Recipe: Garlic-Lovers Pot Roast with Root Vegetables

Ingredients:

3 1/2 lb. chuck roast

2 1/2 cups of red wine

2 1/2 cups of beef stock

6 tbsp. minced garlic

1 large sweet onion, diced

2 tsp. sea salt

2 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. dried ground sage

2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. onion powder

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 tsp. dried basil

3 large carrots, diced

2 large beets, diced

4 large potatoes, diced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 - 3 tbsp. of Wondra flour

Directions:

You're going to need a large dutch oven and a large roasting pan. Preheat the oven to 325.

Mix the dry spices all together to make a spice rub. Use 1/2 of the rub to coat the roast on all sides. Lightly coat the bottom of a roasting pan with olive oil, throw in the diced carrots, beets, and potatoes, spray the vegetables on the top with cooking spray, and then sprinkle the remaining 1/2 of the spice rub over the vegetables. Place the remaining vegetable oil into the dutch oven and put the dutch oven on the stove over medium-high heat. Place the diced onion and garlic into the hot oil. Cook until the onion becomes translucent, stirring frequently, about 6 minutes. Place the roast in the hot oil with the onions and garlic and sear on all sides, about 2 - 3 minutes on each side. Add in the red wine and beef stock and stir it up. Put cover on the dutch oven and place into the oven for 3 - 3 1/2 hours.

Place the roasting pan with the vegetables into the oven separately with 1 hour of cooking time left. Once the roast is done, carefully take it out of the dutch oven (it'll be very tender!!!) and set aside. Skim any excess fat off the top. Place the dutch oven back on the stove over medium heat and add the Wondra flour. Stir frequently until a nice gravy forms. Turn off the heat, place the roast back into the gravy, and serve with the vegetables.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe: Slow Roasted Chicken with Eggplant and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 lbs. of chicken thighs

2 1/2 cups of red wine

2 1/2 cups of chicken broth

3 tbsp. minced garlic

3 tsp. herbs de provence

4 jalapeno peppers

2 small sweet onions

4 small Italian eggplant

6 large heirloom tomatoes

5 tbsp. olive oil

Sea salt

Black pepper

Directions:

Dice eggplant into small cubes. Place into a colander and sprinkle sea salt generously over the pieces. Let sit and wilt for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees.

Dice the tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos into small pieces and place into a large dutch oven. Add the eggplant pieces, minced garlic, and herbs de provence. Add about 2 tsp. each of sea salt and black pepper. Drizzle 2 tbsp. of the olive oil over the vegetable mixture. Place on the stove on medium heat. Once the veggies begin to sizzle, add the red wine and chicken broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer for approximately 30 minutes.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet. Sprinkle salt and pepper generously over the chicken thighs. Sear the chicken thighs in the oil for approximately 4 minutes on each side. Add the chicken thighs to the dutch oven making sure they are submerged in the liquid. Cover the dutch oven and place into the oven. Bake for 2 hours. Serve over angel hair pasta dressed with either butter or olive oil.

Makes 6 servings.

Wine Tasting: 2006 Bridgeview Vineyards "Black Beauty" Syrah

Appellation: Southern Oregon.

This was a pleasant wine, but could stand to age about another year or two. Relatively dry for a Syrah (I prefer fruitier), but still quite a pleasant wine. It's light enough to be able to go with chicken, pasta, and other less heavy dishes. Medium-bodied and easy drinking. I picked this up back in early July when I was with my folks visiting Crater Lake in southern Oregon. Not the best of the bunch that I picked up, but very good for it's reasonable price at the winery ($17).

Recommendation: 3 out of 5.

Wine Tasting: Mill Creek 2005 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel

Appellation: Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California

The wine is made from my favorite varietal, Zinfandel, by a mid-sized winery up on the Westside Road near Healdsburg in Sonoma called Mill Creek Winery. The wine is their “2005 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel.” For those of you that don’t know the appellations of Northern California, Dry Creek Valley is known primarily for Zinfandel (and lately its close relative, Syrah). It is known for producing very earthy and bold Zinfandels that are still fruity, but with not quite as much berry taste as the neighboring appellations of Russian River Valley and Alexander Valley. This wine is very indicative of the Dry Creek style - very bold, nice fruit, but not over-the-top on the berry flavor with slight hints of smokiness on the nose (that’s the “earthiness” more typical of Dry Creek.). It’s a little bit young for a big California Zin, but it’s still a great drinking wine. Also, I had a glass again today after it had been open overnight and the flavors are even more pronounced and rounded. If you’re a fan of California Zin, then this is a very good one. If you always prefer to pair your wine with food, then you’re going to need some big red meat dishes or earthier poultry dishes like duck or squab to hold up to this one. Mill Creek’s staff also recommends baked/rotisserie chicken or pork chops, which could work, but I think may be a bit too light for the body of this wine.

I do highly recommend almost all of Mill Creek’s wines. I’ve had many wines from them and never been disappointed. So, if your state allows you to accept direct wine shipments, then get your hands on this one before it sells out!

Recommendation: 4 out of 5.