Scribe Winery

About two weeks ago, my good friend Meagan was visiting along with her family from New York and I had the good fortune of being invited by them to attend a members only event at Scribe Winery in Sonoma.  

Unlike the main strips of Sonoma and Napa that are packed with day trippers and tourists....this winery lies beyond a long sleepy road that is only marked by a small, barely noticeable wooden side pointing the way to this hideaway...

It was one of those absolute picturesque Northern California afternoon's...with the sun shining and the just right temperature as the backdrop for the day. 

Everyone gathered on the winery's grounds... sitting around picnic tables and blankets taking in the beautiful atmosphere while enjoying delicious fish stew, freshly shucked oysters as well as getting the opportunity to taste the unveiling of the vineyards new wine....

When we had tired of sitting and bathing in the sunshine we decided to go explore the grounds and wandered through the old Hacienda that is the main landmark on the property and wandered through the building's incredible architecture and discovered all of its interesting nooks and crannies.  

Meg

Braised Fennel with a Blood Orange Glaze

Its probably only been the past few years that I have even liked fennel.  What used to throw me off in the past was its slight anisette flavoring that I have always associated with black jelly beans (cringe).  However, I've come to find that it really tastes nothing like its chemically enhanced and flavored counterpart candy.  In fact when prepared correctly it is absolutely delicious and refreshing.

Blood oranges happen to be in season and every farmer's market to grocery store in San Francisco has heaps of them for sale at an amazingly low cost for this extra special orange. Not only is the cousin of the regular orange really tasty, when you cook with them they turn this amazing bright pinkish shade that will make your food look so good.

The following is a way I like to incorporate the two different but extremely compatible flavors together in one dish!

Ingredients:

Fennel

2 Fennel bulbs (cut off stalks)

Salt

Pepper

Vegetable broth

1 tsp. olive oil

Blood Orange Glaze

2 Blood oranges

1 tsp. honey

1 tsp. cornstarch (to help thicken)

1 tbsp. olive oil

Method:

Begin by braising fennel cut into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces over medium heat in a medium pan on the stove along with enough vegetable broth to coat the pan and add 1 tsp. of olive oil.  

Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Let simmer until tender, approximately 5 minutes.  Then transfer fennel to a baking sheet lined with tin foil and let bake for 10 minutes or until they begin to slightly brown.

While the fennel is baking, mix together the juice from 2 blood oranges, 1 tsp. of honey, 1 tsp. cornstarch, and 1 tbsp. of olive oil.  Whisk well until the mixture is smooth and allow to simmer until it begins to thicken (*note: the glaze will not be super thick). 

Remove the fennel from the oven, arrange on a plate then take the blood orange glaze and drizzle generously over the braised fennel, finish with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Serve. 

Enjoy!

Minestrone with Pesto

Nothing quite says winter than a piping hot bowl of soup.  It's right up there as one of favorite things to have during the cold months and love pretty much any flavor that it comes in.

While, here in California it may not quite be bundling up and snowing weather... it has been chillier this past week...I have needed to wear a scarf and a jacket so I decided I was justified in making my winter standby meal for dinner and settled on cooking up a batch of Minestrone with some extra delicious pesto on top to mix in!

Ingredients:

Soup
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup of diced onions
1 medium carrot cut into thin coins
1 stalk of celery cut into half coins
1 peeled russet potato cut into cubes
4 cups of hot chicken broth 
2 cups of organic canned chopped tomatoes (with juice too)
1 cup of thinly sliced cabbage
1 diced zucchini
1 1/2 cups of cannellini beans (I made mine from dried beans, but you can choose to used canned)

Pesto
1 cup of chopped basil leaves
1 medium-large garlic clove
1 tbsp. pine nuts
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan


Method:
In a large stock pot heat the 3 tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat.  Then stir in the onions, carrots and celery with a bit of salt and pepper.  Allow the vegetables to cook until they begin to soften.  

Once, the vegetables are softened, add the cubed potatoes to the pot for approximated 3-4 minutes.  Next, add in the hot chicken broth (when making soup it's important that the broth isn't cool so make sure to warm it up first), chopped tomatoes and a pinch more of salt and pepper.  

Allow this to simmer for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour (or until vegetables are tender). Then go ahead and add the cabbage, zucchini, and beans.  Let this simmer for a few minutes about 5 minutes, to let the flavors absorb.

While the soup is still cooking, make the pesto.  Combine the chopped basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and freshly grated parmesan into a food processor/blender.

Serve the soup with a dollop of the fresh pesto on top and an (optional) sprinkle of parmesan....Enjoy! 

Roasted Salmon with Vegetable Slaw and Miso Dressing

Tasty Tuesdays

I've been taking a handful of cooking classes lately at a new cooking school, that just opened here in San Francisco.  

Since beginning these classes and learning more in depth about the techniques of preparation I have been on a cooking rampage to try out making new dishes and come up with new recipes! 

I'm basically in the height of my cooking obsession that I find myself while still eating the current meal in front of me I'm thinking what I can prepare for the next one. 

While I've been playing around with a bunch of different types of recipes around my kitchen, I realized I hadn't made fish in awhile...instead I've been getting my weekly intake of my omega 3's from my local sushi place.... that I must admit my boyfriend and I frequent so often the guy knows it's me by my voice on the phone. 

So instead I decided to try out a new salmon recipe that differs from the way I usually like to prepare this fish.  It's a little sweet, gingery and oh so good. 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup golden miso
1/4 cup agave
1/4 cup water
1 lemon
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. gluten-free tamari
1 tbsp. peeled and minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup of canola or grapeseed oil
3/4 pounds of salmon filets
1 julienned carrot
1/2 cup of julienned red bell pepper
1 julienned English cucumber (the skin is less waxy)
3/4 cup of julienned peeled jicama


Method:
Start by julienning (matchstick-size strips) of the carrot, red bell pepper, cucumber and jicama.

Next, combine the miso, agave, water, the juice from one lemon, sesame oil, gluten-free tamari, and ginger in a blender or food processor.

Pre-heat the oven to 350-375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet or shallow dish with foil and place the salmon filets on top.  Season each filet with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Cook salmon until thickest part of filet begins to "flake" approximately 7 minutes.

While the salmon is roasting, combine the julienned carrot, red bell pepper, cucumber and jicama.  Add the miso dressing and toss vegetables in a large bowl.

Serve, by spooning the vegetable slaw onto a plate and place the salmon on top.  Finish by lightly drizzling remaining miso dressing on the fish.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Meg