Category: Wine

Ingredients

6 medium Bosc pears, peeled with stems intact
1 cup white wine
2 cups water
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
2 whole star anise pods
1 small cinnamon stick
1 lemon, zested
1 orange, zested
1/4 cup walnut oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Trim flat the bottoms of pears, and stand them upright in the bottom of a large stock pot. Pour the wine and water into the pot, and turn the flame to high heat. Sprinkle with sugar, and add vanilla bean, star anise, cinnamon stick, and lemon and orange peels. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium low, and simmer 20 to 25 minutes. Remove pot from stove, and let cool completely. Reserve 1/4 cup poaching liquid. Transfer pears to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.

Place 2 poached pears in a blender or food processor, and puree. Remove to a large bowl. Whisk in walnut oil, red wine vinegar, and reserved poaching liquid. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover, and refrigerate.

Place pears in individual bowls, and top with sauce.

Ingredients

3 pounds boneless lamb shoulder roast, cut into 11/2-inch cubes (or a combination of lamb and boneless pork shoulder roast)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound mild Italian sausages
1 cup water for sausages
1/2 pound kielbasa, cut into 6 pieces
1 1/2 pounds boneless duck breast halves
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
2 cups water
1 cup full-bodied dry red wine
reserved duck fat
2 large onions, cut into medium dice
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
6 (16 ounce) cans white beans, drained
3 cups fresh bread crumbs (process sliced bread in a food processor or blender)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

Directions

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.

Place lamb cubes in a bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, turning to coat.

Place Italian sausages, 1 cup water, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy roasting pan set over two burners. Cover with heavy-duty foil and turn heat to medium-high. Cook until sausages lose their raw color, about 5 minutes. Remove foil (reserve it) and continue to cook until water evaporates. Add smoked sausages and cook, turning frequently, until all sausages are browned, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate. When cool enough to handle, cut Italian sausages into bite-size chunks. Halve smoked sausages lengthwise. Set aside.

Generously sprinkle duck breasts with salt and pepper. Reduce heat under roasting pan and add duck breasts, skin side down. Cook until fat has rendered and skin is mahogany brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

Turn duck breasts over and continue to cook until cooked through, about 5 minutes longer.

Remove duck from pan. Drain fat from pan and reserve. Slice each br

Ingredients

2 pounds ground turkey
2 onions, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup grated carrots
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
2 tablespoons minced jalapeno peppers
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups white wine
2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 pound spaghetti
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In large saucepan over medium heat, cook turkey, onion, garlic, carrot, basil and jalapeno until turkey is brown. Pour in milk, reduce heat to low, and simmer until reduced by one-third. Stir in wine and reduce again. Pour in tomatoes and tomato paste and simmer 3 hours more.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Toss with tomato sauce and top with Parmesan. Serve.

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup butter
3 cups sliced portobello mushrooms
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup packed fresh spinach
1 cup Marsala wine

Directions

Place chicken breasts between two pieces of wax paper, and pound to 1/4 inch thick with a meat mallet. Dust chicken with flour, salt , pepper and oregano.

In a skillet, fry chicken in olive oil over medium heat. Cook until done, turning to cook evenly. Set aside, and keep warm.

In the same pan, melt the butter over medium heat; add mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and Marsala wine. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in spinach, and cook for about 2 minutes. Serve over chicken.