Basic bread and pizza dough

I bought a bread machine - a Zojirushi - and I finally found a basic bread recipe that works for a really easy to make bread: (optional items in parenthesis)

1 1/4 cup warm water
3 1/4 cups (bread) flour
(1 or 2 tbls sugar)
1 tsp table salt (don't use Kosher unless you add about 30% more)
1 (or 2) tbls dry yeast
(pat of butter)

Add all ingredients, and mix with stand mixer w/dough hook, or in a food processor - or by hand, knead until smooth as a baby's butt, place in oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise until doubled. KEY POINT - if your house isn't 75 derees or more, put the bowl on a heating pad set to medium. Lack of a warm environment will slow rising. When doubled, empty onto pastry board or whatever and gently knead and form into a loaf or two or rolls. Let rise on baking sheet (again set on the heating pad covered with a clean dish or tea towel).

Bake: If you want crusty bread, use 350 convection, or 400 for softer crust. Slow makes crusty, hot makes brown. Rolls I bake for 15 minutes and then maybe brown at 400 for a couple of minutes. Important: The bread must reach 185-190 internally to set the starch (you can stick an instant read thermometer in the side of loaf or roll). Let the bread cool before cutting - it need to cool the starch - it won't cut well hot.

By the way, I don't particularly like the baking action of the bread machine, but I do like being able to program the machine to prepare dough already through the first rise, ready to make into pizza crust or rolls and loaves. The machine does take a lot of counter space, though.

Tomato and corn risotto

Vicky and I just had a really good summer risotto - perfect with Amista Chardonnay.

As readers know, I don't write detailed recepies, just a list of ingredients and general directions.
For this risotto, I used a bunch of fresh basil, 3 medium heirloom tomatoes, a red pepper and and a sweet onion, about 1 cup of frozen petite corn, 3 cans of Swanson Vegetable stock, 1 cup arborio rice, a pat or two of butter, olive oil (3 or 4 tbs), salt and pepper, Italian herbs - a pinch. (Could use saffron.) Parmesan cheese and a dash of cream. Don't forget 1 or 1.5 cups Amista Chardonnay.

Heat stock to a simmer. Saute diced onions and red peppers in olive oil until soft; add rice and and saute until the rice clicks - whatever that means (Lydia always says 'clicks')

Add wine and allow to evaporate; add 1 -1.5 cups of hot stock to the pan and stir occasionally until it is nearly gone, then add another 1- 1.5 cups of stock. (I start the timer for 20 minutes before the first addition of stock as a general guide,) Continue to add stock as the liquid has been absorbed.

(Drain the tomatoes after cutting into smaller pieces - bite size and add the juice to the risotto.) At about 15 minutes in, taste for seasoning and add the frozen corn. Continue with stock additions and stirring. At 20 minutes, the rice should be done or very close. Turn off heat

Finish with a pat of butter, a dash of cream and add parmesean chesse (grated ~ 1.2 cup), then add the cut up tomatoes.

Serve hot with basil chiffinode on top, and a bottle of Amista Chardonnay. (If you don't use Amista Chard to make the risotto, be sure to use an unoaked white wine.)

Veraison in the Chardonnay

It looks like our chardonnay is just in veraison - when the berries quit growing and start ripening. This means about 60 days to harvest.

(The green berries can be collected as the grapes bunches are thinned to make verjus - an acidic liquid used to replace vinegar, thought to be more wine friendly in salad dressings than vinegar. Verjus was used in Dejon mustard. The source of acidity in verjus is malic acid instead of acetic acid.)

Julie's Ceasar salad dressing

John Turchiano asked for Julie's Ceasar Salad dressing. Julie reports that she signed a blood oath not to reveal all of the secrets of her receipe but she was will to provide this much:

JULIE’S CAESAR SALAD DRESSING

Couple of egg yolks
3-8 cloves of garlic (or so)
Can of anchovy fillets – drained of oil
Zest of 1 or 2 lemons
Squirt of mustard
Handful of parmesan cheese (or so)
1-3 cups olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
juice from 2-6 lemons



Add yolks to blender or Cuisinart. Spin & add garlic, anchovies, zest, mustard, parmesan cheese & salt & pepper. Continue to spin & add oil until thick. Add lemon juice to thin until desired consistency. Stays in fridge for several weeks. I usually add more lemon juice to refresh after pulling from fridge.

Play around with amounts of garlic, lemon zest & juice, mustard, parmesan cheese & oil until made to desired taste. I like a lemony& garlicky Caesar!

Julie and her Mother's contribution

Julie prepared meatballs with a zesty Zin sauce for our All American Zin Day on July 3, 2009. These are really excellent meatballs for any use and the zin reduction sauce made a special meatball into a real treat. I can't wait to try her BBQ sauce.



JULIE & HARRIET’S MEATBALLS
AMISTA VINEYARDS
JULY 3, 2009

HARRIET’S MEATBALLS
1 lb. hamburger
1 lb. seasoned pork sausage
¾ c oatmeal
½ c milk
½ c chopped water chestnuts
½ t onion salt
½ t garlic salt
3 T worshteshire sauce
Tobasco to taste
Shape into 1 inch balls. Place on broiling rack & broil for about 8 minutes, flip & broil for another 5 minutes. Meatballs should be browned on both sides.

JULIE’S ZINFANDEL SAUCE
1 c sugar
¾ c vinegar
¾ c water
2 t paprika
½ t salt
2 t corn starch
Zinfandel BBQ sauce ( recipe below)
Mix first 5 ingredients together in large saucepan over medium heat. Spoon a small amount into a small bowl & mix with corn starch. Add mixture back into sauce & add zinfandel BBQ sauce (recipe below). Add meatballs & simmer at least 10 minutes.

ZINFANDEL BBQ SAUCE
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion( about ¾ cup), finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 ½ cups Amista zinfandel
¾ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar (or to taste)
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
Salt & pepper to taste
Melt butter in heavy saucepan & sauté onion & garlic over medium heat until just beginning to brown (3 – 4 minutes). Add wine and bring to a boil. Let the mixture boil until reduced to about ½ cup. Reduce the heat & stir in ketchup, brown sugar, honey & liquid smoke. Add salt & pepper to taste. Let the sauce simmer gently until thick (6-10 minutes).

Francesca's Terrace Dry Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

Last evening I received an email telling us that our 2006 Francesca's Terrace Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded the Gold medal. That is starting to develop into a pattern: 2005 Francesca's Terrace was Gold at the SF Chronicle judging last fall, now this. Maybe this cab is pretty good - even in some pretty exalted company!

Pulled Pork w/ BBQ Sauce

Mike’s BBQ sauce and Pulled Pork.

This recipe originated with Vicky’s Mother and messed with by me. It is written more as a list of ingredients and general directions rather than a step by step recipe. Be confident, be bold!

Proposed ingredients:

1 qt ketchup (I prefer Heinz)

¼ cup yellow mustard

¼ cup poupon mustard

¼ cup vinegar

1/4 to 1/3 cup molasses (more to taste) (or substitute brown sugar)

1 cup Amista syrah

1 cup orange juice (more or less to taste, or use some lemon juice)

2 tbls chipolte powder (or canned chipolte peppers)

(chile powder can be substituted for a milder result)

2 tbls smoked Spanish paprika (or 1/2 teas liquid smoke – to taste)

2-3 tbls Worcestershire sauce

1 sliced lemon, ¼” slices, seeds removed

1 tbls ground cumin

1 tbls ground black pepper

Combine ingredients in a large pot and gently simmer loosly covered until lemon slices soften and nearly disappear and the sauce thickens to your taste, about an hour or more. A heat diffuser under the pot can help reduce the caramelization on the bottom of the pot. Stir to prevent scorching. (Add any de-fatted meat juices, if available).

Pulled Pork

Rub all sides of a bone in pork shoulder with a spice rub – pepper, red pepper, cumin, powdered garlic – whatever.. Roast skin side up (fatty side) in a 275 degree oven for 10 – 12 hours on a broiler pan (spray with Pam for easier cleanup) or a disposable aluminum roaster. At the end of roasting, remove from oven and cool for ½ hour and lift meat from the bone. Separate meat juices from fat and add juice to BBQ sauce. Pull pork with 2 forks and lightly dress with BBQ sauce. (Meat can be held for a couple of days in a cold refrigerator and reheated with sauce.)