Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Bargain bubbles
Italian Prosecco was last year's hot bargain bubbly, but this year I think Spain's cava sparkling wines have them beat on the two most important fronts - price and flavor. Depending on where you live, great cavas are often half the price of Prosecco, and they are easily double the flavor, too. The reason is that they are produced with the same painstaking method as French Champagne and great American sparklers, with a second fermentation in the bottle that gives you bubbles and more. That's because as the fermentation progresses, the yeasts break down, creating all kinds of new aromatics and flavors in the process. Aria Cava Brut from Segura Viudas, and Paul Cheneau Brut, remain two of my all-time favorites. More recently I've come to love a new crop of rosado (the Spanish word for rose) cavas, for tremendous complexity, cherry fruit and spice that drinks like a wine, so it's a beautiful, festive and perfect-pair choice for holiday meals. Two to look for are Freixenet Brut de Noirs Rosado and Codorniu Pinot Noir Rose. I tasted the Codorniu blind against French rose Champagne and it was just as good - wow.
The ultimate wine for Gumbo
The best wine for my (Leftover) Turkey Gumbo, or any gumbo is, bar none, dry rose. And there is no better choice than Miner Family Sangiovese Rosato, which has fantastic peppery, pomegranate, orange peel and herb notes. This wine is actually an amazing choice for all manner of spiced-up holiday dishes. If you would like to check it out, I still have a few bottles left from my A-List wine club - send an email if you would like to order some, and let us know how we can contact you.
The best turkey leftovers dish ever - EASY Gumbo
My family is not a leftovers family - that made the Thanksgiving turkey my big challenge. But I took it on with gusto, probably because growing up with my thrift-minded mom imbued me with the idea that throwing out decent food is, in a word, sinful. Now, we had a lot of turkey because this year it was just three of us at the Thanksgiving table (and my 21-month-old daughter Jesse didn't make much of a dent in the bird, anyway). My husband John dutifully ate several turkey wraps that I made extra special by mixing horseradish into the mayo, using some good cheese, and then toasting the whole thing in a panini press, which works great, just tuck in the ends when you roll it.
But the gumbo rocked, so much so that my husband actually even ate some of it as leftovers! And it was easy. Should you still have a bunch of frozen turkey leftovers, or be planning a bird for Christmas, here is the recipe:
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy stock pot on medium high. Add 2 oz spicy bulk sausage (such as chorizo), 1 large diced onion, 3 cloves garlic, 3 ribs diced celery and 2 peeled, diced carrots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and beginning to brown. Meanwhile, microwave half of a 20 oz bag of frozen okra for 1-2 minutes on high to partially thaw, and slice into chunks. Add the okra to the pot along with one 22 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes, cut up, with their liquid (I cut the tomatoes with kitchen shears while they are still in the can - so easy and no mess). Add 1 1/2 teaspoons each dried oregano and dried thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth and lots of turkey,cut in 1/2 inch pieces (3 cups or so, but the recipe is flexible). Simmer uncovered for about an hour, raising the heat in the last 15 minutes to reduce the liquid until the gumbo is very thick and the bottom begins to brown slightly. Add additional salt and pepper if needed and serve.
But the gumbo rocked, so much so that my husband actually even ate some of it as leftovers! And it was easy. Should you still have a bunch of frozen turkey leftovers, or be planning a bird for Christmas, here is the recipe:
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy stock pot on medium high. Add 2 oz spicy bulk sausage (such as chorizo), 1 large diced onion, 3 cloves garlic, 3 ribs diced celery and 2 peeled, diced carrots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and beginning to brown. Meanwhile, microwave half of a 20 oz bag of frozen okra for 1-2 minutes on high to partially thaw, and slice into chunks. Add the okra to the pot along with one 22 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes, cut up, with their liquid (I cut the tomatoes with kitchen shears while they are still in the can - so easy and no mess). Add 1 1/2 teaspoons each dried oregano and dried thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth and lots of turkey,cut in 1/2 inch pieces (3 cups or so, but the recipe is flexible). Simmer uncovered for about an hour, raising the heat in the last 15 minutes to reduce the liquid until the gumbo is very thick and the bottom begins to brown slightly. Add additional salt and pepper if needed and serve.
