The Heat is On

Finally, after several weeks of uncharacteristically cool June weather, the sweltering, all too familiar summer heat is back. I feel like a slab of baby back ribs slowly cooking in a 225 degree oven every time I step outside. Even Suki, our shrub smelling, bird chasing chow mix doesn't want to test the scorching pavement against her paws.

It's Sunday afternoon, and I'm thinking...what to eat tonight? I need something light and refreshing. But the food still has to be substantial and speak to me if you get my drift. What's that? Grilled chicken apple sausage and a salad dressed with a tangy citrus vinaigrette? Why that sounds delightful thank you.

You see folks, it would never do to just have a salad for dinner. I mean, it would have to be one ginormous salad heaped with steak or chicken for me to actually consider it a meal. Ever since I was a wee lad, I've always consumed lunch and dinner with huge hunks of animal on the plate. Really, it's just not a meal without meat. I'm probably isolating the legion of vegan readers I have, but it had to be said.

Now I've got to figure out the beverage situation. I could serve it with Chardonnay, which would compliment the chicken and vinaigrette. But that seems like taking the easy way out. Perhaps a Rose of Pinot Noir is the perfect pairing. Everyone goes crazy for Pinot these days. It's the reigning king of food and wine pairing right? And Rose is supposedly one of the best wines for picnic food. So why not? Both of the options seem completely reasonable and tasty. But let us take it one step further. Why not a heftier varietal like Viognier? After all, In my humble opinion, the only true rule in food and wine pairing is: "Drink what you like". That said, lunch or dinner should be a joyous and happy time with friends, family or a loved one. We shouldn't be confined to hard fast rules and other food/wine pairing snobbery. I find it best to keep it simple when selecting a beverage to go with a meal. I end up enjoying the experience much more if I just try something without over analyzing and dissecting the food and wine. Whatever the choice tonight, it has to be cool and refreshing!

Until next time, stay cool peeps!

Get Your Dough On!

Walking into the lobby of the downtown Il Fornaio restaurant, I was unsure of what to expect. All I knew was, there would be pizza, and that was good enough for me. My father-in-law had the good sense to sign us up for a pizza-making class. I’m so glad he took the initiative. Quite frankly, my crust is not a thing of beauty. Lets just say it has issues and leave it at that.

This particular branch is near and dear to me for a couple of reasons. More than a couple major life decisions and events have gone down there. Siege and I dined there the night I begg- I mean, asked her to marry me. It’s also one of the first places I was really introduced to regional Italian cuisine. I even worked there for a very brief moment. But, that is a story for another time.

Needless to say, I was fairly familiar with this restaurant. If there was a place on earth that would be able to cure my pizza crust “woes,” it would be the good folks at Il Fornaio. They’ve been making killer pizza and other baked goods since they opened their cooking school in Lombardia back in 1972. Their name means “The Baker” in Italian.

Let me assure you, I still had hesitations about going. A few questions were floating around my head as I cruised into the restaurant. Would it be awkward going alone (father-in-law had to cancel)? Will I see any of my former co-workers (I did)? Would I suck even with professional instruction (I actually didn’t)?

In the end, my concerns were needless. Bruno, the Chef-Partner, did an excellent job, along with the assistance of his two sous-chefs. The class was fun, very informative. Everybody seemed to enjoy the pizza and free house wine that was provided. Some, people were really enjoying the free wine. Every so often I would here a glass break, a strange cackle followed by the dreaded snort of doom, and various other jokes and comments one normally refrains from when in public. We were all in pizza-making euphoria, enjoying the wine, the easy banter, camaraderie and the skilled chefs’ advice.

The most beneficial tip for me was the step when you roll out your dough. At home, I usually manage to put together a decent dough that could be ingested, although at times it tended to be more cracker-like than chewy and tender. Once it would rise and it was time to get down to the good part, things would start to go south. The technique demonstrated at Il Fornaio was simple and effective. Prior to this class, I would merely slap down the risen dough on a floured work surface and go to town on it. It would end up looking more like the shape of Africa then a circle. The stubborn dough would snap back in place, taunting and laughing at me and my infantile experience. One of the sous-chefs, Israel, had a much more effective way of rolling out dough. He first would hold the dough in his hands and gently unfold the ball into a small circle about an inch thick. Next, he would gently hold the small circle by it’s edge, up in the air, quickly turning it and letting its weight do most of the work in creating a more circular form. He then put the dough down and continued to enlarge the circle by pushing out the edges and turning the dough at the same time. Once the dough is nearly the size and thickness you’re looking for, you can cheat a little and use a rolling pin to finish it off.

Seriously, SG readers, if you get a chance, definitely hit up one of these types of classes. You’ll have a great time, learn something, and meet some fun people, not to mention you might get a lot of free house wine to boot!

Next on SG:

A startling expose: “Swedish Made Meatballs and Me. This sort of thing is my bag, baby!”

Summer Wine Search 2009

Fresh off vacation and I’m feeling replenished and inspired. Spending 4 days in Sonoma amongst the vineyards will do that to you. Siege and I made our home base in a Windsor timeshare thanks to our longtime pal Mikey. For geographical clarity, Windsor sits just North of Santa Rosa off Highway 101. A sleepy little town with what I am certain is the cleanest “downtown” I’ve seen in my life. I mean freaky clean! I was looking for garbage on the floor, a tossed chip bag or gum wrapper- something! Not a bad thing though. If nothing else Windsor is a cool place to leisurely stroll around the “Windsor Town Green” slurping down gelato from Powell’s Sweet Shop.

Okay, so we didn’t drive all that way to walk around a meticulously kept town center. We were in search of summer wine. The type of wine you could bust out on a scorching Sacramento afternoon and feel good about it. Sipping a robust, intense Cabernet, Merlot, or even Syrah in the dog days of summer just doesn’t do it for me. Now, I could totally get down with some lighter varietals: Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, any of these will do. This is not to suggest that most reds sit collecting dust during the hotter months of the year. Zinfandel is great for pairing with nicely charred meats, burgers and such. Barbera, too, can take grilled chicken and balsamic glazed veg to the next level.

With our quest, the open road before us, and nothing but time, we set out for Anderson Valley (AV). This AVA (American Viticulture Area) has built quite a reputation over the years for churning out some great Pinot Noir. I’ve also read great things about the production of Riesling and Gewurztraminer. The Anderson Valley is a stunning piece of California land, located just less than 100 miles north of San Francisco. The climate is ideal for the aforementioned Pinot Noir, due to the sunny warm days and the fog that rolls in off the coast in the morning and at night. Sounds like a perfect place to grab some tasty grape juice to beat the heat.

A word to the wise, if you plan on visiting this lovely slice of wine country, keep in mind, these wineries are truly generous with their pours (not necessarily a bad thing), so take it slow and be responsible. There, I’ve made my obligatory PSA for the year! Another bonus- out of the four tasting rooms the highest charge was a mere $6.

The first winery we visited was Breggo Cellars. Despite one of the tasting room sales associates having just a smidge too much sarcasm and attitude, the wine was killer and the overall experience was good. Most of the wines we tried were more than palatable and well priced, but the varietal that we enjoyed the most was their 2008 Anderson Valley Gewurztraminer. It had a very pleasing bouquet and taste. I can safely describe it as being both exotic and refreshing all at the same time!

At the suggestion of our hosts from Breggo, we turned our attention to Roederer Estate a few miles up the road. After sampling some 8 or 9 different wines at Breggo, we were in dire need of even tastier beverages to quench and cleanse the palate. Roederer seemed to fit the bill. Roederer offers a number of great values in the world of sparkling wine. Both of us enjoyed pretty much everything we tried, but the warmth of the tasting facility tainted the experience. It felt like it was 85 degrees in there! Needless to say, we made our visit short and sweet and moved on to confines of our air-conditioned vehicle in search of a couple more winery gems.

Thus far, Siege and I having already consumed what we considered world class Pinot, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Champagne, we wondered if the fantastic voyage would continue. And that’s when we came to Navarro Vineyards. Aside from being a beautiful place with gorgeous views, we found the wines to be less than memorable. If you’re going for sheer quantity, though, this is your place. You'll have your choice of 14 or 15 wines and no tasting fee.

All is not lost SG readers! The day ended on a high note as we made our way to Toulouse Vineyards. A small producer of very fine wines including: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, and Riesling. All of which were very well made and extremely drinkable. The staff at Toulouse were laid back, unpretentious, helpful and friendly. It’s one of those tasting rooms where you drive up to along an unpaved road to a barn/shed structure and say to yourself, “Is this the tasting room or are we shooting the Texas Chainsaw Massacre part 4: Terror in Terroir.” Let me assure you, there was nothing frightening or scary about this place, just high quality grape juice in rural Mendocino County. Our favorite was the 2008 Rose of Pinot Noir. It was a beautiful refreshing example of the quintessential summer wine, the perfect way to end our day in the AV.

En Fuego!

It was a warm mid-April evening and I had a craving- and it wasn't for more cowbell either!

Sometimes you need something simple, fast, and in your face when making a meal...this was the perfect evening for such cookery.

The star of this installment is Tequila-Flamed Shrimp Tacos. These little guys had some serious heat yo! So much so that it set a couple of happy dinner companions' mouths on fire. Hence, the title of this here post. But it wasn't all about the heat. The smokey flavor imparted by the chipotle and tequila was fantastico!

In order to douse the fire, a cool, refreshing guacamole sat proudly atop the mountain of shrimpy goodness. The guac mixture was a delicious blend of texture and flavor containing mashed black beans, scallions, lime juice and pineapple. Oh yeah, this was truly a fiesta to behold!

We threw in some grilled asparagus, bell peppers, and ice cold cerveza to take it to the next level! This is my new favorite spring/summer recipe for the following reasons: relatively cheap to make, healthy, and of course pleasing to the palate.

Super Bowl Chomp!

Maybe we should rename Super Bowl Sunday to something more accurate. Gluttony Day comes to mind! When it comes to eating, I'm certain that no other day has the kind of self imposed detrimental affect on the human body than game day. There really isn't a single item amongst the buffalo wings, "little Smokey's," Chips and the countless array of dips, that won't make waistlines across America expand.

This, my friends, is my kind of day.

It's easy to blindly throw caution to the wind and almost literally hook one's self up to a nacho cheese iv, but come on people, we're better than that! I decided this year to step back and make Super Bowl Sunday a smidgen more healthy than usual. I came across a recipe that looked pretty killer. It was a braise of Pork shoulder, chipotle chile's and beer....sounded like a winning combo to me. Okay, okay, you got me, pork shoulder contains a good amount of fat. And beer isn't exactly low fat. Especially Kona Brewing company's delicious Pipeline Porter. What in the history of this blog makes you think I'm actually capable of eating healthy? Tisk, tisk silly reader.

All joking aside, there was a bit of fiber and roughage to cleanse the colon. Well, okay, we had a vegetable platter with broccoli and carrots with a side of garlic ranch to make it go down a little easier. So I did get something in my stomach that was remotely healthy...Touchdown!

Spring in January

It was an unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon reaching near 70 degrees. Normally this time of year I'm all about the braising and the roasting of large hunks of beef, pork or fowl. But given the current weather system something lighter and healthier seemed more appropriate. It also was the perfect chance to satisfy my resolution for 2009 of trying something new each week, or in this case, a food item I currently don't care much for, this time in the form of capers. Despite my penchant for Italian/American cuisine, I've long dreaded the veal and chicken piccata littering menus the world over. But SG fans, a promise is a promise.

For whatever reason, Siege and I rarely eat fish, despite the fact that it's so healthy (especially fish low in mercury) and tasty. Well tonight was officially 'Fish Nite.' I'm sure there's a better title for it...oh wait, I know, Snapper Supper Sunday! That'll work. That's right folks, red snapper is on the menu this evening- served with a lemon caper butter sauce over green beans (trying to keep it healthy people). Ugh...bring on the capers.

The sauce was a simple combination of butter, fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper, and of course, the antagonist in this story, capers.

I would soon be eating my words for dessert because the snapper and lemon butter sauce were uber delicious. The tart-salty-pickle tasting sauce was a nice addition to the mild flaky snapper. We paired the fish with a killer Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley. It mirrored the flavors of the lemon caper sauce beautifully: zesty, fresh, clean and crisp.

It's nice to try new things, but it's also not a bad idea to revisit ingredients and food items you once found off-putting, cause you never know what you'll come across. As for me and capers; well let's just say we aren't getting hitched anytime soon, but we can definitely kick it every once in awhile on some tasty snapper.

What Up Cuz!

No, this site is not being changed to report on the wonders of gangsta gastronomy. Don't be silly! I wouldn't dream of gracing this fine blog with Cristal and caviar, that's way out of my league. Plus, I'd lose my foodie street-cred, and we wouldn't want that would we?

Last time I posted there was a promise made. I declared to try one at least one new food item per week. The only conditions being they must be either foods I've previously disliked, or that have never made their way to my mouth before. Well, I'm happy to report that week 1 is over and I'm 'par for the course' as the golfers say.

I had such an opportunity to further educate my palate during a most pleasant evening visiting with our cousins from the Bay area. It's always a great time with those two! It usually breaks down like this: Food/wine, laughs, good conversation, and follow that up with more food and wine. I know, I know, very descriptive.


I always struggle with what to prepare when they come over. I wanted to do something a little different, but simple and tasty. In the end, lamb cutlets with Romesco fit the bill. To be perfectly honest, I've only had lamb a couple of times. The thought of making it at home always seemed a smidge daunting. Well not this time I tell you! Romesco is also new to me. For those of you that are unfamiliar with it as well, let's get you better acquainted. Romesco is a sauce of tomato, garlic, roasted red peppers, almonds, a pinch of sugar, and olive oil. It's sort of Spain's version of pesto, only not as herbacious and certainly not green. Romesco is a tangy, creamy sauce with a nice roasty nutty flavor. It worked really nice with the crispy pan fried lamb cutlets. Siege's roasted garlic-manchego Mashed patatoes weren't bad either. Actually, they were killer! I had 3 helpings and it was worth it despite what my cardiologist says. Kidding, eat responsibly people. As you can see it was a pretty hefty supper, so I attempted to lighten it up with sauteed green beans with shallots and lemon. It proved to be futile since we threw down bread pudding for dessert. Yum.

My philosophy is this: always go big when you have company over. So cheers to the New Year and here's to keeping New Year Resolutions!

A New Beginning

It seemed only fitting to start the new year in ironic fashion. Ironic you say? Well, yeah. Because the last time I actually blogged was at the beginning of my summer vacation last year (Vacation Blast Off!). Incidintally, I'm picking up the dusty laptop at the end of my twelve day glutenous, lethargic winter vacation (bummer). And oh what a vacation it has been. Filled with more sugar, fat and carbohydrates than you, or I for that matter, dreamed possible. That's right folks, I celebrated Christmas and New Year in true Sunday Gravy style! But let's not dwell on the past, for it is the dawn of yet another year. Full of promise and delusions of grandeur. What awaits me in 2009 in the world of food and wine? Who can say? Only time will tell.

Let us concentrate on the here and now. Tonight is Saturday, the 3rd of January, and this evening's supper was just what I needed. A quiet, nice cozy night with my beautiful wife. A fine, if not simple, earthy glass of Nero D'Avola that complimented a quaint little meal consisting of thinly sliced rib-eye steak sitting proudly atop a fluffy pile of peppery arugula. I love this sort of cookery. It's simplicity is unwavering. There are several reasons for my fondness of this kind of dish. 1) It involves very little prep work or clean up. 2) It's satisfying. 3) Of course, it's delicious, which is obviously crucial to any dining experience.

So what's up for 2009? No self respecting blog would omit the ceremonial 'New Year Resolutions' portion on the 1st post of the New Year. And, while I'm not in the slightest a goal oriented person, I will, for your amusement and consideration offer the following resolution for 2009. Okay, deep breath, here I go:

I resolve to eat or drink one item a week I've previously disliked or have never tried before. That gives me 52 opportunities this year to discover culinary highs, and I'm sure more than a couple food flops. The items can be something as simple as a condiment I've found unpleasant in the past. Or perhaps a dish I told myself I would never try. I hope to find this a modest and comfortable attempt to leisurely explore new cuisines and flavors. My intention will be to provide a short paragraph each week on the results. It's a good thing my resolution was not to blog more. You know, in case I miss a week or two... heh. Oh man, some things never change!

This year will also introduce guest bloggers on Sunday Gravy, which I'm totally pumped about. Stayed tuned, and Happy New Year!