Wine and Food

Wine and Food Pairings

by Paula Getzelman, Chalk Ridge Vineyard.
Paula Getzelman is a gourmet cook, certified sommelier and the vineyard manager of Chalk Ridge Vineyards in the San Antonio Valley.


Paula's Spring Recipes

April, and a visit from our "Arizona son" and his wife, is a wonderful reason to gather the entire family for a get-together at Chalk Ridge. It's a time to catch up with family happenings and enjoy all the wonderful fresh foods of spring. Although I love to cook and entertain, I want to be able to visit with everyone, and thanks to Trader Joe's, feeding a big group couldn't be easier.

Look in the freezer section for their rack of lamb (each rack with 8 chops), already marinated in garlic and rosemary. Just defrost and bake for between 30-45 minutes (depending on how many racks you're cooking). I rub off some of the rosemary before cooking... love the flavor but don't like to chew on rosemary leaves. This lamb is superb served with a Red Wine Reduction Sauce (simple to make... reheat just before serving).

The remainder of the menu is a salute to spring with baby greens and fresh strawberries in the salad, asparagus served with a delightful, do ahead vinaigrette, a simple rice pilaf, and creamy lemon mousse for dessert. All of the recipes can be done ahead of time, making it easy for you feed the crowd and enjoy the gathering too.

California Spring Salad, serve with a new-release Sauvignon Blanc or crisp, light Chardonnay; Rack of Lamb with Rosemary Red Wine Reduction, Lemon Rice Pilaf, Asparagus with Caramelized Shallot Vinaigrette, serve with Syrah or Merlot; Lemon Mousse, serve with Moscato d'Asti or a sparkling Prosecco.


CALIFORNIA SPRING SALAD
Serves 6 to 8.

8 oz. mixed baby greens
2 California navel oranges, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup California almonds, sliced
2 T. sugar
3 T. warm water
1/2 cup Italian dressing

Place mixed greens in a large serving bowl. Place orange slices in a circle around the edge of the bowl. Top with strawberries. Sprinkle with almonds.

In a small bowl, dissolve sugar in water. Add Italian dressing; mix well. Just before serving, pour dressing mixture over the salad; toss well.


RED WINE ROSEMARY REDUCTION SAUCE
Makes 1 cup

2 cups red wine
½ cup sugar
1 T. beef base
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 T. pickling spice
1 bay leaf

In a heavy saucepan, stir together the wine, rosemary, pickling spice and bay leaf. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Take mixture off the heat, cover; steep 30 minutes. Strain through fine strainer and reduce to approximately 1 cup. Serve over grilled or roasted lamb.


LEMON RICE PILAF
Serves 6-8

2 T. butter
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cup long-grain brown rice
2 T. orzo pasta
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 T. lemon zest, grated

In a heavy saucepan, saute onion in butter until soft. Stir in rice and orzo and cook two minutes, stirring to coat rice and orzo with butter. Add chicken stock and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, cover, turn heat low, and simmer 50 minutes.

Fluff up rice with a fork, turn into a heated serving bowl, and garnish with grated lemon zest.


CARAMELIZED SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE
Makes 1/2 cup

1/2 T. butter
3 shallots, minced
2 t. sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 t. Dijon mustard
2 T. red-wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

1. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sugar; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until shallots are caramelized and tender but still retain some crunch, about 10 minutes; set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine mustard and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in oil until well combined; stir in shallots.

Returning mixture to heat, add sugar, vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture is reduced by 2/3. Stir often to prevent scorching. Spoon over lightly steamed or grilled fresh asparagus.


LEMON MOUSSE
Serves 6

5 eggs
1 cup sugar
4 oz. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups heavy cream
1 T. lemon zest, grated
Fresh mint sprigs for garnish

In a large bowl, combine eggs and sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat at medium speed until pale, about 5 minutes. Beat in melted butter in a thin stream. Add lemon juice. Pour egg mixture into top of double-boiler. Cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens, about 15 minutes.

Transfer custard to a medium bowl and refrigerate at least 1 hour, stirring once or twice. In a large bowl, beat heavy cream until it forms soft peaks. Fold cream into chilled custard. Fold in lemon zest. Serve mousse in chilled, stemmed glasses; garnish with sprigs of mints.

Wine and Food Pairings
by Paula Getzelman, Chalk Ridge Vineyard

Paula Getzelman is a gourmet cook, certified sommelier and the vineyard manager of Chalk Ridge Vineyards in the San Antonio Valley.


Paula's Harvest Recipes 2004

The harvest is finished and we begin to see rich and beautiful colors of autumn in the landscape. The syrah vineyards across the valley began turning from green to burnished copper several weeks ago, and now, everywhere I look there's evidence of Mother Nature preparing for the winter ahead.

Now that daylight savings time is over for another year and it's dark before dinnertime, I'm in the mood for hearty meals and the lovely, rich red wines of Bordeaux and the Rhone. These are the wines we do so well in the San Antonio Valley, and they pair perfectly with beef and lamb.

As the holidays approach, we're all busy preparing for festivities with friends and family. Here's a satisfying meal you can prepare without a lot of fuss.

It pairs especially well with a mellow Merlot or smoky Syrah, but works just as well for you died-in-the-wool Cabernet Sauvignon drinkers.


Braised Short Ribs

Parmesan Spaghetti Squash

Pan-roasted Cauliflower


For the Short ribs:

6 meaty short ribs
1 yellow onion, diced medium size
1 large carrot, diced medium size
2 cups red wine
Beef stock (or broth) to cover
1/4 cup butter
7 sprigs thyme fresh thyme or 1 t. dried
6 cloves garlic, chopped


Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Combine red wine, carrot, onion, garlic and thyme. Pour over the short ribs in a non-reactive pan or bowl; cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove short ribs, strain vegetables, and reserve wine for cooking. Over medium-high heat, sear the short ribs in a small amount of vegetable or olive oil in a Dutch oven or oven-proof casserole; remove ribs. In the same pan or casserole, sauté the onion, carrots and garlic until lightly brown. Discard drippings and add reserved red wine; reduce for three minutes. Add short ribs and stock to cover, and bake for 2-3 hours until tender. Remove short ribs and keep warm. Strain the liquid and reduce by half. Whisk in butter and season to taste.


For the Spaghetti Squash:

Cut squash in half lengthwise; remove seeds. Place squash cut sides down in an oven-proof dish with 1/4 cup water. Bake in a 350 degree oven until tender, approximately 45 minutes, depending on size of squash. Add more cooking time if necessary.

With two forks, "comb" out the strands. Season with butter, salt & pepper and grated Parmesan cheese to taste.

Oven-Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic, Olive Oil and Lemon Juice

5 cups cauliflower florets, (from 1 medium cauliflower)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Chopped chives, for garnish


Pre-cook the cauliflower by plunging in boiling water for approximately three minutes. Drain and plunge into ice water to stop cooking. Drain well and set aside.

Place the cauliflower florets in a large saute pan or a roasting pan. Drizzle the olive oil over the cauliflower, and season with the garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Place the saute/roasting pan in a 350 degree oven and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even roasting.

When cauliflower is tender, remove from the oven and garnish with chopped chives. Serve immediately.

In this section of our site, we present a selection of wine and food pairing ideas, including recipes that you can easily prepare at home. Our initial two offerings (which comprise two complete meal presentations, soup to nuts) are by Paula Getzelman who is a gourmet chef and certified sommelier, in addition to being vineyard manager at the Chalk Ridge Vineyard here in California's San Antonio Valley! These recipes were originally presented in the SAVVGA (San Antonio Valley Vintners and Growers Association) newsletter and are reproduced here with Paula's kind permission - thanks Paula!

We hope that you enjoy reading the wine and food pairing ideas and we look forward to bringing you more ideas over the coming months.

Steve & Elsbeth Wetherill
Escafeld Vineyards
Jolon, California