight in fridge.

Vodka Spiked Tomatoes

Ingredients

3 pints firm small red and yellow cherry tomatoes – I use(d) grape ones
1/2 cup vodka
3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon superfine granulated sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

Preparation

-Cut a small X in skin of blossom end of each tomato. ** I just sliced a bit into each one — I don’t have the patience to make an X into a cherry tomato, make a bigger slice.

-Blanch tomatoes, 5 at a time, in a saucepan of boiling water 3 seconds and immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. **I did them all at once in a huge pan, much easier.

-Drain and peel, transferring to a large shallow dish. **Did not peel, don’t have the patience because I tried it once and it takes forever. Make a bigger cut in step one. And, no you don’t get as much vodka taste, but it still works.

-Stir together vodka, vinegar, sugar, and zest until sugar is dissolved, then pour over tomatoes, gently tossing to coat. Marinate, covered and chilled, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

When the mushroom and tomatoes were ready, I ‘skewered’ them with cubed Manchego onto toothpicks. It made for the perfect size for tailgaiting. Will definitely make them again!

Napa Cellars

Posted on May 3, 2015 by melsmosaic

Was working another wine tasting recently and was introduced to a new wine(ry) in CA — Napa Cellars. That’s the great thing about doing the tastings — finding all sorts of new wines (and getting paid to do it)! The name sort of explains it all, location-wise. The varietals were their Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Both were great wines.

The Sauv had a crisp fruit taste – lemon, grapefruit. The vintner describes it as “aromas of vibrant gooseberry, pineapple and fresh pink grapefruit followed by flavors of pear, guava, passion fruit, lime, sweet clover and melon.” The price was $18 (on sale from low $20s)

The Pinot was amazing (I love Pinot!) and had some subtle leather and cherries, and unique spices. It had a good, medium body to it. When you read their comments you get “aromas of ripe cherry, sweet tobacco, raspberry, cedar and subtle spice followed by deep red cherry flavors and fantastic acidity.” The price was $16 (also on sale from low $20). These prices are in DC, so love to find out how much they vary from state-to-state, sale-to-sale.

Check them out if you’re looking for something new.

Fennel & (Raw) Asparagus Salad

Posted on May 3, 2015 by melsmosaic

Was flipping through Bon Appetit the other day and came across another recipe I needed to try. It had two of my favorite veggies in it — Fennel and Asparagus Salad. In the whole piece in the magazine, it is part of a pork shoulder cutlet recipe (I just didn’t feel like making the whole think, I had already had salmon ready to go).

1 small fennel bulb, cored, thinly sliced, plus 2 tablespoons fennel fronds
6 asparagus spears, shaved lengthwise into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the asparagus, it is never too easy to shave them. I’ve had this one veggie peeler that is supposed to be good. Have you ever seen or used one of these? I always try to give it another shot. It scrapes, cuts and just does not make anything easy.

Finally just found my good old fashioned carrot peeler. That made it much easier.

Combine fennel, fennel fronds, asparagus, onion, and parsley in a medium bowl. Toss with lemon juice and olive oil; season with kosher salt and pepper.

This salad was so refreshing and had a great crunch to it. Totally worth making!

2 bottles of red, a bottle of white…

Posted on April 21, 2015 by melsmosaic

Other than the fact that my count doesn’t match the Billy Joel song, it doesn’t only have to depend upon your appetite; come on. There are so many factors to take into consideration. Likes, dislikes, meal, mood, interest in new stuff, desperation?!

Anyway, I work wine tastings on the side and the past couple I’ve done have introduced me to some new vintners, which is something I quite enjoy. I definitely have my favorites and normally stick to those — must expand!

The two reds were both Pinot Noirs from California, but very different. The first was Frei Brothers in Russian River Valley. Very light with the traditional fruit notes. Would pair nicely with a salad or light/white meat or seafood. Fruit would be great too, or why have food with it? Come on.

The second Pinot was MacMurray Central Coast. Very ‘thick’ for a Pinot. Almost a light jam texture with some fig notes, maybe some cherries and light chocolate. This could totally be paired with steak/heavier meat. Loved it! I picked one of these up before I left the store. Both of these were around $20.

Now the bottle of white I have recently added to my list (and wine rack) is the William Hill Sauvignon Blanc. To me it screams grapefruit, which I love. It’s definitely a citrus-laden wine. Nice and crisp and runs $12-$14.

Do you have any new wine finds?

Buddha Beer

Posted on April 21, 2015 by melsmosaic

Got to try a new beer last weekend that I definitely hadn’t heard of before — Lucky Buddha. It’s imported from China and is a light brew in a cool bottle, I will say.

It has a bit of a unique flavor to it, but nothing to write home about. To me it was a traditional light beer — they label it as “brewed and bottled at the Thousand Island Lake in China fusing the finest quality malt, hops, rice and water from this pristine region delivering an Asian style lager that is truly an enlightened brew.”

With a low ABV (4.8%) it would be good for a hot summer afternoon day when you don’t need anything heavy. Another thing to note about this, the bottle is smaller than it should be — only 11.6oz. Totally get skimped on that level. The 6-packs were about $10.

Riverside Hotpot

Posted on April 15, 2015 by melsmosaic

Checked out a new and new type of restaurant recently. It was Riverside Hotpot.

Some history of hot pot —

“The Chinese hot pot has a history of more than 1,000 years. Hot pot seems to have originated in Mongolia where the main ingredient was meat, usually beef, mutton or horse. It then spread to southern China during the Tang Dynasty and was further established during the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty. In time, regional variations developed with different ingredients such as seafood. By the Qing Dynasty (AD 1644 to 1912), the hot pot became popular throughout most of China. Today in many modern homes, particularly in the big cities, the traditional coal-heated steamboat or hot pot has been replaced by electric, propane, butane gas, or induction cooker versions.
Because hot pot styles change so much from region to region, many different ingredients are used.”

In short, you get tons of food, especially since it’s all you can eat! First you pick the base broth you want:

Then choose all the veggies and meats to throw in there. OMG! Way too much to pick from!

They bring the broth out first so it can heat up. Then they start bringing the other stuff out and you throw it in there when you’re ready and at what pace you like.

You go and go until you are maxed out. It’s just amazing. They also have a spice bar, with sauces and topping, that you can choose things from, including soy sauce, sesame seeds, green onions, etc. So much fun. What’s also great is you can make it full of veggies, full of seafood, full of meat — it totally caters to what YOU want. I can’t wait to go back!

Breathe, Decant, Aerate

Posted on April 10, 2015 by melsmosaic

I received a free copy of Cook’s Illustrated in the mail recently (can’t complain about that) and there was a funny/interesting piece about letting wine meet oxygen. There are so many thoughts about how long you should let a wine breathe, if it should be decanted, if you can use a simple aerator. It also depends on what varietal, the age of the wine and more. So these guys have some fun tips on doing this quickly. What do you think…and how do you normally aerate your vino?

Rioja

Posted on April 10, 2015 by melsmosaic

Popped open a new bottle of Rioja last night that I found in my wine rack. Don’t know when I bought it or if I knew why I bought it. It was Vivanco Rioja Reserva 2008. Wow…very nice. The nose had light oak on it. The wine itself had some fruit — I got cherries and strawberries, and a bit of spice. I saw on the label that I had scribbled $24. DIdn’t see that before I opened it, just to have a glass of wine with a weekday dinner. Oh well, definitely worth it.

Smokin’ (Scallops)

Posted on April 5, 2015 by melsmosaic

Scallops = good. Smoked flavor = good. Combining the two = must inspect. Came across some Smoked Scallops the other day while at Whole Foods and it just sounded intriguing. I was planning to make some form of salad for dinner and they seemed liked they’d be a great ‘topping’ for it. The scallops were small — as in nowhere near U5s. Likely U50s? Do they count that small? I just don’t know the count for the size of that (yes, I’m biased; I love U5-10). Anyway…picked them up in the nice package.

Got home, opened the package and popped one in my mouth. WOW! Nice taste! That smoke, just like that taste I like in Pinotage. In the end (after nibbling on several) threw them on top of a nice arugula salad. Worth trying if you’re up for something new.

Honey Goat Cheese

Posted on April 5, 2015 by melsmosaic

As you might have noticed I’m always on the lookout for new non-cow’s milk cheese. Since I’m lactose intolerant and now know I can enjoy goat and sheep stuff, life is good! Whole Foods had quite the displays out yesterday for Easter and the one that caught my eye was a Dutch goat cheese with natural honey flavor. I love the proper name — Hollandse Honey Bzzz Chevre. It was pretty good. It was that nice sweet hint in it. For goat cheese not too soft, which is what I prefer. I would say it’s along the lines of a soft cheddar. Worth checking out if you’re looking for something new.