Wine In My Kitchen: Cooking and Reading Everyday

by Karen Tripson

Part of a series, the "BARBEQUE" collection is full of great ideas for summer or anytime you feel like firing up the grill. Well-known California names like Chef John Ash and cookbook author Janet Fletcher are attached to some recipes, but not all the recipes are credited to someone specific. What is consistent is that they all have the look and feel of professionally created recipes:

• Big flavors from generous quantities of seasonings and ingredients — not a tablespoon but a quarter cup.
• Wine-friendly compositions that are tasty to eat and easy to pair with wine — no major quantities of vinegar or lemon juice, but wine, sake or tangerine juice for acids.
• Spicy flavors — but not searing heat that can wither wine.
• Professional techniques — to use again and again such as poaching poultry in marinade before grilling to infuse flavor and shorten grill time.

Ethnically diverse recipes that are not difficult to execute and an eclectic selection of wineries add to the affable feeling of this book and the series. Each recipe is preceded by a brief bit on a winery and accompanied by a wine recommendation from that winery.

Practical and Emotional Recipes from Wineries
Boring gift steaks in the freezer will benefit from recipes featuring sauces such as a Merlot and Green Peppercorn or Provencal. New ideas for salmon are always appreciated in the Northwest: Tandori Salmon or Salmon Kebabs. For an adventure, I can hardly wait to invite a champagne-loving friend over to serve Chipotle and Orange Ribs from Gloria Ferrer. An authentic fajitas-style recipe inspired by the Hispanic men who tend the vineyards at Glenn Ellen touched me. There is heart, too, in nostalgia for a winery visit, or an old favorite wine like Hop Kiln Marty Griffin's Big Red. How could I pass up trying the recipe matched by the winemaker to that good-time wine?

After trying a few recipes from “BARBEQUE”, I think you can trust this collection to deliver high quality food that will enhance the wine you serve with it. One thing you will learn from studying these 40 recipes is that zinfandel is not the only wine to serve with BBQ.

Thai Spiced Spareribs from Canyon Road Winery
(easy print PDF format of recipe)

Grilled Szechuan Cornish Game Hens from Storybook Mountain Vineyards (easy print PDF format of recipe)

Slash Calories and Cost with Turkey
The bold flavors of barbecue sauces are suitable for most any meat you want to grill. To save a few calories and sometimes dollars, substitute a butterflied breast of turkey for grilled meats. Turkey breast is easy to find these days and sometimes at bargain prices. Boning the breast and slashing the thick parts with a few knife strokes to make it lay open in one flat piece results in quick and even grilling. If you need a guide, the instructions for butterflying a leg of lamb appear in the technique videos section on meat at Epicurious .