When I first read the original version of this recipe in the NYT, I thought, “Well, that’s an odd combination! And it is a lot of steps.” Salmon with coconut AND fresh dill for my palate just seemed wrong. But we were having friends over for dinner, and in spite of the number of steps, it seemed straightforward and easy. I could do the prep earlier in the day and throw it in the oven once the guests arrived. And I wanted to have fish. I had to remove the tomato from the original recipe because of food sensitivity, and…
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Allie Ketcham comes to Charleston. We meet for lunch and sample three wines. Recently, Gary and I had the opportunity to meet up with Allie Ketcham, owner of Ketcham Estate—a woman-owned winery with a female winemaker in the Russian River Valley. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Ketcham Estate, a very brief history Mark Ketcham’s (1955-2020) dream of owning a vineyard and making wine began in the year 2000 with the purchase of 17.5 acres (13 planted to vine) in the heart of the Russian River Valley. Four years later, he founded Ketcham Estate. Mark was a hard-core fan…
Leave a Comment… how do you like it? More, more, more. Well, that is a throwback to the disco days of my youth, 1976. When it comes to sharing wine, it’s always more. Corte Gardoni, Bianco di Custoza Greoto 2021, Veneto, Italy This barrel-blended white wine from Corte Gardoni is scrumptious. This northeastern wine region hangs north over the city of Venice and spreads west just past Verona. Well-known wines from this region include Prosecco, Soave, Valpolicella, and others. I chose this wine for an Italian tasting I did in June. This white blend starts with 40% Gargenega (the lone grape in…
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Since 2019, Gary and I have worked with some fantastic wineries in Napa, Sonoma, Santa Barbara, Lodi, California, and Willamette Valley in Oregon. We host tastings and do what we can to promote small direct-to-consumer wineries. This past year, we learned that two of our favorites have or are closing, and we want to say goodbye. So, we wish these two wineries a fond farewell: Methven Family Vineyards I met Laura Lee, the then-general manager of Methven Family Vineyards, in 2019 at the Gamay seminar for the Willamette Valley Wine Writer’s Education Tour. We immediately bonded over their Rosé of…
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Trapanese Pesto is quick and easy to make in your food processor. It requires no cooking, making it the perfect summer sauce or topping. It is vegetarian; if you omit the cheese, it can be vegan. I use this pesto three ways. It can be a sauce on pasta, a bruschetta topping, or a dip with crackers, pita, or bagel chips. Trapanese Pesto (Tomato & Almond Pesto) * Prep time 15 minutes Ingredients 1/2 cup roasted Marcona Almonds, unsalted 2 Garlic cloves, puréed or finely minced 1 (14 ounces) can Whole San Marzano Plum Tomatoes*, roughly chopped 1/2 cup Sun-Dried…
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Since the last wine tasting we hosted on June 10th, we have been tasting, sampling, and drinking a variety of wines. It is a tough job, but someone has to do it. So wimg? Let’s dig in, shall we? WIMG (If you forget, this means: What’s in my glass?) Celler del Roere Vermell 2019, Valencia, Spain Pablo Calatayud of Celler del Roere transformed an ancient wine cellar on their property into a gold mine. Centuries-old amphorae remain embedded in the earth, and after being cleaned up and some repaired, they can still hold and age wine the way it…
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My sister went on a hiking vacation with some friends in Serbia. I know! While not a wine drinker or any alcohol (she is allergic), she still brought me home a bottle of wine. The group went to a wine tasting, and so she bought Gary and me a bottle of Živanović Probus. This was the favorite of the group, so my sister went with their recommendation. She told me it cost the equivalent of $7.00. Not a monetary risk for sure, but she still hoped we’d like it. It was delicious and perfect for the warm spring day we…
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Gnocchi with Pistachio Cream Sauce Pasta with Pistachio Cream sauce was Gary’s go-to meal when we visited Sicily. His favorite pasta was gnocchi, although the cheese ravioli was a close second. So when we did the Sicilian wine tasting for our clients, I served the dish with gnocchi as one of the food pairings. It was a huge hit, and I was asked for the recipe by practically everyone. So I decided to post it here. Unfortunately, I have no pictures from when I made it, so I can only show you the end result of three meals in Sicily.…
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This post is the fourth in a series about our trip to Sicily. This post is about Taormina, our first stop on our two-week excursion. Gary and I spent a day wandering the streets, enjoying the cuisine and sipping wines and limoncello. Check out our first, second, and third posts if you missed them when they were first posted. Taormina! We ate, we drank, we walked and walked and walked (17,000 steps), and we shopped. Then we dropped. Side Note: If you watched or are watching Season Two of The White Lotus on HBO Max, you have seen Taormina. When…
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