Lynfred Meals and Wines

Chile-Rubbed Skirt Steak Tacos with Avocado Lime Salsa

Chile-Rubbed Skirt Steak Tacos with Avocado Lime Salsa, served with a Lynfred Vin De City Red!

This one’s a simple, yet perfectly balanced meal that can be whipped up any time whenever you’re feeling the taco bug hit you.  I also highly recommend just making the salsa and serving with tortilla chips (I prefer Scoops cause I’m clumsy) which is what we did with the leftover salsa and it was delicious. 

This was a solid meal all around that is easily sliding into our regular meal rotation. Just a couple of notes:

- For the salsa, we used two whole jalapenos WITH seeds and it was quite spicy.  If you don’t like the spice, I would lower to just 1 jalapeno or seed the two you use.  Or if you want hair on your chest, use 3 with seeds.

- For the rub (first 5 taco ingredients) I found it really wasn’t enough to get as much rub as I wanted on the steaks.  I would at least double what is below, and possibly triple it so you can go nuts.

- If you don’t have time to grill (we didn’t), pan-cooking works just fine.

RECIPE

Chile-Rubbed Skirt Steak Tacos with Avocado Lime Salsa

From the Private Kitchen of Lynfred Winery Chef Joseph Hetman
Makes at least 6-8 pretty big tacos

Ingredients

Taco Ingredients:

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

A pinch cayenne pepper

2 pounds skirt steak

12 small corn tortillas  [I prefer flour, but we had both]

3 cups shredded red cabbage  [regular shredded lettuce here]

1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

1 lime, cut into wedges

Avocado Lime Salsa:

1 large cucumber peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

[we didn’t seed the cucumber and it turned out fine]

2 avocados, cut into chunks

1/2 red onion, diced

2 limes, juiced

Salt

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

jalapeno chiles, chopped, plus more to taste

Directions

[first of all, BOOM!  Get some skirt steaks from the butcher, and have them tenderize them if they can.  You’ll thank me.]

Place cucumber, avocado and onion in a large bowl and add lime juice and salt. Add cilantro and chiles and toss gently.

In a small bowl stir together chili powder, garlic, cinnamon, salt and cayenne pepper. Rub spice mixture on both sides of steaks.

Grill or broil steaks for 5 to 6 minutes on each side for medium rare, turning once. Remove from grill and let meat sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

Carve into thin slices.  Warm tortillas by placing them on the grill, for about 30 seconds, turning once. Wrap in cloth napkin or place in a tortilla warmer to keep warm. Place the carved steak, warm tortillas, cabbage, cilantro, lime and avocado lime salsa in serving dishes and let diners make their own tacos at the table.

ENJOY!!

EK & LK

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Ceviche with Tomato Garnish

Ceviche with Tomato Garnish, served with a Lynfred 2011 Viognier!

Both of us absolutely enjoy science and food.  I like goofy stuff like that crazy molecular gastronomy and my wife like’s baking (which is science for hungry people, as a t-shirt I once saw stated).

The fresh fish (or any seafood, really) reacts together with the lime juice to break down the proteins in the fish and for all intents and purposes “cook” it.  I don’t know all the chemistry behind it, all I know is that it’s really cool and it really works.   If you’re worried about this, just go for it and try it!  Adventure!

I took some small notes on the recipe which I’ll interject below as usual.  We also have upcoming this month Chile-Rubbed Skirt Steak Tacos with Avocado Lime Salsa, and yes, the recipe reads as delicious as that sounds.

RECIPE

Ceviche with Tomato Garnish

From the Private Kitchen of Lynfred Winery Chef Joseph Hetman

Serves 6

Ingredients

Ceviche:

1 1/2 pounds halibut, salmon, sea bass, tilapia, skinned [AND BONELESS.  Also, it can really be any seafood.  We used about a one half pound salmon and 1 pound of tilapia]

juice of 3 limes  [juice of 3 limes is not enough to cover the seafood entirely.  We substituted 16 ounces of lime juice in the bottle instead]

1-2 chilies, seeded and minced [we cheated and bought 1 small can of minced chilis…could have used 2]

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt

Garnish:

3 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced [more cheating, 2 15 OZ cans]

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated in warm water and chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Directions

Cut the fish into strips measuring about 2 x 1/2 inch. Lay these in a shallow dish and pour over the lime juice, turning the fish strips to coat them all over in the juice.  [We’ve been told that ceviche in many cases is actually chopped up really finely…I would say use your discretion.  It was fine the recipe way.]

Cover with a clear film (plastic wrap) and leave for 1 hour.  [you see how different the fish looks?  The salmon is cooked pink color and the tilapia is translucent.  That’s how you know it worked.]

Mix all the garnish ingredients, except the coriander, together. Set aside. [we threw it in the fridge]

Season the fish with salt and scatter over the chilies.  Drizzle with the oil, Toss the fish in the mixture;  replace the cover. Leave to marinate in the fridge for 15-30 minutes more.

To serve, divide the garnish among six plates. Spoon the ceviche, sprinkle with coriander, and serve.

ENJOY!!

EK & LK

Lamb Chops w/ Pinot Noir Sauce

Just in time for April, we have Lamb Chops w/ Pinot Noir Sauce, served with (and containing), Lynfred Pinot Noir Reserve 2009!

This meal was delicious but a couple of very important notes before we get to the recipe:

1 - Lamb is expensive.  Like really really really expensive.  It’s so very, ridiculously expensive.  So, that being said, don’t get intimidated by the quantities mentioned below because of the price.   We ended up getting about a pound of lamp chops (which should give you 5 or 6 chops, enough for two servings) that clocked in at about $25USD and got about a pound and a half of ground lamb for $12USD.  It’s still expensive but nothing like what you’d be paying for the below.

Good rule of thumb #1:  3 chops is a good-sized serving.

Good rule of thumb #2:  Cooking should be a fun, experimental thing.   If you’re breaking your bank doing it, it’s just not worth it.  Buy what you can, switch up/modify ingredients, and your experience will be better by tenfold.

2 - All the different timings for the sauce versus the lamb on this one are kinda complicated.  If you think it might be too much, remember that you CAN make the sauce the day before and just re-heat it before serving.

OK I’m done.  On to the food!

RECIPE

Lamb Chops w/ Pinot Noir Sauce

From the Private Kitchen of Lynfred Winery Chef Joseph Hetman

Make as many servings as you have chops

Ingredients

Sauce:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 pounds lamb neck stew meat or lamb riblets

1 pound onions, coarsely chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

4 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence [ed.note: should be available in most spice sections at your local supermarket, or can be made by hand]

4 1/3 cups Lynfred Pinot Noir  [ed.note: This is well more than a full bottle so get 2 or 3 bottles if you want to actually drink some of it]

3 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Lamb:

1 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh thyme

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh sage

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 1 1/2-pound well-trimmed 8-rib racks of lamb, preferably frenched [ed.note: look it up on wikipedia.  Basically it means cutting the bone away from the meat a little bit.]

Directions

For Sauce:

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add lamb and sauté until deep brown, turning occasionally, about 18 minutes. Using tongs, transfer lamb to bowl.

Add onions, carrot, garlic, and herbes de Provence to pot. Sauté until vegetables are deep brown, about 8 minutes.

Add wine and broth to pot; return lamb and any accumulated juices to pot. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered 1 1/2 hours. Strain into large bowl, pressing on solids in strainer to release all stock. Spoon off any fat from surface of stock; return stock to same large pot. Simmer until reduced to 1 1/3 cups, about 15 minutes. 

Mix butter and flour in small bowl to smooth paste. Whisk paste into stock.

Simmer sauce until slightly thickened and smooth, whisking constantly, about 1 minute longer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Transfer to small saucepan, cover, and chill. Rewarm before using.)  [ed.note: this is what you’ll have left over]:

For lamb:         

Stir fresh herbs and pepper in medium bowl to blend. Add 2 tablespoons oil and mix until herbs are sticking together.

Sprinkle lamb racks with salt. Firmly press 1/3 of herb mixture over rounded side of each rack to cover. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Place on large rimmed baking sheet. Cover; chill.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 lamb rack to skillet, herbed side down. Sauté until browned, about 4 minutes. Turn rack over and sauté until browned, about 3 minutes.

Place rack, herbed side up, on rimmed baking sheet. Repeat, fitting remaining racks on same sheet.

Roast lamb until thermometer inserted into center registers 135°F for medium-rare,about 25 minutes. Let lamb rest on sheet 15 to 20 minutes.

Cut lamb between bones into individual chops. Arrange 3 chops on each plate. Drizzle with sauce and serve.

ENJOY!!

EK & LK

Lynfred Winery Wheeling Blog

Nearly Springtime Chicken w/ Mushrooms

I swear I have no idea where the time goes.  Almost April and just posting the first March meal.   But it’s a doozy.  I swear if we had our top twenty list still around, this would be taking a spot from something else.   This meal, Nearly Springtime Chicken w/ Mushrooms, served with a Lynfred Vin de City White (what can I say? we love the ol’ Vin de City standbys), was inexpensive to put together, easy to make, made lots of leftovers, and on top of that was DELICIOUS.   I can’t recommend more to you a meal we’ve made recently.

I’m just gonna get right into it.  In the next week or so we have a really great lamp chop recipe.

RECIPE

Nearly Springtime Chicken w/ Mushrooms

From the Private Kitchen of Lynfred Winery Chef Joseph Hetman

Makes 4 big servings, but you can split the chicken breasts or buy more.

Ingredients

4 chicken breast halves with skin and bone

All purpose flour

1/4 cup olive oil

2/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup chopped carrot

1/3 cup chopped celery

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 pound mushrooms, sliced

1 14 1/2- to 15-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice

1 cup Lynfred Seyval Blanc

Directions

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; dust with flour.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and sauté until brown, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over and sauté 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to bowl.

Add onion, carrot, celery, parsley and garlic to skillet; sauté 2 minutes.

Add mushrooms and sauté until starting to brown, about 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes with juices and wine. Boil sauce until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Return chicken to sauce. Cover skillet, reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is cooked through and tender, about 15 minutes.

[this is how we roll.  our biggest pan has no lid so we use a wok.]

Transfer chicken and sauce to plates and serve.

ENJOY!!

EK & LK

White Bean & Green Herb Soup with Chicken

So since we’ve got this short month I’m rolling out the 2nd soup which was White Bean & Green Herb Soup with Chicken, served with Lynfred Vin De City White!

Overall I liked it a ton…with some minor modifications, I think this could rival standard chicken soup.   See my few notes below the recipe.

RECIPE

White Bean & Green Herb Soup with Chicken

From the Private Kitchen of Lynfred Winery Chef Joseph Hetman

Also makes a lot of servings

Ingredients

8 oz roasted chicken meat  [if you like chicken, use a pound]

White Beans  [either fresh if you have time or a couple cans, see below]

2 T olive oil

2 onions, finely diced

2 cups, thinly sliced celery

4 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cups flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

10 basil leaves, chiffonade [that’s this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiffonade ]

10 mint leaves, finely chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and sauté until transparent.

Mix in the stock, roasted chicken meat and white beans and simmer for 30 minutes.

Prior to serving, add the parsley and basil.

Let the soup cook for another minute and then ladle into four soup bowls.

Add the crème fraiche [OR sour cream, more on this below], garnish with chopped mint [also more on this below], and serve with toasted bread (hint: rub a clove of garlic across the freshly toasted bread a few times to add more flavor).

Some final notes about this dish:

-BEANS.   Unless you have a ton of time to soak fresh beans overnight and then cook this soup for about 2-3 hours, I’d say use a couple of cans of beans.

-MINT.  If you don’t like mint, don’t bother garnishing the soup with it.

-CREME FRAICHE.  You can look this up online.  We tried it and failed miserably.  Apparently its supposed to be some kind of cream, but we couldn’t get it right.  However, using simple sour cream as the garnish really cut the soup nicely.  So if you aren’t feeling experiemental or love sour cream, just use it.

ENJOY!!

EK & LK

Creamy Jonah Crab Claw Broth

We have two soups/broths/items you serve in a bowl this month, and I remember having a lot to say about them while I was making them…but since I don’t write any notes down, we’ll see if I remember as we go.

First up, we have Creamy Jonah Crab Claw Broth, served with a Lynfred American Sauvignon Blanc 2011!

This recipe would be better I think except I’m pretty sure we messed up a bunch of steps and didn’t have all the proper ingredients / garnishes (especially looking online at how it’s supposed to look), more in the ingredients and steps as we go.   Regardless, it doesn’t have many ingredients and was relatively simple to whip up.

RECIPE

Creamy Jonah Crab Claw Broth

From the Private Kitchen of Lynfred Winery Chef Joseph Hetman

Makes a lot of servings (at least 6 big bowls from what we have left over)

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil

12 oz crab claw shells  [Good luck finding these, and if you do find them good luck finding them for less than 30 bucks a pound.   As you can see from our pictures, we just used crab legs which might not have been the right idea, I’m kinda out of my element when it comes to seafood in general.  Should have probably got the crab legs at least, chopped the claws off, then used the claws for a cool looking garnish.]

1 1/2 cups chopped tomato

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1 bunch tarragon

2 cups heavy cream  [This might be a bit too much.  as I note below, when all was said and done it had way too much of the heavy cream taste, but that might be because we didn’t properly use the - ]

Garnish:

4 oz crab meat [We did a big cooking no-no and used imitation crab meat. Try to get the meat out of the legs / claws when you’re done cooking, and make sure to SHRED the meat, NOT dice it so that it floats on top of the broth.]

Blood Orange oil  [This, or another citrus oil, can be found at any specialty oil shops.  If you live around the Lynfred areas, try The Olive Tap in Long Grove.  We didn’t, unfortunately, and I think that also greatly affected the taste of this dish.]

Croutons

Method

Heat the oil in a large rondeau. You may also use a deep straight-sided braising pan. Add the crab shells and sear over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes.

[We used a standard stock pot and it worked well]

Add the tomatoes, carrots, and tarragon, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Skim off any unpleasantries that rise to the top. Reduce the heat and simmer on low for 1 hour.

[I don’t know what an “unpleasantry” is, but we didn’t skim anything.]

Strain the stock through a large strainer or China cap,

and then once again through a sieve, or fine strainer, into a clean pan.

[unpleasantries?]

Return to the heat and reduce by half. Add the cream, return to a simmer, and skim as needed.

[UNPLEASANTRIES!]

[post-unpleasantries]

Strain through a sieve one final time and serve. Garnish with crab meat, blood orange oil, and croutons.

ENJOY!!

EK & LK