Red Wine and Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Served these last night as an appetizer to our pasta primavera dinner:

6oz. package ground sausage

12 whole mushrooms

1 (8oz.) package cream cheese

1/4c + 1/8c. Italian dry bread crumbs, divided

1/4c red wine

1.  Preheat oven to 325*

2.  Brown sausage in a skillet.  Drain and set aside.

3.  Remove stems from mushrooms.  Chop and set aside.

4.  In a madium bowl, combine cream cheese, mushroom stems, 1/4c bread crumbs, sausage and 1/8c red wine.

5.  Fill mushrooms with mixture and top with remaining bread crumbs.

6.  Place in an 8x8 pan and pour remaining red wine around mushrooms.

7.  Bake approximately 25 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Guess I could have thrown a little chopped parsley over the top before serving. 

You know, for color.  No matter though, these were yummy!

Cheers!



Red Wine Oven Roast



This roast, served with garlic mashed potatoes and the rest of the red wine, was a delicious dinner for a cold and rainy day.

1/4c olive oil

1 (2-3lb) beef round tip roast

flour

salt

black pepper

garlic powder

1 medium yellow onion

8 oz. pkg. baby carrots

3 celery stalks, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

3/8 tsp allspice

1c red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)

1 1/2c beef broth

1. Preheat oven to 325*
2. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.   Dredge the roast in the flour, shake off the excess, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste.
3. Sear in the hot oil on all sides. Remove to roasting pan.
4. Stir in the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and allspice; cook till lightly browned. 
5. Add the red wine and bring to a simmer before pouring in the beef broth. 
6. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the beef is tender, about 2 to 3 hours.      

7.  When the meat has finished cooking, remove to a cutting board, and allow to rest for 10 minutes prior to slicing and serving. 

Cheers!

.               

Red Wine Baked Olives

This is a simple and classic dish that is great as an appetizer by itself
or served alongside a cheese platter.

1c Kalamata olives, unpitted

1/2c red wine (I used a Cabernet Sauvignon)

1/4 tsp. fennel seed

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. olive oil.

1.  Preheat oven to 325*.

2.  In a small bowl, combine olives, wine, fennel seeds, garlic, and olive oil.

3.  Transfer mixture to a small baking dish.

4.  Bake uncovered approximately 20 minutes, until olives are heated through.

 Allow to cool for a few minutes as these are best served warm.

Cheers!

Beef Marsala Pot Pie

I served this hearty pie for dinner with biscuits on the side.  If you really want to get fancy, you could make your own pie crust.  I totally cheated though and used the good store bought ones.

2 pie crusts, deep dish

4 TBSP olive oil

1c onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1c mushrooms, chopped

1c carrots, sliced

1/2c celery, cliced

1 large russet potato, diced

1 pound steak, cubed (I used top round - it was on sale)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. dried oregano

salt and pepper, to taste

1c Marsala wine

2 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped

1 egg white

1.  Preheat oven to 350* 

2.   In a large skillet, onion, mushrooms,bay leaf, and oregano in olive oil until soft and fragrant.

3.  Stir in garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes, and meat.  

4.  Cook and stir until meat starts to brown. 

5.  Add wine and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer about 30 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasonings. 

6.  Pour into prepared pie crust and top with parsley.

7.  Cover with remaining pie crust and crimp edges to form a seal.

8.  Brush with egg white.

9.  Bake approximately 45 minutes.  Check the pie periodically and, if it's looking a little crisp, just lightly cover with foil until finished baking. 

Don't cover it the whole time though because you want a pretty, golden crust.

Cheers!



Middle Eastern Red Wine Chicken

1 tsp. olive oil

1 c onion, thin sliced

1/2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1 TBSP garam masala

1/2 tsp. curry powder

1/2c red wine

2 TBSP red wine vinegar

1c chicken broth

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Remove onion from skillet, and set aside.

2.  Increase heat to medium-high. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with the garam masala and curry powder.

3.  Place chicken in skillet and cook until browned on both sides, adding additional seasoning, to taste.

4. Pour in the red wine and red wine vinegar. Simmer for about 2-3 minutes, scraping up and browned bits from the pan.

5.  Stir in the onion and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20-30 minutes.


This was delicious over garlic couscous.

Cheers!

Seafood and Wine

I read, according to last month's Wine Spectator magazine, there may be real health benefits to pairing  wine with your seafood (as if you needed a reason).  This is part of what they say:

"Finding the perfect wine to match with fish may be challenging, but a team of French scientists has found that the pairing is worth the effort. A comprehensive review of recent research on wine and fish shows that the drink helps break down omega-3 fatty acids abundant in many types of seafood. This helps keep heart tissue stronger and healthier."

Good enough for me.  :)

Cheers!

 

Tortellini Stew with Red Wine

Open a bottle of red and get ready to make a
hearty and delicious stew!

This is what we had last night along with some
herbed biscuits for dipping. 

Don't worry about leftovers.  This soup freezes really well!

1 pound sausage (or veggie protein crumbles)

3/4c. chopped onion

1c.sliced carrots

1 cup sliced celery

5 c. vegetable broth

1/2c. red wine

1 (14.5 oz.) can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes, with liquid

1c. ketchup

1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup zucchini, sliced

1 pound fresh tortellini pasta

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

Brown sausage in Dutch oven; drain off fat.  Add onions and saute until tender. Add carrots, celery, vegetable broth, red wine, tomatoes, ketchup, Italian seasoning, and garlic.

Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate pan, prepare tortellini according to package directions; drain and set aside.

 

Stir in the zucchini, tortellini, red bell pepper, and parsley.  Simmer, covered, for about 25-30.

Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese
prior to serving.

Pour yourself some red wine and enjoy!

Pork Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce

This is one of those entrees that looks like it it took alot more work than it actually did.  ;)

1 1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin

salt, pepper, and garlic powder

1/2 white onion, thinly sliced

1 stalk celery, chopped

1/2c. sliced mushrooms

3/4c. red wine

3/4c. chicken broth

1 packet dry brown gravy mix

 

1.  Preheat oven to 350*.

2.  Sprinkle meat with salt, pepper and garlic powder, to taste.

3.  Add butter and olive oil to medium high skillet.  Once butter is melted, add pork and sear on all sides.

4.  Remove to a prepared 9x13" baking dish.

5.  Top with onion, celery, and mushrooms.

6.  Pour wine and chicken broth over the top.

7.  Bake approx. 45 min., or until internal temp. reaches 160*

8.  Remove meat to serving dish.  Add gravy mix to wine mixture and stir until thickened slightly.  

9.  Spoon sauce over pork and serve immediately. 

I like to serve this with garlic mashed potatoes, peas, and, of course,

the remaining bottle of red wine.

Sirloin Steaks with Red Wine and Cognac

These steaks call for garlic, red wine, cognac, fire

- sounds awesome already, right? 

Not only do these steaks taste amazing, the presentation is gorgeous.

You will need:

4 sirloin steaks, medium thickness

freshly ground pepper

1 TBSP lemon pepper

1 tsp. salt

5 TBSP real butter

3 cloves garlic

1/2c. red wine (I like Cabernet for this recipe)

3 TBSP cognac

1/4 c. chopped green onions

1 shallot, chopped

1/2c. heavy cream

lighter

1.  Grind fresh pepper over steaks; sprinkle with lemon pepper and salt.

2.  Melt butter over medium-high heat. 

Add steaks and cook to desired doneness.

3.  Add garlic and wine.

4.  Pour cognac over the steaks and light with your lighter.  The flames burn off fairly quickly. 

Remove steaks and set aside.

5.  To the pan, add green onions, shallot, and heavy cream. 

Cook and stir until hot. 

6. Spoon sauce over meat and serve immediately.