happy anniversary to us!

Amanda
Time sure flies when you're having fun! One year ago today, Grapes and Greens was created. It has been a great year loaded with great recipes and fun wine pairings! Deb and I have had a blast and we thank you for enjoying what we do!

I recently discovered a wonderful cookbook by author Andrea Chesman, that I wanted to share with you! It is The New Vegetarian Grill: 250 Flame-Kissed Recipes For Fresh, Inspired Meals (it was a James Beard Award-nominee). If you love veggies as much as I do, I highly recommend it! Included in the book is a terrific variety of pastas, pizzas, sandwiches, and burgers - all vegetable - all designed for the grill. In it, Ms. Chesman offers a tremendous tip which I have found incredibly useful. She recommends cutting up the vegetables before grilling, and then cooking them on a grill pan. They can be tossed with a plethora of marinades and vinaigrettes before meeting the grill as well. I absolutely love this bit of advice!

Last Saturday night, I invited two of my most avid food and wine loving friends over for dinner. On the menu? One of my favorite recipes from The New Vegetarian Grill. I made pasta with a Grilled Tomato, Fennel and Leek Sauce. As I already knew from my previous dates with this dish, it was outstanding! I began our dinner with a simple salad of a variety of tomatoes (all shapes and colors) with fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of olive oil, of course topped with some chopped basil leaves. We enjoyed it with a delightful bottle of white Bordeaux (a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon). Outside on my patio, under a summer sky, this was a match made in heaven. The light, crisp, fresh wine was perfect with the tomato salad.

But the true hit of the evening was Ms. Chesman's recipe. Basically, in a nutshell, you grill plum tomato, halved and brushed with olive oil and chopped garlic, sliced fennel (tossed with the same garlic-oil), and chopped leeks (again, tossed with the oil) separately. Once the tomato is finished, it is removed from the grill and chopped up. (the tomato is not chopped beforehand for obvious reasons...) Skin can be removed if desired. I throw the chopped tomato in a pan and quickly combine it with the other grilled veggies, adding a little salt and pepper. The sauce is then tossed with pasta. Sprinkle with some fresh grated parmesan and some fennel fronds. (I also like to add basil leaves). Scrumptious! Grilled fennel is one of my new favorite addictions! We drank a Muscadet with it which really made for a perfect marriage!

A little blurry, but this is the sauce in its final steps!

This is one of many, many wonderful recipes from Andrea Chesman. I gave the abbreviated version - the full recipe of course can be found in her book!

when life hands you lemons

Deborah
Ok, this is not about lemons or lemonade. But it is about what to do when you think you have a dud on your hands and then-AHA!

This HOT holiday weekend brought me to my dear friend's beautiful home in Ellenville, NY. It was a weekend of good eating, good conversation  AND  there was hiking at nearby Minnewaska State Park Preserve in New Paltz. We found a cool path through the woods to a scenic waterfall with not a lot of water falling, but a lovely chill in the air from the cavern of jagged stones.

The bottom of the waterfall at Minnewaska State Park Preserve.

The heat was not universally kind, however and a casualty of the day was my host's tomato plant that had lost all its leaves in the heat wave. Could it be salvaged with a lot of watering? A local resident neighbor assured us it could not. Could we harvest the hard green tomatoes that were withering on the vine? Possibly. Fried green tomatoes live on in folklore and not without good reason. Or so we were willing to find out. We plucked the fruit from the bare branches and sliced them open to see what we had on our hands.

The fruit was bright, juicy and green! Perfecto! A quick dredging in beaten egg and then cornmeal and then sauted in oil till golden. 

We decided to do a zucchini as well. Why not?

The tomatoes were delicious- tender, tart, and filled with a delicate young tomato flavor. Serve with a lemon and herb seasoned  aioli for a simple summer appitizer.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Lemon Aioli

-Cut tomatoes into thick slices

-beat an egg in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper

-put a cup of cornmeal in a small bowl

-dip tomatoes in egg and then in cornmeal, set on a plate or cookie sheet

-heat 1/4 cup of oil in a saute pan and when hot, fry the tomatoes in a single layer for 5 minutes on each side until golden. 

-drain tomatoes on a paper towel.

-serve warm with lemon aioli

Lemon Aioli

-1 cup of mayo mixed with 1 Tbs. Lemon zest, 2 Tbs. lemon juice, 1Tbs. minced chives, 1 or 2 dashes of tabasco sauce

-Mix all together with a whisk

-chill before serving

Amanda

Beautiful pictures, Deb! Love them! Over the past few weeks I have really been in a "get-together" frame of mind. This past Saturday, I invited a few friends over for an impromptu barbeque. Nothing fancy, just great, inexpensive summertime wines and simple grilled veggies on a beautiful ciabatta that I grilled and coated with homemade pesto and fresh, locally made mozzarella. My stomach is growling in recollection!

This brings me to Deb's recipe for fried green tomatoes. What a perfect recipe to include at one of these gatherings of friends. In a few weeks, I am hosting a "candle party" for a large group of women and you can be sure Fried Green Tomatoes will be on the menu! Deb - is it easy to actually find these under-ripe tomatoes in local markets and shops? I would think they would strive to only show ones already ripened, or on their way to ripeness. I don't have my own garden, so I am hoping I can locate some.

As for wine, I definitely want to drink white with these fried treats. Wines with good acidity tend to go well with most things fried or creamy. So, the tomatoes as well as the aioli will work well with a wine with this quality. I love Muscadet in the summer (I love it all year round, actually, but it has a particular affinity with the warmer weather!). A crisp, white, bright, fresh wine like Muscadet would just pair perfectly with Deb's recipe. And what's great is that you don't have to spend a lot of money to find a superb one. My favorite Muscadets are in the $10-$15 price range.

Two things to keep in mind when finding the perfect Muscadet: First, the best ones come from the area in the Loire Valley in France called the Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine. There are four communes in the region that can put this on the label and so this is always something to look for. Second: the best Muscadet also has "sur lie" on the label. This means that the wine has been kept on its lees (mostly dead yeast and skins) throughout the winter after harvest, before bottling. Since the wine has been allowed to mingle with its lees, it tends to pick up some extra richness. Also, by leaving the wine in the same fermentation tank with the lees, the carbon dioxide released during fermentation gives the wine some extra "zip".

If you are thinking about making Deb's Fried Green Tomatoes - definitely consider Muscadet as your wine of choice! I know that's what I'll be drinking!

a locavore meal, almost

Deborah

Locavore: one who eats foods grown locally whenever possible

Spent the afternoon with a dear friend who I have not seen in a long time, sustainable food blogger and committed locavore Mary Nelen. Mary, who writes the blog Valley Locavore,  filled me in on what is going on in her community of Northern Massachusetts where a strong DIY food ethic flourishes. She boasted of canning and preserving and shaking hands with farm animal. All very cool and admirable. We decided we would make lunch together during our visit. Mary supplied the broccoli rabe from a farmers market and I rummaged through my fridge at home to pull out some tofu (locally made!) and shitake mushrooms (I have no idea where they came from, oops) and some red quinoa I thought Mary might be interested in.
I also contributed a large handful of fresh herbs that I pulled out of my garden just before leaving the house to meet her (how much fresher can you get?)

The Upper West Side where Mary was staying was in full bloom Spring mode.

Our plan was simple, we would gab away with each other a mile a minute and give barely a fleeting thought to the meal. Kind of like cooking on auto pilot. I made the quinoa while Mary prepped the broccoli rabe.

I guess we could have used a slightly larger pan for the broccoli rabe.

The kitchen we were borrowing was minimally stocked and equipped. I did a quick sautee of the mushrooms and then the tofu which we cut into cubes. We found an onion in reasonable shape, chopped it up, sauteed it with the broccoli rabe and then threw in all the chopped herbs. The tofu and mushrooms went back into the pan and we mixed it all together.

The herbs coming up in my garden now are mint, lemon balm, sorrel, chives and oregano. I roughly chop them all together and add them to almost any dish right at the end of cooking to add freshness and depth.

We cooked the shitake mushrooms and the tofu separately, just enough to get a little brown crust for flavor and texture.

The finished dish: a mound of steamed red quinoa surrounded by the sauteed vegetables and tofu.

It was a simple, tasty, easy and healthy meal, which meant we could drink wine and not feel guilty.  What can I say, talking makes you thirsty. We drank white wine which seemed a good choice. How did we do Amanda?

Amanda
A good friend, delicious, easy lunch, and a nice bottle of wine. Sounds like a pretty great afternoon! Question - you don't blanch the broccoli rabe first? Just toss it right into the pan? I'm always in a quandry about that whenever I prepare it. I never really know when to blanch and when to just sautee. Any recommendations or thoughts on this?


Yes, I am in agreement regarding your wine choice! I think any light, crisp white would really work fine here. I wouldn't give it too much thought. Albarino, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadet, Pinot Grigio - all fine, simple choices. You and Mary had set out to have a fun, easy afternoon together which does not require hemming and hawing over a wine. Just go with something fun for an occasion like this. I find that Prosecco is always a great afternoon libation to enjoy with friends, especially as the warmer weather hits. Prosecco is a staple on my block for afternoon/early evening barbeques. This light, refreshing, frizzante wine from Italy is always a huge hit.

Prosecco is made from a grape by the same name, and hails from the Veneto region of Italy. Very versatile, you can really enjoy it with a wide variety of fare. It's great for brunches, showers, and large get-togethers - it is Italy's answer to Champagne, minus the hefty pricetag. For great examples of this inexpensive sparkler, look to producers Bisol, Riondo, Caposaldo and Zardetto.


Choosing a wine should never cause stress or too much thought. Wine is best when shared with friends. As long as the "indulgers" enjoy it - that is all that matters! But I do recommend keeping a few bottles on hand as Prosecco is a great bottle to open for unexpected guests!

I DO want to go to Chelsea

Deborah
Bring a sweater if you plan a shopping visit to Manhattan Fruit Exchange located in Chelsea Market.  The whole place is refrigerated. The always amiable cashier ladies who work there pad themselves with layers of clothing to withstand the conditions. Bring cash too. These small obstacles are no boundary for the kid in a candy store experience that vegetable lovers will have in this heavily stocked store.  It is my go-to stop whenever I need something specific for a recipe and it never disappoints. I almost always see chef's in white jackets prowling the aisles there for last minute ingredients. Today the store had scotch bonnet peppers (mislabeled as Habaneros, which are similar but slightly different!)

I fawned my way through the store pulling myself past their vast selections of cheeses, nuts, rices, mushrooms, herbs, baby vegetables, and exotic fruit to the organic section where I fell in love with a bunch of hydroponic watercress.  Next into my basket went some fresh peas in their pods.

When purchasing fresh peas be aware that one pound of pods can yield barely over a cup of peas.

I grabbed a few shallots to round out the plan in my head, a vegetable dish that would be at home during Passover week and equally welcome at the Easter table.
I believe I succeeded.

The sweet mild peas get a depth of flavor from the roasted shallots. The wilted watercress and lemon juice add a lively counterpoint.

Sweet Peas with Roasted Shallots over Wilted Watercress
2 shallots peeled and cut into quarters
1/4 cup of Olive Oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 bunch watercress, washed and dried, stems trimmed
2 cups of fresh or frozen peas
1 Tbs. lemon zest
2 Tbs. lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 425. Put shallots in a small baking dish and toss with 1 Tbs. of the Olive oil. Roast in hot oven for 15 minutes. Remove form oven and set aside to cool. In a saute pan heat the rest of the olive oil on meduim heat and add the black pepper to the oil, saute for 2 minutes. Chop up the shallots and add them to the saute pan, then add the peas, stirring carefully to coat all the peas with the oil. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes, till the peas are tender. Add the lemon zest to the peas, toss and cook one more minute.
On a serving plate arrange the watercress. Dress the watercress with the salt and the lemon juice. Pour the hot peas with the oil from the pan into the center of the watercress nest. Drizzle the hot oil over all the watercress.
Serves Four

Amanda
First, I have to comment about Deb's pictures. Each one is more beautiful than the last. Just stunning! As for the Manhattan Fruit Exchange - I think I have to make a trip into NYC just to go to that market! I wish we had something like that near me. I could easily spend a few hours in a place like that!


Deb's recipe sounds like the perfect salad course as a starter to a larger meal. If served like this, I would love to enjoy a crisp, lively Sauvignon Blanc with it. Then I would move on to bigger wines with the main course. Something from New Zealand, or France would work perfectly. Or even a Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon blend from Bordeaux. The citrus, grassy flavors of the wine will complement the dressing flavors in the salad. I would also not hesitate to sip a Muscadet with this dish as well.

One of my favorite Sauvignon Blancs is from Kim Crawford in New Zealand. Very lively, and bright with great acidity. Lots of grassy, herbal flavors. For Muscadet, I love the Domaine de la Fruitiere Cuvee Petit M, with it's intense aromatics and wonderful minerality. Both wines can be found for around $14.99.