Boxes, Boxes Everywhere!

Tricia here, blogging the first of the boxed wines series reviews as promised in the last post. Let me say this, choosing the first wine was not as easy as I had thought, there are so many out there now! It wasn't easy picking--red or white, which varietal, what producer...my liquor store had a whole row dedicated to their selections.

I'll also say this, I knew there was more volume in the box vs. the bottle but with the amount equal to four bottles this could be a very dangerous journey I've just embarked on, happy President's Day weekend to me!

After 30 full minutes of perusal, I walked out of the store with a 2010 Bota Box Cabernet Sauvignon from Bota Box Vineyards out of Manteca, CA. I knew I was in the mood for red based on what I was planning on cooking today (see recipe below) and this caught my eye based on one thing: it won the gold medal at the 2009 California State Fair with 94 points. Now, I know that isn't the Wine Spectator 94 points, but the criteria are the same and let's be honest, it's not like it won at the Rhode Island State Fair (it's my state, I can make fun of it). California is the capital of the State of Wine so I figured it had some credibility.

I wasn't disappointed. The wine had a nice aroma of black cherry with a lot of dark plum and dark berry on the taste without being real "jammy" (yes, that's a technical term). It's a very smooth, balanced wine and can be enjoyed during any season, if you throw steaks on the grill for supper in the summer, this box is your friend. If you're bundled up in the cold weather and cooking up some rich comfort food, well, box it up with Bota Cabernet. At $17 for the box, you really can't go wrong! I was making a chili today with some new ingredients that were really hefty (dark chocolate, dark beer and dark roast coffee) and I chose a Cabernet based on that, see below for the recipe:

Dark Chili
1 lb ground beef
1 lb cubed sirloin
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bottle dark beer (think Porters, Stouts or dark Lagers)
2 cans of peeled and diced tomatoes, include the juice
4 cans of kidney beans, drain them first
1 can of beef broth, your own or store bought, whatever blows your hair back
2 cans tomato paste
1 cup strong brewed coffee
4 hot chile peppers--remove the seeds and chop 'em up
1/2 cup brown sugar
A few square from a good dark chocolate bar, or a handful of dark chocolate chips if that's what you have
Healthy pinches of each of the following: cumin seeds, cocoa powder, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, coriander, salt and pepper

Brown the beef and veggies including the garlic for about 10 minutes, then add the rest but hold 2 of the cans of kidney beans. Let that all simmer together for an hour or so, then add the rest of the kidney beans and let it go at least another 45 minutes, but you can simmer it all day if you like.

Pair it up with the same dark beer you used in the recipe or, of course, a glass of your boxed wine :)

Bon Appetit!

Tricia

**PS--I'm serving this up to Dave tomorrow so we'll get his thoughts on both. See you next week for another review!

To Box Or Not To Box, That Is The Question

I have many fond memories of my college roommates and me on Thursday nights hitting up the liquor store for a box of wine. Don't judge...it was the only way to get the most bang for our buck and purse strings were tight back then. Obviously we have graduated not only college but on to a higher level of wine indulgence. Over the years since school we have enjoyed many a bottle of fine wine not only on our own but when we can with each other :)

In today's day and age of a heightened palate where food and drink has become trendy, stylish, fashionable and cutting edge boxed wines are no longer the shunned product it once was. Suddenly wines by the box are popping up all over, put out by many a wine producer and in most of my favorite little wine shops.

Therefore, I have decided to embark on a journey through the field of boxed wines. Is it just hype or is there really great merlots and cabernets out there that come in cardboard vs. glass? In an effort to not only educate myself but my friends and readers, I will be trying and reviewing these wines over the next couple of months. Dave has no idea that I'm doing this but I'll let him know over dinner next week...maybe I'll deliver a box to his doorstep and get him involved. Trust me, if he can drink it he will partake.

So stay tuned and maybe you'll be picking up your favorite box soon! Of course as you try or if you even have a favorite square shaped wine please share!

Also be on the lookout for my review of the most creative and delicious cocktails (and where to find them) in RI!

Cheers,
Trish

Grapes For Tailgating!

You will never hear me say that Dave is a genius, never...not even now. You will, however, hear me say that Dave is a culinary genius, that I will shout from the rooftops. Not only has he inspired us all with his creations that err on the side of sophisticated, but he proved he could make a classic tailgating treat amazingly delicious with just a few tweaks.

We got together to watch the AFC Championship game last Sunday. Dave not a big football follower, this involved play by play explanation from me as to what was going on in the game. Thankfully he made it worth my while with his take on a sausage and pepper sandwich and of course his company too :)

I'm not even going to suggest a specific pairing for this. It's football...hopefully you're in your sweats at home with your feet up and you can eat and drink just about whatever you damn well please. I will say this could go nicely with your favorite pale ale, an oaked Chardonnay or a nice light Pinot Noir.

Dave's Chicken Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches

-1 package of portabella mushroom chicken sausage (any variation of this will do really, even if you want to stick with traditional pork sausages) sliced 1/2 inch thick
-2 bell peppers, pick your colors
-2 cloves of garlic chopped fine
-1 cup marinara sauce--make your own or find a good jarred one, up to you
-Good olive oil, balsamic vinegar and red wine
-pinch of dried oregano
-provolone cheese, sliced on the thinner side
-classic grinder rolls (hoagie, sub, whatever you call it)

Start by browning the sliced sausage in olive oil with garlic, just a few minutes on each side then remove from the pan and place on a paper towel. Slice your peppers then deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar and a little red wine. Sautee the peppers about 5 minutes then add the sausage back in along with the marinara sauce. Let it all come together then turn the heat down and let it simmer approx. 20 minutes.

Now, get your buns ready! Fill them with your sausage and peppers, top with the sliced provolone and toast off in the oven until the cheese is melted.

One bite and you'll swear off chili forever!

Cheers,
Trish and Dave

Tricia and Dave Had a Little Lamb

Happy Saturday everyone! It's freezing here in the Ocean State today, and everyone in New England is gearing up for the big Patriots/Denver AFC playoff game going down tonight.

I myself am looking forward to staying in to watch the game and have been thinking all week about what delicious dinner I can cook up for it. I haven't settled on the specific dish just yet, but I did want to share what I whipped up for lucky Dave last Saturday when he came over to blog.

I love lamb anytime of year, but in the winter it's a great alternative when you're craving a steak and potatoes kind of dinner, makes dinner a little fancier me thinks. So I headed out to my butcher shop and picked up 4 lamb chops with the bone. This was super easy to throw together, I marinated them for a couple of hours in the following:

-olive oil
-chopped mint
-chopped garlic, fresh
-lemon zest
-salt and pepper


You can throw these on a grill pan, medium high heat until your desired doneness.

What to drink with lamb you ask? Any one of your favorite reds will do, lamb is pretty red wine friendly. Dave and I washed our lamb chops down with some pinot noir.

Enjoy!

Cheers,
Dave and Trish

Sancerre and Scallops!

Hello (Dave here) So I live in Rhode Island, the Ocean State and I absolutley love seafood, scallops in particular. I was looking for something I could make as an appetizer with a good Sancerre and the scallop won.

Sancerre is a region of France located within the Loire Valley. Most readily available is the white version of Sancerre known as Sancerre Blanc. The grapes in this wine are Sauvignon Blanc, and the flavors are marked by refreshing citrus on the nose with a grassy, green peppery gooseberry finish. It has a crisp acidity which cuts through the briny savory scallops. Lucien Crochet makes a great Sancerre but in general, if it says Sancerre on the bottle, its probably good.

Let yourself go and drown yourself in a sea of Sancerre. If you manage to survive, and you still know where you are, try the wine with my seared sea scallops. I serve them with a corn, pepper, and scallion salsa.


Seared Sea Scallops with Corn, Pepper and Scallion Salsa

6 Sea Scallops
3 ears of fresh corn cut off the cob, or a cup of frozen corn
2 scallions, chopped using green and white parts
Fresh Basil, purple, green, whatever, different kinds are great!
olive oil
salt
pepper
lime juice and zest from 1 lime
1/2 a red pepper

To make the salsa, sautee the corn, red pepper and scallions together for a couple of minutes. Add the lime juice and zest and sautee for a minute. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Toss in the fresh basil and stir off the heat. Set the salsa aside.

Heat a sautee pan on high heat with enough olive oil to coat the pan. When the oil is smoking add the scallops. Sear on each side till brown (1 1/2 minutes or so on each side). Place a pile of salsa on each plate and serve with a scallop on top as an appetizer.

Rubber Chickens Are For Pranks

Hello everyone! Dave here, thrilled and delighted to present a new wine with one of my favorite culinary creations. I was asked the other night to make chicken. "We want chicken for dinnah" was the actual request.

Now, chicken in and of itself is boring. If not made with love, chicken is often flavorless, dry and best reserved for your dog. But with a little endorsement from the international department of flavor, your chicken can go from dog food to award winning masterpiece.

In fact, being asked to make chicken is kind of a gift. Chicken is a lot like tofu because it tastes like whatever you pair it with. Weather it be fruit, vegetables, herbs or spices, chicken will always taste as good as what you put into it.

With that said, when asked to make chicken I got really excited. I wanted to incorporate big flavors and make it really good. I also knew that I wanted an interesting red to go with it. I went shopping for the wine first (which I don't always do) and decided on a red from Sonoma County made by Ferrari Carano. The wine is called "Sienna" in reference to Tuscany where Sangiovese is the big boy grape of choice, most famously used to make Chianti. Sienna is a blended wine composed of mostly sangiovese with malbec and syrah added to the mix. The wines are vinified seperately, then blended and aged in a combination of French oak and Hungarian puncheons (which are like big casks). Because of this type of fermentation, the wines are rich, complex and incredibly supple.

I decided to pair this wine with a robust Orange and Rosemary Chicken. It has become one of my favorite dishes and I know you will love it also. I chose bone in chicken thighs for this preparation because they are one of the best kept culinary secrets. Everyone wants the expensive boneless chicken breast, but really the thigh is where its at. The flavor is delicious and the price is low. Trust me, this chicken will knock your socks off.

Orange and Rosemary Glazed Chicken

4 bone in skin on chicken thighs
olive oil (doesn't have to be the best but don't use the cheap crap either)
2 big cloves of garlic (or 3-4 small ones)
2 oranges, 1 zested, both juiced
1 sprig of rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375. Salt and pepper the chicken thighs. Heat up a large flat pan with enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan plus a little extra. Make sure its good and hot (a little smoke is ideal). Add your chicken thighs to the pan skin side down and sear until brown (2 minutes or so). Remove and place on a sheet pan and roast for 10 minutes or until cooked through. While the chicken is roasting, take the pan you seared the meat in and pour off some of the fat, leaving enough to coat the pan. Turn the heat on to medium and add the garlic and rosemary. Sautee until fragrant (1 minute) then add the orange juice honey and orange zest. Stir everything together then add the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and add the butter. Cook until the sauce thickens. Taste for salt and add as needed. Take your cooked chicken thighs and coat them with the sauce. Serve with Roasted Butternut Squash with Sage and Brown Butter. Add a simple green salad for color and nutrition and poof....like magic....dinner is served!

Butternut Squash with Sage and Brown Butter

1 Butternut squash, peeled and diced
1/2 a stick of unsalted butter (life is too short to deal without. Just go to the gym for an extra hour)
1/2-3/4 cup of milk and more if needed
a handful of sage leaves, chopped
salt to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the squash and boil for 12 minutes or until very tender. Drain the squash and put back in the pan. Meanwhile, add the half stick of butter to a sautee pan and cook on medium heat until the color starts to brown and the aroma starts to smell nutty and aromatic. Add the chopped sage and let it sizzle for a few seconds. Then add the milk slowly off the heat, stirring vigorously. Add to the squash and mash everything. Add salt to taste and more milk if it seems dry. The amount of milk depends on how big the squash is. I also like to add freshly grated parmesan cheese on top. Make sure you use a good quality cheese like parmigiano reggiano. Enjoy!


Dave

BQ, This One's For You

I have had the privilege throughout my career in recruitment of working with some of the best people that are in that line of business that I am also humbled to be able to call friends of mine. I had lunch with a former boss the other day who is aware that I am studying wine in an effort to eventually leave this wonderful world that is IT recruitment and he asked a question that got my wheels turning.

He asked what the best $12 bottle of wine was out there. Now, that's a bit of a loaded question, mostly because there are endless bottles of wine everywhere, in different stores, different states, different countries...the possibilities are literally limitless, so it's tough for me to give an accurate or even educated answer to that question.

The Duckhorn Wine Company out of the Anderson Valley in California turns out some of the best wines to ever be drank in my opinion and are also highly accessible. There are several wines that are produced by Duckhorn, but the Merlot according to my counterpart Dave is like velvet in a glass (I have yet to sample it).

They produce a less expenses line of their varietals called Decoy (look for it in your local liquor store)..it's not $12 but it's pretty close to that and the 2009 Pinot Noir will knock your socks off, I guarantee it.

Go get yourself some, light a fire and thank me when you swallow your first sip BQ.

Cheers,
Dave and Tricia