LIWINEDAD

  To round out the food service at our Labor Day weekend gathering, we added to the menu a homemade Bucket-O-Shells, which are two large trays of mixed seafood cooked in a fragrant wine and garlic broth (Fig 01).   Overall, an easy dish to prepare, the most challenging part is the assembly of all the ingredients (Fig 02); the actual cook is quick and easy on a well-powered gas grill.  The most important is the approximately 18 - 19 Lbs.  of seafood.  In our case, the Seafood portion was generously supplied by friends and neighbors sourced from New Wave Seafood in Wantagh.   New Wave Seafood is an excellent source for all seafood; send them a list ahead of time, and they will have the order ready and waiting for pick-up.   All the base ingredients we chop, slice and seal in vacuum bags a few days in advance (Fig 03).   All the vegetables and chorizo sausage came from Stew Leonards in East Meadow, including the aluminum trays.   Also, do not skimp on the quality of wine and use a good

  The Labor Day weekend gathering looked to be the ideal place to try out the McCall Grass Feed beef compared to the more traditional beef, as all the people are well-developed carnivores.  We also tapped the cellar and had a fine selection of wine to pair with the beef and traditional steak sides.  There was also a large selection of seafood, but that will be the subject of a separate posting.  The beef weighed about 12 Lbs. before grilling (Fig 01) and consisted of  McCall Wines Grass Feed steak and some mid-western corn-finished beef via Stew Leonards .   The McCall steak is very dark and rich in color, with the mid-western corn finish notably paler in color.   Cattle ranching should not be surprising as Long Island has a long history of Cattle ranches, having the first one in the U.S. and dating back to the mid-1600 in Montauk.   However, McCall Beef Cattle has a unique history; starting to raise cattle in 2010, selecting a rare breed in the U.S., the Charolais Cattle , which

  Sunday, 04 September 2022, the day before Labor Day, is a warm sunny day, so a good reason to gather family and friends in the backyard for steaks, seafood, and wine.  To open the day, we started with a side-by-side tasting of two Pinot Niro’s from Seabold Cellars , the same vintage but different vineyards (Fig 01).   The wine was outstanding, and a follow-on post discusses everyone’s thoughts on the wine.   The beef was one of the two main Entrees and weight in at about 12 Lbs.   before grilling (Fig 02).   McCall Wines Grass Feed steak and some mid-western corn-finished beef via Stew Leonards .   Both grilled up fine and served medium rare (Fig 03).   There was a very noticeable difference between the two, with a separate write-up to follow.   The second entrée is a home concoction called a “bucket of shells” and is about 15 lbs of seafood (Thank you, New Wave Seafood ) steamed in white wine, garlic, and chorizo broth.   Accompanying the entrees are Sautéed Mushrooms , Caramelized

  First, select a large rack of ribs, Stew Leonards – East Meadow has a fine selection.   Second, pick an excellent Bar-B-Que sauce; Jim Beam Maple Bourbon (Fig 01) is a fine one, for example.   Next, into a vacuum seal Sous Vide bag, add the ribs cut in half, a bottle of Bar-B-Que sauce, and an extra-large shot of good Bourbon, then seal the bag with minimal air inside.   Next, toss the bag of Ribs into a Sous Vide water bath at 167 F for about 4 hours (Fig 02).   While waiting for the ribs to slow-cook, open a good bottle of wine.   A W ö lffer Estate 2010 Umbra is a fine well aged Merlot.   The Umbra 2010 is a hardy Merlot with a very light touch of Cabernet Sauvignon, a delicate nose, rich fruit, and smooth tannins.   Enjoy with friends while the ribs cook.   After about 4 hours, remove the ribs, drain the juices into a small sauce, and simmer over low heat to thicken.   While the sauce is reducing, char the ribs on an outdoor Bar-B-Que over an Infrared Searing Station for abou

  Now, with all the second-quarter wine in stock, it is time for some home cooking to pair with the wine.  The seafood and other ingredients came from New Wave Seafood and Stew Leonards-East Meadow , as fresh ingredients are essential.   The Shrimp are six large ones mounted on 2 Rosemary infused Olive oil-coated bamboo skewers.   Then using the assembled   Shrimp, sprinkle them with a dash of Old Bay , spray with EVOO, and set them aside to rest in the fridge for several hours.   The Asparagus is young pencil size with about 1 ½ inch of the bottoms cut off (reserve ends for soup).   The marinate consisted of an envelope of Kraft Good Seasoning Zesty Italian salad dressing mix, Persian Lime infused EVOO and well-aged White Balsamic Vinegar .   The Asparagus was marinated in the mixture for at least 4 hours.   Next, the Shrimp and the Asparagus were grilled on an outside Bar-B-Que infrared searing station.   The Shrimp for about 1 minute per side and the Asparagus for about 4 minut

  Sometimes the best dinner is a simple home-cooked dinner; last night was one of those.  The seafood and other ingredients came from New Wave Seafood and Stew Leonards-East Meadow , as fresh ingredients are essential.   The Shrimp are six large ones mounted on 2 Rosemary infused Olive oil-coated bamboo skewers.   Then using the assembled   Shrimp, sprinkle them with a dash of Old Bay , spray with EVOO, and set them aside to rest in the fridge for several hours.   Using a fresh Zucchini and a Kitchen Aid Mixer Spiralizing attachment did quick work of producing a nice pile of Zoodles.   The Zoodles are laid out on paper towels to air dry for about an hour.   Starting with just a touch of rosemary-infused EVOO, sauté fresh chopped Garlic, then add a chunk of Irish butter.   When melted and sizzling, stir in the Zoodles, stirring constantly, then add grated Romano cheese to taste.   The Shrimp are seared on an inferred burner (Very hot 1800 ⁰ F) on the Bar-B-Que for about 1 minute per

  Jo was out with a friend, so I was left to create my dinner.  The solution was to do a classic steak and wine dinner.  First was the selection of the wine.  We did a pickup and tasting a few weeks ago at Raphael Vineyards-liwinedad .   One of the wines includes a Raphael Vineyard - 2017 Estate Malbec , which was very good, so we brought two bottles home.   With the wine selected, next was the meal to pair with the wine.   A hearty wine like the Malbec calls for a USDA Choice (Not prime) rib-eye steak with trimmings. The Raphael Vineyards2017 Estate Malbec is a fine example of a Long Island Malbec and has found a fine home at Raphael’s, notwithstanding the grapes’ French heritage and Argentina being a second home.   Malbec’s color is rich, dark purple with a touch of bright garnet at the fringes.   The nose is red berries, Cherries, and Raspberry with light alcohol (Figure 1).    Black cherry and raspberry come forward with a hint of plum on the palate.   Pleasant tannins and easy

  Channing Daughters Winery has done it again with their new release of Over and Over - Variation Fourteen .   Variation Fourteen is a remarkably unique wine that evolves every year.   It is an artisanal experiment and an excellent one at that.   Variation Fourteen is built from many different grapes and several old-world processes to deliver an excellent rich and complex wine that pairs very well with a roast boneless leg of Lamb.   Ripasso (Italian: Repassed) is a process where Valpolicella, while still fermenting, is passed over the Pomace of used grape skins to produce a wine richer than a traditional Valpolicella DOC but lighter than an Amarone, in effect a baby Amarone.   As the Variation Fourteen opens, the flavors of a very good Amarone come forward.   Next is the Solera (Spanish: On the ground – barrels) process which can trace its roots to the Iberian Peninsula.   The process involves ½ of the current wine to be mixed with the prior year's wine and repeated over and o

  There is nothing better than a home-cooked steak paired with a glass of good red wine (Figure 1).  To start, the Steak was a USDA Prime NY strip from Stew Leonards .  The meat was trimmed perfectly, then dry rubbed with Montréal steak seasoning and sealed in a vacuum bag. Next, the Steak, cooked in a water bath set to 120 F for 60 minutes (Sous Vide by Joule ).  After the sous vide, the Steak was seared in a raging hot cast iron skillet for 90 seconds on each side, and then the sous vide bag juices were added along with a pat of Irish butter to coat the Steak all over.  The pan-searing resulted in a nicely charred, rare steak that was flavorful, tender, and moist throughout. The wine paired with the Steak is a Raphael 2019 Cabernet Franc (Figure 2). This wine presented soft ruby color and bright red at the fringes.  The nose is full of red fruit such as raspberries, licorice sticks, with just a hint of oak.  The mouth was medium with bright acid that balanced the fat of the prime St

  Today's post is a follow-up tasting covering  Raphael's joint venture with Tellers Steakhouse as promoted by Northforker magazine ; what a combination for the north fork wine scene.   A fascinating posting popped up on the Northforker blog posting highlighting a joint venture between Raphael and Tellers, an American Chophouse ( Bohlsen Restaurant Group [Tellers, Prime, Central Market, Harbor Club, H 2 O, and Monsoon]).  Given this background, I acquired two bottles for Father’s Day as an extended tasting.  Through the work of Raphael's winemaker Anthony Nappa and Teller's Sommelier Paulo Villella , they have created Tellers Celebration Blend private label wine, which looks to be a Long Island version of a right bank Bordeaux. The blend leads with Merlot then Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc.   Raphael refers to this as a quintessential Bordeaux blend, and while the blend does contain all the classic grape varietals, the blend is somewhat