Pinot Grigio: A Multitasking Wine

Pinot Gris, or Pinot Grigio as it is known in Italy, can be noted as the most popular imported wine in our country. Being that it is a wine that is produced in mass quantities, by definition it is tragically considered of little interest to connoisseurs. However, this "uninteresting" wine has rocked my world of friendly and informal get-togethers for some time now.

At home, my family's preference has traditionally always been red wines, and it was upon being out with friends that I became more accustomed to chilled whites, and so it is that I discovered Pinot Grigio.

Not only do I enjoy Pinot Grigio as my choice of drink, but with a dry fruity flavour it pairs nicely with antipasto, light pastas, chicken, and seafood. And not only does it pair well with these foods, but I do not hesitate to add wine directly to my fish or chicken dishes, and tomato or cream sauces!

Brands

For cooking you can save some money by opting for the basic Pelee Island Winery brand, however my preference is the Folonari Pinot Grigio, product of Italy.

If you are interested in simply a "fun" drink, wines produced from this grape vary in colour from golden yellow, to copper, and even a light shade of pink, which brings me to Pink Pinot Grigio, also made by Folonari. Although Pinot Grigio is a white grape, Italy's Pinot Grigio grape has a dark skin, and contact with this skin during the fermenting process produces its pink colour.

If you are interested in food and wine combinations, visit Food & Wine blogs: Mouthing Off and Tasting Room for tips. I would also like to refer you to a Lemon Chicken recipe of mine to pair with your Pinot Grigio!

The Recipe

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Ingredients:

boneless chicken breasts (I recommend cutting them down the middle or tenderizing them so that they are thin/flat)
flour
butter
white onions (diced or sliced)
juice of lemons
Pinot Grigio, white wine
salt and pepper (to taste)

Saute your onions in butter, while you coat your chicken breasts in flour. Once your onions are soft/golden, add your chicken breasts to the pan in a single layer, close together. Pour lemon juice and white wine over your chicken to allow to simmer, on medium-low, covered. Simmer until the chicken is cooked throughout.

Once cooked, remove the lid and fry over high heat on each side, so the chicken can absorb most of the juices allowing it to brown. Add extra butter, lemon juice, and/or white wine to taste. Flour will allow these juices to thicken and turn brown, which you can later pour over your chicken breasts before serving.

While you finish cooking, pour some of your Pinot Grigio in a tall glass and enjoy,

Haley

Going, Going, Gone! Goddess of all Salad Dressings

I have been in love for about eight years now, and I would like to share the love of my life with you. So tell your Greek Vinaigrette not to let the refrigerator door hit him in the behind because here comes a new flavour that is about to spruce up your life and your salads!

At the age of thirteen a best friend of mine introduced me to the epitome of all salad dressings and I have been faithful ever since! We ate extremely well even as kids and I remember one of our routine sleepovers like it was yesterday, when we were quite eager for our midnight snack! We were definitely not going to pull any ordinary treats from the pantry, and luckily we came across her mother's infamous salad dressing in the fridge. Props to her mom for the recipe, because I have not eaten salad the same since. That night in fact, we literally filled an extra large baking bowl full of salad. Our eyes were definitely bigger than our appetites, because even though we allowed ourselves to eat enough for a family of five, we just could not do it for a party of twelve. At the time, I wish we had someone to pass what was still left of the heaping-full bowl of salad over to, and today I am glad to say I do, recipe and all!

The Recipe

Ingredients:
¾ cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dry mustard

Simply enough, mix together. Now that you have a batch made, you can store it in your refrigerator and use it at your own will.

I recommend adding the dressing to your choice of lettuce along with the following fixings:
radicchio
tomatoes
cucumbers
feta cheese
cran-raisins/dried cranberries
sunflower seeds (purchase with shells removed)

Mmm mmm m this side just might overpower your mmmain course,

Haley

How would you like your steak? Chicago-style

Chicago-style refers to a steak that is charred on the outside, to order on the inside. In other words, your steak is still cooked to your desired level, but is then quickly charred. And trust me, it makes all the difference.

Quick re-cap/how-to...

To order your steak Chicago-style when dining out, you would order your choice of steak followed by the style and to what degree you would like it cooked. For example: Chicago-medium, Chicago-rare, etc.

My first experience...

In Canada, a popular steak chain is The Keg Steakhouse & Bar, also with several locations in the United States. I was never a steak kind of girl and so my first experience was taking a bite of my dad's rib eye steak Chicago-medium rare from The Keg...big mistake. It was a big mistake because I had totally regretted ordering the prime rib that was now sitting in front of me (however, The Keg's prime rib is a specialty of theirs, that is an idea of how good their Chicago-style really is).

Now, it goes without saying that not every restaurant has the proper grill to pull off a Chicago-style steak, and even more, whether or not they have the proper grill may not be the issue. Not all restaurants/chefs can prepare a Chicago-style steak to perfection. I am obviously not confident enough to slap the recipe up on my blog myself.

So, it goes without saying that I find The Keg's quality to be superb. Moreover, their wine list and cocktails are great, on top of their food and service being first class. Although pricey, it is well worth it! If you enjoy steak then you should surely make Chicago-style your next treat, and if you do not particularly like steak, you will after this!

Loving The Keg's garlic mash and Caesar too,

Haley

For the Cheese-Lover (in Everyone)

I am a self-proclaimed "cheese-lover". When I am eating a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup, I generally refer to my dish as snow soup. The reason for this is that once I have added my share of grated romano cheese, the broth is no longer transparent, hence the title "snow" soup. In case you have not realized, I go through a lot of cheese when I am eating soup; I am the person you would ask "would you like some soup with your cheese?" Thank goodness for me I have grown up with a recipe of cheeseballs for soup (not that this is a replacement to adding grated cheese) and this passed weekend at Nonna's, like many times before, it was proven a recipe well conceived!

Before going any further...
I would like to refer you to Emeril Lagasse's recipe for a Simple Chicken Noodle Soup, which I have judged a close match to my family's recipe (recognizing the importance of using a whole chicken, with the bones, when making the broth), and which can best accommodate my recipe of cheeseballs for soup.*

Cheeseballs for soup are the equivalent to croutons for salad, and making them is as easy as grabbing the box of croutons off the shelf at your local grocery store (however, I recommend drying out bread for homemade croutons, which is in fact less tedious than a trip to the store). Making cheeseballs for soup, where a "store-bought alternative" is not as easily found, is literally "as easy as 1,2,3". In fact, I will pass over my cheeseball recipe in just 3 easy steps.

The Recipe

Ingredients:
Egg(s) (one to two, depending on quantity)
Grated romano cheese (TIP: pair romano cheeses with soups, parmigiano with pasta)

1) Crack your egg(s) in a bowl and beat well.
2) Add the cheese until the mixture thickens.
3) Roll the mixture into dime-size balls. (They will expand when added to broth.)

It is a good idea to lay out your cheeseballs on a flat plate as you are making them, and to put them in the freezer for a few minutes to harden. Once they have hardened you can add them to your soup during the last few minutes that it cooks on the stove. If you are not using the entire quantity at once, since they have been frozen and therefore will not stick together, you can put them in a freezer bag and they can be kept in your freezer for the next time! I can guarantee you that there will be a next time, and eating soup will never be the same again!

Pleased to pass the cheese,

Haley

*During my search for a nice chicken noodle soup recipe, I stumbled across Everyday Italian with host Giada De Laurentiis for those interested in "updated versions of homey recipes from her Italian family".

‘You Won’t Be Single for Long’ Vodka Cream Pasta

What to do when Nonna sends you back to school with crates full of tomatoes, peppers, onions, and garlic...okay, you might be wondering why I was sent with crates full of these ingredients, but allow me to explain. When my Nonna was my age her spare time did not consist of getting her groove on at various clubs downtown, instead, she was getting her groove on in the kitchen!

Let’s get serious…
First, I would like to get one thing straight for some of you out there. A club is not exactly the place to meet the classiest men/women out there or to win that certain someone’s heart. So why not turn to a place of elegance and culture, a place of much better taste, the kitchen. Ironic enough, I promise you can bring one of your favourite ingredients, from the club to the kitchen.

It's all about the saucy sauce…
I knew my Nonna wanted me to make some nice tomato sauce, fun for some, boring for others. So I have decided to add some flair, for you! I have been making this Tomato Vodka and Cream Sauce for a couple years now (I am not responsible for drool on your PC), and when I saw Rachael Ray making a similar one on the Oprah Winfrey show, it all came together. This must be one of the most amazing sauces out there, and I am saying this as being an all-around sauces, gravies, dips and spreads lover. It’s no wonder why Rachael Ray titles her recipe “‘You Won’t Be Single for Long’ Vodka Cream Pasta”. This dish is sure to have him/her asking for seconds, a second date that is!

WARNING: I have created this blog in hopes that I will learn to track the use of ingredients in my cooking, as my recipes, if you may, do not always include numerical amounts of each ingredient. Being in an Italian kitchen can be a gamble, it involves chance and risk! So if you want to have fun and get messy, you have come to the right place!

However, feel free to refer to Rachael Ray’s recipe as I have to give her credit on her obvious professionalism. One of the initial criteria that attracted me to Rachael Ray’s recipe is her use of chicken stock. Now let me tell you, chicken stock will make almost anything, and I mean anything, taste better. When I made my first homemade, fresh tomato sauce and the flavour was not just right, my mother advised me to add none other than chicken stock. It’s like the next white wine of cooking…well, I would not go that far, I would still recommend never making anything without adding white wine, but that’s a whole other story. Let’s just say, it’s like the next salt!

The Recipe

Ingredients:
Extra virgin olive oil (keep the whole bottle handy)
Onions (one or so, diced or sliced)
Garlic (a couple cloves, diced or sliced)
Vodka (again, keep the whole bottle handy)
Whole ripe roma tomatoes (fresh or canned/one to two cans)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Double cream (add until you have attained a blush colour)
Basil (fresh or dried)
Pasta (500g or so, I recommend penne rigate, pennoni rigate, or cheese ravioli)

Line a saucepan with your oil and on low to medium heat saute your onions and garlic just until they are soft. Allow to golden, not brown. With a fork you can occasionally add pressure to the onions and garlic to allow their juices to enter the oil. Be patient, this can be the most important step!

If you are using fresh tomatoes you will need to soak them in hot water to allow yourself to peel off the skin before going any further. If you are using canned tomatoes (if store-bought I recommend Pastene, imported from Italy) then they can go directly into your food processor. Crush, but do not puree; a chunkier texture is better. If you do not have a food processor you can always go ahead and crush them with a fork. I have to stress using whole peeled canned tomatoes as opposed to ones that have already been diced or ground for you because you never know what is really in there. Now, go ahead and add your tomatoes to the pan.

Add your vodka, significantly more than the oil, and season. Bring to a heavy boil then allow to simmer, the longer the better. This is a perfect time to make your pasta! Add your choice of pasta to salted boiling water, which I recommend cooking al dente.

When the tomato sauce looks/tastes about ready add your cream, you want the sauce to end up looking blush in colour, sometimes it will look more orange, sometimes more pink – it will taste great either way. Bring to a boil and remove from heat when your pasta is cooked. An alternative to pouring your sauce over the pasta after it is cooked, is to drain the water from the pasta and allow it to finish cooking in the sauce.

You are probably hungry right about now, so finally, garnish or mix with basil!

Buon appetito and I wish you much love,

Haley