Wine Recipes

The following recipes are from the dishes we served at the recent Silver Oak Wine Dinner we held.  We are including them on our website since so many guests requested the recipe.  We hope you enjoy them!

Ribollita

Ribollita is Italian for “reheat or reboil.” First you make a hearty Tuscan vegetable soup and refrigerate it overnight. The next day, you “reheat” the soup with slices of bread in it, which break down and thicken it further.

Ingredients:
For the white beans:
1 1/2 cups dried white beans, preferably cannelloni ( in a pinch, use canned cannelloni beans)
4 cups water
1 yellow onion
2 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
For the Soup:
2 yellow onions, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped canned plum tomatoes
1 to 2 Tbs. tomato paste
1 lb. savoy cabbage or 1/3 lb. each kale, Swiss chard & savoy cabbage, tough stems
removed and leaves coarsely chopped or shredded
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
To make the beans, pick over them and discard any misshapen beans and stones. Rinse the beans, drain and place in a saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil over high heat, boil for 2 minutes, then cover and remove from the heat. Let stand for 1 hour. Drain and return to the saucepan with fresh water to cover by about 2 inches. Add the onion, garlic and bay leaf and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the beans are tender but not falling apart, about 1 hour. Add the salt during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove and discard the onion, garlic and bay leaf. Set the beans aside in their liquid.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the 1/2 cup olive oil. Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the cabbage, the cooked white beans and their liquid, thyme, salt and pepper, and enough water just to cover the vegetables. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer until all the vegetables are very tender, about 2 hours. Remove from the heat, let cool, cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or for up to 3 days.

Remove the soup from the refrigerator. Layer 2 or 3 bread slices in the bottom of a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Ladle in enough soup just to cover. Repeat the layers until all the bread and soup are in the pan, ending with the soup. Slowly bring the soup to a boil over low heat, stirring often to make sure that the bottom doesn’t scorch and to break up the bread, 20 to 30 minutes. It should eventually dissolve and absorb the liquids completely, forming a very thick soup.

Scoop into warmed bowls and drizzle with the olive oil. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Lifestyles Series, Soup for Supper, by Joyce Goldstein (Time-Life Books, 1998).

Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy)

Ingredients

6 strips bacon, cut in to ½ inch pieces
3 lbs. Beef chuck, cut into 11/2 inch cubes
sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 yellow onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, scrubbed and finely chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup cognac or other brandy
3 cups (24 oz. Or 1- 750 ml bottle dry, full bodied red wine (pinot noir, syrah, etc.)
11/2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons beef demi-glace
1tablespoon tomato paste
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons butter
1 lb white button mushrooms, quartered
7oz. Fresh pearl onions, blanched/peeled OR frozen pearl onions, thawed
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh, flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. In frying pan over medium heat, sauté bacon until browned, but not crisp. Transfer to paper towels.
Pat the beef cubes dry & season with salt & pepper. In Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Working in batches to avoid over crowding, add beef and brown all sides. Transfer meat to bowl and set aside.
Add chopped onions & carrots to the pot & sauté over medium-high heat until the onions are lightly browned. Reduce heat to low, sprinkle flour on top and cook, stirring, until the flour is incorporated, 1-2 minutes. Return the bacon & meat, along with any juices to the pot.
Remove from heat, add the cognac and flambé. (remove from heat, add cognac. Briefly reheat cognac & remove quickly. Use long match and light the meat (actually you’re lighting the fumes) and let burn ‘till flames burn out. (about 1 minute) Have a pan lid available if flame does not go out in 1 minute. Return to medium –low heat, add the wine, stock, demi-glace, tomato paste garlic bay leaf and salt/pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer. Transfer to the oven & braise, covered until meat is fork-tender and the stew is the consistency of thick cream, about 2 hours. Discard bay leaf if desired.
Meanwhile, in frying pan over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter, add mushrooms and sauté until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Melt remaining butter, add the pearl onions & cook, stirring until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add ½ cups water, cover & cook until onions are softened. Transfer to the mushrooms.
When ready to serve, stir the mushrooms, pearl onions & tablespoon parsley into the stew. Season to taste, transfer to large bowl & garnish with remaining parsley. Serve immediately. Fingerling potatoes make a great side dish /topper

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Soup & Stew, by Diane Worthington (Simon & Schuster )