Fall is here!

It is a rainy night in the Twin Cities and you can just feel fall in the air - as I drove home from work, I noticed that trees in my neighborhood are changing from dark green to yellow, orange and red. Although I love the summer, I always embrace the fall - the season is too short not to! I have been reading through my newest issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray - lots of great fall recipes and entertaining ideas. The "Centerpiece of the Month" really caught my eye. (See photo above). If you are having people over to celebrate something special (or just to celebrate this quick season), this is a great added touch. Click here for directions to make this centerpiece and from there you can link to the centerpiece ideas from each month prior!

(Photo courtesy of Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine, October 2007)

An "Italian" Tribute to the Farmer's Market

Last night was one of the rare Friday evenings we have to spend at home, making dinner and relaxing. With summer coming to an end, I decided to give tribute to the farmer's market with a fresh orzo pasta dish. Although I did not follow a recipe, I will try to convert it into one below, but you can play with it to make it your own. It turned out to be very tasty!

Creamy Tomato Basil Orzo with Chicken
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
8 roma tomatoes (mine were a mix of small to medium size)
3 large handfuls of fresh basil, chopped
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 lemons, juiced through a strainer
3/4 cup of half-and-half (a little less than half of a one pint carton)
1/4-1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (preferably freshly grated)
Salt and Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the tomatoes for about 30 seconds (this makes it easy to peel the skin off of the tomatoes!). Strain and cool. Peel off skin, dice the tomatoes and set aside.

Drizzle 2 tbsp. olive oil over chicken, sprinkle with salt, pepper, dried basil and dried oregano. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let the chicken cool and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a boil, add the orzo. Boil for about one minute, then bring it down to medium heat and cover, stirring frequently, for about 7 minutes. (The orzo will absorb quite a bit of the stock). Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add the chicken to the orzo. (Note: you can also boil the orzo in water just like you would normal pasta, but I find the chicken stock adds a lot of flavor!)

In a large frying pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil, heat it up, then add tomatoes. Soon after, add lemon juice and garlic. Bring to a simmer. Once tomatoes are slightly softened and heated through, add the basil and half-and-half. Simmer until the sauce reduces a bit. Add parmesan cheese to thicken the sauce.

Add the sauce to the chicken and orzo. Toss together, and serve. 4 (generous!) servings as a main dish, omit the chicken and it can easily serve 6 as a side dish.

I bought the tomatoes and basil from the farmer's market - you can really tell the difference (especially the fresh MN-grown tomatoes). This would be a great, inexpensive dish to entertain with. You could also omit the chicken and place grilled, seasoned white fish filets (halibut, etc.) over the pasta on a big plate for a great presentation.

To pair with this dish, we tried the Marques de Caceres 2006 Rioja. This Spanish white wine (made from the Viura grape) was on sale at World Market for $6.99. A great value! It was dry and crisp with notes of citrus - a great complement to the creamy, lemony tomato sauce.

I'd love to hear about your favorite farmer's market recipe!

Epicurious - What to Drink in September

Epicurious.com has this article posted on their website:
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/drinking/wine/drinknow_september2007

Some good, decently-priced recommendations. If anyone has tried any of these, or will try them, please post a review.

Enjoy!

Up to the Cabin!

Andrew and I are heading up north for a weekend of rest and relaxation - and of course some good eating and drinking! What's a weekend up north without some great grilling food and wine to sip on?! This week, I have gathered some of our favorite everyday wines - and a few special picks - to pair with food (and some to enjoy on their own). If you are heading to a cabin or entertaining friends at home, here are some great ideas for the last hurrah of the summer!

Our favorite "go-to" white wine this summer is the J. Lohr Riverstone Arroyo Seco Chardonnay. You can find it at World Market right now for $9.99/bottle and it is a steal - great, buttery undertones with fresh citrus notes on the finish (we don't like our Chardonnays too oaky). It is great for sipping on its own or to pair with a bruschetta and fresh mozzarella appetizer, fresh baked bread with red pepper and white bean spread (recipe below) or chicken and fish dishes.

When it comes to red wine, Andrew and I have been really into Zins and Cabs- they are also fun to drink on their own or with grilled steak/burgers/lamb. I am willing to spend a little more for reds, but I always try to buy them on sale. This weekend, we are trying out a 2003 Chateau Sauverain Cabernet Sauvignon (19.99/bottle - but I purchased it during the Surdyk's wine sale for around $16.99). I'll let you know if it's worth a special purchase. Two other favorite Cabs are the 2005 Coppola Claret ($13.99-$16.99)** and the 2004 or 2005 J. Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon ($12.99-$14.99). This Cab is worth every penny! (I'll touch on Zinfandels at another time!)

On our way of of town, we plan to stop by Von Hanson's - our favorite meat market in the Twin Cities - for some grill steaks (very affordable, tender, juicy and great if you are entertaining a crowd of steak lovers- you can get them as-is or seasoned). Their free range chicken breasts (also plain or pre-marinated), are fantastic as well. If you are a beer can chicken fan, you can get whole free-range chickens there too, and nothing compares if you like entertaining with this main course. We keep the sides easy with grilled veggies, baked potatoes, pasta salads, etc.

I'd love to hear about your Labor Day weekend entertaining plans (recipes, grilling tips, party tips etc.), favorite meat markets, or about your go-to beer and "picnic" wines that you have been enjoying this summer! Have a great long weekend!

**I give price ranges to indicate the best price I have found the bottle for up to the regular retail price

Wine Tasting Events at Solo Vino

Solo Vino is one of my favorite little shops in St. Paul. Great selection of interesting/less common wines and such a cute location in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood. I just got this email regarding upcoming events at their store. If anyone wants to go to one of these, let me know!

Solo Vino Autumn Events
We have some great events coming up this fall. First, Susan Ridley, co-owner of Hendry Ranch, is back intown for an in-store tasting. Second, Vincent Garnier fromthe European Wine Group will be hosting a wine dinnerwith W.A. Frost. In October we will have five wine makers from Portugal in town.

Hendry Ranch In-store Tasting
Please join us for an in-store tasting and bottle signing with Susan Ridley, co-owner of Hendry Ranch. We will taste through the current relaease wines from Hendry Ranch. They will be...

• 2004 Block 8 Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2003 Block 28 Zinfandel
• 2005 Block 7 Zinfandel
• 2005 Pinot Noir
• 2006 Primitivo Rose
• 2006 Unoaked Chardonnay
• 2006 Pinot Gris

In-store tastings are open to the public and free of charge.

Hendry Ranch

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Vincent Garnier Wine Dinner at W.A. Frost

We are pleased to announce that W.A. Frost & Solo Vino will co-host a five course wine dinner on Thursday, September 13th with one of our favorite importers Vincent Garnier. Vincent has over 12 years of experience importing French and Spanish wines. He works closely with small producers who make wine with character and show a sense of place. Cost is $95. per person (tax & tip included).This event will be prepaid.

Please contact W.A. Frost at 651-224-5715 to RSVP with a Manager for your reservation.

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Portugal Winemaker Showcase
We will have an in-store tasting on Friday, October 19th. Also, that Saturday we will partner with Zipp's Liquor of Minneapolis for a larger tasting from 1:00 to 4:00 at the new Red Stag Supper Club in Minneapolis. The following wineries will berepresented...

• Quinta da Alorna
• CastelloD'Alba
• Quinta do Coa
• Carm
• CasaBurmester
• Casa de Santa Vitoria
• Dona Maria

More details to follow!

Grape Moments

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Solo Vino
517 Selby Avenue
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102
651-602-9515
info@solovinowines.com
http://www.solovinowines.com/

Rosé Wine Tasting

Last night our wine club got together to taste some yummy rosé wines and I made some snacks to go with them. Everyone agreed that the roasted pepper and white bean spread was a stand-out. I have made this many times and it is always a hit, but I always put a different twist on it depending on what I have in my fridge. That is what makes this spread a great go-to recipe.


Roasted Red Pepper and White Bean Spread

1 cup drained bottled roasted red peppers (8 oz), rinsed
1 cup drained canned garbanzo beans (aka chick peas) (6 oz), rinsed
1/2 cup coarse fresh white bread crumbs
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor EXCEPT the olive oil, begin blending and slowly add the olive oil until it has a smooth, creamy consistency. Can be stored in a sealed container overnight.

Last night I added fresh basil and 2 tablespoons of sun dried tomatoes (I buy them jarred, in olive oil). You could also add garlic (raw or roasted), thyme, rosemary, etc. You could also use white cannelini beans instead of chick peas for a little different texture/flavor. This is a great dip/spread for crackers, bread, or veggies.

To start the evening, we each had a glass of 2004 MacRostie Chardonnay (Carneros) that we all loved - it had a great balance between buttery oak and acidic citrus flavors.

Then we tasted some great rosé wines. The three favorites were:

Cline 2006 Contra Costa County Mouvedre Rosé (slightly sweet, smooth)

Yalumba 2006 South Australia Sangiovese Rosé (berry aromas, a little more dry/acidic compared to the others tasted)

Niebaum Coppola Sofia Rose 2006 (sweetest of the three, lots of berries, floral, we agreed that we loved the unique bottle shape - see the photo above! :) )


As a side note, Rosés pair really well with light foods - vegetable dishes, chicken, white fish, etc.

Welcome!

Hey everyone!

So, after a great evening with friends last night (and some time to spare today!) I decided to start a blog to share favorite recipes and wine (and fun entertaining tips). After discussing it with a few people this week, we agreed that it would be easier to have a reference point like this when you want to pull up a recipe or find a good wine recommendation rather than emailing a friend for the same recipe/wine recommendation or entertaining ideas over and over again. I would be happy to add other friends and family to this blog so that they can post, as well - the more, the merrier! Just email me with the email address of those interested in joining.

Hopefully we can get a great collection going!

Happy Entertaining!