Tuesday, January 31, 2006

 

Molinari & Sons

Lately I've noticed that some shops in the Boston area carry items produced by Molinari & Sons, a salami producer in San Fran. If you were here a few months ago, you may have read the SF Chronicle article about them. They make authentic Italian style salami, soppresatta etc. The company is more than 100 years old and still in the family. The website contains more info on the products and history. Depending on the level of your squeemishness around raw meats and butchering, you may want to skip the "process" page.

I've only had a chance to sample the salamito and the soppresatta. They are both as good if not better than most other stuff you see around here though the Brooklyn made Sopp on sale at Sessa's is still my personal favorite. The number of items listed on the site are probably only available in the Bay area so I'll have to wait until I can try them. I particularly look forward to the Coteghino, an 11 pound raw sausage. Sounds like a MEATSTOCK item if I ever heard of one.

Monday, January 30, 2006

 

Endorsement: The Silver Spoon Cookbook

Cookbooks and me have a funny sort of relationship. In general, they are nice to have as a means to whet the appetite, get ideas and explore a regional cuisine or method but in my experience, I rarely actually use one to follow a recipe. It isn’t that I don’t need them; it’s more a matter of not being able to improvise that irks me. In the end, they often end up on the shelf looking nice. A really good cookbook is one that doesn’t stay pretty for long; it should be covered in splatters and stains from being too close to the action. Most of my cookbooks are pretty, with intact spines.

This past Christmas however, I was given the Silver Spoon cookbook and it has changed me utterly. The book was originally published in Italy in 1950 and through several revisions is referred to as the "bible" of Italian cooking. (Whenever the term ‘bible’ is used to refer to a document, it is either an exaggeration or a true testament [pun intended]. I’m going to withhold comment on that and focus on how it has affected my doings in the kitchen.) Finally, someone decided to publish an English edition last year and I was a beneficiary.

The breadth is impressive and the layout is familiar. The broader categories are broken into individual ingredients. For instance, in the vegetable section, you have a number of carrot recipes following a brief intro to cooking carrots. Most recipes are very short with just a few lines of directions next to the ingredient list. Each page of the book has large food-porn photos so the layout requires brevity that might confuse the home cook used to more detail. In addition, the translation is a bit off at times and the recipes themselves are sometimes vague and confusing. But once you get the hang of the format and learn to read ahead, you’ll be fine. Most Italian dishes rely on simplicity, technique and the quality of ingredients for success. The recipes reflect that in their stark simplicity.

If actions speak louder than words, the fact that I have used several recipes in this book in the first month since owning it is the best endorsement I can give. I first used it Christmas day when we needed to bring some veg sides for the family dinner. I found myself a little perturbed that I kept having to reread such simple instructions but the final products were surprisingly good given the simplicity: sauté garlic, add broccoli, add water, you’re done. A few days later I was told to bring a salad to a dinner with friends (they asked me to bring salad, weird huh?). It had a grand total of five ingredients but was as good as any salad I’ve ever made (sic). Finally, last week I was looking for something to do with cabbage and came across a recipe with an unusual cooking method that in the end was quite delicious once I got past my skepticism. I will continue to use it, the results have been great and most importantly, I’ve been learning new methods and using ingredients I don’t normally.

Thursday, January 19, 2006

 

Wine cliches

Quirky little article in this weeks NYT food and wine section. I spend part of my day at work reading wine descriptions, another part describing wines. I like this article for it's complaints yet sometimes find it difficult to come up with new words. I completely agree with the overuse of bad puns using "zin" on wine labels.

And yes, sometimes saying "cab," "chard" and "zin" is just easier.

Friday, January 13, 2006

 

Occasional Wine Picks, January '05, Fred Spanish Special

This feature always seems to be prompted by a request. Last one was for Karl, this one is for Fred. His local wine shop is having it's 30% off sale and he's looking for recommendations. When possible, I will make recommendations from the Pop's website but at first glance, their stock is quite different than ours so there isn't much in common.

Spain is making some terrific wines at prices that are still very reasonable. Everyone knows about Rioja and Ribera del Duero but there are other regions that are up and coming, particularly Castilla y Leon, Jumilla and Castilla la Mancha. Their production methods are top quality and while the wines are certainly in the mainstream style and taste ranges, often the flavors are just different enough to keep things interesting. I said last time that Portugese table wines are up and coming, Spain is there now and given the very good ratings recent vintages are getting, prices will only go up.

Reds:
Tempranillo is the noble grape found in Rioja, Toro and Ribera del Duero. Think of it as the Spanish Cabernet. Old style riojas and riberas had lots of oak and lots of depth. Many still are but there are many producers in other regions who make more fruit forward wines that are easier on the palate (and wallet) and better with a wider range of foods.

Garnacha and Monsastrell are Spanish for Grenache and Mourvedre, the Rhone varietals. In Spain they are often made from old vines that give a depth of flavor that turns a relatively fruity, one-dimensional wine into something far more serious. Jumilla and Yecla are hotbeds for monastrell. Pop's has the bellum providencia but don't get it, it's too weird. Ask for a simpler, more fruit forward wine. In garnacha, the Mas Donis is quite good and available at Pop's. Try either vintage.

There are a variety of other native varieties that make Spain kinda fun to shope around in. Mencia exists somewhere between pinot noir and syrah and comes from Bierzo, in the Castilla y Leon region. Prieto picudo is a variety also from Castilla y Leon that gives nice fruit flavors and an earthy character. Very rustic yet approachable. We carry the Alaia but Pop's doesn't, it's a terrific value at less than 10 bucks. You'll also find plenty of cabs, merlots and syrahs in Spain that are quite good.

Whites:
Albarino is a nice variety from the north west, near the Pork-n-cheese border. It makes a crisp white with a lovely tropical fruit acidity that is great with fresh flaky white fish or shellfish. Burgans makes one and I loved the 2003 but was very disappointed by the 2004. Maybe it was a bad bottle, I can't say. Ask the sales guy what he thought.

Verdejo has the crisp acidity of a sauv. blanc but with a mellower body. Rueda is the region best known for the grape and there are a couple listed on Pop's list.

Elsewhere around the world, I have the following recommendations for Fred based on what I see on the pops site:

-Douro reds, full flavored, red meat wines from Portugal.

-Austrian Gruner Veltliner. Mineralic, complex and great with fondue, weiner schnitzel, breaded and fried anything.

-Muscadet, whites from Loire that aren't sauv. blanc but very good in their own right. See the NYT this past week for more details.

-Paringa shiraz and Cab from Oz. Nice affordable wine that isn't as big as most aussie wines are.

-Italian Vermentinos, a delicious white grape. 'nuff said.

-Di Majo Norante San Gregorio Sangiovese. Great inexpensive pizza/pasta wine.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

 

Mcdonalds: 0, Italian Bread: 1

It wasn't exactly a fair fight but I'm satisfied with the result.

Sunday, January 08, 2006

 

It's all gone Screwy

The above link goes to an article on a group of winemakers who want to promote greater use of screwcaps and to correct some of the misconceptions regarding the tin top you see more and more often on bottles of wine these days. I'll use this occasion to bore you with a short essay on the topic.

At work, we end up discussing the issue of screwcaps at least once a day. Most consumers have by now realized that it is no longer a mark of quality but a growing trend based on useful technoloy. On occasion we get an older person who can only think of blue nun or gallo jug wine when they see a screw cap and avoid it at all costs. Sometimes what will happen is that people have no compunction about buying for themselves but when giving a gift or bringing somthing to a party, they avoid screwcaps to avoid looking cheap. This is perfectly understandable but hopefully as more wineries take up the screwcap trend, attitudes will change.

Many producers, particularly in Australia/NZ and American iconoclasts like Bonny Doon, use the screwcap on almost all their wines. The reasons are simple and will be further discussed below: the screwcap is simply a better closure technologically, the problem of "corked" wine is virtually eliminated, and the wine will not evolve as much, thus preserving the flavors and balance that the winemaker sought to capture when it was bottled.

On the first point, the modern screwcap, known as a Stelvin closure, is a simple solution to a simple problem; how to close a vessel containing a liquid. Rather than using a cork, which was all the rage in the 13th century, a screwtop captures the essence of all the benefits of modern technology. It also can be manufactured just about anywhere while corks are harvested almost exclusively in Portugal. And if you think that they just use it because it's cheaper, you should know that the stelvin actually costs slightly more to use per bottle than cork does, indicating that it is a choice based on quality, not cost.

The second reason concerns the taint that wine that is cork-stopped is susceptible to. "Corked" wine is that which is affected by a fungus called TCA that occurs on some corks. Wines afflicted with this fungus have strong odors of wet cardboard and taste fairly awful. The taint can be mild, leaving some sippers to think the wine is simply not very good, or it can make a wine unpalatable to even the least discerning taster. Though it is difficult to know for sure given that not all corked wines are returned, approximately 5% of all wines with cork closures are tainted. By contrast, fewer than 1% of all screwcap wines suffer. If you're a producer in Australia, perhaps as far from Portugal as you can get without leaving the planet, it simply makes sense. For producers everywhere else, it simply eliminates the risk of spoiled wine. Nothing sucks the joy out of that special bottle you were saving than to find it corked upon opening. A screwcap may take away from the ceremony of uncorking a nice bottle but if it tastes the way it is supposed to, no one will care after a few sips.

The third point gets into matters more complex. In the bottle, wine will change and develop no matter how it is closed. A little air helps this process along. The traditional cork is somewhat porous allowing a small amount of air to seep in. This is trouble when too much air seeps in as when a cork dries and shrinks but for many wines that require ageing, this seepage actually helps it develop. Of course a screwcap is airtight so purists maintain that it will never fully replace the cork. However, given that less than 15% of all wine produced today is meant to be aged, this isn't much of a concern. Just in case, I've noticed that many producers who use screwcaps on their less expensive wines use corks on their premiere wines; either to provide the benefit of air contact or an admission that you can't charge more than a certain amount for screwcap wine.

The way that the screwcap is presented is interesting in that you get a feel for how the producer wants to present it. Some bottles, like Kim Crawford NZ Sauvignon Blanc, integrate the cap into the packaging seamlessly so you may not notice until you go to open it. Others, like Murphy Good's Tin Roof wines, call attention to it (get it, 'tin roof'?) while Two Tone Farms defies convention with it's slogan: "Napa Comes Unscrewed."

My favorite screwcap related story was told by a customer who came in recently. He had one of those silly rabbit corkscrews and was making a big deal out of how cool it was with some friends at his dinner party. He plunged the screw into a bottle but couldn't get it to pull out. A closer look showed that the bottle had a screwcap, not a cork. This story shows both how far along the trend has come and also how ridiculously over-engineered those damn rabbits are. Personally, I'd like to see more screwcaps for no other reason than to see that product fade from existence. Add to that the benefits of technology and fewer tainted bottles and I have absolutely no issues with it.

Twist or Pop but enjoy the wine,
Matt

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

 

booze shipping info

Want to send your friend a bottle of that great wine you had that isn't available in her state? ship it discreetly.

This article helps clear up some of the confusion over the legality of shipping wine. It still isn't legal in all states but as this hints at, no one will know if you don't mention it. Beware that conditions while in transit might not be ideal. You'll want to avoid sparkling wines and beers which may burst when pressure changes occur during flight if the package goes via air. Above all, wrap it well to avoid breakage, a soggy red box is a dead giveaway.

 

Another reason to like Oregon

This article (in the NYTimes, sorry) describes a market in Oregon that emphasizes locally raised produce, dairy and meats. The impact this sort of purchasing has on the local agrarian economy has literally saved many small time farmers and ranchers. Hoorah!

Monday, January 02, 2006

 

VdV Christmas Party menu

Last month we at Vinodivino went out for dinner to celebrate christmas and hannaquaj as a team. Raphael and Nancy, the store owners, hosted Adam the manager, Orlee the part-timer and myself to an excellent meal at Aquitaine Bis, a fine French restaurant in Chestnut Hill, MA. I knew beforehand that the wine would be provided by Raphael but I didn't know that the menu would be specially arranged beforehand and that we were to be treated to a 6 course meal. It was all remarkably well done and each course and wine was exquisite. It was so good that I just used the word "exquisite."

I'd like to share the menu here not to gloat but to show what can happen when people who know what they are doing get together to create a culinary experience. They basically cooked some of their favorite dishes for us and we brought some excellent wine. The staff knew who we were and treated us very well. They sampled the wines with us and basically we all just had a big ole gluttonous good time.

The menu went like this:

Welcome Course
Foie Gras Mousse Brulee with brioche toast, cornichons and grain mustard
Paired with Bollinger NV Brut Champagne

First Course
Butternut Squash Bisque with tart apples sweet onions and sage beurre noisette
Paired with Colli di Lapio Fiano di Avellino 2003 (an italian white, Fiano is the grape)

Second Course
Belgian Endive Salade with apple, roquefort, walnuts and watercress
Paired with Colli di Lapio Fiano di Avellino 2003

Third Course
Seared Monkfish with smoked chive butter, sauteed watercress, chanterelles, tomato caramel and crisp sopressata. The sopressata was a thin slice fried into a wafer; something I plan on replicating.
Paired with Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay 2001 (once called "the best white wine ever exported out of Australia by Wine Spectator")

Fourth Course
Porcini Rubbed Ribeye with horseradish pomme puree, haricot vert and caramelized shallots
Paired with Fontodi Flaccianello della Piave 2001 (Sangiovese from Chianti). Holy crap this was good wine. I liked it so much Raphael gave me a bottle for Christmas, it will be reserved for something special.

Fifth Course
Dessert Tasting and Cheese. I don't remember exactly what was there but it was remarkable for how it tasted and that there was so much of it.
Paired with Philippe Delesvaux Grains Noble (botrytized chenin blanc from the Loire, gets a 99 point rating, a remarkably well balanced sweet wine)

Needless to say, this was a meal to remember. I am very thankful to Raphael and Nancy for their generosity, taste and employment. Thanks to the wonderful staff and service at Aquitaine we all had a great time indulging in what was essentially a collection of some of their best dishes with some of our best wines.

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