Pesto was splattered across my kitchen counter (and my left cheek) like emerald war paint. Last weekend I harvested the basil from my first real garden—this was no small trimming of potted plants but a veritable felling of bushes. Within an hour I had transformed my once white kitchen into a speckled green pesto plant, buzzing out batches of the green stuff to freeze for winter.
Having been a city girl up until this summer, last weekend was my first real foray into home preserving (where preparing for winter was actually the intention, as opposed to simply putting up leftovers), and it was surprisingly satisfying. There’s comfort in producing food for the future (even if it’s just a couple of quarts of pesto), perhaps hardwired into our DNA from centuries when preservation was no mere hobby, but a critical means of survival. Come to think of it, as we currently face an economy gone haywire along with skyrocketing food costs, reconnecting with the pleasures of preserving might not be such a bad idea.
I made two different styles of pesto—a Classic Pesto and a Thai Basil & Pistachio Pesto (below)—which I portioned into recycled sandwich bags then froze flat so that they wouldn’t take up too much space in my already busy freezer. In the doldrums of winter, when fresh herbs are as scarce as warm sunshine, the bags will be a more than welcome addition to everything from fresh linguini to pressed paninis, fluffy frittatas, seared shrimp and stuffed chicken… without costing me a dime. What a delicious comfort.
Next weekend I’m going to tackle a roasted heirloom tomato sauce made with produce from our local farm stand. And next year… it’s onto canning.
Classic Pesto Nothing brightens a dish easier than a dollop of pesto; its uses are endless (paninis, pasta, frittatas, pizza, chicken, seafood…).
2 garlic cloves, peeled
5 cups packed basil leaves
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts or walnut pieces
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
In a food processor with the motor running, drop the garlic cloves in through the feed tube and finely chop. Turn off the motor, scrap down the sides, and add the basil, pine nuts, lemon juice, Parmigiano and a pinch of salt and pepper. Process until finely chopped. Add the water and process until smooth. With the motor running, slowly pour the extra virgin olive oil in through the feed tube. Taste and season the pesto with additional salt and pepper if desired.
Thai Basil & Pistachio Pesto Try this vibrant Asian inspired pesto spooned over seafood and chicken, stirred into soups and coconut-based curries, tossed with pasta, or used as a dip for veggies.
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1-in by 1/2-in piece of ginger, peeled
3/4 cup shelled pistachios
5 cups packed Thai basil leaves
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tablespoon Indonesian palm sugar, or dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon Sriracha
Salt & pepper
1/4 cup water
1 cup peanut oil
In a food processor with the motor running, drop the garlic cloves and ginger in through the feed tube and finely chop. Turn off the motor, scrap down the sides, and add the pistachios. Pulse until the pistachios are coarsely chopped. Add the basil, lime juice, fish sauce, coconut, palm or brown sugar, siracha and a pinch of salt and pepper. Process until finely ground. Add the water and process until smooth. With the motor running, slowly pour the peanut oil in through the feed tube. (This recipe produces a fairly thick pesto; add additional oil if a thinner consistency is desired). Taste and season the pesto with additional salt and pepper if desired.
From Decanter: Palin Syrah, a small organic wine from Chile, has found itself embroiled in the turmoil surrounding the Republican campaign in the US presidential race.
Natural Merchants is an importer and distributor of organic foods and wines from the Mediterranean. The OWJ staff spent an afternoon enjoying their wines, and here are our tasting notes.
La Cantina Pizzolato, Prosecco Veneto IGT
The Pizzolato family has been farming organically on their vineyards north of Treviso since 1985. This prosecco has a nose of golden apple and bosc pear. The pear continues on the palate with a medium acidity. Easily paired with aperitifs and canapés.
La Cantina Pizzolato, Pino Grigio Piave DOC 2006
A very citrus nose, with a lemony acidity on the tongue. Perfect to match any green salad or asparagus. Could also cut through a creamy sauce well.
Agrinatura Chardonnay, Puglia
The Agrinatura Estate is in the Italian Province of Puglia, near the village of Andria. This chardonnay has aromas of lemon curd and a good balance of slight oak and mouth-filling vanilla flavors. Pair with any roasted fish with herbs.
Bodegas Iranzo Vertvs Tempranillo Crianza 2004
Bodegas Iranzo produces the Oldest Estate Bottled Wines in Spain. The first recorded written evidence of the vineyard estate Cañada Honda owned by the Iranzo Perez–Duque family dates back to 1335 as granted by King Pedro I of Castilla. They have been making wine exclusively from organic grapes since 1994.
Berry currants and raspberries in the nose; not the typical leather you’d expect from Tempranillo. More fruit, less earth. Tart taste with red currant and nice balance of acid and tannins. This would go great with a meat with a lot of fat, like duck with cherry sauce.
Agrinatura Rosso Montepuliciano Blend
Made from 40% Troia, 40% Montepulciano and 20% Aglianico grapes. Aromas of jammy fruit, with hint of raspberry/strawberry preserves – mirrored in the palate. Pair with a pasta and meat sauce.
There’s a wine revolution taking place on the northern slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily. One of the leading lights is Tenuta delle Terre Nere, owned by Marco de Grazia, an US importer of fine Italian wines. His first vintage was only in 2002, while the wine featured here, Feudo di Mezzo, was first made in 2004, immediately winning the coveted Gambero Rosso three glasses award. This is my pick from his wine range.
Tenuta delle Terre Nere (meaning “black soil”) is sited on the best slopes of the Etna DOC, between the towns of Randazzo and Passopisciaro. The azienda is found down a long rutted track that must deter all but the most zealous visitors. Here individual vineyard parcels are vinified separately; each is named after the local Contrade (or district) where they are sited and all show different terroir. The wines represent separate Cru, a similar system in a way to that of Burgundy or Barolo.
Hence this wine is from the 1.35 ha north-facing vineyard in Contrada Feudo di Mezzo, specifically the part known as Il Quadro delle Rose. The soils here are black volcanic ash as opposed to the adjacent rocky lava flows that make Terre Nere’s other Cru; Calderara Sottana and Guardiola.
The gnarled albarello (freestanding bush) vines were planted in 1927 and 1947 and their yields are kept commendably low. The vineyard lies at an altitude of 650-700 metres and this confers important advantages. There is considerable diurnal variation, a slow ripening season and a late harvest – early November is not uncommon.
Being an Etna Rosso DOC, the wine must be made from at least 80% Nerello Mascalese and here it is 98%. Its compulsory sister grape, Nerello Cappucio, contributes just 2% – just enough to get it classified within the DOC rules. When Nerello Mascalese is tended with care it is capable of making very fine wines.
All the Terre Nere vineyards are farmed organically, helped by a low natural incidence of pests and fungal diseases. Organic Certification will be awarded from the 2008 vintage and just 5,200 bottles are made per year.
After hand-picking, the grapes were macerated and fermented on their skins for 15 days. The wine was then matured in oak, 25% of it in new barriques, for 18 months.
Given its youth, Feudo di Mezzo 2006 was decanted for 30 minutes to open it up, and as there is neither fining nor filtering, sediment was expected.
In the glass it is a light crimson colour, rather Burgundian in appearance. The nose is perfumed and floral – cherries and violets interweave with an herbal garrigue note. The palate has great balance and finesse, the fruit features sour cherry, a little blackcurrant and a very attractive blueberry note that all overlay a savoury undertow.
Already quite silky and mouth-filling, those tannins could still use a little more maturity to resolve fully. I was delighted by the already seamless oak integration, especially as the combination of Nerello Mascalese and oak barrique is rarely the unqualified success it is here.
A nerve of minerality appears during a long length bound with an amazing amount of Nerello spice. The oak then delivers a final espresso note to rounds things off.
I enjoyed this wine while watching a blazing Mount Etna sunset and moon-rise from the vantage point of Feudo di Mezzo itself. A few rounds of Bruschetta topped with funghi porcini were all that were required to complete a memorable evening.
Wherever you drink it you’ll find that this is a serious and fine example of Etna Rosso, proving that Etna can produce exciting wines with lift, poise and energy without resorting to International varieties or full-on oak effects.
Drinking now, it ideally needs another 3-4 years to peak and then ought to hold easily in the longer term -perhaps to 2018.
Do also look out for the other Terre Nere wines, all classified as Etna DOC. At the entry level there is an Etna Rosso, Rosato and a particularly fine Bianco. Next come the Contrada or Cru Rosso’s; Feudo di Mezzo, Calderara Sottana and Guardiola.
Finally, there is the hyper-premium Rosso made from pre-phylloxera vines in tiny quantities called, (wait for it) Prephylloxera.
Weingut Michlits, a certified Demeter biodynamic wine estate, crafts wines that are lovely and interesting to drink. They are also a little quirky and offbeat, going beyond terroir and, in the case of the red, into lesser-known grape varietals.
For a wonderful liquid summer wine repast, try the 2006 Frizzante. It is made from 100% estate grown organic Pinot Noir grapes, with bubbles a little under a champagne level, but noticeable and refreshing. The pale, straw color does not have the depth of a rosé from Provence, but there are complex flavors and lots of citrus. The nose has a hint of fruit and flowers like violets. You know it’s a rosé and it’s summer.
At 11% alcohol, Frizzante is a wonderful wine to drink at a picnic in the country or on a terrace overlooking the sea. Pairs very well with fruit, cheese and bread. Definitely a good choice for a responsible summer tonic.
On the other hand, the Weingut Michlits Blaufrankisch is completely different. This varietal grown throughout Eastern Europe traces its roots back to the 10th century when it was thought to be a Gamay clone. Subsequent DNA analysis has shown this not to be the case. Blaufrankisch is a late ripening grape, rich in tannins. True to its type, our 2006 had a deep ruby color, lots if spice, and smooth tannins. The body was full yet the fruit restrained, so that it was not a fruit bomb loaded with sugars. There was old world quietness, a studied restraint to the wine. One could imagine Freud having a glass in a mahogany paneled study in downtown Vienna. The wine opened up immediately and lost a bit of its aroma after being in the glass for 20 minutes. It became smooth without being dull but its spicy bite diminished.
It is always fun to drink uncommon varietals; they educate your palette and extend your taste range. Try this wine with a stew or a roast chicken.
Congratulations to Prescott Wines Inc. in New York for finding these lovely biodynamic beauties and bringing them to America.
As fall starts nibbling away at summer with its crisp and colorful display, I naturally start craving warmer flavors and heartier fare. This quick and easy pan-seared ribeye steak, finished with Cabernet glazed mushrooms, is the perfect way to ease into the cold-weather flavors ahead. While the steak makes a sumptuous meal for one, it becomes an elegant (and economical) meal for two when thinly sliced and served with seasonal sides such as roasted sweet potatoes and sautéed broccoli. With a few glasses of the leftover Cab, fall has never tasted so good.
With its lower fat content, grass fed beef requires gentler cooking than “conventional” grain fed beef (why is it that we call beef that is fed an untraditional diet of grain, which it is not designed to digest, “conventional?”). It will take less heat and less time than a grain fed steak.
2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms, such as shitake and cremini
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 small shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon or other full-bodied red wine
1/4 teaspoon truffle oil (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Let the steak sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. Meanwhile, chop and measure the remaining ingredients.
Brush the steak with olive oil and sprinkle generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Cook the steak on both sides until browned, 2-3 minutes per side. Put the pan in the oven and cook 4-6 minutes for medium rare. Transfer the steak to a cutting board to rest.
While the steak rests, make the pan sauce. Place the cast iron pan with its drippings over medium heat and add 1/2 tablespoon of the butter. When the butter is melted, add the mushrooms and toss. Let the mushrooms cook, without stirring, until they begin to brown 2-3 minutes. Add the sprig of thyme, minced shallots and garlic, and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Pour in the wine and stir, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter and the truffle oil. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Carve the steak against the grain into thin slices and serve with the mushrooms.
As of September 1, 2008, Ehlers Estate has earned organic certification from the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) for its historic 43.8-acre Napa Valley estate vineyard. This certification is the culmination of a process that began with Ehlers Estate’s adoption of organic practices in 2004 and biodynamic practices in 2005.
“Earning our CCOF organic certification is something we are very proud of,” says Vineyard Foreman Francisco Vega. “This land has a rich winegrowing history and exceptional terroir. Farming organically allows us to preserve the purity and character of our estate fruit in a way that respects the land.”
Ehlers Estate General Manager Kelly McElearney echoes these sentiments. “The Ehlers Estate Vineyard has a history that predates modern chemical-based farming, so it is fitting that we are returning to those natural, organic roots. We also believe that this winegrowing approach dovetails with the socially conscious philosophy that drives everything we do here—from the way we farm to our commitment to funding international cardiovascular research.”
Ehlers Estate combines a historic winegrowing estate, environmental consciousness and international philanthropy. The winery’s diverse Napa Valley vineyard is organically cultivated as a mosaic of 32 small, vineyard blocks to produce exceptional estate-grown Bordeaux-varietal wines. All proceeds from the sale of these wines fund international cardiovascular research through the esteemed Leducq Foundation.
