English Pea & Ham Pasta!!

English Peas are in season right now, so don't miss using them in various recipes; this in one of our favorites. Although the peas and ham are the stars of the show, what really makes this dish is the sauce; one which we have worked for some time on to get just the right balance.  As with most sauces, it is not a cook by numbers type of thing: rather it is art,working the sequence of ingredients correctly in the pan and perhaps most of all seasoning it to your personal taste.  In this dish the shallots, garlic and tomatoes are present at the start with wine, cream, butter and lemon added in that order along the way.  Pay particular attention to the deglaze and reduction sequence and you will be well rewarded. Most of the ingredients came from www.pccnaturalmarkets.com but the unique pasta came from www.wholefoodsmarket.com. This dish will stand up to even the biggest red wine but also pairs well with Sauvignon Blanc. This is RJ Kirk @ Cafe 1853, Enjoy!.

Bolognese Sauce: Truly Exceptional!!

We spent the better part of a decade learning how to create a truly exceptional and authentic Bolognese sauce.  Finally the results are good enough to publish! Our standard for excellence was Cook at Saint Helena, CA; we believe this is a very close representation.  All of the ingredients are from scratch and organic; there are absolutely no canned ingredients whatsoever. Be patient and do this as described and you will be at least part Italian! The video is mostly self explanatory, but here are a few additional hints:1) You can speed up the Marinara Sauce by using the "garlic infused olive oil" (olive oil, fresh garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper 2) One thing you must not do, use any canned, non fresh tomatoes sauce of any kind, this will guarantee partial destruction of this recipe! 3) Do not skip or alter any of the ingredients; for instance if you were to use only lean ground beef, you will have a beef/meat sauce, not Bolognese, etc. 4) The proportions and taking the time to do the reduction is essential; no short cuts, thus the ingredients follow in some detail. All of the ingredients were acquired from Whole Foods of Bellevue, WA www.wholefoods.com All ingredients are organic.
The Stars (in order of appearance): Pancetta (5 slices chopped), Onion (1 large), Garlic (8 cloves), Carrots (2 minced), Celery (2 stalks minced), Lean Ground Beef (1 lb), Ground Veal (1 lb), Ground Pork (1/2 lb), Salt/Pepper/Red Pepper/Garlic Powder (Massaged into Meat and additional to taste), Red Wine Vinegar (4 splashes).
Supporting Cast: Marinara Sauce: Vine Ripened Tomatoes (8 medium), Salt/Pepper/Red Pepper/Italian Herbs (to taste). Parsley (as garnish to visual appeal). Ricotta (to appeal and taste).

Outpost Wines on Howell Mountain Napa Valley

Outpost Wines is located on Howell Mountain at 2200 feet, high above the Napa Valley. Those of you that have had the opportunity to taste and enjoy wines produced from this area know that some of best Cabernet grapes in the world are grown and harvested there due to unique soil and weather conditions. Outpost wines are produced from 42 acres of estate grapes and a quote from Kathy (Owner with her Husband) says it best: "The wine is produced in the Vineyard"! The setting and view from their property is nothing short of spectacular. Our tour and tasting was "down home", intimate, totally relaxing and enjoyable. Their winemaker is Thomas Rivers Brown and his talent is displayed in the results; wines of exceptional quality, character and subtle balance, exhibiting bright berries, caramel, tobacco (ok, that's an inadequate attempt) that words cannot adequately express. We have enjoyed many wines from Napa and this is quite simply amongst the very best.
Here is a small excerpt from their website that was insightful: "Under Thomas' expert guidance, Outpost grapes are harvested late in the season - by hand, at dawn - to preserve the full intensity and distinctive spicy character of the mountain fruit. The grapes are processed with as little manipulation as possible. Grapes from each block within the vineyard are fermented separately so that our winemaking team can be very selective about the lots that comprise the final blend. Wines are neither fined nor filtered allowing for the full expression of the vintages' potential". You really should have a further look at www.outpostwines.com There are many interesting facts about their history and commitment to organic vineyard management and sustainability that we are sure you will appreciate. This is RJ Kirk @ Cafe 1853, Cheers!