Are
We Invited for Mother's Day Dinner?
Do you have a "favorite dish" that we create
that will compliment your Mother's Day Dinner? Or maybe you just don't
want to cook! We would
be happy to help prepare a special dinner for you from
our
catering menu!
Order
Early!
Wine Shop Wednesday!
Come join us on
Wednesday nights
when a special
list of
exclusive wines
will be offered
at wine shop
prices!
Each hand
picked, top end
wine will be
available
for your tasting
as well!
For more
information -
203-268-8486
for your Wedding,
Graduation, Communion,
Confirmation,
Bar/Bat
Mitzvah, picnic ,
barbeque
or
any event
you are planning!
We also do
pick-up and
delivery
trays!
Call us at 203.268.8486
for more information
Pairing Wine With Artichokes...
Artichokes and Wine...Raising Superb
Taste to the Sublime
"Artichokes
are truly delicious all by themselves,
but their taste can be enhanced to an
entirely new level with the addition of
wine. Vegetables have enjoyed so much
greater visibility in recent years —
both from a nutritional and culinary
standpoint — that everyone from
celebrity chefs to home cooks have
realized that the proper combination of
wine and vegetables can boost the
pleasure of consuming both.
How do you get started? First, the
time-tested advice of combining red wine
with red meat and white wine with white
meat isn’t much help. You’ll want to
rely on your intuition and experiment
with different varieties to find the
wine that satisfies your taste
preference.
Before you do, consider that there’s
been a long-held belief that Artichokes
and wine don’t mix because Artichokes
make wines taste sweeter. That will be
left to your own taste buds, but you may
want to select extremely dry wines with
high acidity, such as a dry Chardonnay,
an ultra brut or brut non-vintage
champagnes.
Wine selection can also be determined by
how the Artichoke is cooked. Grilling
creates a tasty bitterness that is
nicely complemented by red wines such as
Merlot or Zinfandel. Just as important,
you should also consider the sauce in
which the vegetables will be cooked or
served. This is where those old
food-wine match rules can come back into
play. A hearty tomato sauce could be
complemented with a fruity Italian red
wine or a dry rose. A cream-based or
other white sauce could call for a
Sauvignon Blanc or a Chardonnay.
It's Artichoke
Season!
Do You Know How to Cook an
Artichoke?
1.
If the
artichokes have
little thorns on
the end of the
leaves, take a
kitchen scissors
and cut of the
thorned tips of
all of the
leaves. This
step is mostly
for aesthetics
as the thorns
soften with
cooking and pose
no threat to the
person eating
the artichoke.
2. Slice about 3/4 inch to an inch off the tip of the artichoke.
3. Pull off any smaller leaves towards the base and on the stem.
4. Cut excess stem, leaving up to an inch on the artichoke. The stems tend to be more bitter than the rest of the artichoke, but some people like to eat them. Alternatively you can cut off the stems and peel the outside layers which is more fibrous and bitter and cook the stems along with the artichokes.
5. Rinse the artichokes in running cold water.
6. In a large pot, put a couple inches of water, a clove of garlic, a slice of lemon, and a bay leaf (this adds wonderful flavor to the artichokes). Insert a steaming basket. Add the artichokes. Cover. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 25 to 45 minutes or until the outer leaves can easily be pulled off. Note: artichokes can also be cooked in a pressure cooker (about 15-20 minutes cooking time). Cooking time depends on how large the artichoke is, the larger, the longer it takes to cook.
Chef Sam's Recipe for
April:
Grilled Shrimp with Artichoke Pesto Appetizer
Serves 4
Chef Sam is not only self taught,
but creates signature dishes with a “new-school”
Italian flavor that are beautifully displayed
and memorably delicious! Here's a great dish
that you can cook at your house!
Ingredients:
8 jumbo shrimp (8-12 count)
2 large artichokes
1 cup fresh basil packed
1 clove garlic
1
cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs pecorino romano cheese
1tbs grated parmesan cheese
bowl of cold water
1 lemon
Procedure for artichokes:
Cut lemon in half, squeeze half in bowl of cold
water, set other half aside. Cut 1/2 inch off
top of artichoke and either cut off stem or peel
it. Pull outer leaves off until you reach the
tender center leaves. Remove fibrous part of
artichoke and place in bowl of water to preserve
until ready to use.
Procedure for pesto:
Cut hearts into quarters and blend in food
processor with basil, garlic and oil. Transfer
to a bowl and add cheeses and salt to taste.
Procedure for shrimp and plating:
Coat shrimp with oil and salt to taste: and
grill shrimp. Once cooked place shrimp on plate
and drizzle with artichoke pesto. You can also
serve with some cooked pasta.
For Take Out
and Delivery at 3 convenient locations! SHELTON
• TRUMBULL
• FAIRFIELD
225-6000
261-1939
254-3772
April Winner
$50 Dining Certificate
Steve
Czel
Congratulations!
"Bogel
Wine
Dinner"
1.
If the
artichokes have
little thorns on
the end of the
leaves, take a
kitchen scissors
and cut of the
thorned tips of
all of the
leaves. This
step is mostly
for aesthetics
as the thorns
soften with
cooking and pose
no threat to the
person eating
the artichoke.
Chef Sam's Recipe for
April: