Lemony Asparagus Pasta

We wait all year for local asparagus and when it starts to come in, we find all kinds of ways to enjoy this amazing spring veg.  This is a light, fresh dish that is perfect as a main course for lunch, or add your favorite protein for a scrumptious dinner. If you need to stay away from gluten, there are many terrific gluten free pastas out there that will work great. Tasty add-ins would be fresh spring peas or chopped ham or bacon. We’re going to add extra garlic and pepper flakes! This will be so tasty with our Dry Rosé or Riesling, or if you’re a red wine fan, try the Sangiovese or Malbec.
Cheers!


Lemony Asparagus Pasta

¾ lb. penne pasta
1 lb. thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2″ pieces
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 c. dry white wine, (Albariño or Dry Riesling would be great)
1 small lemon, zested and juiced
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more for serving
1/4 c. fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)

1.    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook according to package directions, until just al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain pasta and set aside.
2.    Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Cook asparagus until crispy, then season with pinch of salt. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
3.    Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Cook onions about three minutes, add garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes more. Add white wine, reduce for 2 to three minutes, add heavy cream, lemon juice, and zest. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Add in salt, Parmesan, and black pepper. Reduce heat to low and mix until well combined.
4.    Mix in pasta and a little pasta water and toss until well coated, allow to simmer 2 to three minutes until sauce thickens. Turn off heat and mix in asparagus and parsley until well coated. If sauce is too thick, add small amounts of pasta water until you reach desired consistency. Serve with more grated Parmesan, cracked black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Serves 4

Enjoy!

Yummy Quick Pizza Bites

Why not put that amazing air fryer you have to good use by making a crispy and delightful treat? We think pizza is a food group all on its own and deserves to be eaten as a snack, appetizer, or dinner. Use this recipe as a template and substitute your favorite pizza toppings. Pineapple & ham would be delicious paired with Albariño, Riesling, or Harvest Moon Red. Maybe you have a bottle of Cabernet or Homestead Red, then make your topping pepperoni. Have fun and explore some new wine and pizza pairings. Cheers!

Air Fryer Pizza Bites

  • 2 sheets frozen puff pastry- thawed overnight in refrigerator
  • 1/4 cup pizza sauce (more to taste, but not enough to be soggy)
  • 3.5 oz. shredded ham
  • 8 oz. can pineapple chunks in juice, well drained
  • 2/3 cup shredded pizza cheese
  • Quantities are guidelines, you might want more or less of each ingredient.

Preheat your airfryer to 350°F. Spray the basket of your air fryer with non stick cooking spray. Use a 3in. round cutter to cut 9 discs from each pastry sheet. Or  if you don’t want to waste any pastry, cut into small squares with a sharp knife. Place on prepared basket/tray. Spread evenly with pizza sauce. Top with ham, pineapple and cheese.

Bake for 10 – 15 mins or until cheese melts and base is crisp.

Pro Tip: make sure all your topping ingredients are already cooked before putting them on the puff pastry to prevent a soggy crust.
Enjoy!

Recipe – sweet peas and potatoes

We hope you can find some fresh peas, if you don’t have them growing in your yard, frozen peas will work well too.  If you can’t find fingerling potatoes, any small sized potatoes work. We recommend a waxy potato like reds or goldens. Fresh vegetables and light, refreshing, Williamson Vineyards wine, winner for dinner!

Fingerling Potatoes and Peas with Fresh Herbs

•    1 lb fingerling potatoes (or new potatoes)
•    2 cups fresh peas (frozen works in a pinch)
•    1 C packed Italian parsley
•    1/4 C packed tarragon leaves
•    1 garlic clove
•    1/3 C olive oil
•    1/8 c lemon juice
•    1/2 tsp salt
•    1 T whole grain mustard
•    1 T capers
•    5 scallions
•    1/2 C chopped celery
•    lemon zest

In medium pot, blanch potatoes 20 min or until fork tender, in salted water. ( Use enough water to cover potatoes by 1 inch, and add a hearty 1 T of salt)

In a food processor, pulse parsley, tarragon, garlic until finely chopped. Add oil, salt, and lemon juice. Pulse a few more times and set aside.

In small pot, blanch fresh peas 2 minutes, in heavily salted water. (if using frozen, allow to thaw, dump into potato pot in the last 30 seconds of cooking to heat through)

Drain potatoes and peas, and place both in one large bowl.

Add chopped scallions, capers, whole grain mustard and celery, folding gently.

Fold in parsley tarragon mixture and taste for salt, adding a pinch more if necessary. Pepper to taste.

Garnish with tarragon leaves and lemon zest. Serve as a warm side dish with fish or chicken or meat, or serve chilled as a salad.

Enjoy!

March Recipe –

What better way to cheer on warmer weather than with a little dose of Irish influence? If you’ve never combined stout with chocolate, here’s the perfect opportunity. A recipe with few ingredients and minimal time spent over a hot stove is our idea of the perfect meal-ender, or late afternoon pick-me-up. We recommend using your favorite stout, we love Guinness. If you really want to get decadent, sip a little Doce or Malbec with your chocolate treat.

Chocolate Stout Lava Cake

5 oz butter , plus extra for the ramekins
7 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa), roughly chopped
1/3 cup golden caster sugar (regular white sugar will work)
3 large eggs
1/3 cup Guinness
Heavy whipping cream, stiffly whipped, to serve (optional)
1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Butter four 6 ounce ramekins and set aside. Place the butter, chocolate and a pinch of salt into a heatproof bowl. Set over a small pan of just-simmering water and stir until melted, then remove from the heat and leave to cool a little.

Put the sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until pale, almost doubled in volume and thick enough to leave a trail when the beaters are lifted up. Gently fold in the melted chocolate and the Guinness. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins, then chill in the fridge for 1 hr. Heat oven to 400°f  and put a baking tray on the top shelf to heat up.

Place the ramekins on the hot baking tray and bake for 18 mins. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips (if desired) leave to stand for a minute, then serve with a dollop of cream, if you like. Ice cream is also delicious.

Enjoy!

January Recipe – Mushroom Shawarma

After the rich foods from the holidays, we like to give our tummies (and our hips!) a little break by finding fresh and light dishes to sneak into our menu rotations. This Middle Eastern inspired meal is full of aromatic spices, which will make your kitchen smell heavenly while you’re roasting the mushrooms and onions. There is a long list of ingredients, and feel free to substitute for anything you don’t have on hand. Serve a fresh and crunchy salad alongside and you’re nailing your New Year resolutions. Enjoy this light meal with a light wine! We think either the Dry Riesling or the Lilly White would be amazing. If you’re a red wine fan, go for the Sangiovese or Henry’s Red.   Cheers!

Click here for recipe PDF

Roast Lamb and Vegetables

What better way to warm hearts and home this winter than with this simple and delicious sheet pan meal. If you haven’t noticed, cooking a meal completely on one sheet pan is the new trend. We say, anything that means less dishes to wash is alright in our books. Since this cooks in the oven, it’ll warm your kitchen and fill your house with delectable fragrance. Save this meal for a cold and blustery day and you’ll be delighted with the result. Our 2016 Petite Sirah has all the right bright fruit and mouthwatering pepper to be the perfect foil against the fat in the lamb and the umami flavors in the olives and tomatoes.

Ingredients
Serves 4 – 5

  • 2 1/2 pound boneless leg of lamb roast
  • 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt divided
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 12 small white potatoes halved
  • 1 red onion cut into wedges
  • 1 pound items from olive bar – black & green olives, cherry peppers, sun dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, etc.
  • 1 pound tomatoes on the vine or grape or cherry tomatoes
  • 1 lemon thinly sliced
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
  2. Arrange potatoes, red onion, olive bar items, tomatoes and sliced lemon on a rimmed sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Toss to combine.
  3. Combine ½ teaspoon salt, with Dijon mustard, rosemary, oregano, onion powder and black pepper. Rub this mixture over the lamb roast.
  4. Roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 125°F to 130°F for medium rare, 60 – 75 minutes, or 130°F to 135°F for medium, 75-90 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Enjoy!

Vegetarian Chili

Now that the holidays are fully upon us, we thought we would come up with a recipe that was quick, tasty, filling but light, and can be doubled to feed a crowd. We know the ingredient list seems a bit long, but all those spices really add a superb depth to this chili, in fact, we don’t think you’ll miss the meat. The really delicious thing about this chili is the variety of wine you can pair it with. If you add a little extra spice, this will pair beautifully with our off-dry Lilly White. If you like a more mild chili, our Malbec will knock it out of the park. Of course, one can never go wrong with our fruity Cabernet either.

 

Vegetarian Chili

(1) 15oz can Kidney beans, drained and rinsed (if you like a chunkier chili, use 2 cans here)
(1) 15oz can Black beans, drained and rinsed
(1) 15oz can Pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup vegetable broth
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 heaping tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp Ghirardelli cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp (or a bit less) cayenne pepper
A couple splashes of soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp regular paprika

Optional toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, green onions, diced tomatoes, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), tortilla chips
Chop the garlic, onion, and bell peppers. Rinse and thoroughly drain all the beans. Heat a large saucepan, sauté onion, bell pepper, and garlic lightly over medium high heat in 1-2 tsp olive oil. Once the veggies have sauteed for about 5 minutes, add the seasonings – chili powder through paprika and sauté for another 5 minutes, adding oil if necessary. Add everything else into the pot (tomatoes, beans, broth, etc.). Bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce heat and simmer for 30 min or longer as desired.  Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.  Once the chili has cooked to your liking, you can serve it with any of the toppings listed above, served on the side. This chili will develop more flavor in the fridge overnight, so it’s the perfect “make ahead” meal. Serves 6.

Enjoy!


Try this…

It’s that time of year again. Time for your homemade cranberry sauce. We’d love you to try this Williamson family recipe at your next family gathering.

cranberry-sauceCranberry Sauce with Doce
12 oz. cranberries
Zest and juice of 2 Oranges
1/2 cup Doce
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom

Add all ingredients to a medium size and heavy bottomed sauce pan. Bring to a boil,  lower the temperature and simmer until thickened, approximately 10 minutes or until most of the berries have burst. Taste and add Doce and/or sugar to taste. Mixing well after any additions and make sure the sugar has dissolved.