New recipe, November 30, 2011

Grilled Steak with Olive and Caper Spread served with a tomato, onion arugula salad from Epicurious. Winner!

Wine Matteocorreggia Roero 2006

New recipe, November 29, 2011

We attended an event for One Colorado, so the new recipe is a cocktail: Tres Agaves Margarita from Epicurious

New recipe, November 28, 2011

Grilled Scallops with Tomato-Onion Relish from Epicurious (delicious! Is there anything with scallops that isn't?), and red quinoa with green onions.
Wine: Ribbonwood Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010

New recipes, November 27, 2011

From Epicurious: Rice and Chicken Pilaf with Dried Currants and Toasted Almonds, and Cucumber and Pomegranate Salad. Both are quite tasty!
Wine: Lan Rioja Crianza 2006. Very nice match with these dishes!

New recipe, November 26, 2011

Pork Roulade with Red Bell Pepper, Leek, Fresh Fig and Sage (we created this), Roasted Butternut Squash and Potatoes, and Arugula, Pomegranate and Toasted Pecan Salad from Epicurious. These were all delicious!  The figs came from our tree at home, and the squash was from our garden!
For the roulade, we cut a pork tenderloin in half, just keeping the two halves from separating.  Then pound the tenderloin til it is about 1/2 inch thick.  The filling is about 1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper and 1/4 cup minced leek, both sautéed a few minutes in 1 tbsp olive oil.  Mix these with 5-6 minced fresh figs, and 4-5 large leaves of sage finely minced.  Mix these ingredient with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a little salt and pepper.  Place the mixture on the tenderloin, then roll it and use toothpicks to close.  Salt and pepper the outer part of the tenderloin.  Sear the tenderloin for 5-6 minutes in olive oil, then roast for 13 minutes in the oven.  Let rest for 5 minutes, then slices and serve.
Wine: 2005 Maison Ambroise Côtes de Nuits Villages

New recipe, November 25, 2011

Beef Tagliata with Arugula and Radicchio from Epicurious, with Herbed Roasted Potatoes. Absolutely delicious!
Wine: Espiritu de Chile 2007 Carmenère

New recipe, November 24, 2011

Herb Roasted Turkey from Cooks Illustrated via NPR. This got raves from the whole family! We had a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner with contributions from the whole family.  This was our part!

New recipe, November 23, 2011

As we were driving up to Tabernash for Thanksgiving, the new recipe was a Negroni, from Epicurious.  Yum!

New recipe, November 22, 2011

From Epicurious: Jumbo Shrimp Marsala House-wife Style (Gamberoni Casalinga Siciliana), served with glass noodles.  No wine this evening.

New recipe, November 21, 2011

Spanish Pork with Apple Citrus Salsa from Cooking Light. Yum! The pork tenderloin recipes in the September 2011 issue have been great. Several of the heirloom tomatoes we picked green at the end of the season ripened while we were gone, so we also had fresh heirloom tomatoes seasoned with alder smoked salt.
Wine: Puerta Bonita G5 2008 Garnacha

New recipe, November 20, 2011

Enchildadas Suizas from Rick Bayless' Fiesta at Rick's. Delicious! We also had the Mexican Cosmos and Guacamole with Orange and Chipotle (a riff off some of Rick's recipes).

New recipes, November 19, 2011

Our watermelon-goat cheese-greens and fig appetizer again, with Achiote Seared Shrimp with Quick Habanero Pickled Onions, from Rick Bayless' Fiesta at Rick's and the Mexican Style Cosmo, made with the simple and delicious Agua de Jamaica.

Yum!

New recipes, November 18, 2011

From Rick Bayless' Authentic Mexican:
Pork Filled Enchiladas Filled with Orange Red Mole (can't find a recipe link on line), and Relishy Cactus-Paddle Salad (I grilled the nopales on a griddle, they are great!). Both are absolutely delicious! So much fun to shop for the ingredients in Mexican markets, and to cook everything! We had to wait for the tortillas to come off the comal--can't get any fresher than that!

New recipe, November 17, 2011

Chicken-Filled Enchiladas with Tangy Tomatillo Salsa (we skipped the crema) from Rick Bayless' Authentic Mexican. Rick hits these flavors on the nail--another winner!

New recipe, November 16, 2011

From Rick Bayless' Fiesta at Rick's: Yucatecan Shredded Salad with habanero and cilantro (Dzik de Res). Sorry, but I can't find a recipe online to link to.  Delicious! Different cuisine, but reminds us of our favorite Thai chicken salad in the balance of spice, tart, salt, and crunch and soft textures.
Wine: Don Simon Airen 2008

New recipes, November 15, 2011

Minced Pork with Almonds, Raisins and Sweet Spices (Picadillo Oaxaqueño) from Rick Bayless' Authentic Mexican, and Spicy Jícama, Cucumber and Fruit Skewers (we skipped the skewers and made it a salad) from Fiesta at Rick's.
The Picadillo is often in an empanada, but we did not want to fry, so we did the Picadillo in a tortilla--the empanada would have been better. The salad was delicious.

New recipe, November 14, 2011

From Rick Bayless' Authentic Mexican: Cold Chicken and Avocado with Chile Chipotle. A delicious salad!

New recipes, November 13, 2011

Huitlacoche Filling with Caramelized Vegetables for Crispy Tacos (sorry, I can't find a link for this), and Savory Tomato Broth and Pickled Vegetables for Crispy Tacos, from Rick Bayless' Fiesta at Rick's. Served with sautéed chopped chicken breast marinated with guajillo chiles and lime juice (a simple marinade we created). To avoid the extra fat, we just heated the fresh blue corn tortillas on the griddle and rolled the tacos.
Delicious! We are in Mexico, how could we not cook with such a unique local ingredient? The caramelized vegetables give the filling such depth and body! Huitlacoche is a fungus that grows inside corn kernels. In Mexico it is a unique gourmet ingredient, but in the US it is called "corn smut" and has been all but eradicated. What a pity!

Wine: Don Simon Airen 2008--an off-dry white from a grape variety we had never had before.  Worked nicely with the spiciness of the food.

New recipe, November 12, 2011

Beef and Potato Salad with Smoky Chipotle from Rick Bayless' Fiesta at Rick's. With corn tortillas, and a "deconstructed pico de gallo" (tomato salad with onion, serrano, cilantro and lime juice).

New recipes, November 11, 2011

Cooking in Mexico, staying with our friends Larry and Viny! From Rick Bayless' Fiesta at Rick's: Grilled Skirt Steak Tacos with Knob Onions and Cactus, and Orange Tomatillo Salsa. We also repeated the Mango Guacamole. Delicious!

New recipe, November 10, 2011

Pepper Coriander Scallop Skewers with Tarragon Salad from Epicurious, with some modifications (didn't use skewers, didn't have tarragon, and I did not use eggwhite to coat the scallops--I just rolled them in the spices), and an Autumn Couscous from Whole Foods Market.  The scallops were excellent!  I will make this one again!
Wine: Domaine de Pellehaut Harmonie de Gascogne 2009

New recipe, November 9, 2011

Bifteck Sauté Bercy from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, with Couscous with Peas and Truffle Salt, and a fresh garden salad, with a few more late ripening tomatoes from our garden.
Wine: Craneford Barossa Valley 2005 Merlot

New recipe, November 8, 2011

Queen Elizabeth cocktail, from Epicurious.

New recipe, November 7, 2011

Spicy Glass Noodle Salad from Epicurious.  Loaded with garlic, but balanced.  "Amazingly good!"

No wine with this dinner,

New recipe, November 6, 2011

Pepper Pork from Cooking Light, with Couscous and Peas, and a garden salad with Viandox vinaigrette.  This recipe is another absolute winner--so simple, so healthy, and so damn good!
Wine: Craneford Barossa Valley 2005 Merlot

New recipe, November 5, 2011

A Blenton, from Epicurious. Mark was in New Haven for a memorial and crew reunion, and Carl had a dinner event, so another cocktail!

New recipe, November 4, 2011

Asian Noodle Dinner Salad from Epicurious.  Simple and delicious!  No wine--we went to see American Night: The Ballad of Juan Jose at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

New recipe, November 3, 2011

Corpse Reviver No 2, from Bon Appetit. We attended Dining Out For Life, a fund raiser for Project Angel Heart, so no dinner prepared this evening.

New recipe, November 2, 2011

Baja Pork Stir Fry from Cooking Light, with hot corn tortillas. A really simple recipe, and well worth the effort! Make this dish!
Wine: Puerta Bonita G5 Garnacha 2008. Perfect match!

New recipes, November 1, 2011

Bifteck Sauté au Beurre from Julia Child's classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, sautéed onions and mushrooms deglazed with sweet vermouth (just went with the riff), and Roasted Red Pepper Salad with Harissa from Epicurious. All quite delicious!
Wine: Château Les Rosiers Bordeaux 2009