An Easy Dinner with Anchoïade and Mas Cavalier de Lascaux #Winophiles

This weekend the French Winophiles are heading to Languedoc, formerly Coteaux du Languedoc. It's an appellation in France's Languedoc-Roussillon wine region and produces mostly red wines. I read that 75% of all Languedoc wines are red; and the remaining 25% of the wines are split evenly between whites and rosés.

The typical Languedoc red is medium-bodied and fruit-forward wine. And most of the time, the grape varietals used are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, sometimes with hints of Carignan or Cinsaut.

Here's What the French Winophiles Shared

• Martin from Enofylz Wine Blog shares 2014 Domaine L’Ostal Cazes “Grand Vin” Minervois La Livinière #Winophiles
• Michelle from Rockin Red Blog says Say Yes to Languedoc Wine
• Nicole from Somm’s Table pours Domaine de Majas Côtes Catalanes Blanc with Butter Poached Salmon and White Asparagus
• Wendy from A Day in theLife on the Farm is Celebrating Languedoc with Cassoulet
• Gwen from Wine Predator makes Grilled Cheese with 4 Affordable Wines from Occitanie: new name for a fave region in France
• Jane from Always Ravenous shares Rustic Sausage Kale Pasta with Languedoc Wine
• Melanie from Wining with Mel posts French kiss: a glimpse into the food and wine of Languedoc
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla makes An Easy Dinner with Anchoïade and Mas Cavalier de Lascaux
• Olivier from In Taste Buds We Trust writes about Boutenac: Balance in the Languedoc
• Lynn from Savor the Harvest shares about Making Great Wines in the Languedoc-Rousillion #Winophiles
• From Jill at L’occasion talks New Roots Along the Canal du Midi

In My Glass...

The vineyards of Château de Lascaux have been in the family for thirteen generations. The name of the domaine, “Lascaux” comes from a limestone specific to the domaine’s vineyard sites. Jean-Benoît Cavalier took over management of the property in 1984. Over the course of the next decade, he consolidated the vineyards, restructured the ancient cellars, and created the official domaine, Château de Lascaux.

A quarter of a century later, the domaine has more than tripled its hectares of vineyards and is completely surrounded by three hundred hectares of forest, filled with deciduous oaks, evergreen pines, and garrigue. Those aromatics are reflected in the wines with notes of laurel, thyme, rosemary, and mint. There is an intriguing balance of freshness and finesse in the Lascaux wines

I found this deeply hued wine approachable with subtle aromas of fruit with floral undertones. The same fruity richness bathes the palate to make this an easy-drinking Languedoc.

On My Plate...

For my pairing, I decided on a unique salad from Languedoc called anchoïade, a tomato and anchovy salad that is a celebration of land and sea.

I couldn't find the salt-packed anchovies that are traditionally in this salad. So, I used some sustainably fished anchovies packed in water. If I ever get my hands on the salt-packed ones, I'll definitely make this again.

Anchoïade (Tomato and Anchovy Salad)

Ingredients

• 8 anchovy fillets
• 1 to 2 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced into thin wedges
• 2 large eggs, hard-boiled, shelled and halved
• ¼ C extra virgin olive oil
• 1 T white wine vinegar
• 1 t Dijon mustard
• ¼ C capers
• freshly ground salt to taste
• freshly ground pepper to taste

Procedure

Arrange the tomatoes on a platter. Drape the anchovy fillets over the tomatoes and sprinkle with capers. Add the eggs to the platter.

Make the vinaigrette by whisking together the olive oil, vinegar, and mustard. Drizzle the dressing over the tomatoes and anchovies. Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Cioppino, a San Francisco Contribution to the Culinary World #SoupSwappers

In January, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm kicked off her new group: Soup Saturday Swappers.

This month Ashley of Cheese Curd in Paradise is hosting. And she wrote: "Share a recipe unique to your state, city, or even your neighborhood!"

I am SO excited about this as it is definitely turning to soup season. And I love having new recipes, especially if they are regional and meaningful to my fellow blogging friends! Thanks for the inspiration, Ashley.

The Regional Soup Pot

An InLinkz Link-up

San Francisco

Besides Rome, San Francisco is my favorite city. Here I am with my Love, years ago, on a weekend get-away with some friends. We usually hit the City every December to celebrate our younger son's birthday (he's a Christmas baby). San Francisco is close enough for us (just a 2 hour drive without traffic) to be accessible for a quick day trip, but it's also just far enough to be special.

And Jake and I just spent the weekend up there a couple of weeks ago while the boys were in Hawaii with my parents. We hit three art museums, a coffee roaster, and had two delicious meals in less than 24-hours. I never say no to a mid-day bloody mary and a few hours at an art museum. Notice, he's drinking an Anchor Steam, a beer made in San Francisco.

Cioppino is NOT From Italy

Let's start with this: Contrary to popular belief, cioppino is not an Italian dish. Cioppino was an American invention of the Italian fishermen of North Beach in San Francisco. I've read a lot of different accounts. I'm going to share the one that makes the most sense to me.

Cioppino is a tomato-based seafood stew that was invented during the late 19th century for fisherman to use whatever seafood was leftover from the day’s catch. Often it was crab, shrimp, clams, and fish; historically, it was made on the fishing boats while out at sea as well as in homes. But as Italian restaurants started sprouting up around the wharf, cioppino became a popular dish.

Ingredients serves 6 to 8

• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
• 2 California bay leaves
• 6 C broth or stock (I use organic chicken stock)
• 1 C clam juice
• one 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• one 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 C red wine
• 1 T hot sauce or 1 t dried red pepper flakes
• 1 pound wild caught large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 pound wild caught salmon, deboned and cubed
• 1 pound squid, cleaned (I like a mixture of tubed - sliced - and tentacles)
• 1 pound clams or mussels (for this pot, I couldn't find clams)
• 1 T fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped
• 1 C fresh parsley, chopped
• freshly ground salt, to taste
• freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Also needed: sourdough bread, for serving

Procedure

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy pot. Add in the garlic, onions, and bay leaves. Cook till aromatic, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the red pepper and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in the stock, clam juice, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, red wine, and hot sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

While stew is simmering, prep your seafood. Add the seafood to the pot, timing so that the ones that will take the longest to cook will be done around the same time as the ones that need to barely be blanched. Add in the mussels and cook until they open. Discard the mussels that don't open.

Discard bay leaves, then gently stir in parsley and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve cioppino immediately in large soup bowls with hunks of sourdough bread.

A note: If you want to save some time on the day you're serving this, you can make the broth the day before. Let cool completely, then refrigerate. Bring the broth to a simmer before adding the seafood.

Thinking about when we can get to San Francisco next...we all love it.

Gonzalez Family 20-Minute Mexican Rice #AroundtheWorldwithRice

Today Jenn came to my Around the World with Rice class and shared a recipe with us that has been passed down through her husband’s family for generations. She shared that Mike’s mom learned from his Grandma who was married very young and moved in with her in-laws. Her mother-in-law taught her everything about cooking.

Most of the kids had had Mexican rice before. When we finally sat down to eat, Jenn was tickled to hear one of the kids declare: "This is ten times better than the rice at Papa Chano's!" Sweet.

We talked about a molcajete which is a stone tool, the traditional Mexican version of the mortar and pestle. It’s similar to the South American batan and used for grinding various foods.

When Mike came by and tasted the rice, toward the end of class, he told us that he doubles the amount of cumin seed, pepper, garlic, and tomato sauce from his grandmother's recipe. But it's hers that I've shared below.

Ingredients

• 4 T oil
• 2 C long grain rice
• 2 t cumin seed
• 1 t pepper
• 2-4 cloves garlic
• 2 T Knorr chicken stock
• 1/2 minced yellow onion
• ½  can (8 oz can) tomato sauce
• 4 C water

Procedure

Fry rice in oil on low heat till lightly toasted. Add onions until they start to turn translucent.

Grind cumin, pepper, garlic, and chicken stock in molcajete.

Add spices, tomato sauce and water to pan. Bring to a boil and add about 2 t salt (to taste). It

should taste a little salty. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes.

Optional: Add frozen veggies. Another variation is to partially cook chicken (boil breasts, thighs, pieces) and then put the chicken in after step 3.

{Gluten-Free} Salmon, Prawn, and Zucchini Pasta #fishfridayfoodies

It's time for Fish Friday Foodies' October event. We are a group of seafood-loving bloggers, rallied by Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm, to share fish and seafood recipes on the third Friday of the month. This is, easily, my favorite recipe sharing event of the month. I always come away with a list of recipes that I just have to try!

This month, Claire of Sprinkles and Sprouts is hosting. She asked us to toss some fish or seafood into pasta and share it with you all. 

So, after three years of being gluten-free - he doesn't have Celiac disease or any other medical condition that requires him to be gluten-free - Jake has decided he will ease back into gluten, but he does want to focus more on consuming lower carbs. And, after three years, of adapting recipes or, sometimes, making two different dishes for dinner, I am elated. But I still have a cupboard full of gluten-free pasta!

So, I'm sharing this recipe with gluten-free pasta, locally-caught wild salmon, prawns, and the last of the summer squash. It's a quick, easy dinner. But, first, here's the #FishFridayFoodies collective pasta bowl...

An InLinkz Link-up

Salmon, Prawn, and Zucchini Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/4 C olive oil + more for serving
• 1/2 C diced white onion
• 2 C diced zucchini and/or summer squash
• 2 T water
• 1/2 pound salmon (deboned and cut into large cubes)
• 1/2 pound prawns (if you can, I prefer wild - not farmed - and local seafood)
• 1/4 C wine (I used a Rosé)
• sea salt
• Also needed cooked pasta (I used gluten-free) and grated cheese for serving

Procedure

Peel prawns, devein, and chop into bite-size pieces.

Heat olive oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Add onion and cook until softened and translucent, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the zucchini and add the water. Cover and cook until the zucchini is tender, approximately 5 minutes.

Add in the prawns  and salmon. Pour in the wine. Simmer until the seafood is pink and opaque. Season to taste with salt.

To serve, toss in the cooked pasta. Add a splash of olive and toss until well-coated and glossy. Scoop into individual serving bowls and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Agua de Horchata #AroundtheWorldwithRice

If you've been following me for awhile, you've heard me talk about SEM. It's a once-a-week, elective class that runs in six-week sessions at my son's school. I love it and I've taught everything ocean conservation to dragon myths. Eventually, I moved to culinary adventures and taught everything from Spices Around the World to Bizarre Foods and International Cheese Board to, this term, I'm teaching Around the World with Rice with my friend Susana.

This may be my last SEM as it's my youngest son's 8th grade year; or I might be convinced to do one more before he graduates. We'll see.

In any case, week one is always even shorter on time than the other five week. We do introductions, talk about class procedure, go over kitchen safety, etc. Today I had planned to talk about rice - as a grass with an edible seed -; go over where rice is grown and how; and talk about different culinary traditions that use rice. So, I knew there wouldn't be much time for cooking.

We are sampling some pre-made mochi and rice crackers. But I wanted to at least make one thing. I decided to make horchata. My boys love it! And it's so easy, I can't imagine why I don't make it more often.

Ingredients

• 1 C uncooked rice (I used Thai jasmine rice)
• 4 C warm water
• 1 C milk (you can use any kind of milk - rice, almond, etc. - I used whole cow's milk)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 C organic granulated sugar
• 2 t pure vanilla extract
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• Also needed: food processor or blender, mesh strainer or cheesecloth

Procedure

Add rice, 1 C water, and cinnamon stick to a blender (preferably high-speed blender) and blend for several minutes until the rice is broken up a bit. Pour into a lidded jar and add remaining water. Let sit for 2-4 hours.

Add milk, ground cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup and give it a quick stir to mix it up. Let sit for another 2 to 4 hours – longer is fine, too!

Strain the horchata through a cheesecloth-lined fine mesh sieve and press out the pulp in the cheesecloth. Discard the rice pulp and serve the horchata with ice.

Seared Albacore Loins Salad with San-J Tamari Dressing #sanjtamarilite #MomsMeet #Sponsored

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Moms Meet. 

I received complimentary product for the purpose of review, 
but all opinions are honest and they are my own. This page may contain affiliate links.

Growing up in a Filipino family, soy sauce was on the table at every family event. But, years ago, when my husband went gluten-free I had to be careful about that condiment. So, when I was offered the opportunity to do a product review and develop a recipe with a gluten-free tamari by San-J, I was excited! And, as an added bonus, this version also had half the sodium. Sweet.

About San-J 

In 1804, San-Jirushi, the founding company of San-J, started a tamari soy sauce and miso company in the Mie Prefecure on the Japanese island of Honshu. Nearly two centuries later, the first tamari brewery was built in Henrico, Virginia as San-J. Eight generations later, a member of the founding family is still continuing the tradition of quality with a range of tamari soy sauces, Asian-inspired cooking sauces, salad dressings, and snack crackers.

Some Facts...

• 50% Less Sodium than regular San-J Tamari

• Certified Gluten-free

• Certified Kosher

• Non-GMO Project-Verified

• Contains no artificial preservatives, flavors or colors

• Made with 100% Soy

• Price, approximately: $4.39 for 10-ounce bottle or $7.49 for 20-ounce bottle

San-J Tamari Lite 50% Less Sodium Gluten Free Soy Sauce is available to purchase at Whole Foods

Market, Kroger, Food Lion, Sprouts Farmers Market, Albertsons, and other major grocery stores. To find a store near you, visit: here.

Seared Albacore Loins Salad 
with San-J Tamari Dressing 

When I received a delivery of Albacore loins from my local CSF (community-supported fishery) today, I knew that I wanted to use it to highlight the San-J Tamari!

Albacore is a smaller member of the tuna family that has been shown to have low or undetectable mercury levels. They are mostly caught offshore, and unlike most local fishing boats, albacore boats may be at sea for days on end. In those cases, they are flash-frozen to preserve their freshness. Albacore tuna is highly versatile, and when you get sushi-grade tuna, it's perfectly fine to eat it raw.

For this recipe, however, I was inspired to sear the Albacore loins and serve them on top of some hearty baby greens, using a mixture of kale, spinach, arugula and mizuna - a Japanese mustard green.

Ingredients serves 4

• 12 to 16 ounces sushi-grade Albacore tuna loins
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 t toasted sesame oil
• 6 C mixed baby greens 

Dressing

• 1/2 C finely chopped organic yellow onion
• 3 T tamari (I used San-J Tamari Lite 50% Less Sodium Gluten Free Soy Sauce)
• 3 T rice vinegar
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T toasted sesame oil
• 1 t yellow mustard
• 1 t maple syrup
• 1/2 t ground ginger
• Also needed: lidded mason jar

Procedure

Dressing

Place all of the ingredient in a mason jar. Tighten the lid and shake to combine. Set aside.

Seared Albacore

Preheat a skillet. Pour in the olive oil and sesame oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Wait till the oil begin to bubble.

Pat the albacore dry and sear the tuna on all sides until the surface is nicely browned. Remove the tuna to a cutting board.

Toss the greens with the dressing and move to individual serving plates.  Slice the tuna into 1/4" to 1/2" thick slices.

Top the salad greens with sliced tuna. Drizzle with more dressing, if desired.

I also served steamed sushi rice with raw sliced toro, Albacore tuna belly. For that dish, I served some Sweet & Tangy and Hoisin sauce from San-J for dipping.

You may find San-J Tamari...

on the web

on Facebook

on Twitter

*Disclosure: I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agree to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of this product.

Learning About Maple #FoodieReads

October is more than half-way over! How did that happen? Today I'm sharing a cookbook for my Foodie Reads Challenge without sharing a recipe inspired by it. That will come soon. But Maple: 100 Sweet and Savory Recipes Featuring Pure Maple Syrup by Katie Webster* had me running to the store to pick up multiple bottles of maple syrup! 

I have long been intrigued by sugaring. I remember reading about it in the Laura Ingalls Wilder books when I was a child and being amazed that you could simply slice a tree and get syrup from it.

Katie Webster is the force behind Healthy Seasonal Recipes. Until now I wasn't familiar with that blog. But I am so excited to find it...and become a subscriber to her newsletter. I mean, who wouldn't want a recipe for 5 Spice Meatloaf with Apricot Ginger Glaze showing up in their inbox? Well, even better would be a delivery of that recipe...all set and ready to eat. But I'll just take the newsletter. And I'd love a bottle of her Smoky Tomato Shallot Dressing. A girl can dream, right?

In any case, I love cookbooks with delicious recipes, sumptuous stories, and delectable photographs. This book has it all. So, stay tuned. I plan to get a lot of use out of this book. 

I have always wondered what the difference is between the grades of maple syrup. There used to be Grade A Light Amber, Grade A Medium Amber, Grade A Dark Amber, and Grade B; those have changed to Grade A Golden all the way to Grade A Dark. The flavor profiles range from delicate to robust. I've always just gotten the darkest one available. But, armed with this cookbook, I picked up three different bottles and plan to cook my way through Katie's book.

I can't wait to make - and share - her Maple Ginger Roasted Salmon, Simple Miso Roasted Tofu, and Maple Meyer Lemon Whiskey Sour. Are you drooling yet? I am!

               

*This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. It doesn't cost you anything more. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the item of your choice.

Here's what everyone else read in October 2017: here.

A Paddling of Duck(horn)s #MerlotMe #WinePW #Sponsored

 This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf Duckhorn Vineyards, one of the #MerlotMe event sponsors.

Complimentary wine was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links.
However, all opinions expressed here are my own.

This is my third year participating in #MerlotMe thanks to my involvement with the Wine Pairing Weekend bloggers. Wine Pairing Weekend - #winePW - happens on the second Saturday of the month. And this month - October 2017 - foodwineclick is hosting. Jeff invited us to jump on the #MerlotMe bandwagon with him again this year. Click to read his invitation.

Before my introduction to the #MerlotMe event in 2015, I really didn't take this varietal seriously. It seemed too gentle, too fruity, too simple. But, after I explored it a little bit, pairing Merlot with Crisped Mushrooms On Warmed Le Welsche and with Wine, Butter, & Herb-Roasted Mushrooms, I was happy to be proven wrong. Last year, for year two, I even did an entire dinner paired with Merlot (click here) with Merlot-friendly Cheeses, Merlot with Braised Lamb, and Merlot-Poached Pears.

#WinePW Collides with #MerlotME

• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm shares Celebrating the Harvest with Eggplant Lasagna and J Lohr
• David from Cooking Chat shares Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Merlot Sauce
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares A Paddling of Duck(horn)s
• Gwen from Wine Predator shares 3 Merlot from Sonoma with Colorful Fall Pasta
• Sarah from Curious Cuisiniere shares Individual Beef Wellington Paired WithMerlot Wine
• Jeff from Food Wine Click! shares Grill Braised Brisket with Duckhorn Merlot
• Nicole from Somms Table shares Many Merlots Make Marvelous Mediterranean Meal
• Jane from Always Ravenous shares Roasted Pork Loin with Brandy Prune Sauce Paired with Merlot
• Nancy from Pull That Cork shares A Fall Pairing for Merlot
• Jill from L’Occasion shares Merlot, the Busy One
• Cindy from Grape Experiences shares #MerlotMe and Savory Chicken and Mushrooms
• Michelle from Rockin Red Blog shares Celebrating Napa and Sonoma with #MerlotMe

I want to share a bit about this varietal before I get into the food and wine pairings for this year. Merlot is a dark almost blue-black colored grape. It is used both as a blending grape - fairly common as an element in Meritage blends - and as a single varietal. It's thought that the name 'Merlot' might come from the French word for blackbird, merle.

All of the #MerlotMe participating wineries can be seen here. My first year (2015), I received complimentary bottles from Duckhorn Vineyards, Twomey, and L'Ecole No. 41. Last year (2016) I received bottles from Duckhorn Vineyards and Pope Valley Winery. And this year (2017), I received bottles from Duckhorn Vineyards (woohoo for year three!), Goldschmidt Vineyards, and J. Lohr. 

Click to read about my pairing of Chevre Crostini with Chelsea Goldschmidt and, soon, I'll be posting my pairing of Fig-Glazed Duck Legs with J. Lohr's Los Osos Merlot.

A Paddling of Duckhorns

With a the generous shipment of their wines, and the fact that they have provided me with samples for three years, I decided to focus on Duckhorn for this post.

Do you know what a group of ducks is called? I always thought it was a 'flock'. Turns out that there are multiple terms, including words that differentiate between a group of ducks on the water and a group of ducks in the air. Really?!? I love etymology and was happy to add some words to my vocabulary. But one of the words for a group of ducks is a 'paddling.' 

...And a Paddling of Duck Meatball Recipes
I decided to pair each of the Duckhorn wines I received with a different duck meatball.

Duck Kofta with Duckhorn's
Three Palms Vineyard Merlot 2014

A Middle Eastern-Inspired Nibble served with Israeli Couscous

Ingredients

• 8 ounces ground duck
• 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and pressed
• 1 egg
• 1 T dates, pitted and diced
• 2 T fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 T flour
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t ground allspice
• 1/4 t ground cardamom
• 1/4 t ground ginger
• 1/4 t ground paprika
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 C ground almonds
• 2 T butter
• 1 T olive oil
• Also needed: cooked Israeli couscous, small skewers for serving, and chutney (I used my Heirloom Tomato Chutney)

Procedure

Place all of the ingredients - up to the ground almonds - in a medium mixing bowl. Mix well with your hands and shape the mixture into 9 or 10 oblong meatballs. Melt the butter in olive oil until it's nice and foamy. Roll the kofta in ground almonds and place in the pan. Cook until nicely browned and cooked through, approximately 12 to 14 minutes.

Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. When ready to serve, pierce with skewers and place on a bed of Israeli couscous. Serve with chutney.

Duckhorn Vineyard's Napa Valley Three Palms Vineyard Merlot 2014
$98 on the winery website

86% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot

This wine was powerful and elegant. It opened up with notes of red fruit, as I expected, but had a robust structure with lingering hints of spices on the finish. The pepper and clove paired nicely with the big flavors of the Middle Eastern-inspired kofta.

Duck Polpettine with 
Duckhorn's Napa Valley Merlot 2014

An Italian-Inspired Bite served with Wilted Spinach

Ingredients

• 8 ounces ground duck
• 1 T minced shallots
• 2 t chopped fresh basil
• 1 t chopped fresh oregano
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 egg
• 1/2 C panko breadcrumbs

Sauce

• 1 C fresh tomato sauce
• 1 T minced shallots
• 1 t chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 t dried oregano
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• olive oil
• Also needed: wilted spinach for serving

Procedure
Mix all of the meatball ingredients together in a bowl. Form walnut-sized meatballs. Set aside.

In a large, flat-bottom pan, heat a splash of olive oil and cook the shallots until they begin to turn transparent. Add the tomato sauce and herbs.

Gently drop the meatballs into the sauce and simmer until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a splash of olive oil to make it all glossy. Serve on a bed of wilted spinach.

Duckhorn's Napa Valley Merlot
$54 on the winery website

88% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cabernet Franc

Where the Three Palms is large and bold, the Napa Valley Merlot has a softer appeal. While there are still intense fruit aromas, on the tongue there is a beautiful balance of vibrant acidity and velvety smooth tannins. The finish is long with a softness of roasted coffee. This was a lovely pairing with the Italian-themed meatballs.

Duck Tsukune with 
Duckhorn's Decoy Merlot 2015

An Asian-Inspired Appetizer served with Brown Rice

Ingredients

• 1 C soy sauce
• 1 C mirin
• 1/4 C organic dark brown sugar
• 8 ounces ground duck
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 bunch organic scallions, trimmed and finely chopped
• 1 T freshly grated ginger
• oil for frying
• Also needed: cooked rice, black sesame seeds for garnish

Procedure

In a medium saucepan, bring the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until the liquid has reduced to a thick sauce, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the glaze cool.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix the ground duck with the salt, pepper, scallions, and ginger until well-combined. Form the meat into 10 small meatballs. Heat the oil in skillet and cook the meatballs until they are firm to the touch and nicely browned, approximately 10 minutes. Pour glaze over the top of the meatballs and heat until the sauce is bubbling. Be careful so they don't burn. Turn to coat completely. Serve on a bed of rice with a sprinkling of black sesame seeds as a garnish.

Decoy Merlot 
$25 on the winery website

92% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petite Sirah

Made in neighboring Sonoma Valley, this Merlot by Duckhorn's Decoy imprint offers lush fruity layers of black cherry and cassis. This is a velvety sip where the acidity adds length to the vibrant berry notes.

Thank you to Jeff, of foodwineclick, for arranging the #MerlotMe tie in with #WinePW. And thank you, especially, to Duckhorn Vineyards. These were three lovely and unique expressions of the varietal. And they paired with my dishes beautifully. I have received no additional compensation for this post. All statements are 100% mine and 100% accurate.

You may find Duckhorn Vineyards... 

on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter

*Disclosure: I received compensation for recipe development and generating social media traction. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the organizer and sponsors of this event.