Rosemary Balsamic Steak with Chono Syrah

Jersey is notorious for being the garden state and the summers really do prove this name to be true. I have loved growing herbs, peppers, and tomatoes for the last few years. Having the produce readily available in the backyard every evening has encouraged me to add more herbs in my cooking. Fresh herbs are a perfect way to add flavor and keep the meal healthy. In the past I have always associated rosemary with hearty dishes for cooler climates. This was an herb I really only bought at Thanksgiving and Christmas to season the turkey or a big pot roast. This summer I have given more consideration to this piney and pungent plant that is much more versatile than I originally gave credit for. As a bonus, this herb is rich in iron, calcium, and vitamin B6. A little really does go a long way though and I generally chop it extremely fine to keep from getting a bitter bite. I have experimented with adding it to lemon white wine chicken/fish marinades as well as balsamic steak and every time have been extremely satisfied. Below the wine pairing, I have listed a steak kabob marinade for the grill with minced rosemary. This meal took 10 minutes to prepare and sat for about an hour. Grilling takes about 5-10 minutes making this a perfect weeknight meal. As a tasty side, I would explore the option of Naan bread. In my opinion, Naan is the new Italian garlic bread. Naan originates in India. It is flat like pita and infused with garlic bits and parsley flakes. Steamed white rice is also another easy side.

When I have mentioned steak dishes in my previous posts, I generally pair it with a Cab or Shiraz/Syrah. The full bodied reds stand up nicely to the richness of the steak. For those that have not jumped on the Chile bandwagon, the time is now. Some of the best values in the world are coming from there. This region isn't shy on producing a variety of styles either. Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay from the Casablanca Valley, Cabernet and Carmenere from the Maipo Valley, and Syrah from the Elqui Valley in the north. With this dish listed below, I would definitely suggest Chono Elqui Syrah. A cool climate Syrah with notes of white pepper and extremely earthy. This wine will not be as chewy as an Australian Shiraz. Considering the steak is mixed in with pepper, onion, and mushrooms I prefer this style from the Elqui Valley.

Rosemary Balsamic Sirloin Kabobs with Naan
-1 lb sirloin cut into cubes
- Baby bella mushrooms
- Red onion chopped in larger bites
- Green and red bell pepper chopped into bites
-2 cloves garlic minced
- salt and pepper
- Minced rosemary sprigs
- 1/4 cup olive oil
-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Layer steak and veggies on kabobs and rest on pan. Season with salt and pepper. Pat the garlic onto the steak bites. Sprinkle the rosemary over the kabobs.Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic. Let sit for 30-60 minutes in marinade. Grill on medium high heat for 5 minutes on each side. Serve with Naan, steamed white rice, and Chono Elqui Syrah.

Cuban Pork Sandos with Pinot Noir

In the past I have expressed my fascination with garlic and onions when it comes to cooking. I almost never make a dish with out them. Recently, I have been experimenting on different ways to prepare onions in a dish. I generally love cooking them in a saute or caramelizing them with wine, butter, and thyme; however, the heat of the summer has me craving items on the lighter side that are crisp and refreshing. I decided to pickle some red onions. Preparing the onions is actually much simpler and requires no heat or pan in the kitchen. Slice the onions thin, sprinkle salt, and pour white wine vinegar over them. I try to let them sit in the refrigerator for at least a half hour before serving them as a topping and they can last for days stored with your other opened sauces in the cool box. Adding them to deli sandwiches can transform a boring everyday turkey and cheese into a delicious mid-day treat. In addition to all of the grilling I have been doing, I realized crock pots are a great summer tool to keep the temperature down in the kitchen. I created this crock pot shredded pork to build Cuban style sandwiches with picked red onions. See recipe below wine recommendation.

Many people refer to pork as the other white meat. For me, this meat really stands in the middle of white meats like chicken and red beef. Can be lean like chicken or hearty like a beef. As a wine pairing I had to choose the gateway red as I call it... Pinot Noir. Many of my friends that started as sweet white consumers and now enjoy a dry red were at some point lured into this other side by Pinot Noir. Notes of red fruits like plum and cherry with a light to medium body, Alfredo Roca Pinot Noir provides the perfect match for this dish. From Mendoza in Argentina, I sell this wine by the glass at multiple restaurants and it is a BYOB favorite. It was actually just mentioned on the FOX TV show "Lie to Me" as one of the only great value Pinot Noirs from Argentina.
$10-$15 retail, 2010 vintage available soon


Cuban shredded pork sandos

-1 lb. Boneless pork shoulder

-1 tsp Cumin

-1 tsp Oregano

-Salt and pepper

-1 tsp chipotle chile powder

-1 tsp Sugar

- 1/4 cup lime juice

- 1/4 cup orange juice

- 1/2 cup water

- 3 garlic cloves

- 1/2 spanish onion sliced
Put all ingredients into crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hrs. Discard garlic cloves. Shred with fork and ready to dress on sandwiches.

To Dress sandwich

-Kaiser rolls

-Pickled red onion: sliced red onion salted and soaked in white wine vinegar

-Equal parts mayo and Dijon mustard

-Swiss cheese

Simple Sunday Supper: Steak with Sangiovese/Shiraz

It's Sunday. I generally view this day as the end of the week or the beginning of a new one. End of the week translates to - I'm tired, its been a long weekend and I don't feel like making something elaborate and creative. Beginning of a new week means - My mind is fresh, I feel well rested, and I have all the energy in the world to create a masterpiece. Either way, it has to be a well balanced meal so that I feel refreshed starting work Monday morning. This Sunday felt like the end of a tiring week. I wanted to cook with ingredients that are simply delicious on there own. I also didn't want a kitchen full of dishes and a huge mess all over the counters and stove top. It's a grilling night!

When thinking of a meat that really doesn't need a sauce and that will energize, steak immediately comes to mind. If cooked correctly and a good cut is chosen, this meat becomes the fool proof staple of the meal. In addition to this hearty meat, I chose a few vegetables to throw on kabobs and maintain the no mess, no fuss dinner. Baby bellas, baby red potato, red onion, and red bell pepper are some of the most flavorful vegetables I could think of. The sauce below is completely optional. I had some extra red onion and rosemary after putting together the kabobs, the sour cream can easily be substituted for a plain yogurt or mayonnaise, and I always just use whatever interesting mustard I have on hand. See below for recipe after reading about this fun wine pairing...

In one of my previous blogs, "My Passion for Australia", I mentioned a group of producers called "Some Young Punks". They're labels are inspired by old literature and comic books from the 1920's through the 1950's. The wines are generally blends of Shiraz with other interesting varietals. The idea was to create a boutique style, unique wine with a funky label. Delicious wine with a screw cap and hilarious label... perfect for an easy going Sunday. I recommend the Squid's Fist Sangiovese Shiraz with this meal. Notes of black cherry give this wine a fruit forward and juicy flavor on the palate and the Shiraz gives a nice spicy finish to complement the steak. Limited production but can easily be bought online.

Steaks and Vegetable Kabobs

-Ribeye steaks (grass fed are extremely delicious) seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, celery seed, paprika, and rosemary

For a juicy steak with a nicely grilled crust, start by leaving steaks in rub for about 20 minutes at room temperature. Heat a cast iron skillet(sorry 1 dish needs to be used) on high heat and coat with olive oil. Cook the steaks for about 3 minutes on one side and flip. Leave in skillet for about a minute and then take the fillets out to the barbecue and cook for another 5 minutes with out flipping the steak again. Flipping meat more than once will lead to a chewy steak. The cast iron skillet gives a nice blackened crust and the grill finishes the job.

For the vegetable kabobs
- Chopped red onion and red bell pepper, whole baby red potatoes and baby bella mushrooms
- Fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs
- Olive oil and balsamic vinegar to drizzle over the top

Poke the potatoes with a knife and microwave for 2-3 minutes to soften before putting on grill. Taking metal skewers, layer the vegetables with a bit of space in between. Drizzle with salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic. Grill on medium high heat for 15-20 minutes. Lay the herbs on top as you grill.

For the optional sauce for dipping steak and/or vegetables
- Equal parts sour cream and mustard (I used horseradish habanero whole grain mustard tonight)
- Diced red onion and fresh rosemary

Healthy Appetite: Shrimp & Pasta with Rosé

Recently my husband Scott and I flew to Houston to visit family. Typically the weekend consists of me and Alison, my mother-in-law, sipping on wine and cooking up a storm. I love it! Her dream kitchen is the perfect place for my creative thoughts to unleash. This past trip we were going on long runs to train for our marathon and she planned the food accordingly. Our first night we'd be preparing a pasta and grilled shrimp dish to carbo-load. Scott and I were delayed about 6 hours and didn't get in until about 10 at night. Alison asked me to help with the sauce. Obviously we were all famished so we didn't put much thought into what went into the tomato based topping. The sauce was decent but definitely could have been better had we put more time into it. I felt that the shrimp was so delicious that I had to do it justice by trying the sauce again at home.

When making this home-made tomato sauce below, I took a few Italian traditions, tips I've learned from another chef, and a bit of my own flare into account. I am a huge Giada de Laurentiis fan and have watched her show for years on the food network as the Italian queen. Her tips for a traditional tomato based sauce are to include the trio of carrot, garlic, and onion. The sauté of these three items provides an aroma that will lure anyone into the kitchen, desperate to eat whatever you're concocting. The carrots may seem like a surprising ingredient; however, they add a nice texture and earthy quality to the sauce. I have made plenty of sauces starting in this way that are great but still seem to be missing something. This time I added diced red pepper into the initial trio. This vegetable will help add a sweet and spicy touch. Goat cheese is another interesting ingredient added to this dish. One of my friends that is a chef once created a delightful shrimp appetizer with a roasted red pepper sauce and goat cheese on top. In the photo above, you'll notice I sprinkled goat cheese on the shrimp. The creamy cheese truly does balance the salty shrimp and acidity from the tomato sauce. See recipe below wine recommendations.

For a wine pairing, I think French rosé would be perfect. Unfortunately, many consumers see this blush colored wine in a store and associate it with White Zinfandel. White Zinfandel is a sweet wine, generally produced by California winemakers that have excess Zinfandel juice and ferment it into an inexpensive wine. This wine was actually produced as an accident. Producers originally planned on releasing some of the juice out of the grapes to produce a more intense and richly flavored Zinfandel that had more impact from contact with the skins. They realized they could make money from this slightly fermented sweet juice, and so began an American craze that now accounts for 10% of the wine market. Needless to say, I am not impressed with this style. French rosé on the other hand is dry and made from red grapes in a very delicate process. The grapes are held in contact with the skins for a specific amount of time to give the blush color and release flavor. The grapes are then fermented the same way as a white wine. I highly recommend a wine from Cótes de Provence. This style of wine is typically paired with foods of a Mediterranean flare... tomato based and with seafood. If you do not prefer this style of wine, a Chianti Classico would be a great accompaniment as well.

Shrimp & Pasta

For the Tomato Sauce
- Olive oil for coating pan
- 1/2 large white onion diced
- 1 large carrot diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 3 sprigs of thyme
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 20 oz can crushed tomato
- Crushed red pepper (optional)
- 1/2 tsp crushed rosemary
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan

Sauté the first 4 ingredients over medium low heat for about 20-30 minutes and add the thyme sprigs. Add the sugar and cook for about two minutes before adding the wine. Turn the heat up for a few minutes until wine is soaked up into the sauté. Discard the thyme sprigs. Add the crushed tomato and the rest of the herbs and spices. In the last few minutes add the parmesan. Let sauce sit as long as you can over low heat for flavors to release.

For the Shrimp
- 1 lb of raw shrimp
- 1 lemon
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tbsp olive oil

Marinade the shrimp and cook in pan or over grill until pink.

For the Pasta
- Box of Spaghetti cooked al dente
- Tomato sauce above
- Shrimp above
- Desired vegetable (ex: cooked sliced zucchini)
- Crumbled goat cheese

See picture above on how I plated this dish. Bon Apetit!

Blending Cultures: Korean Beef & Sicilian Wine

About a month ago, I visited my Aunt Mary up in the Boston area. She has been to Korea numerous times and has mastered the art of cooking Bul-go-gi in her wok. This beef dish created with sirloin strips combines sweet, savory, and salty into the perfect marriage on your plate. As much as we all sweat the aroma of garlic and onions for days after we consume them, it has always been completely worth it in my opinion. This recipe clearly doesn't shy away from either of these items. A soy based sauce is created and marinated into the meat for as long as you want it to sit. I generally decide whats for dinner about two hours before cooking, so a dish like this clearly won't be sitting for 24 hours in my house. My husband Scott is a pilot so our dinner plans are constantly changing. One of his flights cancelled the other night and I whipped up this dish in a matter of minutes. Letting it marinate for 30 minutes was plenty of time to fully enrich the beef.

For the wine pairing, I ventured off into the land of Sicily. My mind has been focused on an earthy and peppery blend that I have been selling for the past few weeks. Di Giovanna Gerbino Rosso is the name, and rich red varietals are the game. Many times when a wine from Italy is labeled "rosso" it signifies a red blend. In the case of this wine, Cabernet, Merlot, Nero di Avola, and a tiny bit of Syrah are combined to provide the perfect steak wine. The Cabernet adds a peppery taste, Merlot softens the wine to make it more food friendly, Nerd di Avola creates a rich finish on the palate, and the Syrah adds a depth of color. Sicily used to be a region of mass production; however, in recent years producers have focused much more on quality. Nero d'Avola is an indigenous varietal and has gained in popularity. Those that enjoy the dark fruit, body, and earthy components of Syrah should try Nero d'Avola as well.

See below for Bul-go-gi and 10 tips while cooking...

Bul-go-gi
- 2-4 tbsp peanut oil
- 1 lb. sirloin strips
- Black pepper, generously seasoned
- 2-3 cloves garlic pressed
- 1/2 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1-2 tbsp sugar
- 1 white onion chopped into larger chunks
- Chopped scallions as garnish

Create marinade and let beef stand in it for about 30 minutes. Heat oil in pan/wok  to medium high heat and work in batches with onion until beef is medium or medium rare. Garnish with scallions. Serve with steamed white rice and broccoli.

10 tips to make this dish at the peak of your satisfaction...

1> Oil is important. Purchase peanut oil if you don't have it. Olive or vegetable oil are not good substitutes in this case. The nutty oil adds a richness that no other can compare to.

2> Heating the oil is important. Let the oil heat up to medium high before putting meat and onions into wok. Don't put too much oil or the oil will burst and a burn will appear similar to the one on my wrist right now.

3>  Let the meat stand out of the refrigerator in the marinade for about 15-20 minutes before cooking. Don't cook cold beef, it will take away from the tenderness.

4>  Use a garlic press. This will release more flavor out of each clove.

5> Work the meat in batches. No need to put all beef and onions in at once. If cooking one pound, I do two batches.

6> Sticky white rice pairs perfectly alongside this dish. Cook on low heat with a tiny bit more water than the 2:1 ration of water to white rice.

7>  This isn't Chinese food, don't mix it into a rice bowl. The beef stands alone or you'll lose the richness of the sauce amidst the rice.

8>  Pepper, pepper, pepper... this black powder is the spice of choice, season it up!
9> White wine is not going to cut it, see my earthy recommendation above
10> Steamed broccoli florets are a great vegetable on the side. Steam in a pan with a 1/4 of water on the bottom until tender.

Grapefruit and Avocado Bruschetta

In one of my recent posts I commented on how much I love Italian appetizers like caprese. I have also always been a huge fan of bruschetta. Honestly one of the most impressive flavor combinations that can easily be whipped up in a matter of minutes. It's as easy as chopping tomatoes, basil, garlic, and combining with some olive oil and salt. Typically this Italian style salsa is served over toasted Panne Italian.

With the summer heat in full swing, I have been craving fruitier items. Apricot and mango chutneys, grilled pineapple, watermelon margaritas, peach pie, you name it. As I prepare the grocery list every Sunday, my husband Scott usually chimes in with some inspiration on different themes to cook through out the week. Tonight he wanted to go back to our California roots and have a Pacific theme. Cedar planked salmon naturally came to mind. I wanted everything tonight to be fresh. Fresh salmon, fresh produce, fresh bread. Maybe the "Jersey Fresh" logo that local markets have been promoting has been working on me. Considering we live in the garden state, the summer and fall months are always over abundant in produce and I love it! After picking up my fresh Italian bread at the entrance of the store, I immediately started thinking of a salsa like concoction to put on top. Avocado clearly had to be a part since that is a California staple. I have seen plenty of peach, mango, and tomato based salsas so I figured I would venture down a different path. Grapefruit is the star of the dressing below. Instead of using chips with this salsa, I toasted the bread and glazed with olive oil. See below for this tasty California style bruschetta. Approved by Scott and my neighbor Shibahn.

California Bruschetta

1 grapefruit peeled and chopped into bite size pieces

1 avocado peeled and chopped into bite size pieces

1/2 small red onion diced

1-2 jalapenos diced

1-2 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

2 tbsp lime juice

1/2 tbsp honey

1/2 tbsp sugar

Caprese Burger

Continuing on with my burger theme, I have a new recipe combining one of my old time favorite Italian appetizers and those delicious beef patties Americans consume so often. Maybe the 4th of July influenced my patriotism more than I realize. I am also training for a marathon so serious meat is really what I crave. I had planned on making fish tacos tonight but after a 6 mile run, that meal just wasn't going to do it for me. With some leftover fresh mozzarella in the refrigerator and a tree of fresh basil in my garden, I created the caprese burger. Also, look for the pickled red onion and cucumber salad listed as a side.

Since I was making this European style burger, I figured an old world style wine would fit perfectly. If I was staying with Italy, Chianti comes to mind but that seemed a little too light bodied to stand up to a red meat. Barolo, Barbera, and Barbaresco from Piedmont in Northern Italy would have been a good accompaniment but those aren't as readily available in stores as good value Tempranillos are these days. I recommend Rejadorada Tinto Roble from Toro. This Tempranillo has been aged 6 months in oak and has a delicious dry backbone that complements the burgers perfectly. Think black... black pepper, blackberries, black currant. Sidenote... the #2 wine on Wine Spectator's Top 100 this past year was from Toro in Spain. The region is hot! Grab a Joven if you want a $10 great value, although you'll be sacrificing the oak. See below for my Caprese burger and salad...

Caprese Burger Patties

1 lb 80/20 ground beef

1 egg

1/6 cup oatmeal

Salt and pepper

Dash of red pepper flakes

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 minced garlic cloves

To Dress up the burger:

Kaiser rolls toasted with olive oil

Fresh basil leaves

Fresh mozzarella ball- slice and add in last stages of grilling

Roasted red pepper slices

Dijon if interested in extra sauce

Grill burgers to desired temperature and add cheese right before taking off.

Cucumber and Pickled Red Onion Salad

Sliced red onion

Sliced cucumber

White wine vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Crumbled goat cheese

Grape tomatoes cut in half

Slice up the onion and cucumber and marinate in desired amount of vinegar for a few hours. Add the rest right before serving.

Summer Grilling: Napa Cabernet Burgers

What is just as good as relaxing and sipping on a rich California Cab? Eating Cabernet burgers of course! Grilling is definitely the preparation of choice as we are in the peak of summer. Literally the heat of summer in Jersey, 105 degrees today plus humidity. The idea of cooking up a storm indoors seems unbearable. On the other hand though, I'm not willing to sacrifice my enduring love for dry red wines even when it's hot out. And so explains the idea behind the Cabernet burger. Its a genius idea really. Pop on the AC, open one of your favorite reds to cook with and drink, do some prep work, and leave the heat outside by cooking on the grill. See below for my simple, juicy, no fuss, gourmet summer burger.

For a delicious wine pairing, I recommend a classic Napa Cab. Anderson's Conn Valley is a remarkable producer that offers good values on highly rated wines. If your looking for a casual Cab for any night of the week I'd recommend their "Prologue". As the name implies, this wine is their gateway/beginner of the series. With subtle but definitely apparent oak, green pepper on the mid-palate, and a cinnamon spice finish, this Cab is easy drinking and perfect for burger night. This wine retails at about $20. If you'd like to celebrate or go a step further, I recommend the Cab Reserve or the Eloge. Year after year these two wines get 90+ scores and are well worth the buck you will pay. If I were to buy a current vintage of these, I'd probably hang on to it for a few years though. I once tasted a Cab Reserve from this winery produced in the late 80's (yes right around when I was born!) and the matured flavors of tobacco and cocoa were truly amazing.

While you wait for those reserve Cab's to mature to their peak flavors, throw a few of these burgers on the grill and enjoy that summer sun!

Cabernet Burger Patties:

-1 1lb 80/20 ground beef

-1/4 cup red wine - preferably Cabernet Sauvignon

-1 egg

-1/6 cup oatmeal

-2 tbsp minced rosemary

-Salt and pepper

Combine above ingredients and form into 1/4 lb patties. Cook to desired temperature.

To dress up the burgers:

-Sliced Havarti cheese

-Equal parts Dijon mustard and light mayo for a dressing

-Arugula

-Sliced red onion

-Sliced tomato

-Kaiser or french rolls

Pesto Potato Salad

For the Pesto:

-2 garlic cloves

-1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

-2-4 cups of basil and parsley

-2 tbsp olive oil

-3 tbsp lemon juice

-1/4 cup mayo

In a food processor, blend the top 3 ingredients and slowly add the olive oil. With a spoon, mix in the lemon juice and mayo. Refrigerate until ready to mix with vegetables.

Roast the following vegetables on the grill, let stand and bring to room temperature before mixing in the sauce above.

- 6 Yukon gold potatoes chopped into 1/4" slices

-1 red onion chopped into larger chunks

- 2 red bell peppers chopped into larger chunks