Drunkin Onion Sauce

So, I have the most amazing fresh ravioli in the freezer… so I want that for dinner tonight (quinoa to be done another night!) … but I can’t have pasta with out sauce…and since I’ve started making my own, I just don’t do jarred.  Not that there aren’t some great jarred sauces out there – there are… but I love the flavors I can create with a tomato sauce!  I’ve done so many variations, from a straight tomato sauce to a mushroom based tomato sauce to a meat filled sauce (that Dave calls “gravy”*) - you (ok, so maybe not all of 'you'... but at least "i" can!) can do just about anything to a tomato sauce and it will come out tasting fabulous!

·        Let me clarify the “gravy/sauce” issue right now…Gravy is brown and usually goes on meatloaf or turkey…Sauce is red – made from tomatoes – and regardless of what is in it…if it’s RED – its SAUCE…. If it’s BROWN – it’s GRAVY.  Enough said…done…won’t argue the issue any more…in the emily-verse (which is where I live, and as far as I’m concerned, anyone in my life is in MY world!), this is how it’s done.

So let me introduce you to my

Drunkin’ Onion Sauce

One medium to large onion, sliced thin

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 can of either crushed tomatoes or plum tomatoes

1 ½ heaping tablespoons of pesto (I love Classico, if you don’t make your own!)

1 small (see pic) bottle of red wine (Cabernet is preferable)

Red Pepper Flakes

Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Slice thinly the onion and mince up the garlic…

Heat a pan on medium/low with Olive oil and a bit of butter and a pinch of red pepper flakes…

 

once the butter is melting and the red pepper starts to sizzle…add the garlic. 

Stir for about 2 minutes… your nose will tell you (when you smell the garlic cooking) and when it is, that’s when it’s time to add the onion and some salt and pepper (to taste)…

Stir, you may need a touch more butter, but then let the onions go...stirring occasionally – you want to caramelize those onions… this takes about 20 minutes. You’re not looking for a deep color (like for French Onion Soup)…but for a slight color and really wilted, sweetened onions. 

Meanwhile, if you’ve got plum tomatoes, empty them in a bowl and get your hands in there and crush them up… dig in with your hands, folks…that’s the ONLY way to do this!  Break them down to the bits and pieces!!

Once the onions have that slightly caramelized color, deglaze the pan with the Cabernet.

Stir occasionally but with in 5 minutes, add the tomatoes and the pesto. 

Let it simmer on low for easily 20-30 minutes.  You want the sauce to thicken, take on flavor and be an amazing accompaniment to the ravioli that I am cooking… After about 30 minutes, look at the sauce and see how thick it is...if you like it thicker – you can add a bit of tomato paste… but given about 30 minutes, it’s a good consistency for me… I’ll put the sauce on low to keep warm and cook my pasta.

I put my ravioli (which is fresh* see below), that’s been in the boiling water for about 5 minutes, and then I put it right in the tomato sauce. 

You want the pasta to soak up that flavor… and you’ll leave it there for … eh, maybe 4 or 5 more minutes. 

·        While that’s cooking, lets talk about pasta…I get my ravioli from Bambinos… they are at my local farmers market, but also have a store front in Bay Shore, NY. They have an enormous amount of stuffed pasta, regular pasta, mozzarella (smoked too) and burrata <I’ll have a whole post dedicated to burrata soon!>…  I’m telling you…You need to go here (or find where they are at farmers markets) to get their product.  Not only do I, but my SBC (sister by choice, and also my sister in law!) also buys their products and they are amazing!!  Made fresh, and easily frozen to keep and have when ever you need it!

Ok… So, now once the ravioli has been simmering in the sauce… about 5 or so minutes… (I mean, hey… 6 or 8 minutes is OK…this isn’t an exact science here)…Then take out your pasta… put a bit of sauce on it… some Parmesan or Pecorino… and boom! 

You have an amazing dinner… a fantastic sauce that you can use for other pasta nights, pizza or even freeze it for other meals!

Now my friends… this isn’t my “sauce” recipe.  That will take so much more than this… as it will be a whole post on “Sunday dinner” … but this is a … a not so quick- but tasty and delicious remedy to a sauce that isn’t jarred for your dinner one night. 

The sauce has a depth of flavor, with the garlic notes touching every bite you take…the onions are still substantial so the sauce has texture, but add such an amazing sweetness to the sauce.  Just before serving, I added two handfuls of the Pecorino to the sauce and it adds just the right amount of salty flavor to the dish.

Now, the ravioli I used was the “Tomato, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella” ravioli… it is perfect with this sauce!! We don’t add any fresh herbs to this sauce, so the basil flavor is allowed to showcase its self as you bite into the ravioli and sauce combo. The pasta is cooked tender enough to have that slight bite… but the flavor of the filling is highlighted… You can totally taste the tomato, mozzarella and basil in this dish. 

I’ll take a side step and say, I’ve had their butternut squash, pumpkin and the smoked mozzarella ravioli and … please… they are amazing.  Go to Bambino’s … or find a farmers market where they are.  You’ll not be disappointed!!

Until Next Time…

EAT

Following the Leader... sort of!

I’m not a recipe follower…well in truth; I’m not a follower in anything I do.  I just don’t have it in me… But when it comes to recipes, I love to read them…I love to get ideas from chefs and see what they do to make and create a dish.  Yes – Food Network is on in my house pretty constantly! If I decide to try a dish, I’ll research online and in cookbooks to find many different interpretations of the dish - I’ll read several recipes and then formulate my own from some of the ideas I’ve gotten. 

I don’t take well to measurements either.  Too particular for me…too precise; I talk in terms of splashes, pinches, handfuls, chunks… hardly ever do I deal with tablespoons and cups… I get that from my Grandmother (remind me to tell you the story some time of Grandma’s pierogies and rabbit ears!).

So be honored (well, not honored, but maybe impressed?) that I’m actually measuring and writing down some of my recipes to share with you! 

I’ve been in a fish mood for a while, so that’s what’s for dinner tonight! I love seafood…shellfish more especially (even though I have to be very, very careful with Lobster and Crab)…but there are a few fish that I do enjoy.  Sole, Chilean Sea Bass Tilapia, Halibut, Cod and Salmon for the most part are my constants with  Sole being the top.  These aren’t heavy fish and most of them have clean, bright, sea-flavors with out being fishy tasting.  So, let me give you the ingredient list:

Lemon Sole

½ cup of Flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
½ cup of dry white wine
1 lemon (zest of ½ the lemon and the juice of the whole lemon)
2 large tablespoons of Capers
1 jar of marinated artichoke hearts
1 tsp of Mustard
½ tsp of Corn Starch (optional)
2 tablespoons of butter, then 1 more tablespoon
A splash of Olive Oil

 So, we begin this dish with a gorgeous piece of Lemon Sole. 

 

I get most of my fresh fish at B&B Fish in Amityville… This huge sucker only cost me $14.22 and it was just shy of 1 pound.  

You want to blot the fish dry with some paper towel and then prepare your seasoned flour.  I just put in some salt and pepper (to taste)…but on occasion, I’ll throw in some Lemon Pepper too if I have it on hand.  

 

Mix your flour and then dredge the fish on both sides in the flower, shaking off the excess. 

 

 

Heat a pan on medium heat with a the 2 tablespoons of butter and a splash of Olive Oil – when it’s all melted, add the fish to the pan.  Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes and then flip.

You’ll cook it for about 2 to 3 minutes on the second side as well…remove from the pan.

 

 

Deglaze (fancy word for ‘put into the pan’) the pan with the white wine, lemon zest and the juice from ½ of the lemon… Make sure you scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pan while the liquid simmers. Add in your artichokes (which have been drained), the capers and the mustard. If that’s too much artichokes for you, only use what you’d like – for me, it’s my vegetables so I use them all!

 

Mix and simmer a bit more (maybe 2 minutes or so) and then add the last tablespoon of butter.  If you like a bit if a thicker sauce…whisk in the corn starch…If you are OK with a looser sauce, then leave that out.  We know I’m a saucy girl…so I do add the cornstarch. Add your sauce to your fish and enjoy!

 

 The fish is light, flaky and buttery and not fishy tasting or smelling at all… that’s one reason why I love Lemon Sole..  This dish could be made with Tilapia or Halibut as well.

 The sauce has a tart lemony flavor that is only enhanced by the twang of the mustard and softened a bit by the sweetness of the wine.  The capers bring a nice peppery bite to the whole dish, like little bursts of the sea in your mouth as you eat.  If you find the sauce too tart, when you deglaze the pan, add a bit of chopped Shallots or Onions to add some sweetness!

 Try this one out, friends…I guarantee you’ll love it!             

 When Dave is back to eating carbs, I’ll post my Linguini and White Clam Sauce for you… it’s one of my Favorites!! Tomorrow I'm trying a Lentil Quinoa Salad...so we'll see how that turns out!

 

Until Next Time…

EAT

Never Let Them Get Your Goat

Being a Taylor, and now up in “Taylor” wine country… we can’t help but go to our favorite winery…Bully Hill.  With Mom in Elmira with Grandma, Dave and I sneak away from the kids for a date lunch at the Restaurant at Bully Hill.

 

A brief history on Bully Hill... It was founded by Walter S. Taylor the same year he was fired from the family business - Taylor Wine Company in 1970.  In '77, Taylor Wines merged with the Coco-Cola Co., and they sued Walter to have him stop using HIS LAST NAME on his wine products.  He lost ... and the Taylor name was blacked out on all Bully Hill labels.  He would sign them Walter S. _____

Walter was upset but pulled through it through humor, "I remembered when all those farmers demonstrated in Washington, they let loose a bunch of goats, and all the guards were running around after them. So I got a goat and it saved my life. That's when I decided to laugh at the whole thing, to laugh at life."

He then famously stated that "They took my name and heritage, but they didn't get my goat."

Until his death Walter Taylor would often say things like, "Just call me Walter S. Blank," or "Yes, I'm the owner of Bully Hill, but I can't tell you where I came from."  

Walter was also an artist...and created all the labels for his wines.  He took the Goat theme to his labels as well,  on his Love My Goat wines, and it is said that if you put all the labels together and fan through them, you will see the Goat lick his lips!

On to the restaurant...A beautiful setting overlooking the vineyards and the lake, we sit for what we know from experience will be a very nice meal. 

 

 

We were excited and surprised as this is the first time we were at the winery while they started the harvest! Fun to watch while we ate.

 

I order a glass of the Seyval Brut sparkling wine…served icy cold and absolutely delicious.  It is very dry cuvee but with a toasty, almost buttery finish and hints of a crisp, dry apple.  If you can find it in your stores, try a bottle!

This Brut went so deliciously well with my appetizer… Baked Brie.  A wonderfully warmed Brie with a raspberry almond compote, and served with apple slices, grapes and crispy, soft baguette pieces. 

The tangy, buttery, creamy Brie, mixed with the sweetness of the raspberry compote, spread on top of a crisp apple slice was just the right combination of flavors and textures to make your mouth happy.  I could have done with out the bread; except it was so crisp, yet so soft and aromatic that you just had to have a piece shmeared with the Brie. A rich, but light appetizer – Dave asked, as we ate, ‘Why don’t we think of doing this at home?’  I’ve no clue…but you can bet it’s being added to the list!

Dave’s appetizer was just about the best, absolute best chicken wings I’ve had in…oh, say…forever! 

 

They weren’t hot wings (I have an obsession with those) but a smoked wing and then served with two different sauces, should you want them (one a smoky sweet sauce, and one a tangy “hot” sauce)…And now we all know I’m a saucy girl…but this is the first time I would say, these wings-naked, were amazing.  The wings were hickory smoked, and so crispy you’d have thought they were fried…but nope, smoked to absolute perfection in a wing.  You bite into the crisp chicken and the flavor just fills your mouth, along with the juicy chicken piece – it was such a marriage of perfection in your mouth. 

 Moving on to our entrees … Dave ordered the Mediterranean Pita Sandwich, which had Roasted Eggplant, marinated and grilled Lamb with a roasted pepper aioli. 

Holy Flavor town! The eggplant, with its smoky grilled flavor, was cooked to the point that when you bit into the sandwich, it seemed there was an eggplant spread on the grilled pita, rather than the straight vegetable.  The lamb was so tender and with the hint of sweetness in the aioli – this sandwich was miles of flavor packed in a pita.  It was served with a delicious homemade potato salad and oh… grapes.  Again with the grapes, but these little bursts of angel sweetness were heaven. Not too sweet, not too tart, fleshy like a plum but with tender grape flavor…Dave says the only word he can think of to describe them is uncious. Yeah…Get some Delaware Grapes if you get a chance, you’ll see what I’m talking about.

 Now, one of the great reasons to do a food blog is that it will force me to order different things on a menu, rather than my usual…When I find something I love, I order it almost every time I go to a restaurant.  Well friends, this is not the time that I’m switching things up!  Lol.. I’ve ordered this same entrée each and every time I go to Bully Hill, and thank goodness I’ve never written about it before so I was forced to order it again.  Arm twisted…

Roasted Portobello Mushroom with a Maryland Style Crab cake and Seared Scallops.
Duh.  Need I say more?

 

Well, this is a blog, so of course I’m going to say more!  Just know…Salad not touched…Dave ate the French Fries…Cucumber salad, while I tasted it and it was delicious, I refused to let anything take up any more room in my stomach as I was about to stuff myself with the most delightful combination of goodness imaginable! 

Let’s start from the top…the Scallops.  Do you see that color on the sear? So completely golden and crispy, yet the scallop was perfectly cooked and had such a sweet tenderness and mild sea flavor.

The Crab Cake was filled, just simply filled with crab…seared perfectly as well, as that crust gave such a texture to a dish that can tend to be a bit mushy.  This was far, far from it…a nice crunch, a briny flavor and the sweetness of the crab was such a perfect combination with the meaty and smokiness flavor of the Portobello.  The blend of flavors and textures were enough to close your eyes and have a food moment right then and there.  While no tarter sauce was needed with this perfect pillow of delight, they did have a home made “tarter” sauce…I’ve no idea what was in it other than capers (oh, I’m obsessed with capers), it did have such a flavor to compliment the crab cake, with out drowning it out at all.

Bully Hill has listed their Crab Cake recipe on their web site...go, right this minute and make it!! Bully Hill's Crab Cake

Friends, I’ll recommend the Finger Lakes region to anyone, as it’s gorgeous, relaxing and just a fun place to be and explore.  But I’ll have to insist you visit at least one summer just so you can go to Bully Hill… take a tour, have a tasting…but definitely stop at the restaurant and have this amazing experience!!

So, my ratings:

Food: A+

Price:  Reasonable... Working off the Lunch Menu - The appetizers are sharable small plates around $12 and entrees range from $10-$16 dollars.

Service: a solid B+.  Taylor was our server and she was quick, bright and very attentive. Her attitude was very energetic and she was very thoughtful (we had just been seated when a table at the rail with a great view came available) and she asked us if we wanted to move, rather than re-seating the table.  Thanks, Taylor!

Bully Hill, my friends… Try it out… We’ll be going back next year, and unfortunately – or fortunately – I’ll be trying something different for the first time in 7 years!!

 

 

Until Next Time…

EAT

 

Play Time!

Best part about vacationing at the lake... Swimming!
Sam loves to swim…Lilah does it because Sam is doing it, but she doesn’t love it at all. 

But regardless, I’ve never had such tired kids as after a full day of swimming, playing, digging on the gravel (Lilah’s favorite thing is digging, and here is the only place she’s allowed!) and sunning them selves on the dock to dry off… 

As promised, here are some playtime pictures!



First Keuka Grill Night

Pop quiz…(other than corn and grapes) can you name a staple of cuisine in upstate New York? 

Salt Potatoes!

We decided that for our first meal, we’d let Dave have his red meat, so long as it was accompanied with fresh corn and salt potatoes.  So my friends, here goes our first cook out at the lake! Dave got two beautiful looking sirloin steaks at the market...

 

 I seasoned the steak on both sides with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Dave prepared the Weber charcoal grill and did the man thing and grilled with an ice-cold beer. Looking good, babe!

Meanwhile, inside…I start the water boiling! The salt potatoes required a full pot of water mixed with all the salt that comes in the package…

Bring that to a rolling boil, add the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes, until tender and cooked through. After draining the potatoes, I put them back in their pot, with some butter and tossed. 

After Dave and I shucked the corn, I added it to a pot of cold water and brought it to a light boil.  Once boiling, I turned off the water and put a lid on the pot until we were ready to serve…perfectly cooked!

 

So here is the full meal…please note, my Hungry Husband took all the medium rare pieces of steak at this point, leaving the more well pieces for Mom and I (which was perfectly OK with me!)

 

 

A perfect dinner after sun, swimming and dock time!  The steak was so very nice and tender...seasoned perfectly, if I do say so myself, and full of flavor. The potatoes, a nice salty crust gives a nice bite but the fluffy white goodness inside was amazingly delicious.  The corn, Butter and Sugar corn...sweet and crunchy, friends, there is nothing like fresh upstate corn!

Dessert was some apple-caramel-pecan pie – and while I’d wanted to make ‘smores, I was way too tired! 

Until Next Time…

EAT

Cottages, Lakes and Grapes, Oh My!

Happy Vacation to US!  While I know these won’t get posted until Dave and I get home from vacation (no internet at the cottage!), I’m still writing, reviewing, pondering and having food fun while we’re away.  I mean, can there be any better place to blog than this???

Where am I?

Hammondsport, NY – on Keuka Lake.  It’s just at the “Coolest Small Town in America”… I’m not kidding… while my family has known this for well over 40 years, when Grandma and Grandpa bought the cottage… and I’ve known it for over 30 years… now it’s legit cause Budget Travel Magazine said so for 2012…

This is Cozy Cottage… (Yes, most cottages on the lake get names from their owners!) It’s a cute three bedroom, one bathroom place that my family has called home each summer. 

 and this is Keuka Lake! I usually call it ‘my Grandma’s lake’… it’s the Y shaped lake in the finger lakes region of New York – one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been!

 

Jealous yet?  =)

 Dave and I got up here about 5am on Sunday morning…Waking up to a breakfast of Mom made Camp Eggs (will make for you soon!) and taking the kids down to the water and had a full day of play and fun (those pictures to follow at some point!).  Headed into town that afternoon to buy some supplies and had Dinner with Mom.  Hi Mom!

She made sauce, meatballs and sausage with spaghetti and garlic bread perfect Sunday dinner for us before we had an early night due to sheer exhaustion.

Labor Day morning, up at 7am so we could hit the Windmill as early as possible to avoid crowds.  The Windmill is a large crafts fair type of place; it started many years ago with mostly Mennonite farmers selling crafts, wares, baked goods and the like.  It grew to add many other vendors, a flea market area and little quaint storefronts.  Just up Dave’s alley when it comes to shopping! It was a nice morning of walking around, but the Windmill has changed a lot since the last time I was there (oh, about ten years ago)… it’s very commercial now, not so much hand crafted things, only two stalls of baked goods… eh, I don’t see myself going back. 

 Except for maybe the farmers market area…the local produce – yum!  We picked up some fresh NY corn for dinner, but the highlight of that trip… the Juniper Grapes (ever hear of Juniper Grapes?  Me neither!)

 

We walked by a stand that was just filled with all different kinds of grapes, and after tasting 4 of them, and really wanting to get back to the lake, Dave and I decided to get the Juniper grape. One bite into this grape was an explosion of flavor in your mouth, a sweet splash of juice that honestly tastes like a mildly sweet dessert wine, with out the alcohol.  Ever walk into a winery and have that sweet grape smell?  This is exactly what these grapes smell and taste like… Nothing compared to the grapes you get in a grocery store, absolutely zero comparison! The only ‘down’ side to these grapes are the seeds, but honestly – I got over that really quickly in order to get more of that luscious flavor into my mouth!  Plus, the seeds are great for spitting at Dave on the dock!  We did taste the Concord grape and while that was delicious, for me, they were simply way too sweet.  It honestly tasted like putting a spoon full of grape jelly in your mouth.  Way too gluttonous…  ;)

 Off to swim for a bit – We’re cooking tonight.  That’ll be the next post!

Until Next Time...

EAT 

Sat-ur-day!! Hello Vacation!!

Hello Friends... Happy Saturday of Labor Day weekend...

I've no food in my fridge... cause I'm leaving on vacation tonight...<yes..doing a happy dance>!

So, I'll eat the leftovers of my dinner with my dear friend Alison from last night...(and I'll tell you more about Alison eventually...she is the most dearest person, the funniest person I know... she's made some amazing accomplishments this year...I'm so proud of her...and I'm blessed she is counted as my friend! ). But for now, I'll tell you about my day...

Wake up, watch some TV... by 9:30 I have D awake with some coffee and bacon and eggs for his breakfast.  I do some shopping (road food, see below!) and he takes the kids for a walk... then he naps and I... well, I get to enjoy the rest of my day!

Oh the injustices of life...  :)  I get to sun at the pool, read, relax and talk to a friend...partake in a community barbecue, and all around enjoy my last day on Long Island... and I was at the pool by 11:45..stayed until 4:30 ish... tried to sleep...packed the car...finished our last minute stuff here... and write this blog (cause, I doubt I'll have a Sunday post).

And Dave... got up at 9:30 with a cup of coffee and breakfast made for him... he brushed the dogs and then did the thing I hate most (vacuumed) and then went to work at 2pm (well, really 1pm, as D likes to get in a bit early!). I hope and pray he had a fantastic day/night, and then we can jump in the car with our dogs <who will be as "high as a kite"...(tribute to Nikki Minage) by then> because we can not travel any distance longer than 2 miles before I want to just tape my Sam's mouth shut.

Ok .. so to demonstrate... this is what Sam does...EVERY...DAY.. when the fire alarm goes off...

But when he gets into the car to go ... to the park/vet/grandma's.... he is just as loud and vocal. Whining, crying, moaning, all the pathetic noises he can make! I'll capture that soon, but I think the howl is enough for this!

This will be a driving night, so I'll introduce you to the amazing driving food that I've been using for years. 

Twizzlers!!

Back in the day... I'd pile my old boy Max in the car... and we'd make the trek upstate just about every other weekend or so... (and sometimes with the rabbit I inherited from my sister, Velvet...Velvet is the rabbit, not my sister! lol). But Mad would put his head on my left shoulder to tell me he needed the window open (as he tended to get car sick and needed some air...hey, ask me what happened to Peter's Jets Hat!)... but if the head hit my right shoulder, that meant he wanted a twizzler, and he got one...I got one and we were both happy!

S0 yes, I've "introduced" this tradition to my new kids...but the have to be drugged to make the drive, so is this more for me than them??  Probably!

Either way, friends... I may or may not post on Sunday... but you will hear from me during our vacation. 

Happy Labor Day to all!!

Until Next Time

EAT