Manzo Costatine Brasato al Nebbiolo

or: Beef Short Ribs Braised in Nebbiolo I’m still having fun with the Tourist Office of Langhe and Roero’s Recipe/Food Photography contest, #LangheRoeroinCucina.  This week’s ingredient is the local beef, Razza Bovina Piemontese.  Obviously, I can’t get Razza Bovina in Minnesota, but I can get local grass-fed beef from my friends at Sunshine Harvest Farm!  … Continue reading

You’ll fall in love with Piemonte

Judging by recent posts, you might think we’ve gone off the deep end for the Piemonte (or Piedmont), and you’d be right.  Julie and I spent six days in the Langhe (an area inside the Piemonte region) last September. Why would we fall in love with a wine region, thousands of miles away from home … Continue reading

Black Truffle Beef Stroganoff and Barolo

It’s another week in the Tourist Office of Langhe and Roero’s Recipe/Food Photography contest, #LangheRoeroinCucina.  This week’s surprise ingredient?  Black Truffle. The real surprise, though, is that they sent out a black truffle to each of the top ten contestants to date.  A fresh black truffle, all the way from Italy?  I think I already … Continue reading

Hazelnuts, Squash & Barbera d’Alba

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Hazelnuts & Ancient Grains We’re back in the hunt in the TuLangheRoero photo/recipe contest.  This week’s ingredient? Hazelnut or Nocciola Tonda Gentile in Italian.  A first thought would be a dessert, and there are many fine traditional Piemontese desserts that feature hazelnuts. This main dish is non-traditional, but the hazelnuts shine.  … Continue reading

Anchovy Beet-Green Pesto Pasta & Arneis

TuLangheRoero is currently hosting a food blogging/photography contest.  The challenge runs a little like the “Chopped” cooking show in slow motion.  Each Monday, they announce the secret ingredient, always a favorite in the Langhe and Roero districts of the Piedmont region in Italy.  The contest is to create and photograph a dish using the secret … Continue reading

#NWTW: Torrontes

New Wine This Week Are you interested in expanding your wine choices this year?  Join in with a group of wine lovers around the world (OK, it’s currently a small group) and participate in New Wine This Week (#NWTW on twitter).  A blogger in England, Please Bring Me My Wine, started 2014 with a pledge … Continue reading

Fish in Parchment: Viognier or Sancerre?

Our final Viognier test will be with a light dish: fish in parchment.  Medium bodied Viognier or light bodied Sancerre; which will pair the best? We’ve tried Viognier with heartier fare and spicy foods, now we’ll challenge it on the opposite side. Matello Deux Vert Viognier 2010 ($28 from the Winery) Eye: Nice rich yellow … Continue reading

Holiday Oysters & Champagne

Do you have a Christmas Day tradition?  After all the pre-Christmas family events, our usual Christmas day is easy and unstructured.  During a visit to the Walrus and the Carpenter in Seattle over Thanksgiving, we found our young adult children both liked oysters on the half shell.  A new Christmas tradition is born: Oysters and … Continue reading

Shrimp Masala & Viognier

Viognier with Spicy Indian Food After some early success in this Viognier series with spicy foods, I decided to take the spice level up a notch.  Today, we’ll try a couple of nice Viogniers with Shrimp Masala. Whenever I’m looking for an Indian recipe, my first stop is My Fancy Pantry.  Shari is a food … Continue reading

Roast Chicken Pairing: Viognier or Pinot Noir?

Viognier Exploration #3: Wine Pairing with Roast Chicken Our next Viognier experiment will test two very nice wines with a locally sourced roast chicken dinner.  For roast chicken, I would often pick out a nice Pinot Noir.  If I’m really open, would a Viognier be a better match? Going Local in Late Fall All summer … Continue reading