Perfect Summer Tastings This Week

We are keeping busy this week with four public events plus a private tasting on our books, so if you are looking for a nice, air conditioned smoke-free spot to escape the heat, relax and taste some really great wines, we've got something for you!

flites & bites lets you choose your cheese, meats, accoutrements & wines!

First up will be Flites & Bites, an expansion of our Wednesday Nite Flite event where you can pair a tasting plate to your flite experience.  Our menu is simple; you assemble your own "bites" from a handpicked selection of 6 artisan cheeses, 6 meats and 6 accoutrements. You'll select from some of our favorite products like La Tur cheese from Italy, Mahon from Spain or a French tomme cheese; meats like smoked prosciutto, chorizo and pate; accoutrements like chocolate from Bittersweet confections, Mediterranean olives, or Spanish almonds.  Or if you don't feel like thinking, you can leave the decision making up to us and we'll put one together for you. Then you can choose three wines from our extensive and ever-changing list of wines to put into your flite OR leave everything to us and we'll choose for you based on your "bite" selections!  We'll be featuring a few new wines on our list tonight too including new rosés, reds and whites, so come in for  Flites & Bites! Wednesday August 1, 6-8pm.

Thursday brings The Wines of Markus Molitor, 5 cold, delicious Rieslings from Germany presented by Ariff  Jamal.  Beside being Molitor's CEO and right hand man, Jamal is an independent wine writer for various international wine magazines, a Chemist by profession and oenologist by trade, a professional taster and a member of various wine associations in France.  Needless to say, he brings a lot of expertise, knowledge and an amazing lineup of Rieslings to the table. 

Markus Molitor has been producing wine in the Mosel for over 20 years, since he took over the reigns from his father at age 20.  The largest estate on the Mosel with 94 acres of vineyard land, Markus is one of the middle Mosels most important growers. During the difficult years when the value of German vineyards fell dramatically, Markus had the conviction, knowledge and foresight to take advantage of the low prices and bought up a significant number of small parcels in the finest parts of the best vineyards. With extremely steep slopes, slatey soils and particularly long, slow ripening periods, a gifted producer can weave together that incredibly tense and vibrant mix of minerality, acidity, fruit and ripeness. Markus Molitor excels at this and is without doubt amongst the very best.  This tasting is free and a great opportunity to taste high quality Riesling from an important producer.  Thursday August 2, 6-8pm.

Friday night crowd @ swirl

And then there is our Friday Free For All featuring four free wines and delicious tapas by chef Richard Papier.  Josh Prados will be in the house tonight with four great West Coast wines and of course wine by the glass is always flowing at the bar.  Fun crowd, laid back atmosphere, great wine and food; what more could you want on a Friday night?  Friday, August 3, 6-8pm.

fall selections from the Hollygrove box

Saturday afternoon happy hour at Swirl from 4-6pm has become a popular event where you can drink anything on our extensive by the glass menu for 1/2 price and check out the Hollygrove Market produce pick up.  Swirl has become THE Midcity location to get your fresh box of local produce and if you want more details on how you can be one of the lucky recipients, click here, Hollygrove Box Pick up at Swirl.

So you have lots of excuses to drop by and this week!  We hope to see you soon!

Salute,
Beth & Kerry

Italia & Vini del Sud at Vega Tapas Cafe

Join chef Glen Hogh, Swirl Wines and Antonio Molesini for a wonderful evening of 

Italian food and wines of southern Italy. 

August 16, 6:30pm 

Vega Tapas Cafe 

2051 Metairie Road 

Reservations 504.836.2007 

$80 per person, tax and tip included 

Tour of the Mediterranean 

ITALIA & VINI del SUD 

antipasti 

Sparkling Apertivi 

bruschetta di pomodori

creole tomatoes, fresh basil, & olive oil over garlic grilled bread 

2010 Feudi Maccari Grillo 

pettine di tuffatore con caponata

seared diver scallop over stewed eggplant 

2011 Feudi San Gregorio Ros’aura 

 pasta milanese con funghi

orrecchiette tossed with basil pesto, green beans, potatoes, & wild mushrooms 

2008 Zisola Nero D’avola 

 involtini di vitello

grilled veal medallion stuffed with prosciutto, onion, & reggiano 

2009 Agricola Punica Isola dei Nuraghi Montessu 

torta e frutti di bosco

trifle cake with fresh cream panna cotta & berries 

Sogno di Sorrento Limoncello

Roasted Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella Pasta Salad

With tomato season in full swing right now, I just can't get enough.  I eat them daily; sliced raw, chunked in salads, chopped on bruschetta, cooked into sauces and one of my favorite ways, roasted.  It is such a simple but flavorful way to prepare tomatoes and once roasted you can refrigerate them for about a week and use them as toppings on pizza, crostini, sandwiches, pasta, really to anything you would normally use the fresh ones for.  And the great thing about this pasta salad that I served cold yesterday, we can warm up the leftovers for dinner tonight with a little parmigiano cheese thrown on top.

Roasting tomatoes is really simple and the key to them not drying and shriveling up is using a good amount of olive oil. Once prepped you slide them in the oven and wait for the wonderful aromas of roasting herbs and garlic to fill up your house for the next two hours!  The end result in amazing and I suggest you make extra to keep in the frig to top off your favorite savory foods.

Ingredients
50-60 ripe cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 C. olive oil
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 T. fresh rosemary chopped fine
2 T. fresh oregano
2 T. fresh thyme
Salt & pepper
1 t. pepperoncini (optional)
1 lb. dried pasta - rigatoni, bow-tie or penne work great
8 oz. fresh mozzarella
10-12 fresh basil leaves

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat.  Cut your tomatoes in half and line them up on the baking sheet.  Drizzle entire pan with olive oil, be sure that each tomato gets doused. Sprinkle the garlic, herbs, salt, pepper and pepperoncini over the tomatoes, put in the oven and roast, turning the tomatoes over once after about an hour.

After two hours remove your pan and put a big pot of water on to boil.  Cook your pasta according to instructions and drain when finished.  Let the pasta cool, mixing in a little olive oil to keep it from sticking. 

In the meantime, shred your mozzarella by simply pulling it apart by hand and finely chop the basil.  Once the pasta and tomatoes have cooled, add it all together with your remaining ingredients, add salt and pepper to taste.  Simple and really good!

Olio, Limoni e Ospitalità del Sud (Olive Oil, Lemons and Southern Hospitality)

View of Bay of Naples from Frantoio Ferraro

The day was warm and dry, one of the first of such since we arrived on the coast. May, we discovered, is very different from July, the weather can be cool and a bit unpredictable.  Taking full advantage of the beautiful day, Vincenzo's brother-in-law Nicola drove us to Pompeii where a few of the girls went in to see the magnificent ruins while those of us who have already been went shopping.  After a few hours we all had our fill and took a drive down the coast to visit a frantoio, an olive mill owned by friends of Vincenzo, perched atop the high cliffs of the Sorrentine Peninsula. Stomachs rumbling from the swervy coastal switchbacks and the small breakfast consumed hours ago, we were anxious for our lunch on the "dal patriarca", the local term for a coastal garden by the olive mill where they entertain guests lucky enough to know about this place.

A lovely garden table was set for us with the beautiful Bay of Naples in full view. The warmth and generosity of the people in this area is like no other and owners Nicola and Pia bring their own regional meaning to the term southern hospitality. You instantly feel as if you are part of the family, and so you eat like family with course after course of delicious home style cooking made from recipes passed down for generations lovingly served and prepared by Pia herself.  Nicola shares a bottle of wine that he made himself from the Aglianico grapes of Taurasi and of course their olive oils add incredible flavor to all of the foods served.

Owners Pia and Nicola

Another afternoon spent relaxing with friends, indulging ourselves with delicious food and drink.  Piano, piano...slowly, slowly we take our time and finish the meal with Pia's handmade limoncello, truly the best we've ever had.  Stomachs now full and heads spinning a bit from wine and limoncello, we take a quick tour of the mill and buy as much olive oil as we can fit in our suitcases.  I wish I could have bought more!

While all of their oils were delicious our favorite is the one infused "al limone di Sorrento".  It is simply amazing drizzled on salad or a sandwich and I discovered the other day that it is wonderful with corn.  So I'm listing a quick recipe below, an easy, fresh dish made with local corn, fresh mint, vidalia onion and of course the Frantoio Ferraro Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva al Limone di Sorrento.  And if you are visiting the Amalfi coast and would like a true, family style experience of regional food and hospitality, call Vincenzo Fusco to arrange a visit and drive you to Frantoio Ferraro, and please tell him Beth & Kerry sent you!

Salute Pia & Nicola!  Thank you for a lovely afternoon!

Fresh Corn with Frantoio Ferraro Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva al Limone di Sorrento

Ingredients
4 ears of fresh corn, cooked and cut off the cob
10 mint leaves finely chopped
1/4 of a large vidalia onion chopped
2 T Frantoio Ferraro Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva al Limone di Sorrento
Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and allow to sit for 30-60 minutes for the flavors to mingle.  Serves 4

press

 Swirl Voted Best Place to Drink Wine in New Orleans!

June 2012 - Swirl voted best place to drink wine by the Where Y'at Readers!

1. Swirl - "Pick from a list of wine that is extensive, varied and best of all constantly changing with new additions. And don't worry they have plenty of wines that are totally affordable, along with frequent wine tasting events."

2. WINO

3. Bacchanal

 Rachael Ray's Vacation, Shot at Swirl:

Wine Enthusiast Magazine:

 

 Article:  Beyond the Glass
Wine shops are now acting as social centers, schools, restaurants, even travel agencies, offering far more than just free tastings.

Yelp! Reviews:

New Orleans Magazine:

Article: Best Bars 

Greek Wine Dinner @ Maurepas Foods

Greek Wine Dinner
Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 6:30 pm
Maurepas Foods - 3200 Burgundy Street
$85 per person (tax & gratuity not included)
504.267.0072 By Reservation Only

Presented by Swirl Sensational Wines, Uncorked Wines, & Ted Diamantis, importer

Gulf Fish Crudo
semolina bread, cucumber, mint
(Sigalas Asyritiko, Santorini, Greece)

Eggplant Puree on Sponge Cake
local honey, fennel
(Zoe Rose, Peloponnese, Greece)

Heirloom Tomatoes
squid, pickled mustard seed, flatbread
(Skouras St. George, Nemea, Greece)

Squashes
green peppercorn, whey, olive oil
(Alexakis Vidiano, Crete, Greece)

Grilled Sardines
watermelon, haloumi, parsley, basil vinaigrette
(Alpha Estate Axia Malagouzia, Amyndeo, Greece)

Two Run Farm Lamb Leg Steak
sweet pepper puree, heart salad, oregano-scented new potatoes
(Skouras Mega Oenos Agiorgitiko, Peloponnese, Greece)

Stone Fruit Tart
(cocktail: "The Evrosti" - trans. "The Robust")

Chef Michael Doyle
Pastry Chef Jessica Stokes

True Italian Lasagna

Lasagna in Italy, not the cheesy, saucy stuff we make here in the US, is a very involved process.  It all starts with a soffritto, followed by a meat ragu and if you REALLY like the people you are cooking for, you make the pasta.  It is the only way to achieve the thin, thin layers that melt in your mouth and help give the lasagna its light texture.  But it is a labor of love that takes patience and proper timing.

The first time I had this amazing dish was in Tuscany last year on our wine and food tour.  Antonio's sister knows an Italian nonna who is in her 80's and makes the best lasagna you've ever eaten.  She made us two big pans that arrived at our villa still warm from the oven, and we served outside in the garden with some delicious Cortona red wines.  It takes her 2 days to make it, and now having done it myself, I know why.

I've been doing a series of posts on the recipes for the soffritto, the ragu, the pasta and the besciamella; now it's time to put it all together!  It's best to make this over a two day period....the links to the recipes are highlighted in orange below.

First Day
Step One:  Make the Soffritto
Like the Holy Trinity of New Orleans cuisine, a "soffritto" is the starting point for many Italian soups, sauces and stews. While locally we use equal parts onion, celery and green peppers, in Italy the base is usually a combination of carrots, onion and celery with the proportions of each depending on what you are cooking.

To begin to make the meat ragu, I first need the soffritto.  Using the recipe in Frances Mayes new Tuscan Sun cookbook, I began the long journey to tomorrow's lasagna!

First Day

Step Two:  Make the Ragu
Every cook in Italy has their own ragu recipe, variations on a theme of ground mixed meats, tomatoes, soffritto, herbs and spices.  But one thing that remains constant is the love and care that goes in to making the perfect ragu.  I don't claim to have achieved it yet, but I've learned a few tricks along the way that have helped me get a wonderfully flavorful sauce that can be used in many dishes.  I like to make a big pot, use some and freeze the rest for a quick tagliatelle on a busy day.

Second Day
Step Three:  Make the Dough
I have two pasta dough recipes that I use on a regular basis, one is from Lidia Bastianich, the other is from Francis Mayes.  I like them both equally as much, but when I made the lasagna I used Frances Mayes and I thought the texture and pliability of this dough was ideal for achieving the thin sheets needed for this dish.  The ingredients vary ever so slightly and the process is the same.  I use a kitchen aid mixer for the initial blending, kneed the dough by hand and after it has rested I use the pasta attachment for my mixer to roll the sheets. In this post I'll take you to the point where the dough is resting, before you roll it.

Second Day
Step Four:  Make the Besciamella
So your dough is currently resting and you have time to make your besciamella before we start assembling the dish.  Either of these recipes will give you the desired affect of adding a wonderful creaminess to your layers of lasagna, read through them both and decide what you have the energy for!

Step Five:  Assembling the Lasagana


Remaining Ingredients
-1 lb fresh egg pasta dough resting
-5 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated
-2-5 oz. balls of mozzarella
-a handful of fresh sage leaves
-olive oil


-Preheat you oven to 350 degrees F and butter a large baking dish. Put a big pot of salted water with a good glug of oil on the stove for the pasta.

-Reheat your  ragu and put keep your white sauce on the stove at a very low heat,  to keep it warm and make it easier to work with.

-Roll out your pasta dough
Rolling the dough with a pasta machine (I used the Kitchen Aid attachments). Cut the ball of dough into 6 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a rectangle about 5x3 inches. Lightly flour the pasta rectangles and cover them with a kitchen towel. Set the rollers of the pasta machine to the widest setting. Pass one of the pasta rectangles through the rollers long side first, then pass it though the rollers a second time. Keep the dough lightly floured-just enough to prevent if from sticking to the rollers. Reduce the width by one setting and pass the piece of dough through the rollers again. Support the dough with your hand as it comes through the rollers-don't pull it though, or the dough will shrink so it is narrower than the width of the rollers.


Continue working with the piece of dough and reducing the width one setting each time until the dough has been passed through to the proper setting. (Each pasta machine is different. I finish with the next to the thinnest one);You want to roll out strips of pasta that are about 3 x 10 inches depending on the size of your pan. I made mine a little longer and wider to accommodate the round shape of my pan.  Always keep the pieces of dough that aren't being rolled covered with a towel. If you find the dough is very elastic, let all pieces rest for 5 to 10 minutes before continuing.

When you have rolled one of your pieces of dough into the correct size, blanch 2 strips at a time in the boiling water and cover the bottom of the baking dish with pasta strips, letting them hang over the edges.  Put down a layer of meat sauce, then some white sauce and a sprinkling of fresh Parmesan.  Roll and blanch another piece of dough and continue to repeat the process until you run out of ragu. But keep back enough white sauce for a final layer on top.


Fold the over the pasta ends from the edges and top with the white remaining sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan, tear the mozzarella over the top, scatter your sage leaves and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the preheated over for 45 minutes or so until golden.


Prepare to "wow" your friends and family...

All of this effort deserved a fine wine so we opened a gorgeous 2001 Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino signed by the Marchesi di Frescobaldi himself when he was in the shop one day way back when...

Exciting New Wine Bar Menu!

We've had such a great response to our Wednesday Nite Flites that we've completely changed our menu and now EVERY NITE can be FLITE NITE! Here's how it works:

1.  You can order a glass of wine as usual and choose from over 25 wines by the glass or half bottle with prices ranging from $6 to $24.

2.  Choose 3 of  any wines listed with a 2oz. pour and build your own flite.  Or we'll ask you a few questions about your drinking preferences and build one for you! $15/flite

3.  Want to try just a half glass of something new and interesting but don't want to commit to a full glass?  Anything listed with a 2oz. pour is available for your drinking pleasure! Prices range from $3.50-$6.50

So what are you waiting for?  Come to the shop and experiment with new wines and regions because we have as much fun creating the flites as you'll have drinking them!

Almost there...the Besciamella

 Step 1: Make the soffritto
Step 2:  Make the ragu
Step 3: Make the dough
Step 4: Make the besciamella

The French call it Bechamel, Americans say white sauce but no matter what you call it, it is an important component of true Italian lasagna and many other baked pasta dishes.  I have two recipes to share with you, one is quick and simple, the other a little more time consuming but it adds some subtle flavors to this delicate sauce.

So if you are following my series of recipes on making lasagna, your dough is currently resting and you have time to make your besciamella before we start assembling the dish.  Either of these recipes will give you the desired affect of adding a wonderful creaminess to your layers of lasagna, read through them both and decide what you have the energy for!

From Frances Mayes Tuscan Sun Cookbook
Makes 2 cups

4 T. unsalted butter
4 T. All-Purpose flour
2 Cups whole milk
A few gratings of fresh nutmeg
1 t. salt

Over medium-low heat, melt the butter in a 1-1/2 quart saucepan and add the flour.  Cook, stirring 2 minutes, until it forms a paste and is ever-so-slighty browned.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the milk all at once.  Return to medium-low heat and cook, stirring until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Add the nutmeg and salt.

From Jamie Oliver's Jamie's Italy

-1-3/4 pints of milk
-a sprig of fresh parsley
-a pinch of nutmeg
-1/2 onion, peeled and sliced
-6 black peppercorns
-6 tablespoons of butter
-1/2 cup all purpose flour
-5-1/2 oz. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
-sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
Put the milk, parsley, nutmeg, onion and peppercorns into a pot. Heat to just below the boiling point.

While milk is heating take a deep pan and melt the butter. Begin to slowly add in the flour and stir until it is totally mixed in. By this time your milk should be ready. Take it off of the stove and strain out herbs and onions. Begin adding the strained milk to the butter and flour a ladle full at a time mixing it in completely before you add another. You should have a very smooth white sauce. Bring to a low boil, simmer a few minutes and then take off the heat. Mix in the Parmesan and season.


Ok so, we have all of the components needed so let's pour ourselves a glass of wine and make some lasagna!

Time to Make the Pasta!

Step 1: Make the soffritto 
Step 2:  Make the ragu
Step 3: Make the dough


True Italian Lasagna, not the cheesy, saucy stuff we make here in the US, is a very involved process.  It all starts with a soffritto, followed by a meat ragu and if you REALLY like the people you are cooking for, you make the pasta.  It is the only way to achieve the thin, thin layers that melt in your mouth and help give the lasagna its light texture.  But it is a labor of love that takes patience and proper timing.

So we've already made the soffritto, and from that a delicious ragu is bubbling on the stove.  Next we'll make the dough and as it is resting, we'll make the besciamella, then roll out and quickly blanch the pasta noodles and start to assemble the lasagna.

On to the dough.  I have two pasta dough recipes that I use on a regular basis, one is from Lidia Bastianich, the other is from Francis Mayes.  I like them both equally as much, but when I made the lasagna I used Frances Mayes and I thought the texture and pliability of this dough was ideal for achieving the thin sheets needed for this dish.  The ingredients vary ever so slightly and the process is the same.  I use a kitchen aid mixer for the initial blending, kneed the dough by hand and after it has rested I use the pasta attachment for my mixer to roll the sheets. 

In this post I'll take you to the point where the dough is resting, before you roll it.  While it is resting, we'll start the besciamella.

Click here Lidia's recipe.

Frances Mayes Basic Pasta

Ingredients for 1lb. of pasta
2-1/2 cups of all purpose flour, plus additional for kneading
3 eggs
1 t. salt
2 t. extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 T. water, plus additional if needed




Directions
In a small bowl, beat the eggs, salt, olive oil and 1 T. of the water.  Place your flour in the mixer bowl and put on the dough hook attachment. With the mixer on low speed, pour the egg mixture into the mixing bowl. Mix just until the mixture comes together to form a rough dough. If the dough seems to dry, drizzle a very small amount of water into the bowl.


Remove the dough from the bowl and knead using the remaining flour, and more if necessary, using the following method.Once you have formed a rough dough, it is ready to knead. Flour a marble or wooden work surface. Press the heel of one handing deep into the dough, keeping your fingers high. Then press down on the dough while pushing it firmly away from you-the dough will stretch and roll under your hand like a large shell. Turn the dough over, then press into the dough first with the knuckles of one hand, then with the other; do this about ten times with the knuckles of each hand. Use the knuckles of your forefingers especially during this process.


Then repeat the stretching and "knuckling" process, using more flour if needed to prevent sticking, until the dough is smooth and silky, 10-20 minutes. Roll the dough into a smooth ball. Cover the dough with a damp dishtowel and let it rest for at least 1 hour at room temperature, or up to 1 day in the refrigerator, before rolling and shaping the pasta. If the dough has been refrigerated, let it stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour before rolling and shaping.



So, while the dough is resting we can make the besciamella.  I'll post that recipe tomorrow!

Next Step, Tuscan Ragu

Step 1: Make the soffritto 
Step 2:  Make the ragu


True Italian Lasagna, not the cheesy, saucy stuff we make here in the US, is a very involved process.  It all starts with a soffritto, followed by a meat ragu.

Every cook in Italy has their own ragu recipe, variations on a theme of ground mixed meats, tomatoes, soffritto, herbs and spices.  But one thing that remains constant is the love and care that goes in to making the perfect ragu.  I don't claim to have achieved it yet, but I've learned a few tricks along the way that have helped me get a wonderfully flavorful sauce that can be used in many dishes.  I like to make a big pot, use some and freeze the rest for a quick tagliatelle on a busy day.

They key, as in all good recipes, is the freshness and quality of the ingredients.  Three types of meat give you a more complex flavor and if possible have the butcher grind the meat for you fresh so that you really know what is in that package.  Fresh tomatoes are ideal but a can of San Marzanos can give excellent results. I did a combination of both here and am really happy with the outcome.  Dried herbs will work but again, fresh is best!
 
Use a 6 Qt. pot for this, it will give you plenty of room to brown the meat.  One of the things I've learned along the way by reading over many, many recipes from Italian chefs and home cooks, is how to achieve the proper texture of the meat.  If you notice when you eat ragu in Italy it is not chunky, the meat doesn't glob together, the vegetables are chopped finely, giving the sauce a smooth, light texture.  So you'll need a wooden spoon and a lot of patience to achieve this and I'll explain below when we get to the step.

The ingredient list, with a few minor changes, is Guisi’s Ragu from The Tuscan Sun Cookbook by Frances Mayes and her husband Edward Mayes. I've listed my changes and her originals.  This recipe will give you enough ragu for the lasagna as well a quite a bit to freeze for later.  If you are making the lasagna, I recommend you prepare the ragu the day before as it takes about 4 hours.

Serves 10

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground lean beef
1 pound ground veal (Mayes uses pork)
2 large links of sausage, casings removed.  I found a delicious duck and pork at Rouses with no additives or preservatives.  (Mayes uses Italian sausages, and Terranova's would be perfect)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 to 2 cups red wine
1 cup soffritto (recipe below)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 whole tomatoes finely chopped, 1-28oz can of San Marzano tomatoes, finely chopped.  Mayes calls for16 to 20 tomatoes or 2 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes, juice included, chopped

Pour the olive oil into a 6-quart heavy pot with a lid. Next, add all the ground meat to the pot. Here is where the most work is involved. Using a large wooden spoon keep breaking up the meat into smaller and smaller pieces as it cooks. Do not brown it too much or dry out. Don’t let it sit in the hot shortening on the bottom of the pot and sear. Keep moving it around; it should just lose its color. Keep working on the meat and keep breaking it up into smaller and smaller pieces. It should also begin to smell wonderful.

When the meat has lost all its pink color and is reduced to minuscule bits (10-12 minutes), add the salt, pepper, thyme, and 1 cup of the red wine. After the wine has cooked into the meat, about 10 minutes, add the soffritto, and stir in the tomato paste and tomatoes.

Bring the sauce to a boil, and then lower to a quiet simmer. Partially cover, and continue cooking for 3 hours, stirring now and then. Along the way, add the remaining cup of wine if you think the sauce is too dense.

Maurepas Foods and Greek Wines

Swirl, Maurepas Foods and Uncorked Wines are pairing up to bring you the robust cuisine of Chef Michael Doyle and a wonderful selection of wines from Greece.  Maurepas Foods is great neighborhood joint known for their support of our local farmers and fishers which means chef's menu is a work in progress depending on what is fresh and available that day!

Showcasing some of our favorite farmers, chef will begin with a few different preparations of  their freshest vegetables and greens.  A pair of seafood dishes will follow showing the diversity of these richly layered wines.  Then on to a lamb from Two Run Farms in Mississippi and a robust red.  Pastry chef Jessica Stokes is finding just the right touch to finish off our feast, something delicious, no doubt, to pair with an ouzo cocktail. The wines will be presented by importer Ted Diamantis  who has spent the last 20 years seeking out small producers that deliver incredible quality wines that will change any preconceived notions you have about Greek wines.

6 wines, a cocktail and 7 courses, $85 plus tax and tip.  Reservations are required for this event, call Maurepas Foods at 504.267.0072, quickly, this is sure to be a sell out! Tuesday June 26, 6:30pm.

Humble Beginnings, Italian Soffritto

I've been craving pasta ever since we returned from Tuscany last week.  You see we ate it every day, sometimes multiple times a day, for two weeks straight.  And what is fascinating about pasta in Italy is that you can eat it that many times and never eat the same dish twice.  Because each place you visit has their own specialty shape or type of pasta, different sauce or preparation.  There was the rich and decadent chestnut flour ravioli at La Buccacia, or the wild boar ragu at Enoteca Fonterutoli, and the rustic pici pasta in Montepulciano, ricotta gnocchi at La Grotta, the paccheri giganti from Napoli, not to mention the Roman classics we ate our last night like Pasta Carbonara and L'Amatriciana.  The list is endless, but what I've really been craving lately in the lasagna made by our favorite Italian nonna in Cortona who spends all day making us 2 big pans of the most delicious layers you've ever tasted that we ate at our first dinner in the villa on Sunday night.  I decided yesterday to invite a few friends over for dinner so I could see how close I could come to her divine dish.

Paglia e Fieno Pasta at La Braccesca

But I have along way to go until I actually get to start assembling, not because it is a complicated recipe, but one with many steps that allows you to achieve something really special in a simple dish like lasagna.  And the first step is the soffritto. Like the Holy Trinity of New Orleans cuisine, a "soffritto" is the starting point for many Italian soups, sauces and stews. While locally we use equal parts onion, celery and green peppers, in Italy the base is usually a combination of carrots, onion and celery with the proportions of each depending on what you are cooking.

To begin to make the meat ragu, I first need the soffritto.  Using the recipe in Frances Mayes new Tuscan Sun cookbook, I began the long journey to tomorrow's lasagna!

 
Soffritto
Makes 1 cup:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, minced
1 carrot, minced
1 stick of celery, minced
1 handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, minced
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Mince the onion, carrot, celery and parley, do not use a food processor, take the time properly achieve a fine texture. I like to mince each separately and then combine all and mince together.  Saute the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium low heat until they begin to color and turn tender, she says 5-7 minutes, I say 10-12 minutes!

Orvieto: Day Tripping in Umbria

Our base in Cortona makes the region of Umbria just a short distance away and Tuesday we spent the day in the medieval city of Orvieto. Few places in Italy are more dramatically situated than this Umbrian town, which sits atop a cliff of red volcanic rock. A stronghold in Etruscan times, sacked by the Romans, reborn in the Middle Ages, Orvieto has one of the most beautiful duomos in Italy, ancient churches and towers, as well as a maze of quarries, tunnels and tufo cellars.



We took the funiculare up the hill from Orvieto Scalo so we could start the day with a trip down to Pozzo di St. Patrizio. In 1527, in the day following the sacking of Rome, Pope Clement VII took refuge in Orvieto. To provision the town with water in case of siege or conflict, this well was built, based on a plan of Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane. The St. Patrick's Well, completed in 1537, features two double-spiralled stairwells of 248 steps made for easier transportation of water.



We checked out the Etruscan temple ruins and then meandered down to the duomo with it's stunning gothic facade of mosaics and bas-reliefs, rivaling the famous duomo in Siena. Inside we were treated to beautiful frescos painted by Cortona born Luca Signorelli, said to be the inspiration for Michelangelo's work in the Sistine Chapel.



By now our stomach's were grumbling so we went in search of another famous item in Umbria, porchetta. Porchetta is a savory, fatty, moist, boneless pork roast that is said to have originated in Umbria and can be eaten on almost every corner, at every bar, at every food stand when passing through the area. They take a whole pig, gut it, debone it, and stuff it with rosemary, salt, garlic, fennel, lard, pig organs, pepper, whatever your special wild herb mix is…and then slow roast it over a wood fire. We ducked in to Catina Foresi right by the duomo, and ordered a round of Porchetta Panini for the group.


Skeptical at first about the size of the sandwich and the lack of mayonnaise, feelings soon turned upon first bite of the moist, succulent meat finished off with a little olive oil and washed down with the local Orvieto white wine. After a round of espresso, everyone was off to shop for ceramics while a few of us searched for gelato before we headed back to Cortona for our Bistecca dinner at Trattoria Dardano.


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La Braccesca and Montepulciano

We had a great day visiting one of the Antinori family properties located about 15 miles outside of Cortona. While Antinori is a huge producer, La Bracessca is a small estate that has a unique geographical position in that it sits right on the border of the Vino Nobile DOCG and the Cortona DOC.






After a wonderful tour of the facility by Francesca, we were treated to lunch of local foods paired with their wines. They have a beautiful room with huge windows that overlook the surrounding vineyards.





The views were spectacular and it was a real treat to taste both the Montepulciano and Cortona wines.


The pasta course...


And the bistecca hot off the grill...


Followed by a fabulous panna cotta and a delicious Aleatico dessert wine...



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A Beautiful Beginning: Sunday in Toscana

We had a great start to our trip yesterday, our first full day in Toscano. The weather was absolutely gorgeous with bright sunshine and a comfortable 70 degrees. I started with a run/hike up St. Egidio mountain using the CAI (club alpino italiano) map of the Arezzo region as my guide. The trails are very well marked and took me on a quite strenuous trek for about 2 hours.



After a quick bite to eat we joined up with the group at the villa for our tour of the upper part of Cortona with a wonderful guided tour of the Chiesa di San Niccolo from the 13th century that features two beautiful paintings by famed Renaissance artist Luca Signorelli.



Next was the trek up the hill to the beautiful church of Patron Saint of Cortona, Santa Margherita and then to the very top of the hill to the Fortezza built by the Medici in the 1500's. Stunning scenery and a wonderful look at the culture and architecture of Cortona from medieval to the renaissance, we worked up quite an appetite and walked back to the villa for our panini lunch.



A leisurely lunch featuring regional meats and cheeses (sheep's cheese rules here!) with a few bottles of Prosecco and finished off with shots of espresso, we moved on to the next activity of the day. Antonio took a group to the Etruscan Museum, while the rest of us shopped, strolled the quaint streets and of course had a gelato while we sat on the steps of the Palazzo Communale taking in the scene.



Dinner was homemade lasagna from our favorite Italian nonna who makes the best ever with many layers of thin, thin pasta sheets, a bechamel sauce and beef ragu. We topped it off with a big salad, fresh buffalo milk mozzarella and tomatoes (my favorites from Southern Italy), and ended with Vin Santo AND limoncello!

Needles to say, everyone went to bed relaxed with full stomachs and fuzzy heads, waiting to see what the next day would bring!


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Antonio's Italy 2012 Begins!

We've moved from one spectacular view to another as we arrived in Cortona Italy Saturday afternoon. It was a long day of traveling as we left the fabulous Villa Le Sirene at 5:45am for the long, winding trip to Naples, then a train to Rome where we said arrividerci to our friends and said buongiorno to our new group of travelers. Another train to Cortona where everyone settled in to their home for the week in this gorgeous 14th century village.



We had a wonderful "light" lunch of regional cured meats, cheeses and vegetables accompanied by a few bottles of local wines. But more eating and wine drinking awaited as we walk to the center of town looking for our dinner at the beautiful Ristorante La Logetta overlooking the main piazza. We are off to a good start! Ciao!


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Treasures from the Sea

Scattered among the shiny black pebbles, the lovely worn pieces of colored terra-cotta are a source of mystery and fascination for tourists on the Amalfi Coast beaches. Whether strolling or lounging, you can't resist their call to sift and comb through the small rocks curiously seeking a bright spot of color, an interesting pattern or an eye pleasing shape. We don't know how they got here or where they came from but they are wonderful, little mementos from the beckoning aqua blue seas...
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La Nostra Buona Fortuna

Today was one of those wonderful days where from a disappointing morning arose the most perfect afternoon. The plan today was to take our friends to da Adolfo, one of my favorite beachside restaurants from our last visit. But when I called for a reservation this morning there was no answer and I found out from our friend Chiara that they are not yet open for the season. So she recommended her friend Sonia's place that sits on the beach right beside the now sadly vacant spot of da Adolfo. We had some miscommunication about our arrival so after a few phone calls to Chiara they arranged a private boat to pick us up in Positano and take us the short but breathtakingly beautiful trip to Laurito beach where Le Sirene is located.

Le Sirene is a small hotel and restaurant that shares the tiny pebble beach nestled in between the cliffs with da Adolfo. As the boat pulled up to the shore the scene that awaited was the stuff dreams are made of...a special table set for us right on the beach just a few feet from water's edge complete with a with a bottle of prosecco and the most gorgeous plate of bruschetta anticipating our arrival. Since the day was cool, there were no sunbathers, only a few dinners from the hotel, so we basically had the beautiful, peaceful beach to ourselves.


Sonia rushed to greet us and get us settled at our table. As we toasted with prosecco and sunk our teeth into that delicious bruschetta, we asked Sonia to chose our meal giving very little guidance as to what our stomachs could hold. I can't even begin to describe all of the platters of the freshest most incredible seafood, "appetizers" and pasta that arrived at our table. Mussles and clams in a lemon and rosemary broth, octopus carpacciao, insalta del mare, marinated raw tuna, gnocchi with zucchini, spaghetti in a seafood broth; the giant plates of food just kept coming.


We ate like queens in an unimaginably gorgeous setting, toasting our good fortune, enjoying each other's company, drinking regional wine and dining on the local dishes. Although is was sad to see the vacant space that last year was the scene of so much activity at da Adolfo, Sonia made the afternoon an absolutely unforgettable experience for us all! Grazie mille Sonia, we will be back!

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Just another week in paradise...

"Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you are gone.” John Steinbeck

It is an amazing thing to sit on this balcony and listen to the wonderful little town below wake up. The gentle sound of the ocean lapping against the pebble shore, the shop keepers sweeping up their small piece of treasured real estate, cats meowing at the door of the pescheria, dishing clinking in the open air restaurants on the beach and the birds softly singing their Sunday morning songs; this is our second trip here in less than a year and I still feel like I've stepped into paradise.

You never know when you come back to a place if it will have the same impact it did on your first visit. The breathtaking beauty is now familiar and comforting, the friends you made are even more welcoming than before, and while I look forward to returning to some of our favorite spots, I can't wait to discover new people and places. And as I sit here on our first full day, I know already that I'll be back, because this place affects me deep in my soul and there is no way, or reason, to resist its tug on my heart.


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