Bone Marrow Panzanella

Talk about an impressive side dish that could not be easier to make. The only hurdle you have to get around is asking the butcher for veal or beef bones. Bone marrow adds a noticeable depth to any dish, especially something as simple as toasted squares of bread. Panzanella salad is not a traditional holiday side dish, but it adds a much needed crunch next to the short ribs and creamy whipped potatoes.

Bone marrow is a very flavorful and all around savory ingredient. You don’t want to pair this a very bold wine because the two will be competing instead of complimenting each other. Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir 2010 is an approachable, balanced Pinot from the best grapes in California. Great all around wine and great with a bold meal.

Ingredients
2 large loaves ciabatta bread, cut into 1 inch squares
2 large beef or veal bones (about 6 inches long)
3-4 cloves garlic, freshly grated or finely minced
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place bones on rimmed baking sheet and allow to come to room temperature.  Once ready bake in the oven for 5 minutes just to loosen up the marrow. Remove from oven and scrap into a non-stick pan. Add in grated garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook over low heat until marrow has loosened up and darkened, 7-8 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Lay ciabatta squares on 2 cooling racks placed over 2 baking sheets. Toast in the oven until golden brown, 10-12 minutes.

Add ciabatta and cherry tomatoes to a large serving bowl. Pour in bone marrow and add parsley. Mix to combine. Can be served hot or warm temperature.

The Ultimate Holiday Menu

Appetizer: 
Serve with: Patz & Hall Chardonnay
Homemade Ricotta with Polenta Crostini
Corn Fritters with Red Chili Honey

Main Course:
Serve with: Owen Roe Ex Umbris Syrah
Syrah Short Ribs

Side Dishes:
Serve with: Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir
Bone Marrow Panzanella
 Fluffy Whipped Potatoes

Salad: 
Serve with: Masera Gavi
Holiday Spiced Arugula Salad

Dessert:
Serve with: Barnard Griffin Syrah Port
Devil’s Food Peppermint Cake Truffles

Holiday Spiced Arugula Salad

Every holiday meal needs some green. If we are indulging with meats, bread and potatoes we have to balance that with some green nutrients. But that doesn’t mean we can’t dress them up and add some holiday cheer with cinnamon and nutmeg. Add something sweet (pears) and something crunchy (fennel and walnuts) and wahla you have a gorgeous holiday salad!

Massone Gavi Massera 2010 is the perfect crisp, refreshing white wine to serve as your main white wine of the meal. It’s not too overpowering when enjoyed with a salad but has just enough minerality and a lingering finish to complement even the darkest meats (short ribs, for example).

Ingredients
6 cups baby arugula
1 head fennel, thinly sliced
2 bosc pears, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large navel orange
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper, to taste

Add arugula, fennel and pears to a large serving bowl. In a small bowl whisk olive oil, orange juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour dressing over salad and mix well. Top with chopped walnuts.

Whipped Potatoes

There are so many different things you can do to potatoes to make them pretty and fancy. But I believe the best potato is still the classic whipped (or mashed) potato. All you need underneath those Decandent Syrah Short Ribs is a heaping spoonful of creamy … velvetly … buttery … whipped potatoes. Is your mouth watering yet?

When it comes to serving wines for the main course, we’ve got you covered. A big bold red for the short ribs; a lighter but still lush and balanced red, Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir 2010 for the whipped potatoes and bread salad; and an elegant, fresh gavi white wine for the salad.  A wine for every taste; perfectly paired with the meal but heck it’s the holidays – drink in any order you’d like!

Ingredients
3 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into equal-size chunks
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 cup whole milk
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and black pepper, to taste

In a large pot, add the potatoes and garlic, cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, season generously with salt and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and immediately put them through a food mill (garlic too!) over a serving bowl that is oven safe. If you don’t have a food mill, you can hand mash or use a hand mixer.

Add milk and butter and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Keep in a low oven to stay warm until you’re ready to serve.

Decadent Syrah Short Ribs (in a slow cooker!)

Why don’t we use our slow cookers for holiday dinners?  It does just as good of a job on Christmas dinner as it does for a weeknight meal. And it leaves you time to get everything else prepared!  It’s a no-brainer.

My absolute favorite thing to make in a slow cooker is a batch of short ribs. These are show stopping delicious, decadent short ribs braised in one of my favorite syrahs. You will even be surprised these came out of a slow cooker and you made them!

It’s not everyday that you will find a #25 on the Top 100 Wines of 2011 for under $30. And it’s not everyday that you’ll get to taste a truly “smokey” red wine because the grapes themselves were actually smokey from a wildfire. Today is that day. Owen Roe Syrah Ex Umbris 2009 speaks true to it’s name, “out of the shadows.” You will be a big fan of this one cooked into the short ribs and along side them.

Ingredients
7-8 pounds beef short ribs (sounds like a lot but they shrink a lot as they cook)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 sprigs fresh parsley
2 sprigs each fresh oregano and rosemary
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups Owen Roe Ex Umbris Syrah
1 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Allow short ribs to come to room temperature before working with them.  When ready, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Tie parsley, oregano and rosemary together with kitchen twine. Add herbs and all vegetables to the slow cooker.  Season with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Working in batches (3-4 ribs per batch) sear the short ribs and add them to the slow cooker right on top of the vegetables.  After all ribs are seared, deglaze the pan with the red wine, scrapping up all the brown bits from the bottom.  Add wine and beef broth to the slow cooker.

Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours until the short ribs are falling off the bone.   Remove the bunch of herbs and all the meat from the slow cooker, set aside.

Carefully pour vegetables and liquid into a strainer over a small saucepan.  Add vegetables back to slow cooker and bring the liquid to a boil over medium heat.  Boil for 20 minutes until reduced by half and thickened. Skim fat off the top before serving.

Top a generous spoonful of Whipped Mashed Potatoes with short rib meat, vegetables and gravy. Sprinkle with parsley and lemon zest.

Corn Fritters with Red Chili Honey

What does your typical holiday party have as an appetizer before dinner? Crackers… cheese …. olives … been there, done that. Although there is a reason for these choices – they are low maintenance and not filling.  If you give yourself 10 extra minutes for the appetizer course and you can have something unexpected and delicious.  You can serve light, airy, fluffy corn fritters with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce to entice the taste buds and get your palette ready for the big holiday dinner.  And to satisfy a craving for rich and creamy – Homemade Ricotta with Polenta Crostini.

Now let’s talk wine. What wine entices the palette like these appetizers will? Think light, think refreshing and of course low maintenance. Chardonnay! Who doesn’t enjoy a great Chardonnay? Enter Patz & Hall Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2009. A well structured, sophisticated favorite with stone fruit flavors, hints of green apple and may we say – a creme brulee after taste? A great way to start the night…

Corn Fritters with Red Chili Honey
1 3/4 cup flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon each salt and black pepper
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons chives, minced
1 cup corn kernels
1 quart vegetable oil, for frying
1 cup honey
2 teaspoons red chili flakes

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, milk and chives. Gradually whisk flour into egg mixture until moistened. Fold in corn. Mixture will look watery.

Pour oil into heavy skillet, heat to 375° F over medium heat. Drop batter by the tablespoonful, a few at a time, into hot oil. Fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown, flipping half way through. (Be careful! The corn kernels may pop will frying so watch out for hot oil popping out of the pot.) Place fritters on a baking sheet over paper towels to catch excess oil.  Sprinkle with salt while they’re hot.

In a small bowl, mix red chili flakes and honey.  Serve alongside the fritters for dipping.

Polenta Crostini with Homemade Ricotta

You are not going to believe this but homemade ricotta is easyyyy! In the world we live the word “homemade” is daunting to many.  This homemade means lightly boiling some milk and then letting it sit for a couple hours while you make everything else. Not daunting, right? And the best part; when you use that magically word “homemade” your guests will be so impressed! (It’ll be our little secret.)

Now onto something else that frightens the masses.. what wine do I serve?! dun, dun, dun. Don’t fret my pets, the wine you are going to serve at your party for appetizers is a wine that everyone loves – good ol’ Chardonnay. Patz and Hall Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2009 packs a punch for being a $30 bottle of wine. With a refreshing structure and natural richness, it’s inviting with just the right amount of heavy body to compliment your impressive rich homemade ricotta and light, airy corn fritters. Welcome friends and family!

Ricotta
6 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon good quality extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

• In a medium saucepan, add milk, heavy cream, vinegar and salt. Place over a medium heat and slowly bring to a simmer. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, until you see curds beginning to form.
• Place a mesh strainer over a large bowl. Line the strainer with several layers of damp cheesecloth. Gently pour the milk mixture  through the strainer and let drain for 15 minutes. Gather the cheesecloth together and gently squeeze any excess liquid from the ricotta.
• Transfer the ricotta to a serving dish and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Polenta Crostini
4 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup polenta
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup  grated Parmesan
Fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced

•  In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add salt, reduce heat to the medium.
• Add the polenta gradually, whisking constantly. Continue to whisk for 5 minutes as the mixture bubbles. Remove from heat, switch to a wooden spoon and continue to stir until the mixture pulls away from the sides, about 5 minutes. Add nutmeg, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine.
• Invert a rimmed baking sheet on a countertop and cover the surface with parchment paper. Spread the polenta out with a spatula into a smooth, even layer. Cover the polenta with another sheet of parchment paper. Place another baking sheet, right side up, on top of the parchment. With 2 hands, press down evenly on the top baking sheet until the polenta is 1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Remove the top baking sheet and the top layer of parchment paper. Cut the polenta into triangles (about 2 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide).  Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
• Preheat a non-stick pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Add triangles to pan, a few at a time and allow to cook until golden brown and crispy, 3-4 minutes per side. Carefully remove triangles from pan and lay on cooling rack to cool.