How to Really Taste Wine | Drinking Out Loud | News & Features | Wine Spectator

How to Really Taste Wine | Drinking Out Loud | News & Features | Wine Spectator

Italian Dinner

Hello again!
I trust everyone is well and not running around too much and too fast. As we all know the Holidays can get that way if we let them. To all my non Christian friends I would like to my offer peace to you as well.

Ahh Italy! We were fortunate enough to visit Italy a few years ago. We flew into Milano, drove to Montalcino stayed for a couple of nights. I booked a room for us in a 500 year old hotel and we had a wine tasting in a 13th century castle. There seemed to be castles on every hilltop. It was so very very cool, which would make sense. If I were top dog in those days I would want to see who is coming to MY castle, so I could get my armor on and go out for a jousting.
 Then Roma. Rome was amazing. We even drove into it because we drove through the vineyards trying to save time and ended up driving into Rome during evening rush hour. All the time we were there we didn't have a bad glass of wine and had some amazing food and I had more than my share of gelato.
That brings me to my last dinner for a purpose, shall we say. Manicotti! A dish everyone can eat. Our 15 month old loved it! This is another dish you can cook ahead of time and re-heat it. Making it great for the
family coming home late from after school activities and work, not to mention trying to squeeze in Christmas shopping. I bought a nice jar of locally made marinara sauce our grocer carries, but your favorite brand will work just as well. I usually add about a half cup of wine and simmer it for 30 to 60 min. You can even add
 a little more basil for good measure, just to personalize it and wake it up, so to speak. Lastly I found a bottle of Rosso Di Montalcino on sale, it was a great pairing with the Manicotti.
And last but not least, Giada DeLaurentiis' recipe, was awesome and easy to make...
Recipe kindness: giadadelaurentiis.com
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. I will post another blog in late January after taking some time for my knee to heal.

Ready for the oven  

Looking good 

Thank you very much for reading my blog. I look forward to hearing from folks and especially want to hear your comments and suggestions. Please like us on Facebook and don't forget to visit www.websterwoodcreations.com and take advantage of the Christmas sales going on now. All the best,    Mark

I hope you enjoy this scrumptious and easy to prepare meal.
Have a save and Merry Christmas.

beef and cheese manicotti

from the book, Everyday Italian. get this book >

This is a one dish meal. You can make it ahead of time and bake right before you serve it. Boy oh boy is it YUMMY!!!!

ingredients

6 servings

Beef and Cheese Manicotti 4 teaspoons olive oil 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 1 pound ground beef Salt and freshly ground black pepper 14 (8-ounce package) manicotti 1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta 3 cups shredded mozzarella 1 cup grated Parmesan 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves 2 garlic cloves, minced 3 cups marinara sauce 2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

instructions

Beef and Cheese Manicotti Heat a heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, onion and ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the meat browns and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and cool. Brush 1 teaspoon of oil over a large baking sheet. Cook the manicotti in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly softened, but still very firm to the bite, about 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the manicotti from the pot to the oiled baking sheet and cool. Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, 1 1/2 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and parsley. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper to taste, and mix. Stir the cooled meat mixture into the cheese mixture. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Fill the manicotti with the cheese-meat mixture. Arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish and spoon the remaining sauce over. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, then the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the stuffed pasta. Dot entire dish with the butter pieces. Bake the manicotti uncovered until heated through and the sauce bubbles on the sides of the dish, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the manicotti stand 5 minutes and serve.

The Day after Pot Pie

Turkey pot pie with a salad and glass of Chianti

Hello there! I found a recipe for a pot pie you can use for a home cooked meal or to serve with friends. It's that good! Oooo baby!

I found this recipe on Pinterest and was intrigued by the fact it has Pancetta in it. So I said to myself, what is Pancetta?, better look it up. It is Italian bacon that is salt cured, unlike our bacon which is smoke cured.
So with a very good Italian market on "The Hill" here in St. Louie I was set . My wife was good enough, as always to pick up my supplies from the grocery store and I'll get some of the specialty items. The filling is easy and goes by in a snap. To my taste, though I prefer a little more of the thyme flavor so I would add another 1/2 tablespoon to the filling. I would not try substituting bacon for Pancetta because of the smoky flavor.
The crust was delicious as well! The cornmeal and the Parmesan cheese in the mixture made for a thick crust  that was deliciously tender. My wife had a 3 inch pastry cutter that fit perfectly the 3 inch casserole our daughter Toni had just bought and very kindly let me use. They made for some nice pictures too! I served my pot pies with a nice little Chianti and were quite satisfied. Thanks again Giada! They were great

Recipe kindness of Giada De Laurentiis - www.giadadelaurentiis.com

Enjoy and be safe this holiday season!

Mom preparing for her solo, with Sophie's help.

Oh yeah! This part.

Turkey and Pancetta pot pies

Ingredients

6 servings

Filling 4 ounces finely diced Pancetta 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 large or 2 small shallots, chopped 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup flour 2 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth ¼ cup heavy cream 3 cups (about 14 ounces) roasted turkey breast meat, cut into ½-inch pieces 1 cup frozen peas, thawed ½ cup frozen corn, thawed

Crust ¾ cup flour, plus extra for dusting ¼ cup cornmeal ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes 1 cup grated Parmesan ⅓ cup buttermilk, plus extra, as needed 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Special equipment: 6 (10-ounce) ramekins, each 2 ½ inches tall and 3 ½ inches in diameter. A 3-inch round cookie cutter

Instructions

Filling Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the Pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and crispy, about 8 minutes. Pour the Pancetta and any cooking juices onto a paper towel-lined pate. Add the butter, shallots, carrots and thyme to the saucepan. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until the carrots are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Increase the heat to high. Add the chicken broth and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Add the cooked pancetta, heavy cream, turkey, peas, corn, and the remaining salt and pepper. Simmer for 3 minutes until heated through. Using a ladle, fill the ramekins with the mixture.

Crust In a food processor, pulse together the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the butter and cheese and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running, add 1/3 cup buttermilk and the oil. Process until the mixture begins to form a ball, adding extra buttermilk, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 10-inch diameter circle, about 1/4-inch thick. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut the dough into 6 circles and place on top of the filling. Bake until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.