Gourmet done easy…. But tell them it took all day!!

A friend of ours just got back from an Alaskan fishing trip and returned with fresh-caught wild salmon. I usually am not a big salmon eater unless it is Alaskan or Pacific, simply because I prefer over its mushy cousin know as farm-raised Atlantic. I did not have much to work with - some local carrots (Anoka, MN) and whatever I had in the fridge.

I rubbed the salmon with a little olive, added some salt and pepper and grilled. Sliced the carrots and did the same. Rubbed some of the simple sauce, while both were cooking then twirled some carrots with a channel knife to garnish. Needed a little green for the plate and found I had one piece of sage tucked in the corner of the fridge. Total time 15 minutes...

Simple Crofut Grill Sauce
½ cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
¼ cup Crofut Frontenac
1 Chipotle pepper (minced)

Mix well. Rub on Veggies or Meats while on the grill… Yum!

\m/ Richard

November Cranberries

Some people do not like what November is about to bring, though my mouth starts to water when I see the corn plowed off the fields, the first snowflakes start to fly and the first holiday lights in the store fronts. While most people are thinking of winter traffic jams, I’m thinking of oven baked sweet yams! I get excited when I think of all the food-themed festivities about to come my way. One food that represents fall and the coming holidays is the cranberry. Whether fresh, dried or even jellied the cranberry seems to be at every holiday and family meal. I remember my grandmother's cranberry jell-o mold and the not-so-gourmet looking cranberry sauce being served on her best china while still retaining the ridges from the can. It seems to go with all things fall and all things holidays. Best part is it goes with another favorite holiday item …..Wine!!

November is national cranberry month and what better way to celebrate our bitter-sweet little comrade than with food and wine? Here is an easy recipe to prepare with your friends and family. This goes well with Minnesota squash such as Acorn, Butternut and my favorite Spaghetti Squash.

Keep it local!

-Richard

The What
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons whole almonds, toasted and chopped
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds (toast them crushing for a great aroma)
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• Four 2-inch-thick rib pork chops
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup Frontenac wine
• 1 cup canned chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

The How
Place fruit in a small bowl. Pour 1/4 cup boiling water over the fruit and set aside for 10 minutes. This helps soften the dried fruit. Drain, reserve the soaking water. Mix the fruit with the nuts, butter, fennel and half the shallot. Season with salt and pepper.

With a small paring knife, make a pocket starting from rounded side of each chop. Spoon the stuffing in the pork chops.

Preheat the oven to 350. Season chops with salt and pepper. In a large pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Brown one side of the chops until well browned about 3-4 minutes. Use tongs to hold the chops and sear the edges of the chops. Turn and brown the other sides of the chops, about 2 minutes. Transfer the chops to a baking sheet and bake until chops reach 135. This should take about 15 minutes.

Chops are in the oven, and now it’s time to make the sauce. Drain the oil from the sauté pan. Off the heat, add the Frontenac and the remaining shallots. Return the pan to the heat and cook over high heat until the alcohol is reduced by half and is slightly syrupy (the alcohol may flambé so be careful). Add the broth and the fruit soaking liquid and boil down until the liquid is reduce by about a third. Add the cream and continue to simmer until it thickens slightly. Whisk in the mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Once chops are done add any of the juices left on the pan. Arrange chops on platter and pour the sauce over the chops.

Another Gift of Minnesota

One of the best gifts Minnesota has to offer is its great apple orchards. To be surrounded by the fruit trees and the colored leaves is a true fall experience. Some apples are great for pies, some are great for baking and some are best simply being enjoyed right from the tree. The best part is not only enjoying the orchards and its fruits, but also keeping it real by keeping in local.

For a complete list of Orchards visit : http://www.allaboutapples.com/orchard/mn.htm

Something about fall makes me crave pork shops on the grill. Simply letting them sit in a bath of olive oil, rosemary, garlic, a little salt and fresh cracked black pepper for an hour or so before grilling to your liking. And again, nothing is better with pork that those Minnesota apples. Here is a quick recipe using sweet potatoes and apples which rocks with pork chops. It is also great w/ Salmon.

\m/ Richard

Sweet Potato Hash

Ingredients
5 bacon slices, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion
3 medium-size sweet potatoes, chopped
1 large apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon chopped thyme (fresh whenever possible)
1/4 teaspoon chopped sage (fresh whenever possible)
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
In a large skillet sauté bacon in hot oil until brown. Add onion, and sauté 2 minutes. Stir in sweet potatoes, and sauté 5 minutes. Stir in apple and next 3 ingredients, and cook, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes or until potatoes and apple are soft. Garnish with the pecans and parsley

Southwest Summer Recipes

I may be from Minnesota, but I am a desert rat at heart! I first lived in the Southwest as a kid, then in my early 20s as a culinary adventure which lasted almost 6 years. Honing my passion and learning skills and was lucky enough to work with some great Chefs of the Southwest. Due to the global market and the popularity, many ingredients from the dishes of the Southwest are now available here.

I can’t wait to share these culinary adventures!
-Richard

“Sonoran Seasoning a true Essence of the Southwest”
This basic Sonoran seasoning can be made using cups, teaspoons, tablespoons or quarts. Again, most of the recipes I do were given to me from traditional cooks whom don’t really measure a thing.. It is a basic seasoning for pork, chicken and even beef to be grilled on an open flame. It truly is a taste of the Southwest.

Just mix together and keep on hand for spur of the moment BBQs:
1 part dark chili powder
1 part cumin
1 part sugar (white)
1 part black pepper
1 part salt (I like kosher or sea)
3 parts paprika
¼ part cayenne pepper

Mix and store and store for up to 4 months.

Grilled Salmon & Blueberry Salmon

Another evolution of a recipe… It all starts with a thought and a couple of ingredients (I hope)

As I have stated many times before...I have the best job in the world as I get paid to play with food.

June is National Blueberry Month so I wanted to come up with a light recipe using blueberries as the focus. I used a couple of other ingredients I had in the kitchen and came up with this… Again Keep it Simple

Grilled Salmon & Blueberry Salad
2 lbs grilled salmon (cut in four)
1 handful of baby greens
1 granny smith apple (cut)
pint of blueberries
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 T sugar
2 c. Olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Grilled piece of Ciabatta

Dressing:
Toss half pint of blueberries in mixing bowl and mash.. Add sugar and balsamic. Whisk in olive oil. Toss the sliced apples in dressing and set aside.

Toss greens with dressing and apples and lightly mix. Place greens on the serving tray and Salmon on top and garnish with remaining blueberries... Done...

Weekend Walleye

Someone gave me this recipe and I had to share. I played with this yesterday and it was awesome! Thought it would be good for all the Fishermen & Fisherwomen this long holiday weekend.

Keep it reel (get it? Fishing.. …reel)

\m/ Richard

Ingredients
1 walleye fillet
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Flour, for dredging
2 tablespoons butter
1-ounce sliced white mushrooms
1-ounce diced tomatoes
Garlic Wine Sauce (recipe follows)
6 ounces linguini, cooked
Lemon wedges, for garnish

Directions
Season both sides of the walleye with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Coat both sides of the walleye fillet with flour, tapping off the excess. Heat the butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook the walleye on one side for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden. Turn the fillet over and cook until fish is opaque and cooked through. Remove to a plate and keep warm. Add the sliced mushrooms and diced tomatoes to the fish pan and cook until mushrooms are golden and any liquid has evaporated. Add some of the garlic wine sauce and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve the fish over linguini and top with the pan sauce. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

Garlic Wine Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
4 ounces chopped garlic
6 cups hot water
2 ounces clam base (bouillon)
1/4 cup Crofut Northwoods
3 tablespoons lemon pepper

Melt the butter in a medium saucepot over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the water, clam base, white wine, and lemon pepper, and simmer until reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes.

The recipe that changed my life….

Most my blogs are random thoughts that just sort of come in and out of my mind as do so many other things in this life; this blog however, thanks to the age of info-saturation and social networking came to me from a friend that I had not seen in over 17 years.

I can honestly tell you that this simple recipe changed the direction of my life and I owe all that I have to a simple little artichoke.

As I grow older and remember the people that have come and gone in my life, one person that sticks in my mind was Joey. It was during that 18ish part of life when we are not exactly sure what we want to do or what we want to be, but through pressures from those around us, a decision has to be made. Joe was my friend that always seemed to help me avoid any such serious decision making and focus on having fun at all expenses. …mostly others'...

You see, I always knew that I could cook and knew it was something I liked to do, but never thought that it was something I would build my life upon. I was going to be a rock star, but after I realized that I could not play an instrument nor knew how to sing I started getting a little nervous on where my life was going. Until one day, I walked into Joe’s house and headed towards the kitchen.

This was like no kitchen I have ever witnessed in my life. It was an Italian kitchen! The aromas of the sauces that had been simmering all day on the stove, fresh breads, the steaming kettles for pasta and all that it comes with. When asked by his mother if I would like to stay for dinner, I said, “of course!” Before I could dive into the pasta, I was served an appetizer. After having to ask what it was, I found it to be a stuffed Artichoke. ???

In my house the appetizer was the bag of chips I ate two hours before dinner. This was a green spiny looking thing that I had no idea on how to even approach, much less eat. I remember first thinking that there is no way that I would like this thing. Watching Joes father peel off a leaf and take a bite off the end, I figured I would take a try.

…Now I could go on and on about what was going through my mind and the new sensations that my taste buds were going through, but the fact is looking back I realized that at this one moment in time was when the direction of my life changed. I no longer was worried about my future and what I was going to be, for I knew right then that food was going to be my life.

A few years later, Joe and I lost track of each other like friends do as life changes its seasons, but working in a kitchen, I can honestly say not a day goes by when I do not think of that recipe. Whether I am making pasta or doing inventory of my dry storage goods; every time I see an artichoke, I remember that particular artichoke and wish I had the recipe.

I ran into Joe and his sister a few years back and told them the story of how I became a chef and how their mother's cooking inspired me. Mary shared the recipe so I could share it with you. The recipe is not a hard recipe, but it reminds me that in life, it is important to stop once in a while and look around at all we have.
Hope you all have a great Spring and a wonderful Summer and I hope to see you all in the Vineyard!

Stuffed Artichoke per Mary (Joe’s sister) in her words:
Remove stem from choke so they can stand upright in the pot.
Turn choke upside down and hit a couple of times on the board to open
Remove thorns and any discolored outer leaves - remove the fuzzy inner stuff with a spoon - dig in!

It's a good idea to rub the choke with lemon juice - prevents them from discoloration.

Make a mixture of Italian breadcrumbs and parm cheese - I just eyeball it. Obviously more crumbs than cheese . Sprinkle into the chokes.

Stand chokes in pot - add water half way up - drizzle olive oil over chokes - add a little olive oil to the water - I also add two/three cloves of garlic to the water for extra flavor.

Sprinkle a little parm over each choke - makes a nice top crust.
Bring to boil, reduce to simmer. For large chokes - about a half hr. I just pull a leaf to test.

Erick's Pork Chop Recipe

Here is my recipe for prefect pork chops made with Crofut Frontenac Rose'.

1. Turn grill all the way up.
2. Place butterfly porkchops on the grill.
3. When one side is dark and crispy, turn.
4. When the other side is almost black, remove from grill.
5. Open a bottle of Frontenac Rose, chilled, and serve.

PERFECT!

--
Erick Christianson

Don's note> Can't wait to hear Richard's reaction to this!

Troy Eykyn Recipe for Spring Fish

Last night I was hanging at the Trailside Wine & Spirits Spring Club tasting and Troy Eykyn, our local Quality rep scribbled this recipe down between tastings. Try this simple yet effective recipe for any kind of fish, and River Valley White "the walleye wine" will match well. Hence Troys scribbling the recipe down for me. He said it works well with walleye, halibut, or any kind of firm fleshed fish.

Preheat the oven to 400.

Cube your favorite fish (walleye, halibut etc.) into 1 inch squares.
Crush finely 2 tubs of Ritz crackers
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Minced garlic you decide how much (I usually use a teaspoon)
Pinch of salt and pepper.

Mix above in bowl.

Melt 1-2 sticks of butter (to creamy consistency) Roll fish cubes in butter and then into dry mix.

Turn oven up to broil
Place fish on cookie sheet and broil 3-5 minutes.

I am so ready for spring...fishing.

Don

Beef Short Ribs

This is not my recipe, but I made this last night and it was awesome!! I had to share. Nothing like down home country cooking on a Sunday!

2 bottles Crofut Frontenac
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 beef short ribs
Salt and pepper
2 onions, peeled and cut into large dice
2 carrots, peeled and cut into large dice
2 stalks celery, cut into large dice
1 leek, white part, cut into large dice
12 garlic cloves
6 sprigs thyme
2 quarts beef stock

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large saucepan, add wine. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer until reduce by 1/2.

Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottom sauté or roasting pan. Season beef short ribs generously with salt and pepper. Brown beef well on all sides, remove, and set aside. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of oil. Add vegetables, garlic, and thyme cook until lightly browned. Add beef short ribs back to the pan, add reduced wine and cover with beef stock. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until tender..

Reduce liquid to a light sauce consistency, add beef short ribs and gently heat, and carefully remove beef short ribs to a heated platter. Serve.

\m/ Richard

Can't wait for Spring

The concept of a chef is simple. We buy groceries, prepare them, and then sell them. Sounds simple? …Not always.

Some recipes are better than others and sometimes things don’t always go as planned. Many factors go into a perfect dish. The most important part of any dish is the ingredients. I know that sounds like an obvious, but I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people preparing a recipe that calls for fresh basil or rosemary only substitute some dried out old herbs they had laying around some kitchen cabinet for a couple years. Then wonder why the recipe just did not taste what they thought it should be like.

Sure, fresh is always best and I understand that sometimes you need to substitute dried herbs for fresh. So, fresh is best also goes with your dried herbs and spices. If you have some chili powder sitting in your kitchen and you have not made chili since the last time the Vikings have been in a Superbowl, chances are that chili does not have the same kick it had back then. General rule, change your dried herbs and spices every few months and never keep them for more than 10. Some people and chefs may argue, but the fact is, herbs and spices are not like wine; being that they do not get better with age.

Here is a recipe I played around with using recently bottled Crofut I tossed the sauce with pasta and people went crazy for it.

Crofut Ragu

1 pound spicy Italian Sausage (Byerly’s, Lund’s and Cub have good versions)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 8oz cans chopped tomatoes
2 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
½ tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
Pinch Red Pepper Flakes
2 tablespoons chopped onion
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup Crofut Frontenac

The How To:
In heavy sauce pan, heat up oil. Brown sausage and strain any grease. Add onions and garlic. Cook until garlic starts to brown. Add balsamic and cook for about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and turn down heat to medium. Add remaining ingredients and let simmer for at least two hours. The longer you simmer the more intense the flavor.

Side note: Molly and I were lucky enough to get to try some of the wines that Don and his crew have been bottling for the past couple weeks. One thing I can tell you after tasting is that this year is going to be a great one!! ..And another thing I can tell you … after a couple glasses of wine, Don is easy to beat at Wii tennis!

This one is not Baaaaaaaaaad (<- sad attempt at Lamb joke)

Spring is finally Springing!!

When I think spring, I think the beginning of grill season. Why wait until summer to spark up the fire when spring gives us the beginnings of what is to come?

Nothing goes better on a grill than lamb chops. Not only are they delicious, they are a great grill warm-up as they are simple to make (just in case your grill skills have become rusty over the long winter). They go great with simply grilled asparagus and perhaps some grilled red potatoes. As a wine note I have to suggest Crofut Rose'. I love this wine and it is great with all that is spring.

Grilled Lamb Chops

The Need
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 lamb chops

The How:
Chop garlic, rosemary and thyme and place in bowl. Drizzle your olive oil in the bowl and toss in your salt. Place the lamb chops in the bowl and place in the fridge for about an hour or two.
Before grilling take the chops out and let them come to room temperature. About a ½ hour.
Place chops on a high heated grill. Cook about 2 minutes on each side for medium rare (my liking) or about 3 minutes per side for medium.

I may just have to bring these to the vineyard this weekend and help Don and his family bottle up this year's gifts of the grapes!

\m/ Richard

A Quick (yet Fancy) Taste of Summer in the Winter

I was walking through the grocery store the other day and noticed that the mussels were on sale for about $5 buck per pound. I don’t know about any of you, but I love these mollusks. Not only for personal consumption; as a chef this is one of the easiest items to prepare while impressing your guests.

1pound Mussels
1 Tbs. Olive oil
2 Clove Garlic (chopped)
2 sprigs Fresh Tarragon (chopped)
½ cup Sundried Tomatoes (Julianne)
2 cups Crofut Prairie Blanc
½ pound butter (room temp is the best)
Salt & Pepper to taste

In Sautee pan heat olive oil and garlic. Add Mussels, Sundried Tomatoes, Tarragon and Vino. Bring to a boil and reduce the wine by half. Doing this allows plenty of time for the mussels to open without becoming over cooked. Once reduced, add butter while swirling the pan so the butter melts in the wine. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour in large serving bowl, allowing the sauce to cover the mussels. Discard any un-opened mussels. Serve with crusty bread and drink the remained of the wine….

Easy-peasy!

\m/
Richard

rdollarhide@hotmail.com

Valentine Dinner for Two

Now that we have a winter thaw going on outside, I can take off my gloves (Molly told me “real men don’t wear mittens”) and start posting on this blog again.

With a chill in the air, I wanted to heat things up and what better day to do so than Valentines Day? In honor of Valentines Day I decided to put together a “dinner for two” using easy-to-follow recipes that are influenced by many of my culinary friends. These are a little spicy, but this is the holiday when things should get spicy.

Though some of these may seem hard to the novice cook, I assure you that they are easy to make and what a better gift to give your Valentine that something you created rather than bought?

If you have any cooking questions or comments and ideas please feel free to drop me a note at rdollarhide@hotmail.com

\m/ Richard


Valentines’ Menu
Spanish Citrus (Frontenac Gris)
Sizzling Shrimp Diablo (Le Crescent White)
Spicy Truffle (for most I would recommend La Crescent Sweet though I have to tell you, I like this with the Frontenac Red it just adds to the power! )


Spanish Citrus Salad
2 cups arugula, torn into pieces
1 cup mandarin orange, sections
8 radishes, thinly sliced
10 black olives, pitted and halved
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
salt and pepper

In a bowl whisk together orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, cinnamon and cayenne. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour in to a shakable container and let dressing sit at least 20minutes before serving.
In large serving bowl, lay out arugula on bottom of plate in single layer. Then layer oranges. Then layer, radishes. Top with the olives, Pour dressing and serve.

Again.. I like to serve most salads at room temperature. It really gives truth to the flavors


Shrimp Diablo
8-10 large shrimp, deveined, tail on
1/2 cup red onion, sliced
1/2 cup yellow onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced with seeds
2 large Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup white wine (I like La Crescent in this one)
3 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
Grated parmesan cheese
1/4 lb linguine, cooked

In a large sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat.
Sauté onion and jalapeno about 3 minutes.
Add garlic, crushed red pepper and shrimp and cook until shrimp is opaque, about 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes, lemon juice and white wine and reduce until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.


Spicy Truffles
3.5 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/4 cup butter
Small Pinch cayenne pepper
2.5 tablespoons cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Truffle Coating
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Pinch teaspoon ginger
Pinch teaspoon cinnamon

Melt chocolate, butter and cayenne in a double boiler, or a bowl in the microwave. Stir well.
Remove from heat. Mix in cream and powdered sugar. Stir well. (The sugar will stick together in small lumps if you aren't vigorous about it.) Cover, and chill overnight.

Coating: Scoop out the chocolate, one tablespoon at a time (I like to use a melon baller). Mold it into ball then roll in the powder mixture to coat them.

Keep Cool until ready to serve