Category: Wine

Ingredients

3 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
DRESSING:
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cider or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon snipped fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Place asparagus in a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Combine oil and garlic; pour over asparagus and turn to coat. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until tender, rotating asparagus in the pan after 10 minutes. Cool completely. Combine dressing ingredients; pour over asparagus and turn to coat. Serve immediately or allow to marinate. Serve at room temperature.

Ingredients

3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 pounds (1 to 1 1/4-inch-thick) New York strip or leanest rib-eye steaks
1 red bell pepper, seeded and quartered
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and quartered
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
12 cups arugula or other prewashed baby greens
1/2 cup light sour cream

Directions

Mix garlic and lime juice; set aside 3 Tbs. of mixture for a post-grill marinade. For dressing, add a generous pinch of salt and pepper to the remaining lime juice mixture and slowly whisk in oil; set aside.

Mix cumin, salt and pepper in a small dish. Rub steaks on both sides with oil, and season with cumin mixture. Brush peppers with oil, then season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine onion with vinegar and a pinch of salt. Set all aside.

Build a fire on only one side of grill (to conserve charcoal). When coals are covered with white ash, place steak and peppers on rack over direct heat, cover and grill until steaks are well seared, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium to medium-rare meat.

Transfer steaks to plate and immediately drizzle with reserved lime mixture. Transfer peppers to a cutting board, and cut each quarter in thirds to get 24 pieces of pepper. Let sit 5 minutes or up to 1 hour. Thinly slice steak across grain. Toss greens with dressing. Arrange in six shallow bowls. Top with steak, peppers, pickled onions and a dollop of sour cream.

Ingredients

8 ounces pasta
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup whole corn kernels, cooked
4 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon dried basil
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil (optional)

Directions

In a large pot with boiling salted water cook pasta until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and dried basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the tomatoes, corn kernels, and scallions. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

Toss pasta with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Garnish with fresh basil, if desired.

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 pound roma (plum) tomatoes
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons margarine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Combine pasta, 1 beaten egg, 1/4 cup Parmesan and set aside.

To make the meat sauce: Drop the plum tomatoes in boiling water for about 45 seconds. Peel the skin off then seed and chop. Cook ground beef, onion and garlic together in a skillet until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Stir in fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken stock, vinegar, chili powder, allspice, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes until thick. You don’t want the sauce to be watery.

To make the white sauce: Melt margarine in a saucepan and stir in flour and pepper. Add the milk all at once. Cook and stir until smooth, thick and bubbly. In a bowl, combine about half of the mixture with 1 beaten egg. Return the egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining white sauce. Stir in 1/4 cup parmesan.

In a square glass baking dish, add 1/2 the pasta mixture. Next, add all of the meat sauce. Then, the remainder of the pasta and top with all of the white sauce. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon, if desired.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving. The white sauce will firm when cooked.