I’ll Drink to That!

This last Sunday really got away from me…shopping, cleaning, cooking, social media updating.  Are our lives really simpler with computers? Are they a distraction keeping us from things we should be doing? An addiction to hard to resist? Are we hiding behind our user names in a world where we are more “out there” than ever? All the more reason I say to get into the kitchen and cook that special dinner for friends or family.

This last Sunday, I went for a version of pasta and meatballs. Basic idea, but tweaked just enough to feel “special”.

MENU:

Muhammara (Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto) with Pita Chips

Florentine Meatballs with Wild Mushroom Sauce

Mac and Cheese with Broccoli and Prosciutto

Salad

Meyer Lemon Budino

The Muhammara is a delicious pesto like dip and any leftovers can be served over steamed broccoli, pasta or roasted chicken.

The meatballs are a version of a Rachael Ray recipe, and I added the rich mushroom sauce.

I didn’t include a salad recipe - use your favorite and be creative.

Recipe: Meatballs

1 box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and completely drained by pressing with a fork in a small strainer

1 pkg ground turkey (about 1 1/3 lb)

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan

Salt and pepper and olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine first 8 ingredients in bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Form into large meatballs, about 3 tablespoons each, and place on cookie sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick spray. (Alternatively, a Silpat silicone liner is great if you have one) Drizzle with olive oil and roast about 20 minutes, or till cooked through. Meanwhile make the mushroom sauce.

Mushroom Sauce:

1 (.88 oz.) pkg Mixed Wild Mushroom Medley (Trader Joe’s )

2 Tbsp butter

1/2  cup chicken stock

1/2 cup reserved mushroom liquid

1/2 can condensed roasted garlic cream of mushroom soup

3 Tbsp cream or milk

1/4 cup sherry or dry Marsala

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried basil

Rinse mushrooms and re-hydrate in bowl by pouring boiling water over to cover. Let soak for about 10 minutes. Drain reserving liquid in measuring cup. Chop mushrooms and saute in butter till softened and just starting to brown. Add chicken stock and reserved mushroom liquid. Bring to simmer and stir in soup. Add milk or cream. Bring to simmer and add Marsala and herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange meatballs on platter and pour sauce over.

Florentine Meatballs with Wild Mushroom Sauce

What can I say about Mac and Cheese, except that I think it is the ultimate comfort food. This version is extra creamy, pretty with the broccoli and a little smokey from the prosciutto. Of course you could use bacon instead or leave it out all together.

Recipe:

1 lb pasta (I prefer DeCecco Galletti, looks like half moons, but any kind of shell- like pasta will do)

4 cups of broccoli florets

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

4 cups whipping cream

1 cup Quatro Fromaggio, about 4 oz. (shredded 4 cheese blend includes parm, fontina, mozzarella and provolone - found at Trader Joes)

1/2 cup additional Quatro Fromaggio for topping

1 cup (about 4 oz) grated cheddar cheese

5 oz chopped prosciutto

Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Add broccoli and cook just till crisp tender. Drain well. While pasta is cooking make sauce. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in cream. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes, stirring often. Add cheeses and stir until sauce is smooth. Add to pasta and broccoli along with prosciutto and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour into oven proof casserole and top with additional shredded cheese. Broil just till slightly browned.

Mac and Cheese with Broccoli and Prosciutto

Meyer Lemon Budino

I’LL DRINK TO THAT!

Bridlewood Central Coast Viognier - Reserve - 2007 - $24.00

I love white Rhone varietals, especially blends, with so many of the Fall foods we like to eat. Even this wine, although it is 93% Viognier, there is also 3% Rousanne, 3% Chardonnay and 1% Marsanne blended in. This full bodied wine opens with aromas of honeysuckle and guava giving way to flavors of peach, honey and tropical fruits with a creamy texture. Also great with lobstser and crab, or as an accompaniment to fruit and cheese.

Mike, anxious to get the next phase of his first wine making endeavor under way, called to let me know that the brix was down to nada and it was time to go press off the wine. Who knew that Woodland Hills is the location to  one of the only home wine making supply shops in the LA area? So last weekend I met Mike at the Home Wine,Beer,Cheese Making Shop just off the 101 freeway where he was to press his 130 pounds of Syrah grapes.  The store was mobbed with customers purchasing jugs, bottles, corks and wine presses so I had some time to look around. They have everything there, even a small de-stemming machine. Hmmmm….

When it was our turn, “the guy” went to the back to get the wine press out, took it out to the curb and instructed Mike on how to use the press to get the juice from his grapes. I found it amazing that after hundreds of years, the process and the machinery have changed very little. Very basic really. First Mike hosed off the machine - winemakers are apparently big on “hosing” everything, before and after using. I’ve seen plenty of video footage of people hosing off equipment this harvest season.

Then right to it. First the macerated fruit was poured by bucketfuls into the press, and the “free run” juice allowed to flow freely into another bucket. The color of the juice was an incredible deep raspberry color.

As the buckets filled up, the juice was poured into jugs. Mike kept this up until all the free run juice had been collected. Then it was time to press the grapes to get every last drop of his “wine” out of the must. He piled on the blocks and began to ratchet until no more liquid ran and the “cake” was pressed hard. The yield was over nine gallons!

Disassembling the press to remove "the cake"

Compost anyone?

Michael has a lot to show for his efforts.

And then more hosing…..

I’LL DRINK TO THAT !

Trueblood Syrah - Napa Valley - 2004 - $29.95 - Long legged beauty was my  first thought when I poured a glass of this blood red wine. The viscosity of the “legs” was incredible, slowly making their way down the inside of my glass after a good swirl. Dark, rich, lush, elegant…spicy with figs and licorice in a long finish. Bloody good wine.

The crowd excitedly gathered , willingly casting aside their silver stakes and ropes of garlic in exchange for wine glasses from which to taste the tantalizing wines of Vampire Vineyards. As the sun was setting and the darkness of night loomed, the  October networking/tasting event of I’ll Drink to That! was visited by Michael Machat, owner of Vampire Vineyards and Anthony Pescione of Mega Wine Distributors. Together they took eager tasters on a tasting frenzy of 9 wines, mostly made from grapes from the Paso Robles region of the Central Coast of California.

Tasting lineup....

Michael showed his “coffin” wine boxes he had originally designed in the early years of the brand, and dropped the names of some of his first victims, I mean clients, such as Alice Cooper and the Anne Rice Fan Club.

Michael casts his spell on Debbie Miller of Logo Woman

Anthony Pescione of Mega Wine

Anthony also brought two special vodkas to show our now satiated group of tasters. He explained, (we did not taste the vodka at this event), how the red Vampyre Vodka was the perfect vodka for making the ultimate “Bloody Mary”.  He also brought along Blavod Black Vodka, which I had tasted at another event mixed into a cocktail called “The Black Dahlia”. This is one delicious cocktail - perfect for greeting your guests when they come visiting on All Hallows Eve.

Ingredients for "The Black Dahlia" cocktail

Recipe:

For each cocktail, stir together in cocktail shaker or pitcher filled with crushed ice,  3 oz Blavod Black Vodka, 1/2 oz Chambord black raspberry liqueur, 1/2 oz Kahlua and a twist of orange peel. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a twist of orange peel.

Artisan created a sumptuous array of “finger foods” including these crostini with roasted pumpkin, roasted shallots and pepita garnish.

Melody Dosch, owner of Artisan Cheese Gallery

Vampire t-shirts were given as door prizes, but the big winner of the day was Debbie Miller of Logo Woman who won a basket of 5 bottles of Vampire wines.

The evening concluded with the IDTT Wine Swap, allowing guests the opportunity to do some networking and take home a new wine to try.

Wine Swap Networking

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !

I’LL DRINK TO THAT !

Vampire Vineyards - Dracula Syrah - Paso Robles - 2005 - $17.99

The bottle reads, “reminiscent of the Master’s true love, this wine is exquisite. This Syrah has black cherry and dark chocolate flavors that launch into an intense, dark, rich and flavorful wine. Its texture and balance of spices set up a silky texture and balanced jammy finish.”

I paired this wine with slices of rosemary roasted pork loin with a crust of onions, bread crumbs and parmesan along with fresh corn and pancetta bread pudding and haricots vert with thyme. Bloody good pairing.

Our newbie winemaker, Michael, has his 130 lbs of Syrah grapes from the Templeton Gap area of Paso Robles.  They spent 3 days at 38 degrees to allow the grapes time to sit with the skins, but keeping them from beginning to naturally ferment. When I got on scene the grapes were two days out of cold storage and ready to receive their yeast. Literally up to his elbows in grapes, Michael was surrounded with beakers, syringes, viles, jugs and measuring cups. The grapes were in their bin with a 12 inch thermometer sticking out of the center of the purple mass. After some difficulty measuring the “titratrable acidity”, it was time to, basically, temper the yeast before adding it to the must, which was still quite cold from its time spent in the cooler. Michael kept adding, one cupful at a time, the cool must to the warmed yeast, attempting to bring the temperature of the yeast mixture down without shocking it. (Turns out Michael actually liked chemistry in college). The science experiment went well and now fermentation and punch down.

I’LL DRINK TO THAT!

FOUR VINES - Heretic- Petite Sirah, Paso Robles - 2007

One of winemaker, Christian Tietje’s, “Freakshow” lineup, this wine is sourced from old vine Petite Sirah from Paso’s calcareous soil. Aged for 16 months in 100% French Oak. Lots of cherry and berry fruit in the nose. Flavors of strawberry, tobacco and mocha. Big, rich layers of black fruit and spice - serve with roast prime rib, pot roast, roast chicken or lamb. This wine and all the other “freaks” are wonderful wines. Check them out at www.fourvines.com.

There are few places on this earth “that never change, the trees just get taller”. So says Bill Rankin, the patriarch of the Rankin family and the dearest cowboy I know. He and his equally endearing wife, Glenda, along with 4th,5th and 6th generation Rankins live and work on their historic California cattle ranch, continuing a tradition of cattle ranching that began in 1863.

Bill’s father, Leroy Rankin, died in 1954 leaving Bill’s mother, Helen, in charge of making the decisions on behalf of the family’s ranch. A precarious position for a woman of that era. Nonetheless, her “frontier” heritage and considerable fortitude allowed her to not only maintain the ranch, but pilot her family’s future with a strong and confident hand. In 1965, in an effort to diversify her agriculture business and ensure her family would be able to continue to live and work on the ranch, she added the guest ranch to her cattle operation. The Rankin’s beloved Helen passed away in  2003, but her legacy lives on.  Rankin Ranch and the wonderful family that runs it and the guest ranch, now in it’s 44th year, is a place where others  now come to make their own history…cowboy style.

My “history” at Rankin Ranch started in September of 1993.  A two hour drive brought me, my friend, Robin, and her young son, Adam, to the small farming town of Arvin, at the base of the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County. From there it’s a half hour drive up the mountain, under the curious scrutiny of small herds of white faced Herefords, and then down into Walker Basin, the parcel of land where Rankin Ranch was founded by Walker and Lavinia Rankin in 1863.

Walker Basin

Very little has changed since 1863, except that now guest cabins, built in the 60’s, can be seen along the driveway lined with giant lilac bushes. In fact, very little has changed since 1993, providing me on each of my subsequent visits with the familiar and comforting feeling that I have “come home”. The first indication that perhaps Rankin Ranch is some kind of portal to the past happens as you drive down the dirt road past the cabins, and there on the right is the large old barn, still standing and very much a part of Rankin’s charm and identity. Countless pictures adorn the walls of the dining room and activities building featuring that barn with various gatherings of Rankins, old and new, posed outside its tall doors on one occasion or another. Only the garb of the people in those images indicates the passing of time, the barn never changes.

As you walk onto the guest ranch property, serene and quiet, past the activities building, the ranch gift shop/office and Lightner Square where guests gather before dinner, you see the original home of Walker and Lavinia that was built in the 1870’s. Helen Rankin occupied this home until her death, and now I believe it is being readied for 5th generation Rankins to move in to. The dinner bell still stands in the square, just the trees have grown and now hide the uppermost portion. Continuing the stroll past the tree shaded pool and the expansive lawn, down a few steps….and there it is in all its cowboy glory. Confirmation that indeed you have traveled back to a time when cattle was king, ranches were vast, and cowboys were the real action heroes. The meadow stretches on until it reaches the surrounding mountains. The corral where guests gather to  start their trail rides is in the foreground, and cattle graze lazily on grass and yellow sage. The air smells of dirt and grass and  Robin inhales deeply and smiles.  What you won’t see is a cell phone tower, vetoed by Bill years ago. As he put it, “would you want to see that thing every day on our mountain top?” Indeed, as the sun sets slowly over the meadow, and darkness encroaches, there is an unobstructed 360′ view of the mountain ridge with stars making their appearance on cue, until the sky is a dazzling display of pinpoints of light.

The Rankin family is like our family, warm, glad to see us, and welcoming us home on our most recent visit. Besides the Rankins there are the smiling familiar faces of the cowboys, the cooks, (Rudy has been head cook for over 30 years),even the gardener -  all happy to have us with them once again. We get caught up on the news of  who’s gotten married, who’s had children, and who has passed on. We were sad to learn of the passing of  the square dance caller and his wife who had been coming up to the Ranch every Saturday night during guest season for the last 42 years.

Girlfriends shared wedding dress 42 years ago and still celebrate their anniversaries together with their husbands

Loyalty, family and history - that is the legacy of Rankin Ranch - a legacy that is passed down not only to the family members themselves, but to the guests who visit the ranch to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions and myriad other of life’s milestones. On this particular trip there were two couples who have celebrated every one of their 42 wedding anniversaries together - each year going somewhere new. In honor of this occasion, the traditional Rankin Ranch cake was made and presented to them after dinner and we all sang and shared in their special day.

Another couple and their grown son, who had visited the ranch many times when the boy was younger, were their after a number of years away. They were celebrating life. She had just finished chemotherapy and her son had suggested a family trip to a place that had brought them so many good times together as a family in the past. Robin and I couldn’t remember how many times we had visited the ranch, but we spent hours recalling happy times spent there with so many of the people we love. There were multiple girlfriend trips, trips with mom, trips with kids, and the most memorable trip of all  when we celebrated Robin’s 40th birthday there with a surprise party like no other.

Girlfriends - April 1995

For Robin, however, this trip held special significance. It was at Rankin Ranch so many years ago that the seed for her non-profit organization, El Dustberry Ranch, was first planted in her heart. Her dream of owning horses and a ranch and helping sick kids with those horses did become a reality, but 9 years later, it was time to move on and fulfill the next dream. For Robin, this trip brought her full circle. She would be moving on from her beloved El Dustberry to a new venture in helping children.

So many traditions have been started at Rankin Ranch, inspired by the many traditions that are Rankin Ranch. Besides the people, the meadow and the cabins, the food holds much familiarity to those who re-visit. Three hearty meals a day to satiate the hungry appetites of the cowboys and the guests who have been hiking or riding in all that fresh air. Beef, obviously, is a mainstay and the tri-tip barbeque in the meadow is always a highlight. Guests cozy themselves in the back of a trailer full of hay and are driven out into the meadow where the cooks have prepared a lavish spread of tri tip with amazing bbq sauce, beans, corn, rolls and gingerbread. After dinner and lively conversation, the guests are put into teams and a game of horseshoes is played until the sun sets.  Then the relaxing ride under the blanket of stars back to the ranch for an evening of fun and games in the activities building. The walls inside the cozy wood paneled building hold  testament to the many celebrations held at the ranch, and looking at all the photographs connects you to those that came before.

In the meadow for tri-tip bbq

Amanda Rankin

As final photos are taken, e-mail addresses exchanged, and good-byes made all around, I get my final good bye and giant bear hug from Bill along with a quick bit of philisophical advice. I feel that bond strengthen once again, and  I just know that when it’s time for me to return, everything will be the same - the trees will just be taller.

Girlfriends sharing more history at Rankin Ranch - 2009

RANKIN RANCH- www.rankinranch.com - (661) 867-2511

I’LL DRINK TO THAT!

Rosenblum Napa Valley Reserve Syrah - Holbrook Mitchell Vineyard - 2005

Some friends shared this bottle with us last night. “Wow” was my exclamation as the inky colored wine poured into my glass. This wine tastes like luxury in a glass. Smooth and voluptuous, velvetty and perfectly balanced. Black currants, blueberries and vanilla flavors. This wine is a hedonistic pleasure and lovely to drink.

2006 currently available at $45.00