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Written by Maire Murphy

Filed under

food, soup, summer, wine country living

Chilled Cucumber and Avocado Soup

Jul 06, 2019

Written by Maire Murphy

We hope that summer is treating you well in your neck of the woods. Here in Sonoma County the sun is shining, warm and hot during the day around 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit while night times are cool at 50ish. Despite this perfect weather for grapes we still feel a little hot and bothered at 5-6pm so we thought this delicious cool gazpacho might work for you as it does for us. No idea where we picked up the recipe so can't give credit where it is due but hope you enjoy!

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1/2 Firm ripe avocado

1 3/4 Cucumber (we prefer the English style - less seeds to navigate) About 1 1/2lbs

1 (8oz) Plain Low or full Fat yoghurt

3tbsp Chopped Chives

1tsp Lime Juice

1tsp Salt

1/2 tsp chopped Jalapeno with seeds (more if you like it spicier)

1 cup small ice cubes

Peel and pit the avocado. Blend all ingredients in a blender until very smooth - Garnish with a few extra Jalapenos and some croutons if you're feeling fancy. That's it SUPER SIMPLE AND MIGHTY TASTY!

Written by Maire Murphy

Filed under

Dinner, food, Italian, pasta, Recipe, wine

Rock Shrimp Pasta

Apr 10, 2019

Written by Maire Murphy

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients

1 pound Rock Shrimp, deveined, rinsed and patted dry

4 tomatoes, chopped (preferably seeded and skinned)

4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

2 shallots, minced

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups dried penne pasta

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. butter

Salt

Pepper (preferably Aleppo pepper)

½ cup grated parmesan

¼ cup chopped Italian parsley

PREPARATION

Bring six quarts of water to a boil and cook pasta using package instructions.

Heat a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil. When fragrant, add shallot and sauté until soft, about one minute. Add garlic and cook for one minute while stirring. Add fresh tomatoes and cook until melted, about five minutes. Add white wine and return to simmer. Add rock shrimp and cook until shrimp are cooked through, about four minutes. Turn off heat and add butter, stirring to melt. Drain pasta and add to saucepan. Season with salt and pepper, then toss to combine (check seasoning) and divide into four warm bowls.

Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley.

Written by Maire Murphy

Filed under

Dinner, food, pasta, Recipe, wine country living

Ricotta Dumplings with Peas

Mar 30, 2019

Written by Maire Murphy

Ingredients

2 cups ricotta cheese (I like Bellwether Farms Sheep’s Milk Ricotta)

2 large egg yolks

½ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

½ cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

⅛ teaspoon salt

1 cup diced shallot

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups sliced Shiitake mushrooms

1 cup (or more) fresh or frozen peas

½ cup mascarpone cheese

½ cup vegetable stock

extra-virgin olive oil

Shaved Parmesan cheese & arugula for garnish

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil. Dust a large baking sheet with flour. Line another baking sheet with paper towels.

Stir ricotta, egg yolks, flour, basil, pepper and salt together in a medium bowl until combined. Form the mixture into about 20 oblong dumplings using about 1 heaping tablespoon for each. Place them on the floured pan. (Hint - use 2 spoons to form your dumplings into ovals. Scoop one tablespoon of the ricotta mixture from one spoon onto the other, until you end up with a smooth football-shaped dumpling.)

Carefully drop the dumplings into the boiling water and cook until they begin to float, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the paper-towel-lined pan.

Heat one tablespoon of oil in large nonstick pan. Add sliced mushrooms and cook stirring occasionally until water is released and they are slightly browned – about 6 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat another tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add half the dumplings and cook, turning once, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a clean plate. Repeat with another tablespoon oil and dumplings.

Add shallot and garlic to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add peas, vegetable stock and marscapone. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add reserved, cooked mushrooms and stir to combine. Serve the dumplings with the sauce, garnished with Parmesan, arugula and more basil, if desired.

Serves Four

Written by Maire Murphy

Filed under

Dinner, food, Recipe, wine, wine country living

Beef and Guinness Stew by Darina Allen

Mar 17, 2019

Written by Maire Murphy

INGREDIENTS

900g lean stewing beef
3 tablespoons oil or dripping
2 tablespoons flour
Salt, freshly ground pepper and cayenne
2 large onions (about 285g), coarsely chopped
1 large garlic clove, crushed (optional)
2 tablespoons tomato purée, dissolved in 4 tablespoons water or 1 tbsp of Tomato Paste
300ml (½ pint) Guinness
225g carrots, cut into chunks
Sprig of thyme
Chopped parsley for garnish

PREPARATION

Trim the meat of any fat or gristle, cut into cubes of 5cm and toss them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon oil. Season the flour with salt, freshly ground pepper and a pinch or two of cayenne. Toss the meat in this mixture.

Heat the remaining oil or dripping in a wide frying pan over a high heat. Brown the meat on all sides. Add the onions, crushed garlic (if using) and tomato purée to the pan, cover and cook gently for about 5 minutes.

Transfer the contents of the pan to a casserole, and pour some of the Guinness into the frying pan. Bring to the boil and stir to dissolve the caramelized meat juices in the pan. Pour on to the meat with the remaining Guinness; add the carrots and the thyme. Stir, taste, and add a little more salt if necessary.

Cover with the lid of the casserole and simmer very gently until the meat is tender - 2 to 3 hours. The stew may be cooked on top of the stove or in a low oven at 150C/gas mark 2. Taste and correct the seasoning.

Scatter with lots of chopped parsley and serve with champ, colcannon or plain boiled potatoes.

Written by Walt Averill

Filed under

food, wine, wine country, wine country living

One if by land, two if by sea, three if it makes a four course meal

Jun 01, 2017

Written by Walt Averill

One if by land, two if by sea, three if it makes a four course meal

Living in Wine Country has its positives and negatives. The weather is great, the landscape is beautiful, the wines are delicious and the food is world class. There are beautiful parks, miles of trails to hike, redwoods to gaze and lovely rivers and streams. You can forage for mushrooms in the winter, tend your garden in the spring, bask in the warm days and cool nights of summer, and harvest a bounty of produce in the fall.

On the positive side, the beautiful Pacific Ocean is just a short ride away, with its rumbling surf tumbling over Dungeness crabs and abalone. Okay, so maybe there aren’t any negatives, but how would you know if you’ve never had the chance to visit or somebody to let you know. That’s where we can help.

Máire and I have had the good fortune to live in Sonoma County for 20+ years, and the greater fortune to travel the world and experience new sights, sounds and flavors. Putting that all together into our daily lives is an amazing opportunity that we’d like to share with you. Follow us as we trudge through our days full of work and play, layered liberally with transporting our daughter to her long calendar of activities. We’ll stop along the way to cook, eat, drink and enjoy the surroundings and document it for your pleasure. It may be a delicious meal, a great wine bargain, a fun new recipe or just a beautiful sunset. We hope you enjoy it!

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general

Chilled Cucumber and Avocado Soup

Rock Shrimp Pasta

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

Ricotta Dumplings with Peas

Beef and Guinness Stew by Darina Allen

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

One if by land, two if by sea, three if it makes a four course meal