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Let's do a straight recipe today - Broccoli Bean soup!

Ingredients:

- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 medium onion
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Broccoli (including peeled stems)
- Cranberry Beans

Process:

Add olive oil to a large stock pot and saute diced onion and garlic for about 10 minutes.  Add 2 cups of fresh cranberry beans (canned beans are convenient but the texture, flavor, and quality is not as good as fresh beans) and 6 cups of water.  Cook until the beans are tender (about 1 - 1 1/2 hours).  Add Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.  Next, add about 4 cups of steamed broccoli and cook for 8-10 minutes.  Puree the mixture using a hand blender.  Add grated cheese, a splash of fresh extra virgin olive oil, and a bit of fresh parsley.





The soup pairs well with a glass of Ciro Librandi Bianco from Calabria. 

(photo: Columbus Artisan line seasonal cacciatore)

I've written about Columbus' Artisan salumi line in the past (including their hot sopressata, cacciatore, finocchiona, crespone, salami secchi, and standard Sopressata) and their high-end line is outstanding as it's made with a higher grade of pork, allowed to age 21-90 days, hand tied and stuffed, and made with natural casings.  Click here if you're interested in learning more about how salumi is made.   


(photo: Artisan truffle cacciatore before hand slicing)

Columbus recently released a new line of holiday salame aimed at a larger, mass market, audience; namely, "wine salame"  The salame collection includes: Cabernet Sauvignon (with juniper berries), Pinot Noir (with pink peppercorns), and Pinot Grigio (with lemon zest).  The salame is aged minimally and has no natural casing. Columbus also recently introduced a seasonal, artisan, line of cacciatore made with both porcini and truffles.


(photo: wine salame on left and cacciatore on right; the photo doesn't do justice to the differences in exterior mold and composition of the meat itself)


(photo: wine salame and aged Italian provolone platter)

Our family sampled both types of salumi during the Thanksgiving holiday and we were impressed, as in the past, with the Columbus artisan line.  The porcini cacciatore, specifically, had a deep, woodsy, flavor component with a good combination of fat and meat (I would have liked to have seen a little less fat in the pork mixture but with all handmade salumi it varies from batch to batch).  Both the porcini and truffle salumi had nicely aged natural casings with good mold development (this is the white component on the exterior of the salame and does many things including help the meat maintain good moisture as well as impart flavor).  The wine salame we sampled was an entirely different experience and more akin to a US deli type of salame.  The wine components in each of the three salumi were minor with very little of distinct wine characteristics coming through.  I would aim to use the wine salami, cut very thin, as a sandwich ingredient, where as one should experience the Artisan cacciatore with nothing more than a piece of crunchy bread and a few olives.


(photo: one of my favorite cheeses, Reggianito, great with all types of salumi)

(photo: grapes ready to be crushed)

Late September is one of my favorite times of the year here in Northern New Jersey.  The temperature and humidity dip, leaves begin to change color, and I begin to relish my days spent outdoors in the sun and cool air (it's amazing what happens to one's sense of appreciation when certain things won't be around for much longer).

September is also wine making season in the Scordo household and it's a tradition that started in the late 1960's / early 1970's when both my grandparents and parents immigrated to the US from Pellegrina in Southern Italy (near Bagnara Calabra, Calabria). 

For the Scordo family, the idea of making homemade wine in the United States is tied directly to large scale wine production in Calabria.  That is to say, Nonno Scordo owned a modest vineyard and made both a local table wine he sold in the region and also grape juice, which he sold to larger wine producers as a blending juice (for more expensive and prized wines).  Nonno's wine was also consumed by the immediate family and when they picked up and left for the US, he continued making wine, at a much smaller scale, in his New Jersey backyard.  The formula or recipe changed given the availability of grape varietals, but the end product was just as delicious and satisfying as his Italian variant.

My father and his brothers have continued the wine making tradition since Nonno's death and back in 2008 I documented the process in my, "How to Make Homemade Wine" article.

What follows are some photos from the 2010 edition of the Scordo wine making tradition.   

Here are some other wine resources from Scordo.com:

• 11 Most Asked Wine Questions
• How to Approach Wine as a New Hobby
• Wine Buying 101
• What Wine Should You Buy?
• Wines of Calabria

(photo: proud first and second generation Italian Americans)


(photo: grape juice)


(photo: grenache grapes ready to be crushed.  did you know "grenache" is the world's most popular wine grape?)


(photo:California grapes ready to be crushed by hand)


(photo: the Scordo vineyard in Pellegrina, Bagnara Calabra)

One of the first things I learned to make from scratch was salad dressing.  Our family, of course, always made a simple red wine, olive oil, salt/pepper salad dressing, but the proportions and blending of the simple ingredients remained a mystery to me for a very long period of time.  In fact, it wasn't until I moved away to attend college that I learned to make salad dressing that wasn't too oily or too acidic.  My salad dressing epiphany occurred when I learned that while olive oil is the predominant ingredient in a standard dressing, vinegar is the true star!

When I began to see the power of the acid in salad dressings they began to come together in a more natural fashion.  I'd first add the vinegar and then the freshly ground pepper and kosher salt and, thereafter, whisk the items (to allow the vinegar to dissolve the salt and distribute the pepper flavor more evenly).  Next, I'd slowly add olive oil and whisk until I reached an emulsified state. 

My salad dressing today comes more naturally and I stopped measuring ingredients a long time ago.  However, I do still recognize that the vinegar is king in a good salad dressing and, In turn, I was especially happy to try some outstanding vinegars this past month including the balsamic vinegar producer Acetaia Leonardi and the red and white vinegar producer Castello di Volpaia.  Let's start with the red wine vinegars!



Castello di Volpaia is produced in Siena and is actually home to a facility that is more famous for wine than vinegar!   In fact, by law, all vinegars made in Siena must be produced no less than 1 kilometer from the nearest wine cellar (in order to protect the wines from fermenting acids of the vinegar.  However, with the above said, both the red (aged 12 months) and the white (aged between 2-3 months) are some of the best aged wine vinegars I've ever tasted.  Volpaia's vinegars are made from Chianti wine and exhibit great floral notes (it has a wonderful aroma much like wine and unlike the mass market vinegars found in super markets).  The production process at Volpaia is fascinating I couldn't explain it better than the producer:

"After a great deal of research we decided to use a traditional artisan method to produce our vinegar. It's known as the "truciolo" or wood shavings system and it's great advantage is that it manages to maintain the original quality of the wine used.

Although only very good quality wine must be employed, an alcohol content of over 10% would interfere with the vinegar bacteria's action.

In order to preserve the wine's bouquet, for each new batch a specific bacterium has to be selected. Once chosen the bacteria are reproduced by gradually adding wine up to a maximum of 300 litres. This process takes from 20 to 30 days. At this point the vinegar is moved to a 2000 litre tank containing 3 stainless steel perforated baskets covered in freshly chopped shavings from well seasoned oak and chestnut.

A slowly rotating arm stirs the wine very slowly over the shavings where the vinegar bacteria develop. The wine percolates through the shavings and falls to the bottom of the tank. It is then pumped to the top to percolate again. This process is repeated until all the wine has fermented and turned into vinegar. The rate at which the transformation takes place is governed by the amount of air into which the bacteria come in contact and the temperature. The longer the process takes, the better the vinegar will be. And that is why we only allow very little air to enter the tank and keep the temperature constantly below 27°C. We take between 20 and 25 days to transform wine into vinegar, thus safeguarding both the original scent and that of the fermentation."

The red wine vinegar is terrific, of course, in salads, but my favorite use for red wine vinegar is as a condiment for fried fish such as sardines or smelts.  My vinegar fish sauce consists of fresh garlic and parsley that is heated through in a pan with the vinegar.  The white vinegar I sampled was a bit crisper than the red and was made from Trebbiano and Malvasia win.  I could see using the vinegar to wake up a sauce or maybe even in a marinade (but I preferred the red wine in my salad, for example).

Balsamic vinegar differs from standard red wine vinegar in that the former is aged for a longer period of time as well as made from the white, Trebbiano, grape.  Balsamic vinegars are generally more complex than their red wine vinegar counterparts and have a rich and sweet flavor component.  True balsamic vinegar must also be aged for a minimum of 12 years, with the world best aging as long as 90-100 years.  Cheaper, super market, balsamic vinegars are comprised of caramel and sugar as well as mixture of grape juice and standard vinegar.

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I tried both 3, 5, and 10 year old, Acetaia Leonardi, balsamics and they all varied drastically in flavor and application (note: I'm assuming the numbers correspond to time aged, but please understand these vinegars are not Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale as defined by European standards).  I used the 3 year old vinegar mostly for salads and it had a rich, true, caramel flavor with some suggestion of other fruit (maybe dried fig, for example). The 5 and 10 year old vinegars were light years ahead of the 3 year old, especially the 10 year old which approached the flavor components of a fine wine (with lots of oak and varying levels of flavor).  Where the 5 year old shined was on it's fruit flavor component; I consumed the balsamic with a salad of freshly roasted beats, walnuts, and feta and the match was perfect.    

I like to keep both a good bottle of red wine vinegar and 3-5 year old aged balsamic in the house at all times (especially for salads where alternating vinegar use is a nice way to keep salads appealing).  Click here to find the products online. 
 

(photo: grapes ready for crushing during the annual Scordo homemade wine event)

(photo: closeup of a close friend: Sardine Scordo - notice his great eyes and skin))

Most people live beyond their means because they want to feel and be perceived as being wealthy.  A Coach handbag or Mercedes-Benz sedan screams, "hey, look at me I can spend money and feel good about it!"  Feeling good about buying stuff or leading "high-end" lifestyle is not inherently a bad thing, afterall we all want to live well and be exposed to nice things (even your most extreme cheapskate feels this way - it's not a Western thing or a by-product of materialism, but rather just human nature). 

However, there is a trick to feeling "wealthy" via not hopping on the luxury purchase bandwagon; that is, concentrate on items and things that don't have a high premium or cost of entry.  So, for example, purchasing a luxury car or watch requires a large sum of money yet purchasing high end foods, although still a bit expensive, does not have the same high cost of entry.  My parents, for example, have never driven a luxury car, worn designer clothing, or lived in a highbrow neighborhood, however they do spend a considerable amount of money on quality food each week.  Eating well provides my parents with their own "luxury lifestyle" at a fraction of the price of most luxury goods.   

I've adopted the same mentality in terms of food and I often splurge on local meats, organic vegetables, and delicious fruit.  I also aim to buy fresh fish each week and enjoy quality cheeses, breads, and wine.  Spending a bit more on food and wine each week makes me (and my family) feel as though we are living a good, high quality, life.  And the bonus is that I'm not overextending my weekly budget or taking on any debt to buy our free range whole chicken or bottle of Southern Italian red.  

So, try cutting back on obvious luxury buys like jewelry, cars, clothing, shoes, electronics, products that require a monthly fee, etc. and go high end on items that do not have a high price of entry.  For our family, as I've said, that luxury item is food/wine.  Specifically, here are some things that we buy each week that provide us with a luxurious lifestyle:

1. Organic fruits and vegetables (whatever is in season)
2. Freshly baked bread
3. Free range eggs (they taste better, really!)
4. Fresh, wild, fish
5. Free range, whole, chicken (which we have our butcher cut into parts for us)
6. Whole bean coffee (which we grind, per use, at home)
7. Organic grains
8. Pasta imported from Italy (so much better than stuff made in the US)
9. Italian tuna in olive oil (you'll never buy Starkist again!)
10. Freshly cured olives
11. Various cheeses from around the world
12. Italian Olive Oil
13. Wine (including the homemade variety)
14. Fresh herbs
15. Dark chocolate

In sum, don't be afraid to spend money on things that make you feel special (if you can truly afford the items) because life can quickly become bland and pointless without true, day to day, happiness.   I do have a couple of caveats, however, before you treat yourself to some practical luxuries:

1., you should have no debt outside your mortgage,

2., you should have a 6-9 month emergency cash fund,

3., you should be fully invested in your company retirement plan (401K, 403b, etc.) and,  

4., you should have a few outside investments in your retirement portfolio (index funds, mutual funds, bonds, exchange traded notes, etc.)

(photo: left to right - uncle Frank, me, my father, and cousin Enzo)

Well, what wine should you buy? This is a big question, maybe even equivalent to other big questions such as, "Does God Exist?" , "Do we have free will?", and the classic, "What is Truth?"  Unlike big philosophical questions, however, figuring out which wine to buy for dinner, keeping in the cellar, or just for a nice night by the fireplace isn't too difficult.

Because my preferences for wine are informed by my pallate, the foods I consume, and background, the following list of perferred wine styles (all Reds this time around) is just a suggestion. Drink what you like based on what foods you eat and your own personal background, but don't be afraid to experiment and ask your local wine guy/gal for recommendations.  The best tip I ever got was to walk into a wine shop and ask the salesperson to "build a case of wine" (say, in the $15.00-$30.00 per bottle range) with varried styles and world regions in mind.

Nothing says the Fall like slowly simmering meats in a big pot!  My personal favorite braising meat is the short rib.  According to Chow.com, "Short ribs are cut from different sections of the 12 ribs that start at the chuck (shoulder) and continue to the loin. Relatively square, short ribs have full-bodied flavor and luscious tenderness that develop when they are slow-cooked"

Wine is one of the great pleasures of being human and I Iove experimenting and finding new varietals to taste.  Recently I've been trying quite a few Malbecs from Argentina and the Ruca Malen Malbec is a fine example at just under $20.00.   Further, I've been looking to find nice values from Italy (Barolo will break the bank) and have recently pointed readers to Aglianico and, now, Morellino di Scansano.  Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich recently purchased some land in Toscana and have been producing a nice varietal at under $14.00 (I Perazzi Morellino di Scansano La Mozza).  Here's a snippet from Wikipedia on Morellino:

Morellino di Scansano does not need to age in wood and can be released in the January after harvest, meaning that it can be found on the shelf with less than 8 months of life, thus an amazingly fresh and crisp wine.

It is only in the past twenty years that vintners have begun to harness the potential of this coastal terroir, other areas that are very similar in terms of their microclimate such as Bolgheri are already world famous. This means that consumers can get some great value wines of a tremendous quality. Fattoria di Magliano, Castello Romitorio, and Fattoria dei Barbi have been writing the history of this young denomination, which is still lacking a definite identity but in general is a fresh elegant, high-quality wine

I really thought hard about posting this one (for the fear that my dear old wine would become trendy) but here goes. 

One trick you should take to heart as a wine consumer is to NOT chase the hot wine of the day.  An example would be buying Pinot Noir after Sideways was released.  Wine prices spike according to popularity, so I like to buy lesser known wines for a better value and product.

One hugely underappreciated wine varietal is Aglianico from Southern Italy.  Aglianico is sometimes referred to as the poor man's Barolo and is grown primary in Campania and Basilicata (Aglianico del Vulture). 

Aglianico has huge flavor and high acidity (making it popular for roast lamb and other meats, as well as the summer tomato salad, olives, cheese, and bread type meals).  The wine can also age, which is another plus.  A nice bottle can be purchased for $13-$20, $40-$70 will probably get you the best tasting wine you've consumed over the last 10 years (especialy if you've been drinking Pinot, Cabernet, Shiraz, etc. which carry huge premiums for better bottles).

Update: Eric Asimov of The NY Times recently covered Aglianico on Sept 17th 2008, so the secret is now really out!  He recommended the following bottles (I bought two cases of the Cantina di Venosa and it's a great value!):

BEST VALUE

Cantina di Venosa Aglianico del Vulture Vignali 2003

$10

Dense, intense and pure with aromas and flavors of sour cherry, earth, minerals and leather. (Winebow/Leonardo LoCascio Selections, New York)

Tormaresca Castel del Monte Bocca di Lupo 2003

$38

Well-done modern take on aglianico with balanced flavors of cherry, earth and oak. (Rémy Cointreau USA, New York)

I Favati Aglianico d'Irpinia Cretarossa 2004

$22

Earthy and tannic with good underlying flavors of fruit and minerals. (Vinity Wine/Dino Capriotti, Emeryville, Calif

Ocone Aglianico del Taburno 2003

$40

Spicy and complex with tart cherry flavors. (Polaner Selections, Mount Kisco, N.Y.)

Casa Maschito Aglianico del Vulture La Bottaia 2003

$29

Funky and lively, with smoky dark fruit and mineral flavors. (U.S.A. Wine Imports, New York)

Salvatore Molettieri Taurasi Cinque Querce 2003

$46

Dense tar, earth and oak aromas; balanced with good underlying fruit. (Michael Skurnik Wines/Marc De Grazia Selections, Syosset, N.Y.)

D'Angelo Aglianico del Vulture Riserva Caselle 2003

$39

Modern and oaky yet well balanced with spicy cherry and earth flavors. (Domenico Valentino Selections, New York)

Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici 2003

$38

Aromas of plush fruit, flowers, earth and oak. (Wilson Daniels, St. Helena, Calif.)

Vigne Irpine Aglianico d'Irpinia Giubilo 2005

$23

Dense and modern, but balanced with tart cherry and earth flavors. (Monarchia Matt International, Armonk, N.Y.)

Tenuta del Portale Aglianico del Vulture Pian del Carro 2004

$35

Read more about Aglianico at: Wine Weekly, About, Wine Review Online, Vaynerchuck at WineLibrary.com, From K&L, Classic Wines,

Are you looking for the perfect summer salad, but with an added protein punch?  If so, give the following salad a try:

1. 1 can of black beans (dried beans offer better value and quality, but they do require prep work)
2.  Half a bag of frozen organic white corn
3. 1 finely diced red onion
4. 1 bunch of fresh cilantro finely diced
5. 1-2 small Kirby cucumbers finely diced (remove seeds and skin)
6. olive oil, salt, and pepper all to taste (don't skimp on the olive oil)
7. dried oregano to taste
8.  1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice.

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.  I usually like to make a big batch and use as a side dish throughout the week!  Oh, I think the salad goes well with Zinfandel, so try the two together next time!

 

It doesn't feel as though Spring has officially arrived here on the East Coast, but you can welcome Spring by preparing the perfect Spring lunch (well at least in the opinion of this humble cook):

The Wine:

Start with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, preferablly from Australia and, moreover, from the Marlborough region.  Chill the bottle nicely and don't pay beyond, say, $12.00 (you used to be able to get wonderful Sauvignon Blanc for under $10.00, even around $7.00 -  $8.00 but the wine snobs have caught on and the prices are rising).

The Eggs:

Buy some organic eggs or visit a local farmer's market (if you have the option).  Eggs are perfect for the Spring and Summer (light, but yet filling).  Make a nice omelet with a little fresh cream, salt, pepper, thyme and parsley.  You can fill the omelet with cheese (no American Singles, please); rather use some nice white cheddar from Wisconsin or a nice French Brie.  The key to egg making is NOT to overcook the eggs and NOT to let the curd set up (you don't want a tough chewy egg, rather you want the egg to be a bit runny, whether you're doing scramble, fried, or omelet style preparation). 

So, for an omelet beat the eggs well with all of the ingredients except for the cheese, thereafter adds eggs to a warm (not scalding hot) pan and here's the trick: move the pan and your wooden spoon quickly, forming small delicate curds.  Let the curds set up a little (given that you'll need the egg to be a bit firm to hold the cheese) and add the diced cheese to one side of the egg.  Thereafter turn the egg over to one side and plate the omelet.

The Bread:

Buy some wonderful bread.  If you happen to leave near New York City go and buy some Sullivan Street bread.  Good bread is a good enough reason to live in a major city in the U.S. (there are other reasons but this one is pretty important).

The Olives:

Buy some olives (the French kind with Herbs De Provence are nice), these are called,  Nicoise.  Kalamatas or Greek olives are tasty.  I prefer tiny Italian (black) olives from Calabria.

The Tuna in Olive Oil (please not water packed Starkist):

Buy canned Italian tuna packed in Olive Oil and dress it with a bit more olive oil, salt, pepper, and dried oregano.

The Finish:

That's it!  Sit outside in the sun, but covered underneath an umbrella (that's not a paradox!) and enjoy.  And don't rush.  Oh, finish the meal with an espresso and a nap.