New Gazpacho

Posted on August 25, 2014 by melsmosaic

Was looking for something new to make last weekend and had been eyeing this gazpacho recipe for awhile so finally got around to giving it a try. It was Fresh Pea and Garlic Gazpacho from Cooking Light. Pretty simple, as with most gazpacho.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups shelled fresh English peas*
2 1/4 cups ice water
1 1/2 cups chopped peeled English cucumber
1 cup (1/2-inch) French bread cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar**what would we do without the ability to research info at our fingertips (see * info below) — I didn’t want to get a bottle of this stuff and found several substitutes, and the one I knew I had was white vinegar (I almost used rice vinegar, though it was rice wine vinegar that was recommended)
2 garlic cloves — MORE!
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
—–
Fresh pea shoots
1 tablespoon small fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Prep:

1) Cook English peas in boiling water 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool. Set aside 1/2 cup peas. *I did some research on English peas while in the store(oh, smart phones, how we love you). Long story short, I deduced that they are the same as frozen green peas. Efficiency! You can eliminate this whole step.

2) Combine remaining peas, ice water, cucumber, French bread cubes, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, and garlic cloves in a blender; process until smooth. Stir in salt and pepper.

3) Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 6 bowls. Garnish with reserved peas, fresh pea shoots, mint leaves, and 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil.
I opted out of the garnishing for a few reasons — there was no mint at the store, I didn’t use the fresh peas, hence has no shoots and finally, I was eating alone so who did I have to impress with decor? I just put my own good stuff in the gazpacho — tomatoes, olives, manchego and grilled chicken. Very nice, refreshing soup. It did seem to be missing something and I still can’t place it. Might be lemon or a bit more salt. But, still a nice twist from the normal gazpacho.

Man’s Best Friend

Posted on August 22, 2014 by melsmosaic

I get a call from a friend the other night telling me she has to put her 10-year old black lab down today. Slam! Not what I was expecting, or wanting, to hear. Needed to go over to see her, and him (the dog), man’s best friend, one last time. My friend picked up some wine to honor him — LAB. It’s a winery in Portugal and they have 2 blends, a red and a white, both screw tops. The red was fruity and had a bit of spice to it. The white was crisp and citrusy. And, both under $10. I would give you a link to the site but it’s under construction. We enjoyed this while playing with the black lab one more night. May man’s best friend rest in peace.

Wild Horses

Posted on August 17, 2014 by melsmosaic

Over the past several months I have started a part-time job as a wine taster/pourer. So, 1-2 times a week I get to go to a variety of locations and be that person who pours different wines for the customers to sample, while of course sampling them myself to be educated about them to properly inform the shoppers. It’s a win-win situation — learn more about the wine and talk to people about it! It occurred to me the other day — why don’t I write a blog about all my tastings? It has to start sometime, right?

Ok, so Friday night I was doing a tasting for Wild Horse Winery, which is located in the Central Coast of CA. Very nice, affordable wines. I had 3 varietals.

1) Wild Horse Chardonnay. Oaked, but not overkill on it. Very smooth, green apple, pear and vanilla notes. Perfect with fish. Price is around $15-$18.

2) Wild Horse Pinot Noir. Light Pinot, smooth, had both fruit and earth notes, with some mushroom in there. Pretty nice. Would pair well with salmon, grilled vegetables, chicken. Price is around $16-$20. (for some reason they don’t have this one on their site).

3) Wild Horse Chardonnay. Hello happiness, where have you been? The body, the flavor…cherry, berry, cocao. WOW! Wow. Go find one, buy it, open it, drink it. Would be great served with a pizza made on the grill or some steak.

If you go pick any of these up or have had them in the past, let me know what you think. Cheers!

These Chips are(n’t) BS!

Posted on August 17, 2014 by melsmosaic

Was in Whole Foods the other day roaming through the chip aisle to grab some pita chips (of course, right?). I always have to see what else is on the shelves that I really don’t need. Well, a couple years ago I had some chips after running a race that were so good! They were just so unique and I haven’t been able to find them again. I couldn’t quite remember what they were, unfortunately, so have been on this endless hunt. I see these sweet potato chips and try them and realize they aren’t quite right. Well, finally I have found what I was looking for! Garden of Eatin’ Butternut Squash Chips! They are and aren’t BS! So good! The bag says NEW, no, they were around a couple years ago and now are finally back! The chips are made with corn, butternut squash and some spice. They have a bit of sweetness, they’re crunchy and something unique to them. I don’t even think they need salsa to pair with them. I did put some hummus on them once or twice, though — the pita chips didn’t have to get all of it, right? They are also gluten free and dairy free. Check them out, let me know what you think. And, if you find them at different stores, let me know.

Georgia on my Mind

Posted on August 14, 2014 by melsmosaic

When you read the title, is this the first thing that pops into your head?

Well, Ray Charles, while you’re thinking about a lady, I am exploring the world. Some people equate Georgia to peaches. Last night I equated it to grapes. And I’m talking about jumping across the Atlantic to a new country and trying some very unique new wine, not just simple fruit.

First, we likely know where the state of GA is but can we pinpoint the country? Crash course:

Until a few weeks ago I had never heard of Georgian wine. Apparently, Georgia is about the oldest wine region in the world. It’s where the world’s first grapevines were cultivated, oh, some 8,000 years ago. But who’s counting? They have about half a dozen key wine regions in the country.

Last night my first sampling form the country was Teliani Valley Saperavi. It was about $10 bottle from Total Wine in VA. The nose has leather and smoke. When drinking it, medium body, with some light fruit notes. Just very, very unique. For ten bucks, totally worth it. There were several others at the store, about $5 more, so will have to check them out.

If you’ve had Georgian wine(s), please share your thoughts! Would love to hear what you think about them.

What (wine) do you have on tap?

Posted on August 10, 2014 by melsmosaic

There is a great pizza place in DC that has expanded and now has several locations — Matchbox. I’ve been to the one in Merrifield/Mosaic District recently.

Before enjoying their delicious pizza, I had to try their wine on tap. It’s not available at a lot of restaurant so I couldn’t turn it down. I scanned the menu and it was a tough decision. Hot as heck outside, freezing cold AC inside.

I opted for the Gotham Project Zin. Nice nose all around. Fruity, very fun for a wine on tap.

My friend arrived later and we were ordering some nice pizza and we opted for a white to accompany a prosciutto and fig pizza. We opted for a white on tap. We went with the Tangent Sauvignon Blanc. Very fruity and fresh, perfect for the meal.

Such a fun new way to enjoy wine. Can’t say that it was than much different than a normal glass, but simple changes and simple pleasures!

Honey See, Honeydew

Posted on August 10, 2014 by melsmosaic

It’s summer, which means it’s melon time! Bon Appetit came a couple weeks ago and I was flipping through it, of course, and there was a recipe with honeydew. I haven’t seen many recipes with honeydew in them. The most I’ve ever done with it is either (1) cut and eat or (2) the aforementioned topped with prosciutto. So, this recipe was game! This delectable food-bearing treat I keep mentioning is Shaved Honeydew, Fennel, and Olive Salad. The last two key ingredient are some of my favorite foods! It’s a no-cook (in the sense of no heat) recipe which is great this time of year. And, gluten free, dairy free and vegetarian.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 ½ pounds honeydew melon, rind and seeds removed, shaved on a mandoline
½ fennel bulb, shaved on a mandoline, plus 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fennel fronds
¼ cup brined green olives,  such as Castelvetrano, pitted,  very coarsely chopped

Directions

Zest the orange (and then make sure you don’t add this to the dressing!!!). I carefully took it out of the bowl after I more carefully read the directions. Why should you read ahead, right?

Whisk orange juice, lemon juice, and  2 Tbsp. oil in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper.

Shave the honeydew…hmmm….what’s the best way to take the skin off the melon? Carrot peeler, not that great, knife ended up being the best bet. Then I quartered the melon and it took awhile.

Next, you do the same thing to the fennel. Much easier to prep/cut!

Add melon, shaved fennel,  and olives to vinaigrette and toss to coat. Top salad with orange zest and fennel fronds, drizzle with more oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Final product (VERY green!)

It was very light and refreshing, though it seems like it was missing something and I can’t tell if it was lemon juice or S&P. I did add more S&P at the table so don’t know if it was the lemon. But overall, very nice. Perfect for summer! Was served with scallops and some delicious grains. Would highly recommend it.

Confessions of a wine (buying) addict; 10 signs you may have a problem

Posted on August 5, 2014 by melsmosaic

Great post about wine lovers from The Wine Wankers.

Confessions of a wine (buying) addict; 10 signs you may have a problem.

Zuch and shrimp and peas and corn

Posted on August 4, 2014 by melsmosaic

…and SO good! Last weekend I caught up with a friend I hadn’t seen for 14 years and we both love to cook, so we had to make some good stuff. Well, I sifted through tons of recipes that I’d been wanting to make and decided on one from a recent issue of Health Magazine. It was actually pretty easy to make, but packed with flavor! So, the main dish of the night was Zucchini ‘Pasta’ with Shrimp.

Ingredients

4 large zucchini (about 2 1/2 lb.) — why weigh the stuff? that would make it right/be too easy
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound large shrimp (about 22), peeled and deveined
Salt and pepper
2 cups fresh corn kernels — I heard the freezer calling!
1 1/2 cups fresh peas — and that freezer called right back!
1/2 cup dry white wine — some people reading this blog are laughing at dry white wine. You just add water, right? I just went with the bottle that was open in the fridge, as I normally do.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter — because of my lactose issues, I used olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup torn fresh basil

Prep

1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave sides of zucchini to create ribbons (discard peel), turning zucchini once you hit seedy core.

2. In a deep, heavy 12-inch skillet, warm oil over medium-high heat. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and cook, turning often, until just pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

3. Add corn and peas to skillet and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add zucchini and wine. (Don’t worry about crowding skillet; zucchini will wilt.)

Cook, tossing with tongs, until zucchini is crisp-tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add butter (or oil) and continue tossing until all vegetables are tender, about 1 minute. Add shrimp and cook, stirring, until shrimp are warmed through, about 1 minute more.

Remove skillet from heat. Stir in lemon juice and basil, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Prior to this we enjoyed some great figs with goat cheese, prosciutto and honey.

The food was all enjoyed with some of my favorite Oregon wines — Sokol Blosser (Pinot Noir) Rose and Penner Ash Pinot Noir. Such a rough night!

Chocolate and wine…combined

Posted on August 1, 2014 by melsmosaic

Office, client visit, who happens to be a doctor, thoughtful gift brought from a trip to California. What does it reveal…WINE. What does it next reveal…some kind of heavenly trouble. It’s a good thing doctors tell you wine and dark chocolate have antioxidants, that they’re good for you and all that other jargon because wow, this was a drug in a bottle. What did we get? An innocent (bottle of) chocolate bar by Riboli Wines/San Antonio Winery — (NOT in TX).

It’s on the dessert-side of wine. Sort of port-like. It’s 18% alcohol, so enjoy this as dessert…maybe paired with some angel food cake, strawberries or raspberries. You can only snag it at the winery proper in CA. So if you’re out there, pick up a bottle. Because, going back to do some research on their website, they don’t even list it on there! They only list a Cab.