| |
|
 |
In
This Issue |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
All The Latest News |
|
|
| |
|
Perched atop Crane Ridge overlooking the
beautiful Livermore Valley wine country is
White
Crane Winery, a marvelous new
location for Hands On Gourmet cooking parties.
We cook and dine in the vintnerís lovely house
overlooking rolling vineyards and a rose garden.
White Craneís award-winning wines enhance the
evening.
Miss an issue of Relish? Not to
worry. Weíve posted all the past issues on our
web site, along with an index of all of Chef
Stephenís featured recipes. Check out the archives for gems
like Black Cod with Hot and Tart Onions
and Fig Strudel with Rum
Caramel, profiles of local food purveyors like
the King of Mushrooms, and
of course, Chef Stephenís inimitable letters.
Give us a Yelp! We're happy that Jane
Y. did. We were thrilled to learn about a
five-
star review she posted on this local
directory featuring useful reviews by people like
you. Thanks, Jane!
|
|
| |
|
|
Celebrate La Primavera with Italian Wines |
|
|
| |
The calendar tells us that spring is here, though
chilly winter rains persist here in the Bay Area.
Regardless, spring is evident in the buds of early
flowering trees and the verdant green of the
hills. With spring here, we look to foods and
wines with brightness, lightness, and freshness
to correspond with milder, longer days and the
spring harvest.
Letís look at a couple of wines that fit the
season and also might introduce you to
something new. For me, there is nothing more
perfect for a spring meal than simply grilling
fresh lamb and finishing it with a salt mix of
coarse sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, and
finely chopped rosemary and garlic. Accompany
the lamb with grilled asparagus dressed with
shavings of Grana Padano and exquisite, fresh-
pressed olive oil and youíve got a meal that pays
homage to the best of spring.
A couple of lovely, lesser know wines that would
pair nicely with the asparagus, but be substantial
enough to hold up to the main course are
Kerner from Trentino-Alto Adige in
northeast Italy and Pecorino from the
central-east of Italy. Kerner, a cross between
Riesling and a variety known locally as Schiava
Grossa, is a grape that grows most successfully
in the Valle Isacro. At its best, it is lightly floral
with excellent balancing acidity and some of the
interesting petrol flavors that come from its
Riesling roots. Look for Kerners produced by C.S.
Valle Isarco and Abbazia di Novacella. They are
both excellent and are priced right so you can do
a side-by-side comparison.
Further south, not far from the coast of the
Adriatic Sea is the town of Offida. Historically,
Offida is known for its production of fine lace,
but I hope that it becomes increasingly known for
its production of a lovely wine from the Pecorino
grape (no relation to the cheese). While a bit
more mineral than Kerners, it has enough fruit
and, when it is made by a skilled producer like
Cocci Grifoni, its richness and elegance work
beautifully with grilled lamb. Grifoniís Pecorino
bottling is Offida Pecorino Podere Colle Vecchio.
These and other wonderful wines of Italy will
leave you happy to cast aside winterís hearty
fare and welcome spring with something fresh
and new.
Christopher Losa is the owner and
founder of Bar Bambino, a cafÈ and wine bar celebrating the
food and wine culture of Italy. You can email him
at: closa@bar
bambino.com
|
|
| |
|
|
Farmers' Market Finds |
|
|
| |
At Hands On Gourmet, we always use fresh,
seasonal ingredients, and we buy directly from
the source whenever we can. We hope you'll
discover the wonderful fresh foods at your local
farmer's market, too.
Here's what's best right now.
- Artichokes
- Blood oranges
- Spinach
- Kiwi
- Rainbow chard
- Green garlic
- Spring onions
- Fingerling potatoes
- Celery Root
To check out your local farmer's market, use the
link below.
Find Your
Local Farmers' Market
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Fantastic Food Events |
|
|
| |
Cinema Epicuria. The Sonoma Valley
film festival welcomes you to a unique varietal of
film, food and wine. The festival features over 75
new independent films from all over the world,
food and wine tastings before every screening,
hot parties, winery excursions, and casual
mingling with emerging film makers, film stars,
star winemakers and renowned chefs.
April 5 ñ 9. More
information.
The Cornification of America. A talk by
Michael Pollan, Knight Prof. of Journalism, UC
Berkeley, and Author, The Botany of Desire
and The Omnivore's Dilemma.
Introduced by Marion Nestle, Visiting Professor,
UC Berkeley and author of Food Politics
and What to Eat.
April 5 at 4pm, Room 250, Goldman
School of
Public Policy, Free and Open to the Public. More information.
What the Duck?! Join Chef Jon Sears
and his Drunken Monkey Gourmet Club in
celebrating and supporting Artisan and Sonoma
Foie Gras. This tasty afternoon includes two
exquisite tasting menus, take your pick.
Sunday, April 9, 2006. Hors dí oeuvres and
the finest champagne, 2pm-4pm, $85 per person.
Dinner, 6:30pm, $250.00 per person.
More information.
Francis Cooks for North Beach. The fifth
annual and very popular neighborhood feast
organized by Francis Ford Coppola will be held to
benefit North Beach Citizens, a non-profit
organization that addresses the needs of North
Beach's homeless population. For many, this
homegrown, convivial event has become the
party of the year. The traditional Italian dinner
takes place in the basement of Saints Peter and
Paul Church.
April 23, 6:30 pm, 666 Filbert St. Tickets are
$150 per person reserved seating; $1,500
reserved table for eight; $75 reserved seating for
children under 13. More
information.
Find More Bay Area Food Events
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| Letter from the Chef |
|
| |
'Twas the night before
Saint Patrickís Day, when
all through the house
Not an Irishman nor
San Franciscan was
stirring, not even a mouse.
The kegs were laid behind the bar with care, in
hopes that
St. Patrick soon would be there.
But would he be bringing corn beef and cabbage
to this particular affair?
Not that Iím a grinch, mind you, and I certainly
donít want anyone from Whoville to take
offense ó but Iím increasingly questioning what
constitutes holiday food. I mean really, do you
all just adore dry turkey, canned cranberry and
cool whip? Ok, maybe some do. But isnít it nice
to have some grilled fish and wild mushrooms as
well? And maybe some chocolate cake to wash
down the brandy with too!
I bring this up only because we
were invited to a St. Patrickís Day party and were
asked to bring a dish. I wasnít entirely sure what
Irish people ate, so I cruised the Internet and
even went as far as asking Susan Clancy, a good
friend and local Irish national, as to what exactly
makes up the Irish diet. Susan said that in
Ireland people seldom ate corn beef and
cabbage, and NEVER ate lucky charms! (That one
hurt me the most.)
After reading through many recipes for potato
dishes, blood pudding, and more puddings, I
threw my hands in the air and decided to go the
non-traditional route. Daring and innovative? Not
really. I just wanted to make it as easy as
possible. (Mind you, I can make a mean lamb
stew or crispy potato cake ñ when I want to.)
In keeping with one of my many food sermons, I
went right to where I find most of my inspiration:
the freezer and pantry. I had some good stuff to
work with this go round. Crab, lamb, cooked
risotto, leftover sautÈed spinach and some Phyllo
dough hanging on to life by a thread.
With an hour to spare, Molly and I whipped up
some crispy crab with avocado, lamb and mint
meatballs cooked with canned tomatoes, fried
camembert and beet salad, and a pretty nifty
version of spanikopata.
The real test came down to how the folks at the
party received the food. And Iím happy to say
that everyone including Steven Kirsch, the host,
approved. Hopefully it wasnít the Guinness and
whiskey that was making them nice.
So that is my story of an un-traditional culinary
event. It was a hit. What holiday are you going
to take in a fun new direction?
Hopefully some of you had the time to pickle
cauliflower from last month's recipe, because I
have a really simple mussel dish that
incorporates the finished product. I hope you
enjoy it.
See you next moth for more spellbinding, thrilling
fun!
Chef Stephen
|
|
|
