Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

Our in-house chef Tamara Frey especially created this dish for our Organic Wine Club members.  Copyrighted 2016, Tamara Frey.

Spinach stuffed mushrooms are a longtime favorite of mine and are delicious served with a crisp, cold glass of Frey Organic Sauvignon Blanc. This tasty appetizer serves about seven people.

Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs crimini mushrooms
1 large leek, washed and chopped fine (about 3 cups)
1 bulb garlic (approx. 10 cloves) peeled and chopped fine
1/3 cup fresh chopped mint
2 cups raw cashews
1 cup Frey Sauvignon Blanc
1 tablespoon honey
4 tablespoons olive oil (or butter)
1 8 oz. block Parmesan or Asiago cheese, grate small
(save ¼ cup for garnish)
4 cups chopped fresh spinach
Slivered roasted red peppers for garnish
Chopped parsley for garnish
Salt and black pepper and cayenne for seasoning

Preparation:
-Break off the mushroom stems, set aside the tops. Chop the stems fine, or blend them in a Cuisinart until coarsely ground.
-Place in a bowl and add the finely chopped leek, garlic, and mint.
Set aside.

Meanwhile:
-Pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees. Spread the raw cashews on a baking pan, roast them approx. ½ hour to 40 minutes until nice and toasty. Then blend in Cuisinart to medium coarse crumbs (not pulverized, but not too large either). Set aside.
-Place the Frey Organic Sauvignon Blanc and honey in a saucepan, simmer approx. 15 to 20 minutes until reduced approx. by half.
-In another pan, heat the oil (or butter) and sauté the leeks, garlic, coarsely ground mushroom stems, and mint, until sweated and done. Deglaze it with the reduced Sauvignon Blanc. Sauté a bit until not too wet. Then add the grated cheese (but set aside ¼ cup of the grated cheese for garnish), add the chopped spinach and cashew crumbs. Heat a few seconds more, just enough for the spinach to cook and for the cheese to melt to act as a bonding agent.
-Mix all together and season to taste with the salt, black pepper and cayenne. Stuff the raw mushroom tops. (I like to do this by first rolling the mixture together into balls just under the size of the mushroom top, like rolling meatballs. Then I stuff the tops as high as possible, like little mountains) and place them on a baking pan. If there’s stuffing left over, enjoy by the spoonful as the mushrooms bake!
-Sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan or Asiago cheese and bake the stuffed mushrooms in a 350 degree oven for approx. fifteen minutes, or until they are soft when squeezed. Garnish with the slivered roasted red peppers and the chopped parsley.

Enjoy! 

Wild Mushroom Soup with Roasted Red Pepper Purée

Our in-house chef Tamara Frey especially created this soup for our Organic Wine Club members.  Copyrighted 2014, Tamara Frey

The pumpkins are gathered and the vines and oak trees are turning orange here at Frey Vineyards.  In the nearby forests mushrooms are popping up!  So I had to do a mushroom soup to welcome the new season.  This soup has the earthy essence of mushrooms, potatoes, and Frey Biodynamic Syrah.  It’s topped with a squirt of Roasted Red Pepper Jalapeno Purée, a Pumpkin Seed Spinach Purée (created by family-friend Julie St. Pierre), and a mini-raft of goat brie set adrift.  I am heavy handed on the garlic and herbs, which is what I like.  You can experiment to your taste.  I love the smells that permeate the house as the Syrah reduces with the dried mushrooms!  Enjoy this rich soup, the very essence of wild mushrooms and organic wine.

Serves 10

1 oz. dried porcini
1 oz. dried mushroom medley
1 bottle Frey Biodynamic Syrah
1/2 pound unsalted butter
3 large leeks
1 large bulb garlic
4 tablespoons fresh thyme (or 2 tablespoons dried)
2 tablespoons dried tarragon (or fresh)
1 tablespoons fresh grated nutmeg
1 pound shitake mushrooms
1 pound white mushrooms
1 pound cremini mushrooms
4 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 cups vegetable stock (or water)
1 tablespoon salt (or add to taste)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1.5 pounds red fingerling potatoes
1 pound yams (Japanese yams or sweet potatoes)
A sprinkle of fresh lemon juice
A sprinkle cayenne

In a saucepan combine the Syrah and the dried mushrooms. Bring to a boil and simmer for a half hour.

Wash and chop coarsely the leeks. Peel the garlic and chop coarsely.  Meanwhile, melt the unsalted butter in a large saucepan. Add the leeks and garlic.  Sweat a few minutes and add the thyme, tarragon, nutmeg and fresh mushrooms.  Throw the mushrooms in whole.  Sauté ten minutes, then add the wine and dried mushroom mixture.  Cover and simmer until mushrooms are soft.  Blend in a Cuisinart or Vita Mix along with the cream and stock.  Pour the purée back into the cooking pot and add the chopped yams or sweet potatoes.  Simmer until potatoes are soft.  Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice and cayenne to taste.

Garnish with:
Goat Brie, Roasted Red Pepper Jalapeno Sauce and Pumpkin Seed Spinach Sauce

Roasted Red Pepper Jalapeno Purée:
2 large red peppers
4 large jalapenos
1 large clove garlic
salt to taste
Roast the pepper and jalapenos on a flame, on stove top (or chop them and grill them with a little butter).  When blackened, let cool down a little.  Rinse under running water while removing seeds. Blend in Cuisinart or Vita Mix with the garlic clove.
Place in bowl, add salt to taste. Set aside.

Pumpkin Seed Spinach Purée:
1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup packed spinach leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil, extra virgin
1/4 cup water, or until desired consistency
Salt to taste
Blend all above ingredients in Cuisinart or Vita Mix.  If it’s too thick, add water

For each bowl of soup served, pour on tablespoon each of these red and green purées with artistic flair!  Don’t forget a thin slice of goat brie cheese on each bowl as well.

Copyrighted 2014, Tamara Frey

Challah Bread

This traditional Jewish recipe has been enjoyed by our family since the early 1970’s when a dear friend of ours introduced it to us. It was a version of the sacred bread used for the Jewish Sabbath, and passed down from her family. We have always enjoyed this special bread at weddings, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and would like to pass it on to you.

Fresh Challah Bread.

Makes two large loaves

8 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 tbsp. dry yeast
3 ½ cups milk
4 tbsp. honey
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
4 eggs
1 cup walnuts (optional)
5 more cups of flour

In a large bowl, stir together 4 cups of the flour with the salt and dry yeast. Save the remaining 4 cups of flour for later.

Next, place a sauce pan on low heat and mash up the butter, milk and honey. You can use a large fork or a whisk to do the mashing and mixing. Don’t let it get too hot or it will kill the yeast.  When butter is melted and mixed with the milk and honey, remove from heat and add to the dry ingredients. Beat with a whisk until well mixed. This mixture is called a sponge. Cover with a damp cloth. Then place the sponge in a warm draft-free area for 15 minutes to let the yeast activate.

With the mixture still in the bowl, whisk in 3 eggs (as well as the optional 1 cup of walnuts.) Slowly add the remaining flour one cup at a time for the first 3 cups.  Beat well with a wooden spoon after each addition.  As the dough develops it will slowly come away from the sides of the bowl and become less sticky.  At this point take the dough out and put it on a floured surface to start the kneading.  Keep adding the flour in small increments until the Challah dough is smooth, elastic, and forms a ball.  Knead the ball of dough for about 10 minutes more to develop the gluten. This is a great upper-body strengthening exercise!

I was taught that when you pull the dough apart, if it stretch’s thin, and does not break, it’s ready.  (If you used whole wheat dough it will not be as elastic.)

Now, let’s let it rise. Dust a large bowl with flour, or smear with softened butter. Put in the dough and cover with a damp cloth and let sit in a warm place for approx. 45 minutes.  A warm oven works well in cold weather. Let the dough rise until it doubles in bulk.  (When using whole wheat flour, it rises and softens, but does not double in size.)  Punch the dough down back to size, put it back on a board, and knead into a ball. Divide dough in half.  Then divide each half into three. Roll each of the 6 pieces of dough into a long, thin strand. Braid three strands at a time, forming 2 loaves. Place braided dough on a cookie sheet in a warm area and let them rise. After they rise and are soft to the touch, beat an egg in a small bowl and very, very gently brush the egg wash onto the loaves using a pastry brush.  Sprinkle with poppy seeds.  (The risen dough is a bit fragile at this stage when ready to go in the oven.  Don’t jostle it.  If it deflates, knead it again and let it rise again.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the two breads in oven and bake for approx. 35 to 40 minutes, or until Challah is golden brown and sounds hollow when knocked gently with your knuckles.

It’s superb when served with sweet butter!

Challah dough made with whole wheat and added wallnuts.

(Recipe & images copyrighted © Tamara Frey, 2013. All right reserved.)

Roasted Vegetables in a Frey Chardonnay Marinade

This is a simple veggie dish, and both vegans and meat eaters will love it.  It will go perfectly with a pesto pasta or grilled chicken, or even as the main course.  It has no meat, no dairy products, yet has an almost meaty flavor and texture!

Serves 6 to 8

1 cup Frey Biodynamic Chardonnay
4 cloves peeled garlic
1 apple, core removed
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. chopped rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
3/4 cup olive oil

2 red bell peppers
2 yellow bell peppers
4 portobello mushrooms
3 onions (1 red, 1 yellow, 1 white, if possible)
2 zucchinis

2 fresh tomatoes, or 8 cherry tomatoes

The Marinade: Except for the olive oil, put all the ingredients for the marinade into a blender, (or Cuisinart).  Pour in the Chardonnay, then throw in the garlic cloves, the apple, cayenne, rosemary, bay leaves, honey, Dijon mustard, and the salt.  Blend it for a few seconds.  Then pour in the olive oil very slowly, in a thin stream, with the blender running.  Your marinade is ready!

Chop the Veggies: Chop them up but not too much!  Leave them big and chunky, like large slices of meat.  I prefer red and yellow bell peppers as their colorful hues are not lost to the roasting as much as green peppers.  I also prefer various colors of onions to have in the mix, all of which adds to the visual delight of the final product.  If the bit of stem on the portobellos look dried or aged, you can cut them off, but keep those portobello slices big and thick.  The same for the zucchini slices.

Let’s Marinate!  Put the chopped veggies into a large bowl and pour over the marinade. Stir the veggies thoroughly so the marinade coats every piece.  Let it sit for 4 hours, remixing about every 45 minutes as the marinade tends to settle to the bottom of the bowl.

Let’s Roast! Put the marinated veggies into a wide roasting pan (such as a cookie sheet or lasagna pan) and spread it out about an inch high.  Put in pre-heated oven at 400 degree.  After fifteen minutes, stir the veggies with a spoon.  Cook for another 10 minutes and check if veggies are done to your liking.  I prefer them al dente, with some firmness still on the insides and not mushy through and through.  Garnish with slices of fresh tomatoes. Enjoy with a glass of Frey Biodynamic Chardonnay!

(Recipe & images copyrighted © Tamara Frey, 2013. All right reserved.)

Below are photos of some of the steps for this recipe:

Portobellos sliced thick.

Pouring in the marinade over the chopped vegetables.

Stirring and coating the veggies with the marinade.

Veggies marinating.

(Recipe & images copyrighted © Tamara Frey, 2013. All right reserved.)

Blood Orange Sole Salad with Dessertage Vinaigrette

This is a wonderful salad topped with a fillet of sole and drizzled with a vinaigrette made with Frey Dessertage Port, a flavorful organic sweet wine.  The sole is best if fresh, when it smells like scallops.

Carolyn Dismuke will be showcasing the creative ways of cooking with Dessertage Port atDrinkThoseWords.com in the coming months. Be sure to check it out!

Pouring on the Dessertage Vinaigrette to the Sole Salad.

Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 lb. sole fish (vegan alternative: portobello mushroom, 4 large caps)
salt
pepper, coarsely ground
1 cup & 6 tablespoons Frey Dessertage Port organic sweet wine
2/3 cup & 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large head red butter lettuce
½ cup raw pecans
1/2 red onion
1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger root
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 blood orange
1 avocado
2 teaspoons coconut oil

Marinating the sole fillets with Dessertage Port.

1.  Let’s get the sole marinating in the Dessertage Port by first laying out the fillets in a dish. (Vegan alternative: use 4 large caps of portobello mushrooms and prepare the same way).  With a sharp knife slice into the fillets about halfway through, each slice half inch apart.  This will allow the marinade to seep in better.  Sprinkle a large pinch of salt, pinch of pepper.  Then drizzle over the fillets 4 tablespoons Frey Dessertage Port, followed by drizzling 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.  Let them marinade while preparing the rest of the salad.  Return every few minutes to spoon the marinade back over them again.

2.  Now to the head of red butter lettuce.  I like to take a knife and cut out the core from the bottom so the leaves peel off easily.  Rinse and dry in a salad spinner.  Then tear into smaller pieces.  I prefer red butter lettuce leaves about 3 inches long, somewhat big.  Set aside.

3.  Time to toast the raw pecans: chop them up and put them in a dry pan on low heat.  Don’t forget about them because they will burn quickly.  It’s best to stay with them until done, stirring frequently on low heat.  You know they’re ready after a few minutes when they release that distinct toasty aroma, and they darken a little.

Flambéing the toasted oats!

Now, with 2 tablespoons of Dessertage Port at the ready, crank the heat up to high and quickly pour it in to flambé the toasted pecans.  If you have a gas stove, tip the pan so the Port catches the flame and lights up, or use a match.  After the flames die out, turn the heat back to low and simmer off the Port.  The pecans will burn if left on high, so please do turn the heat down!  Stir until the pecans are dry and coated with a sweet layer of caramelized Dessertage.  It will take a few minutes.  Then spread the pecans out on a plate and set aside to cool.

(Remember to take time out now and then to spoon the marinade over the fillets again!)

4.  Now let’s make the Dessertage Port Vinaigrette:  in a pot pour in 1 cup of Dessertage Port, 2 tablespoons minced red onion, and 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger.  We’re going to make the reduction for the base of our Dessertage Vinaigrette by bringing this to a boil and reducing it until there’s about ¼ cup left and it’s syrupy.  It will take a few minutes.

Remove the reduction from heat, let it cool down a little, pour into a bowl with a whisk at the ready, then add 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar and a pinch or two of salt.  While whisking continuously, very slowly pour in 2/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil, just a thin stream.  When the pouring is finished, it should be thick and creamy and take on a gorgeous crimson hue, like a Hawaiian sunset.  You may also do it in a snap using a Cuisinart.  But like the furniture maker who eschews electric tools for the sake of a forgotten art, I often prefer to do these steps by hand.  I practice my old techniques, and it’s good exercise!  Each time I grab a whisk I recall a chef instructor at the California Culinary Academy years ago who would yell out, “Whisk it!  Whisk it good! Whisk it ‘til your arms fall off!”

Very slowly pour in the vinaigrette while whisking.

5.  Before cooking the fillets, let’s get the rest of the salad ingredients ready by cutting four thin slices of red onion, 4 thin slices of blood orange, and slice up completely the avocado.  I like to serve the fillets piping hot over the salad, so let’s now get the beds of lettuce ready, spread out over the four separate plates.

6.  It’s time to cook the marinated sole fillets  Put 2 teaspoons of coconut oil in a pan on medium heat to get it nicely coated.  Put in the fillets  They will cook quickly, about 2 minutes.  

Place the fillets on each of the four beds of lettuce. (For the portobello vegan alternative, slice up the cooked mushrooms before laying them on the bed of lettuce.)  Quickly arrange the rest of the salad ingredients to the delight of your artistic whims: the rings of raw onion, the slices of blood orange and avocado.  Drizzle on the Dessertage Vinaigrette.  And finally, sprinkle on the toasted pecans.

Watch out for the bones.  Bon appétit!

(Recipe & images copyrighted © Tamara Frey, 2013. All right reserved.)

Holiday Fruitcake with Bitter Chocolate Sauce

This recipe for a classic holiday fruitcake is lightly sweetened with real honey and the fruit is soaked and simmered in Frey Organic Dessertage Port. It's easy to make and certainly will disappear quickly at your holiday party! I use organic ingredients whenever possible, to help organic farmers and the planet.

Holiday Fruitcake with Bitter Chocolate Sauce, made by Chef Tamara Frey.

Recipe makes one cake.

1 cup thinly sliced dried apricots. (organic Turkish apricots are usually not too dry and perfect for this)
1 cup thinly sliced dried figs
1 cup Frey Organic Dessertage Port (Mendocino dessert wine)

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (vegan alternative: coconut butter)
1 cup honey
4 eggs (vegan alternative: an egg-replacer found at health food stores)
1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups whole spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh ground nutmeg is best by using whole nutmegs and rough-grating them on a cheese grater)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup chopped walnuts
For the Bitter Chocolate Sauce and garnish:
¾ cup heavy cream (vegan alternative: just leave out the cream and simply melt the chocolate as-as; it will only leave the cooled chocolate on the brittle side)
1½ cups chopped bittersweet chocolate
½ to 1 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 300F and generously butter an angel food cake pan (vegan alternative: coconut oil).

In small saucepan, combine the apricots, figs, and Frey Organic Dessertage sweet wine.  Simmer until wine is almost boiled off, which takes 10 to 15 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  In large bowl beat the butter with electric beater until creamy.  Add honey and beat until blended.  Add eggs (or vegan egg-replacer) one at a time, and beat well after each addition.  Add vanilla and mix that in.  Set aside.

In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cranberries, almonds, and walnuts.  Then gently mix in the apricots and figs by folding. Spoon it all into the buttered (or oiled) angel food cake pan.  Bake approx. 50 minutes or until a knife inserted into center comes out clean.  Let it sit 15 minutes, then extract it out of its mold onto a cooling rack.  While it cools, bring the cream to a simmer (for vegans, skip to the next step).  Add the chopped chocolate.  Let melt a few minutes.  Stir, then let it cool but not so much that it cannot pour out.  Place the cake on serving platter, pour over the chocolate sauce, then garnish with the chopped macadamia nuts.  Surround with pine boughs or other seasonal decorative.

A slice of Holiday Fruitcake!

(Recipe copyrighted © Tamara Frey, 2011. All right reserved)

Glazed Pumpkin with Maple Walnuts

In front of the Frey Vineyards winery this fall were several pumpkins lined up in a row upon which the oak trees settled their orange-hued leaves.  The pumpkins were just harvested from the vineyard gardens and that scene inspired this tasty Thanksgiving side dish.


Glazed Pumpkin with Maple Walnuts, by Chef Tamara Frey.

Pumpkins are usually used for pies in the U.S.  But the humble pumpkin is a winter squash after all and certainly can be prepared as such.  So after some experimentation I came up with this dish in which the texture and taste of this famed North American squash is newly revealed in sweet & spicy tenderness.  Serve it as a side dish with your next Thanksgiving dinner!

Serves 6 to 8

There are 2 steps for preparing the pumpkin.  It’s first cooked in an oven, then glazed in a sauté pan.  For vegans, coconut oil may be used instead of butter.

For the Pumpkin in the Oven:
1 medium pie pumpkin of about 4 lbs.
½ cup Frey Gewurztraminer
6 whole cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil
  
For the Pumpkin in the Sauté Pan:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil
½ cup Frey Gewurztraminer
2 tablespoons maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste

For the Maple Walnut Garnish:
1 cup walnut pieces (do not chop)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pumpkin in the Oven
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds.  Lay the pumpkin halves face down on a cutting board.  Cut off the skin with a knife, slicing downward and rotating as needed.  Cut up the skinned pumpkin halves to ½ inch chunks.  Spread out the chunks onto a baking dish.  Toss on the cinnamon sticks.  Before sprinkling on the cardamom, first crush the pods using a knife held flat against a cutting board.  Now drizzle on the ½ cup Frey Gewurztraminer.  Add the maple syrup and the unsalted butter or coconut oil.  Mix the ingredients together a bit and spread out across the baking dish.  Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes.  Stir about every 15 minutes.  Pumpkin chunks will be al dente.

Walnut Garnish
While the pumpkin is baking, toast the maple walnuts for the garnish.  In a smaller baking dish throw in the non-chopped walnut pieces and add the maple syrup and cinnamon.  Mix them up well so the walnuts get a real soaking from the syrup.  Then spread it all out on a baking dish and toast in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Set it aside.  It will be used as the garnish in the final step!

Pumpkin in the Sauté Pan
Fresh from the oven now, throw in the baked pumpkin chunks into a sauté pan of medium-high heat along with 2 of the 4 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil (you’ll be adding the other 2 tablespoons shortly).Pour in the Gewurztraminer and maple syrup, and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir and cook down a minute, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter or coconut oil.  Swirl and stir till melted and incorporated into the sauce.  Then put the glazed pumpkin into your favorite serving bowl.  Garnish with the Maple Walnuts spread over the top.  Be sure to arrange the cinnamon sticks with an aesthetic and personalized touch!

A cinnamon stick ads the final touch!

(Recipe copyrighted © Tamara Frey, 2011. All right reserved)

Angel Pasta with Salmon

Angel Pasta with Salmon, by Chef Tamara Frey.

I’ve always loved salmon with a glass of Syrah, so I came up with this dish especially to enjoy with one of my favorite wines.

Angel Pasta with Salmon
Feeds 4 to 6.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 small red onions, peeled, halved and sliced thin
2  cups thinly sliced crimini mushrooms
1 cup yellow squash cut into matchstick sized pieces (julienne cut)
2 tablespoons fresh slivered garlic (cut garlic cloves very thin)
½ pound salmon steak, cut into ½ inch cubes
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
4 tablespoons chopped chives
1 teaspoon whole mixed peppercorns
10 cherry tomatoes
½ to cup Frey Biodynamic Syrah
1 cup heavy cream
8 tablespoons fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Melt butter in saucepan.  Add the onions, mushrooms and squash.  Sauté a minute or so, then add the garlic, peppercorns, salmon pieces, and half the herbs (save other half for garnish).  Sauté a minute or so more, until done.  Add the Syrah, cook it down until bubbly and thickened a bit.  Then add the cream and let it cook until desired thickness.  Season with salt to taste.

For the Angel Hair pasta: Cook ¾ pound of Angel Hair or Capellini pasta, following directions on package.  Drain it, then season with extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Place pasta on a plate, then spoon over the Syrah cream sauce with salmon.  Garnish it with the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the remaining half of the fresh herbs.  Top it off with freshly sliced tomato halves, and enjoy with a glass of Frey Biodynamic Syrah!

(Recipe copyrighted © Tamara Frey, 20111. All right reserved)

Earth Pasta

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes, easy to make and delicious

Earth Pasta, by Chef Tamara Frey

I’ve always loved the flavorful combination of dessert wines and cream boiled down to a sauce. In culinary school most of these rich and fabulous sauces they teach are from concentrated meat stock bases. I wanted to develop a sauce that was vegetarian and easy to make, but still used the classic French technique of reduction. I came up with Earth Pasta when I developed the first menu for the newly opened Daily Planet Restaurant in the early 1980s.

I remember my father loved cooking with mushrooms and onions sautéed in olive oil with a dash of salt and pepper. He enjoyed it over steak, but the combo works for many dishes, and I included them in this Earth Pasta.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS (May I suggest you use organic ingredients if you can, to help out our planet, and small farmers)
20 snow peas, leave them whole
4 cups sliced mushrooms (packed in)
2 cups sliced onions
1 cup Frey Dessertage Port (or Madeira sweet wine)
2 cups heavy cream, enough to make a nice sauce for the veggies at the end
linguini for 4 people, cook al dente. Add a dash of salt and a splash of olive oil to the water while pasta boils

Sauté snow peas, mushrooms, and onions with your favorite cooking oil (I recommend unsalted butter, extra-virgin olive oil, or extra-virgin coconut oil). When they’re done, turn up the heat and pour in the Dessertage Port (or Madiera, which was used in the original recipe and it would flambé over a gas stove; Frey Dessertage Port did not flambé for me when I used it for this recipe, but it still tastes great in this dish). Reduce the spirits so the alcohol burns off and the essence remains, then add the heavy cream and bring to a boil and simmer, until thickened to desired consistency for pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh finely grated Romano parmesan or Asiago cheese, fresh-chopped parsley, scallions, and fresh cherry tomato-halves if in season.

This dish goes great with Frey Organic Pinot Noir, one of our lighter red wines.

Vegan alternatives:
Instead of cream, use coconut creamer or soy creamer. I tried it with coconut creamer and it tasted great, but I have yet to try it using soy creamer, which may curdle. You may also try it using a thick miso broth as a cream alternative.

Instead of the cheese garnish, try a vegan parmesan made by Eat in the Raw.

(Chef Tamara Frey is working on a cook book about cooking for large groups. We'll announce it here when it's released!)

(Recipe copyrighted © Tamara Frey, 20111. All right reserved)

Roasted Beet Salad with Frey Tannat Vinaigrette

I created this salad to take advantage of a totally new, superbly rich wine here at Frey Vineyards: our just released Organic Tannat, vintage 2010.  Balsamic vinegar reductions are one of my favorite ingredients to make from scratch, so I had to try the same reducing technique with this tasty tannat and its thick-as-ink texture.  I was most surprised and pleased.  The best flavors of the wine permeated the vinaigrette, along with its gorgeous color.

Roasted Beet Salad with Frey Tannat Vinaigrette.

The vinaigrette is added to a roasted beet salad, with red butter lettuce, fresh avocado and strawberry slices, a touch of onion, and raw chopped almonds.  Enjoy with a warm baguette and a glass of Frey Organic Tannat wine.

I use all organic ingredients when possible.
Serves 4

1 large beet
1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 large head of red butter lettuce
1 large avocado
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup raw chopped almonds
4 slices red onion
3/4 cup shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan cheese)

3/4 cup Frey Organic Tannat wine (a deep red wine)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon maple syrup
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Let’s start with the beet.  Cut it into 1/4" thick strips, just like French fries but healthier!  Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, a pinch of salt and pepper.  Roast in a 350F oven until soft (approx. 20 min. to 1/2 hr.). Let it cool.  Then toss with 2 teaspoons of the Tannat vinaigrette, which you will make soon. Set aside.

Roasted beets with Tannat vinaigrette added.

Now on to the main salad ingredients.  Keep each separated for now, and handle some ingredients carefully as later you will use some for garnish.  Wash and dry the red butter lettuce and tear into pieces by hand (otherwise you will have to eat the salad with the help of a knife, which I prefer not to do).  Slice up the avocado and strawberries.  Chop up the raw almonds (I prefer the almonds raw, as they are more nutritious and I love the flavor, but you may toast if you prefer).  Separate the rings from the red onion slices.  Shave the Parmigiano-Reggiano (I use a potato peeler which makes paper-thin translucent slices that are beautiful). 

Slicing Parmigiano-Reggiano with a potato peeler.

Time to make the Frey Tannat Vinaigrette!  Put into a sauce pan the Tannat wine, balsamic vinegar and the orange zest.  Bring to a boil, then let it simmer until it reduces to around 1/4 cup, which takes about 15 minutes.  Important: keep an eye on it because it’s possible to reduce it to thin air!  Let cool a few minutes, then pour into a blender.  Add the salt and pepper and maple syrup.  With the blender running, slowly pour in the olive oil in a thin stream.  It will thicken nicely (emulsifying technique) and the color will turn to a shade of purple.

Add 2 teaspoons of the vinaigrette to the roasted beets.  Mix until the beets are coated.

One quick note about the remaining vinaigrette.  I added half a cup to the rest of the salad and found that to my liking.  You may prefer to add more or less to your taste.  Adding all of it might be too strong for some.  If you have leftover vinaigrette, you may use some as dip for the baguettes, marinate a steak in it, or save it for tomorrow’s salad!

Add the vinaigrette to the salad and toss in the salad bowl, so the dressing coats everything.  Tossing tends to send the heavier ingredients to the bottom to hide under the lettuce.  So for presentation, set aside 4 or 5 beautiful slices of the avocado and strawberries, the onion rings, and some chopped almonds – enough to garnish to your heart’s delight.

Bon Appetite!

(Recipe & images copyrighted © Tamara Frey, 2012. All right reserved.)