Curried Veal Shanks- Another Osso Bucco

This is the time of year when it is cold outside, so making one pot wonders seems to have its appeal. Days are long, every night I have somewhere to be, so I just want to throw all the ingredients into a baking dish. I found veal shanks for a great price a while back and bought extra to store in the freezer. I just did not feel like making a traditional Osso Bucco, so I improvised.

Okay this is not a casserole, but it felt like one. Many recipes for Osso Bucco are long and complicated (in prep), but if you really dig this cut of meat (great for crock pot cooking).

Traditionally Italian Ossobuco alla milanese (Often spelled Osso Bucco- meaning shank) is dredged in flour; add a variety of vegetables, and tomato sauce is added and is similar to stew. Slow cooking allows the ingredients to meld, making a wonderful sauce. Then often it is served over pasta, or with risotto that has been cooked with saffron threads.

I have chosen to forgo the flour and make the seasoning and Farro, another Italian grain, the star of this dish. Farro replaces the flour; it helps thicken the sauce with juices of the meat and seasonings.

Farro was once the food of the Roman soldiers; it is a healthy and filling grain that kept the troops happy!

Curried Veal Shanks

6 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon ginger powder
1 tablespoon madras curry powder
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Salt/Pepper to taste
1 sliced red onion
4 veal shoulder chops, or 2 large shanks (as I have chosen)
1 cup uncooked Farro
2 1/2 cups beef stock; adjust as needed

Lightly season the veal with salt. Slather mustard all over the veal. Dust with coarsely ground black pepper. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Put the veal in a baking pan. Cover with Farro, onions, rest of seasonings, and stock. Cover with foil. Bake about 1 hour and 15 minutes (time varies depending on heat source); slowly until meat is tender, and Farro is cooked. Remove meat from bone ( pull into pieces). Remove marrow from bone center and stir into sauce, or serve bones on plate and eat with dish.

I sauteed spinach and served as base for my Veal Shanks- Osso Bucco/Farro mixture. Serve.

The one problem that bothered me with cooking this all in one pot is that I could not puree the sauce, because it would have involved messing with the Farro texture. The sauce looks grainy, but it was a wonderful flavored dish otherwise. I have been wanting to incorporate mustard into more dishes, and this one is a keeper.

Wine-Down Wednesday: Flights

Tired of just traveling up flights of stairs at home and work? Sure its exercise, but ready for a flight somewhere fun? Maybe Italy, Spain, or even just head over to the west coast were you can exercise your palate? Even though CNN and Frommers have reported in the past few months the US dollar has strengthened in this bad economy, and it's the best time to take a trip for some rest and relaxation- do you really have time to take off work? I have an idea for some traveling, good R & R, and you do not have  to leave the comfort of your own living room. Well, maybe a drive to the local wine retailer, or around town and try out a few local wine bars!

My 'Partner In Wine', Adrienne and I joke " lets leave the husbands and go to Italy", and then we pour ourselves a glass of Amarone as we chuckle! When I am in the mood to hop from different regions of the world in the comfort of my own home, or off a bar stool in a local wine bar- I think of Wine Flights. Wine flights are a way of letting us step into the world of wines by trying a 'little' pour, and learning something new by going from Napa to Washington State; over the pond to Italy or France, and all in three glasses if we choose so.

Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onwards. Modernization has developed ways of wine enthusiasts to make tasting part of the social scene; make it fun, and not so pretentious.

Wine flights are one, two, or even three ounce pours of different wines. Often the wines are pre-chosen, and often in sophisticated Wine Bars, a choice is given. Someone in this case is always available to help the novice. Occasionally even someone like me knows the staff are often educated, already tried wines, and might suggest something really interesting. I am a risk taker, and often dive in to new realms of my travel.

Flights can fill three, six or more glasses. Many choices are the same varietals. Others can range from a white with two reds, or all whites. Price ranges vary according to retail prices of the bottles, and or establishment you are visiting. Some can be very pricey for the wines chosen, but can be worth the education you receive.

A wine flight may also be offered as a way for diners to sample an assortment of different wines. These flights may be designed to pair with a prix fixe menu, with each wine pairing with a different course, or may be intended to showcase some other component of the wine. Restaurants in wine regions, for example, may offer wine flights as a way of allowing diners to sample a variety of wines from that region.

If you like Pinot Noir, but you would like to taste three back to back. Wine flights make it possible. You might get a Cloudline, McMinville OR, '07; Louis Loutor, Burgandy, FR, and a Paraiso, Santa Lucia CA. The three choices most likely '07, and a range of light to heavy body wines. These types of tastings are called vertical and horizontal.

Vertical Tasting- different vintages of the same wine type from the same winery are tasted. This emphasizes differences between various vintages.

Horizontal Tasting- the wines are all from the same vintage but are from different wineries.

Stepping from one level to another gives one a chance to compare. The acts of pausing and focusing through each step distinguishes wine tasting from simple quaffing. I am sure you get my point, so let's move on- What to do when three or more glasses are sitting in front of you...

Tasting Stages-

Appearance:

whites- light to dark gold / reds- rose to dark burgundy (aging causes brown coloration)

Aromas

(bouquet, or nose)

Mouth feel

(body- light/medium/heavy, and sometimes referred to as chewy)

Perceived flavors

(berries, almonds, grassy, musky, etc)

Finish

(aftertaste that seals the deal!)

Lets talk about 'Mouth feel'- I feel food is important in the tasting process. Some mature drinkers will disagree, but I have found over the years that less experienced tasters/drinkers will enjoy more complex and mature, or tannic, younger wines if one has coated their mouth with cheese, or meats (like salami). The fat of the cheese and meats can coat the roof of the mouth and cheeks so that the tannins do not cause what I call 'Pucker face'. Bread and crackers on the other hand are more like palate cleansers. Each bite you take whether bread, cheeses or meats will change the taste of the wine. Once the novice is nudged to have a wine they might not have tried again with a piece of cheese, fruit, or even nuts- they tend to agree in giving wine another chance.

Many times I have witnessed a novice refusing to entertain a varietal of wine such as reds if they have had a bad experience with mouth feel- or as I call it 'Pucker Face'. Mature connoisseurs feel that once a wine has aged, reaching its fruit and tannin peak, or balance; accompaniment of food is not required for drinking. Their palates have grown accustomed to many styles of wine, but to avoid this 'distaste' for certain wines have nibbles waiting for yourself and guests when opening new wines until you begin to mature.

Wine classes- offering wine flights can take place up to three or more hours as to give the student time to taste and re-taste comparisons. Most classes serve small plates of bread, cheese, and meats. Having finger foods on hand can help satisfy that craving and some, like bread or crackers, can also help to cleanse tasters palates between wines. This is another great way to try flights, drill in some education, or refresh on any prior education.

Witherspoon Grill, Princeton- Wine Flight Choices

Quick Restaurant Review- This being my third visit to Witherspoon Grill, I find it consistent all around! This visit we shared a bone in Rib-eye, medium rare and cooked on the 'hot spot' of the grill which gives you a nice char (most wait staff do no mind this request), salad, small plate of cheese/fruit, and calamari between two people. Portions were perfect, and food was great in our two and half hours at the restaurant with our wine flights. We also asked the wines be poured into much larger glasses for aeration, as the glasses in photo above were way to small to swirl.

Witherspoon Grill | Steakhouse | Bar | 57 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ 08542
Steak House ambiance, friendly waitstaff, timely food, short wine and food menu. $$-$$$

Traditional- 
(Traditional Comparison of close regions- great for beginner)
Chalone Chardonnay, CA '08
Parcel 41, Merlot, Napa CA, '06
Water Stone, Cabernet, Napa CA '05

Pinot Noir Tasting-
Cloudine, McMinville, OR '07
Louis Latour, Burgundy FR '07
Paraiso, Santa Lucia, CA '07

Full Body-  (Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting)
(Vertical Tasting, although not same maker-notes included)
High Trellis Cabernet, Austrailia '06
Light body, great bouquet, but a bit young and tannic
Waterstone Cabernet, Napa Valley '05
Medium body, well balanced and my favorite!
Sagelands Cabernet, Columbia Valley '06*
Med-Heavy body, Bordeaux like complexity though, and goes well with steak
*I did want to note on this wine that the bouquet and finish came off like I had just walked into a Christmas store just after Thanksgiving- Almonds, cinnamon, and vanilla scents in the air, was wild, I had never had a wine that tasted like Christmas!

Little Italy- (Horizontal Tasting- notes included)
Barbera D'Asti, '06
 Light body, was okay, and had hints of chocolate
Luigi Rechetti, Baby Amarone '06
I have two bottles of this in my cellar- '05 & '06
Medium body, bouquet great, well balanced and drinkable now or can age
Rocca Di Castagnoli, Chianti Classico IT '06
Medium to heavy body, I was not crazy about this wine, but I am not a big fan of Chianti, but I would be willing to bet this would be great with a pasta dish. The dislike could be from me having palate fatigue. Many times trying too many wines, and so much food- you hit that road block, and its time to stop.

Wine flights can open up your palate to a more varied selection of wines a small sample at a time, and allow you to visit more than one place in a matter of only a few hours. Most beginners do not understand how to develop and learn their palate, and wine flights are a great mechanism for that. So if you have an opportunity to order a wine flight, travel to places you have not been before, then I say happy travels and enjoy your R&R; until the 'real' vacation begins!

Can it be? The reason why we drink wine is because we want to fly high?

If that caught your attention, then go over and read Fermentation's piece on 'Wine, Dope & Unmentionable Truths'; it might cause quite the stir at your next wine tasting...

Lemon Grass Tea Corn Chowder & Cornnut History

I have been wanting to try something I saw on a menu in a local restaurant a while back. A corn chowder seasoned with lemon grass. A bowl of fusion to say the least, and it was so simple. No garnish. Just a bowl of warm yummy ingredients pureed for my pleasure, with some fresh baked bread. Of course I could not just serve up my hubby a pureed soup, or leave my memory of this soup alone. He likes his with a little more substance, so with the addition of some seafood, cubed potatoes, and kicked up flavor would make it more his style.

With this soup still in the back of my mind; driving past so many corn fields this past summer, and a little serendipity brought a post and stepped up my soup idea. Tipper @ Blind Pig & The Acorn who writes about her own Appalachian heritage had written about how corn is gathered and parched for milling and storage through the winter. This could be a story tied into my soup idea!

[Photo is Tipper's father showing her how to make parched corn snack]

Tipper wrote about eating parched corn as a snack- “You can see the finished product-parched corn. It was pretty good; it tasted like popcorn kernels to me. Some kernels were easy to chew up, somewhere impossible. Pap said the corn they grew when he was a child made better parched corn than what we had to work with. I can see why folks would like it, and even crave it. Think of a world where there were no potato chips, cheetos or corn chips. Parched corn would fill the slot for a salty crunchy snack”.

Yes, there it is...parched corn would work as a garnish for my soup!

Growing up I had always wondered why some corn fields sometimes look like they had been freshly scalped, and others as thought it is so dry; stalks just sitting there about to fall over. Maybe a hot spell must have hit the area, and no one had enough water to keep it going. Droughts were common in Texas. What was going on. Yes, it really bothered me. That was until I traveled to the Appalachia Mountains to visit my childhood friend and her family farm. I asked her why the corn was still sitting in the field. She asked me if I wanted to drive over to the field and she would show me something. Okay, okay the soup part is coming...

[Photo is courtesy of Tipper @ Blind Pig & The Acorn- Parched Corn]

Back in September Lisa, her girls and I drove my van out into their pasture. We drove right to the corn fields. They were next to the vegetable garden we about to raid as well. There was this little blue bucket turned over on its side. You could hear music as you drove in, but where was the music coming out from? Lisa told me that they left the music on to scare off the coons, deer. and other critters. This scared them off so they would not steal the corn for their own gluttony. We laughed, because you should have seen the extension cord that came for almost a mile from the main house!

My own family had once moved from Virginia and Tennessee almost two hundred years ago and tried to grow corn on dry west Texas land. I heard family stories of the hard labor that went into working the land. Eventually oil and natural gas brought them fortune. They still own the land today. I had thought about the corn and how it feed so many poor immigrants back then. I had the pleasure of receiving a bag of fresh milled corn for Christmas from Lisa and her family down in Virginia, along with some ham.

Bush Mill, Nicklesville, VA- The only restored operational mill in the region was built between 1896 and 1897. Machinery in the mill is still intact. Annual festival with crafts, music, food and fun for all ages takes place during October each year to grind local corn and sold to keep it running. Recently restored, 1896 water-powered grist mill that uses stones to grind grain into meal.

Parched Corn- Anonymous

Corn nuts are a variation of parched corn. Indians and pioneers ate parched corn almost as a staple while traveling; it was very nutritious and took up little space so was considered an excellent trail food.

Parched corn was made by Indians in the process of putting dried corn on hot rocks or in hot coals. You can make parched corn by simply covering the bottom of a grease-less frying pan with corn and stirring until the kernels are uniformly brown.

Corn nuts are a little more refined. Albert Holloway invented corn nuts in 1936. He originally sold them to tavern owners to be given away free to their patrons as a snack that would be great with beer. Once sold to the public via taversn were called Brown Jug Toasted Corn Nuts. What we know today have additives to give them a fuller crunchier texture. As a sample batch, use one cup of whole corn, bought from any feed or health food store.

Soak the kernels in two cups of water for three days, in the refrigerator, or use frozen corn after roasting them for thirty minutes in a 250 degree oven.

Pour off the water, or dry the kernels in a towel. Heat up about four cups of oil (or grease; bacon, lard, vegetable oil; it doesn't matter). Just before the smoking point ( a drop of water will sputter in the hot oil). In a large spoon lower a heaping tablespoon of kernels into the middle of the grease. The grease will then begin to boil violently. Do this in small batches or the oil will erupt violently and splatter on you, the stove, and the floor.

Keep the hot handle turned away from the front of stove, especially if small children are present. Also, stand back as an occasional kernel will pop like popcorn. Believe me it pops alright; it reminded me why I hate frying anything at all anymore!

Tipper explains more about field and parched corn on her site. She says, “Here in the Southern Highlands of Appalachia, it was typical for folks to leave their corn in the field until it had been frosted on a few times and was completely dried out before the process of gathering was started. The corn in those days was different from the sweet corn most of us are familiar with today; it's often called field corn”.

She and I also spoke about a product called Corn Nuts (mentioned above photo); it appeared on the market when we were both young, and I enjoyed eating them. Coming to the conclusion that they derived from parched corn, I wanted to try making some. Tipper said I might be on to something. Her father had told her it was used as a diet supplement when long traveling was in order, so maybe there was a story waiting to be told. She also said that corn nuts sure tasted better than parched corn, so I had to find out. I decided to incorporate it into my soup recipe.

I followed a recipe in an old church cookbook my friend in Virginia's grandmother showed me. I made three attempts- I took the corn off of several corn on the cobs, sweet variety. I also took a bag of regular yellow corn- soaking both in water for three days as instructed. After drying, I roasted the yellow in the oven, and I fried the sweet white corn. Both were equally good and crunchy, but the fried was more plump and I added some chili powder and Louisiana hot sauce for extra kick with the lemon grass flavored chowder.

Lemongrass Corn Chowder
Take loose leaf lemon tea, along with large chopped lemon grass, and steep it for several hours in boiling water. *While the brew is steeping prepare mise- chop 4 or 5 white potatoes, 1 white onion (finely chopped), 4 garlic cloves (roughly chopped), 3 tablespoons cilantro (finely chopped), and clean 1/2 pound of clams, and rock shrimp; set aside.

1/2 package of large frozen corn (roughly 1 1/2 cup or more), or 2 cups of fresh corn cut off the cob
3 cups vegetable broth

Begin boiling this mixture in soup pot; when begins to boil add the above ingredients*. Cook until potatoes are done. Reserve (and strain) half of potatoes and corn- set aside. Puree mixture until smooth (strain to remove skins from corn and potatoes); add brew lemon grass tea, and reduce mixture until thickens to desired consistency.

Taste to test seasoning, add seafood, and 1 cup rice milk as I used, or heavy cream if desired. Then add corn and potatoes back in. Serve. Top off with home made parched corn.

If you do not want to go through the trouble of making 'Parched Corn' then you could just top the soup off with some Thai Chili sauce and get a similar result, but what fun would that be if you did not get to experiment and find out what your ancestors enjoyed!

Creme Fraiche Crusted Chicken & Artichoke Ravioli

Being hungry on the home front, and  hubby returning from his long out of town work trip (he hates having to eat out so much) is reason enough to go for something comforting for the nights meal. Having chicken, spinach, artichoke ravioli from Trader Joe's, and home made Crème fraiche sounded like a good meal combination. Busy with my own work and classes, and open mic I decided a one pot meal was in order.

I have been spending the same price on thin cut chicken breast fillets lately, and really like the idea of better portion control in them as well (You get six pieces as opposed to three thicker 5 oz breast). This allows for lunches as well.

Just spread a package of frozen spinach into a 9 X 13 baking dish; mixed in 4 ounces of Asiago cheese, pignoli nuts, garlic powder, Italian seasonings, salt/pepper, and 1/2 cup of chicken broth; mix well. Taking the chicken breast and spread Crème fraiche over the tops of each piece, and place on top of spinach mixture.

In a separate bowl I mix garlic powder, paprika, salt/pepper to taste, 1/3 cup bread crumbs, and 1/4 cup Asiago cheese. Sprinkle this mixture over the tops of the chicken and any extra over spinach edges showing.

Bake in Pre-heated 350 degree oven, and bake for 40 minutes uncovered.

Side dish- pouring a 1/2 cup of chicken broth in a large pan on medium heat, you will also add in 1/4 cup of tomato sauce. Once sauce begins to bubble, turn off heat and add ravioli, cover and let warm. Serve with spinach and chicken dish.

The creme fraiche gave the chicken and spinach a nice savory flavor. The pignoli nuts and bread crumbs gave everything a satisfying crunch. I was glad I ran into Trader Joe's on my way back into town, because it made my busy week so much easier. Hubby was happy to return to a home cooked meal, even if I cook it all in one pan and had a little help from Joe!

Wine-Down Wednesday- Portuguese 'Gold'

Chryseia is Greek for 'Gold', a play on the River Douro's name (which means "gold" in Portuguese).


Before we talk about this amazing wine lets look at the Portuguese wine history:

Portugal has had a longer tradition in wine making than most realize; it is safe to say at least as far back as 5000 BC. Most think ‘Port’ and ‘Madeira’ when they hear Portugal right? I have had a few Portuguese wines in the past, and when I got the invitation to attend a  tasting glass to glass Portuguese red wine, well, my answer was a definite “YES”!

Their history producing wine comes from much earlier than the foundation of its Nationality; its history tells us that the Greeks in and around the area borders Pre-Portuguese Republic were already producing wines, and became involved in the wine trade soon after. The early history of Portugal, whose name derives from the Roman name ‘Portus Cale’ has a Mediterranean climate. Csa in the south and Csb in the north. Portuguese wine comes from vineyards that are planted from the northern to the southern regions. Portugal is a small country, but it has a variety of soils and climates that make for so many interesting wine choices.

Portuguese wines have deserved international recognition since the times of the Roman Empire, which associated Portugal with their god Bacchus. Today the country is known by wine lovers and its wines have won several international prizes. Some of the best Portuguese wines are: Vinho Verde, Vinho Alvarinho, Vinho do Douro, Vinho do Alentejo, Vinho do Dão, Vinho da Bairrada and the sweet: Port, Madeira Wine. Moscatel from Setúbal, and Favaios. Port Wine is well known around the world. The Douro wine region is the oldest in the world- ranked 10 in wine making around the world.

Arguably, I read in Wine Spectator, Chryseia could very well be Portugal's top red wine that's not a Port - this wine is unusual, tasty, and an amazing deal for a world class bottle of wine. Reminiscent of a 1st growth Bordeaux, but made from Portugal's native varieties: Touriga Nacional, a low yielding variety of great complexity and finesse, and Touriga Franca (was Touriga Francesa) which is more tannic. Also used are Tinta Roriz, known as Tinto del País (Tempranillo) in Ribera del Duero, and Tinto Cão, a variety with a most attractive aroma.

Chryseia Winery- "A joint venture between the Symington family and Bruno Prats, formerly of Chateau Cos d'Estournel in Bordeaux, has produced Chryseia (House of Dow, Warre, Graham Ports). The wines produced are a fully extracted wine, with purple colors and rich tannins, but it is also finely balanced and very elegant. Most when released are still young, with a dry finish, it should develop in a classic Bordeaux way over the next 5-10 years."

'Partner In Wine'* Chryseia Notes:

Typically if you have not ever attended a wine tasting class- you have six glasses, a tasting note sheet, pencil, and an array of snacks to nibble on while the class takes place (to coat the palate). Tonight was no different. Michele had the learning table set up; ten people signed up to participate; two and half ounce pours of each wine are waiting in each glass, and an experience with this Portuguese wine story to share. Let the tasting begin!

Not all classes have the wines poured and ready. This is part of the aeration that takes place in the glass we discussed in the past 'Wine Myth' post. A classy move on the host part. As discussed young to older wines should have room to breath. Breathing does not take place in the bottle. One wine is even chosen to be decanted, and waits on the kitchen counter. A bonus pour- Post Scriptum, a sixth wine will sit as we spend time with all the big brothers.

(Michele has stated that she found these wines online. Peaking her curiosity she ordered one in particular, the '03, and felt a side by side wine tasting is in order. She also shares that the third wine stood out upon tasting at her last group, and is her all time favorite. All wines we are told, are medium to heavy body. The following are my own tasting notes.)

All the bottles contain some combination of the 4 varieties that I mentioned above: Touriga Nacional,Touriga Franca,Tinta Roriz, aka Tempranillo and Tinto Cão..
Wines listed by (bottled) date, left to right-

These wines are meant to be fruit forward. Berries of either dark cherry, blueberry, or even raspberry with subtle french oak aspects. I love the oak aspects of wines, but felt these were not at all out there. 

'00 & '01:   I felt these two are acidic and high tannic on mouthfeel, but '01 changes with salami and cheese, so my fondness grows. Both fruit forward, and lighter in body.

'02:  This year was never bottled, does not exist.

'03: My first impression upon swirling and sniffing was 'Wow', and cherries. If Michele had not made any statement about this being her favorite, I would still have chosen it as my #1 favorite of the bunch. Straight across the board good with or without food. The purple fruit presentation and mouth feel are feminine, medium body, but soft with low tannin - the oak is there too but sparingly used.

Wine Spectator & Wine Enthusiast both rate this - 92

'04: Ultimately, it may come down to your style preferences, but I felt this was good, but the '03 was better. The tannins were more present, but again with the fatty meat and cheese, and time it opened up. After a few more years it may compare to the '03.

Mark Squires, The Wine Advocate- 93

'05: Beautiful rich blackberry and black cherry fruit by the addition of wood spice and vanilla. Tannins are supple, yet firm enough to give the bold fruit focus and structure on the finish. I read that many of these are better the second day, and as they sat they did open up by the hour.

These all are refined, well integrated tannins around the edges that become more prominent with air, and it grows on you.

Mark Squires, The Wine Advocate- 92

'05: Post Scriptrum de Chryseia- This wine's name comes from the wine does not live up to its big brother, '05 flavor profile, but is always made whereas the Chryseia is only made in good years.

Wine Spectator Rating - 86

The wine is made from the traditional Douro/Port varieties Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Cao, in that order. It’s a fine mouthful of black fruit and spice, with the elegance you’d expect from a Bordeaux master. I have placed my order for the '03 and '05 Post Scriptrum de Chryseia. I would recommend you buy a bottle of this if it is available in your area; available on-line. Shipping to certain states is prohibited, so make sure you check with on-line retailers. Pricing varies from $28 - $60 per bottle. 

Medium to heavy body allows for food pairings from Chicken, quail, beef, wild game, pork, potato, rice, pasta, egg dishes, and with a variety of sauces. I could even see some of these paired with smoked meats, and an edgy spice, or BBQ sauce with hints of cherry in the flavor profile.

Michele A. Heaton- American Wine Society Member, and wine advocate has been sharing and tasting wines for many years. Always did like wine as I never acquired a taste for beer - Boone's Farm, White Zin. Graduated to Rieslings then took a wine class in 2002 and within 10 weeks was turned into a red wine lover - Petite Syrah and Zins especially Rosenblum Zins became my favorite. Now I'm heavily into Grenaches - Rhone, Spain or Oz.

Currently taking Wine & Spirit Education Trust classes...first steps to a Master of Wine.

If you are interested in participating in her well guided wine classes please contact me, and I will forward your information.

*Partners In Wine is a partnership, and business venture between Chef E Stelling- Member AWS who is adventurous in all reds, whites, fortified spirits, and most of all a Scotch/Whiskey lover! She enjoys pairing wine with food, travels the country in search of good wine, as well as takes continuing education wine and food classes.

Adrienne Turner, Member AWS- is a wine writer and advocate who loves her reds, especially Baby Amarone, but shares a love for tasting and talking about how wines can change one's life. She also shares her partners love for Scotch/Whiskey, and is involved with continuing wine education classes.

A website for their joint venture is in the works!

Smothered Steak & Beech Mushrooms

My second dish made with St. Louis boy this past month is quite easy, but what made it so special were the Beech Mushrooms we used. Both of us loving mushrooms, these were some neither of us had seen before. Schnucks is  a local food market in the St. Louis area and their offerings of ingredients was quite pleasing compared to what I had remembered. I even bought Lemon Grass for soup I will be sharing in a future post.

We found the beech mushrooms had a nice earthy smell, but a bitter taste when eaten raw. I researched and found after cooking their flavor will liven up in true earthy mushroom manner. They added a great flavor to the gravy while slow cooking (we had bagged up the left over chuck roast gravy, and used it for this recipe).

The Brown Beech mushroom is a highly nutritious mushroom containing significant amounts of potassium, protein, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium and Vitamin D2 (please refer to Nutrition Facts in Fresh Mushroom Products section). The Brown Beech is highly valued for its culinary properties. Recent research indicates that this mushroom also has strong medicinal activities. 

Unpublished research in Japan found that the addition of Beech mushrooms to the diet of mice with deficient ApoE levels reduced the density of serum cholesterol and the areas of arteriosclerosis around the heart and main artery by 74% when compared to the control group (see section titled "Recent Medical Research on Beneficial Effects of Mushrooms on Health). Matsuzawa (1998) reported that adding Beech mushroom fruitbodies to the diet of tumor-bearing mice resulted in a potent anti-tumor effect. This research suggests that the significant increases in antioxidant activities (AOA) in the plasma may be a mechanism of the cancer preventative effects.

Brown Beech- Hypsizygus tessulatus
White Beech- Bunapi-shimeji


Alternative Names:
Hypsizygus marmoreus, Buna Shimeji, Hon Shimeji


Description:


Cultivated varieties harvested in tight clusters with mushrooms attached to common base, and typically grown on beech trees (hence the name). Caps 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches wide, brownish with mottled "water spots" (Brown). White caps indicate white beech. Stems and gills white to cream in color.


Known Active Constituents:


Polysaccharides
L-Ergothioneine
Sterols
Ergosterol - Provitamin D2




Purported Uses:


Anti-oxidant
Arteriosclerosis treatments
Skin treatments
Anti-inflammatory
Immune system enhancement

Medicinal Properties and Modes of Actions:


The Brown Beech mushroom is a highly nutritious mushroom containing significant amounts of potassium, protein, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium and Vitamin D2 (please refer to Nutrition Facts in Fresh Mushroom Products section). The Brown Beech is highly valued for its culinary properties. Recent research indicates that this mushroom also has strong medicinal activities. Unpublished research in Japan found that the addition of Beech mushrooms to the diet of mice with deficient ApoE levels reduced the density of serum cholesterol and the areas of arteriosclerosis around the heart and main artery by 74% when compared to the control group (see section titled "Recent Medical Research on Beneficial Effects of Mushrooms on Health). Matsuzawa (1998) reported that adding Beech mushroom fruitbodies to the diet of tumor-bearing mice resulted in a potent anti-tumor effect. This research suggests that the significant increases in antioxidant activities (AOA) in the plasma may be a mechanism of the cancer preventative effects.


The Beech mushroom also has been reported to have beneficial effects on skin conditions. A high-end cosmetic company (Origins) includes Hysizygus mushroom extracts in some of its skin treatment products.

The Shimeji should be cooked, it is not good raw. When raw, mushroom has a somewhat bitter taste; the bitterness disappears completely upon cooking. The cooked mushroom has a pleasant, firm, slightly crunchy texture and a delicious slightly nutty flavor. Cooking makes mushroom easier to digest. It is good with stir-fried foods, wild game or seafood. It is used in soups, stews and sauces. When cooked alone, Shimeji mushrooms can be sautéed as a whole, including the stem or stalk (only the very end cut off), using a higher temperature, or they can be slow roasted on a low temperature with a small amount of butter or cooking oil. Shimeji is used in soups, nabe and takikomi gohan.

Crock Pot Smothered Steak


4-5 tenderized cube steak (if you cannot find this, I have tenderized round steak instead, my son laughed when he did  not have a tenderizer hammer the last time, and I used a plastic wrapped soup can!)
1 sliced red onion
3-4 cloves of mashed garlic
salt/pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of paprika
flour
2 eggs, beaten well, and mixed with 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup chopped mushrooms
2 cups beef or vegetable stock

Season meat, and then dip them into egg/buttermilk mixture; dredge into flour and place in crock pot. Add onion, mushrooms and stock. Cook for up to three hours, or until tender. Serve with a green vegetable. We used raw clean spinach.

Cube steak is a cut of beef, usually top round or top sirloin, tenderized by fierce pounding with a meat mallet, or use of an electric tenderizer found in most butcher markets. Many professional cooks insist that regular tenderizing mallets cause too much mashing to produce a proper cube steak, and insist on either using specialized cube steak machines, or manually applying a set of sharp pointed rods to pierce the meat in every direction. This is the most common cut of meat used for chicken fried steak.
Minute steak

In some parts of the United States, cube steak may be called a minute steak, because it can be cooked quickly.

Others distinguish minute steak as:


* minute steak is simply a cut, not necessarily tenderized;
* minute steak is thinner than cube steak (hence does not need tenderizing);
* minute steak is cut from sirloin or round, while cube steak cut from chuck or round.

Notes


1. ^ "What is a Minute Steak?". Wisegeek.com. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-minute-steak.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
2. ^ Randal W. Oulton. "Cube Steak". Practicallyedible.com. http://www.practicallyedible.com/edible.nsf/pages/cubesteak. Retrieved 2009-06-20.

St. Louis boy asked me what the difference between Swiss and Smothered steak are. I replied that 'Smothered Swiss Steak' is an oxymoron in my book...

* Swiss steak- The subtle difference between Smothered and Swiss steak is the use of vegetables and tomatoes in most Swiss steak recipes.

The name does not refer to Switzerland, but instead to the process of "swissing", which refers to fabric or other materials being pounded or run through rollers in order to soften it.

Typically called smothered steak in the US, and other countries such as England, this dish begins with a thick cut of beef-usually round or chuck-that has been tenderized by pounding, coated with flour and browned on both sides. The meat is then smothered with chopped tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, beef broth and various seasonings before being covered and braised, baked or simmered for about 2 hours.

[Photo courtesy of  Wikipedia- Viennese Schnitzel]

I have learned that the preference of ingredients in either dish over the years separates the two in kitchens, but both came from essentially the same idea. Eventually 'Chicken Fried Steak' resulted from the core idea of dredging cubed steak in flour, and serving with pan gravy, serves as a inexpensive dish for low income families. The roots of this dish originated in the south, in and around the Appalachian mountains when German settlers brought their homeland recipes to the area.

The most obvious dish being the Wiener-schnitzel from Germany, and using pounded pieces of pork. What worked for pork in Germany was quickly adopted for the beef in the Southwest areas of our country.

Information on slow cooking, crock pots, Beech mushrooms, and cubed steak- Thanks! Wikipedia, History of Slow Cooking by C. Jeanne Heida, Alexis AKA Mom, and 'Food Around The World' Culinary Text.

Selected Beech Mushroom References:


Ikekawa, T. et. al., 1992. "Antitumor activity of Hypsizygus marmoreus. I. Antitumor activity of extracts and polysaccharides." Chem. Pharm. Bull. 40(7):1954-1957.


Matsuzawa, T, et. al., 1997. "Studies on antioxidant effect of Hypsizygus marmoreus I. Effects of Hypsizygus marmoreus for antioxidant activities of mice plasma.


Matsuzawa, T, et al., 1998. "Studies on antioxidant effect of Hypsizygus marmoreus. II. Effects of Hypsizgus marmoreus for antioxidant activities of tumor-bearing mice". Agricultural Technology Institute of Nagano, Japan. Yakugaku Zasshi Oct; 1998(10):476-481.


Saitoh, H. et. al. 1997. "Antitumor activity of Hypsizygus marmoreus. II. Effect against lung metastasis on Lewis Lung Carcinoma. Yakugaku Zasshi 117(12)1006-1010.


Tsuchlda, K. et. al. 1995. "Isolation of a novel collagen-binding protein from the mushrooms, Hypsizygus mamoreus, which inbitis Lewis Lung Carcinoma cell adhesion to the Type IV collagen". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 270(4):1481-1484.

I got a really nice message from a blog asking for the slider roll recipe from one of my last posts, and since I did not have my regular yeast roll recipe with me in St. Louis,  I simply used one from Sara @ Our Best Bites I had bookmarked. I just added zest and juice from a clementine to the flour before mixing; did a egg wash to brown them, and cooked in his brownie pan. I slathered the Mojo marinade on top (they were cooked a few days before, and simply covered with foil), and re-warmed. The citrus flavor complimented the Mojo buffalo sliders in a way you might not expect, and I will be making these again!

Crock Pot Carnivores

Has crock pots, or slow cooking make a comeback in the last few years? Maybe they have never really gone anywhere? Like fondue pots they are sitting quietly back in the corner of your kitchen cabinets waiting to be dusted off. What is the appeal to slow cooking your food while you sleep? Who wouldn't love leaving for work early in the morning and return home to a hot family meal?

If you follow me, you know I have to look deeper into just where those avocado green and gold beauties got their start! Can slow cooking, and the gadgets that make the life of Alexis AKA Mom (she posts so many wonderful crock pot recipes), and could make our life so much easier!

St. Louis boy has decided he loves the crock pot I passed on to him when he moved away a few years ago. I inherited it from a friend who never used it, and it was still in the box. Go figure! Evidently it can be a mom's and a students most prized piece of kitchen equipment, or so I hear. Like my mom, I rely on the low temperature of an oven, and the grill for my cooking, but I am willing to show my son you might be able to teach an old dog new tricks.

Finding no pin pointed date only the year 1971 for the beginnings of the slow cooker. Crock-Pot (a trademark that is often used generically in the USA) and the Slo-Cooker (a trade mark that is often used generically in the UK), is a counter top electrical cooking appliance that maintains a relatively low temperature (compared to other cooking methods like baking, boiling, and frying) for many hours, allowing unattended cooking of pot roast, stew, and other suitable moist dishes.

A LITTLE HISTORY: Ever since man first tamed fire, slow cooking was discovered as a way to soften up and tenderize those tough slabs of meat and fibrous root vegetables. In prehistoric times, indigenous peoples often cooked wild root plants in a slow burning fire pit for a full 24 hours. This released the nutrition locked into the bulbs and made them much more tender and tastier to eat. Tough meat cuts especially benefit from slow cooking. Slow cooking these chewy cuts broke down the collagen in the meat and turned it into a gelatinous broth. As the fibers of the meat separated and shrunk during slow cooking, the juices would moisten the meat and turn even the toughest cuts into a mouth watering meal.

A crock pot is born! We can thank our ever loving beans for this gadget. Knowing the pains of not wanting to stand at the stove and continually stirring and watching the heat of a pot of beans (as my own parents did week after week when I was a girl) helps me imagine this invention being a good convenience. Canned bean selections pretty limited in the early 1960s, it's no wonder that the West Bend developed an electric bean cooker called the Bean Pot. This early electric slow cooker resembled a tradition crockery bean pot which rested on a warming tray.

The Naxon Utilities Corp of Chicago developed their own version of a bean cooker, called the Beanery. This primitive slow cooker was a self contained unit and the precursor of the modern slow cooker. In 1970, the Rival company acquired the assets of the Naxon Utilities Corp and the rights to the Beanery. Rival refined the looks of the Beanery, and in 1971, introduced the Rival Crock-pot slow cooker.

Finding that the public was not jumping at this device as they had hoped their company cooks experimented with ways of cooking many other ingredients, and found they were on to something. The Rivel Crock Pot with its removable and easy clean crock was the market appeal that brought it to the fore front in the early 70's. Eventually when more refined cooking became the in thing among couples and families, this gadget was the butt of jokes.

Some how the slow cooker is a retro comeback and sits on the shelves of many food markets and department stores. I have looked around and most of the smaller ones no longer have removable crocks, and as technology goes are disposable and cheap. My son's crock pot is one of those, and I was disappointed when I could not clean it as easily as I had thought. Alexis AKA Mom has a quick fix for that problem- Slow Cooker Liners, made by Reynolds.

The Liners come four to a box. The Liners are made of a clear plastic that is sturdy and fits a 3 to 6.5 quart round or oval crock pot. These liners are great for easy cleanup, but have a downfall. You cannot lift the food out of the crock pot in the liners, they break. Occasionally when cooking on high, there will be a brown residue on the side of the crock pot where it looks like the plastic stuck to the side. The plastic does not melt and the plastic doesn’t actually stick but it did leave a mark. This was easily wiped clean with a dish towel and a little hot soapy water.

Crock Pot Chuck Roast

1- 2 1/2 pound chuck roast
5 white fingerling potatoes
1 cup chopped or small carrots
1/2 sliced red onion

Season chuck roast, and brown in medium high skillet to brown. De-glaze pan with 1/2 cup red wine. Place roast in crock pot along with vegetables, wine, and 1 to 2 cups vegetable broth. Place on low heat, and begin cooking for 6 to 8 hours. St. Louis boy said it was not uncommon for him to leave it all night, and placing the crock pot into the fridge until he returns home later that day. Reheat a portion in a baking dish in oven, and serve.

This next dish I will write about is one of his favorites that I make each time he returns home, or when I visit him in St. Louis. Usually, I cook this dish in the oven, but I was willing to try a new cooking method. The dish- Crock Pot Smothered Steak.

I am most likely back home by the time this piece will be posted. St. Louis boy and I will be looking forward to a trip to Spain later this year where he and I will get the chance to practice more of our Spanish, since our restaurant reservation was accepted at El Bulli, Chef Ferran Adria, Barcelona (the first and top molecular gastronomy restaurant in the world)! Below is one of his college friends, Paul that I enjoyed meeting.

Information on slow cooking and crock pots- Thanks! Wikipedia, History of Slow Cooking by C. Jeanne Heida, Alexis AKA Mom, and other research.