Extravagant Enchiladas

2008 Baron Philippe de Rothschild Escudo Rojo and Enchiladas: 5/5

2008 Baron Philippe de Rothschild Escudo Rojo: 91/100

There are those recipes, staples if you will, of your family. Enchiladas are one of my families favorites. Sure, they are a bastardized version of authentic enchiladas, but there is something in the simplicity of ground beef, refried beans, tortillas, cheese and sauce that is just perfect.

As a side note, With plenty of Mexican restaurants near downtown Chicago, why take the time to cook Mexican at home? At Zapatista’s you can pay as much as $12.99 for a plate of Enchiladas. What’s that you want extra cheese? That’ll be an additional $2.00. Throw in a $7 glass of wine or a $5 beer, some $8 dollar guacamole, and you’ve spent over $30 with tip. It’s just not worth the money when you can make everything from scratch, with as much cheese as you’d like, serve 4 people with leftovers, all for under $20.

Since the column that I’ve been co-writing needs pictures of the dishes that I am writing about, I thought I would double dip this week and feature the enchiladas twice. Amuse Bouche is a column written for the Windy City Times focused on what food means to family and the LGBT community. Starting on recipes that define our family, every couple of months we plan to shift the focus of the column to feature another theme that highlights other recipes and LGBT interests. So for the enchiladas recipe, first read the column, then the recipe at the end: http://bit.ly/bhyyCP

With rich mouth coating flavors, I knew I could expect, I wanted to find a wine that would be able to stand up to the tomato sauce, the fatty cheese, the ground beef, and the sour cream and beans. At first I thought a Malbec would fit the bill, but I’ve chosen Malbec for every Mexican inspired dish that I’ve made, so I wanted to push my en’vino’lope (wow, that’s corny).

Anyways, as I was walking through the grocery store, I made my way down the Wine isle to the South American wines. Plastered with plenty of Malbecs, I stopped and stared for something different. There on the top shelve was a bottle of 2008 Baron Philippe de Rothschild Escudo Rojo on sale for $12.99, originally $18.99.

Baron Philippe de Rothschild wine is rich in history, reaching back all the way to the late 18th century. Now sold all over the world, even the branded wine, like Escudo Rojo, is obtaining high reviews. Translated from the german “Das Rote Schild” (Red Shield), used as the Rothschild family sign, Escudo Rojo is a blend of red wines that showcases Chile’s rich soil, and the technical skill found in Rothschild wines. With an alcohol content of 14.5% I was sure that there would be no problem with the wine standing up to the bold and fatty flavors of the enchiladas.

As with most Mexican recipes that I have made, there is a lot of construction when it comes to putting the recipe together, like an assembly line. After the meat was browned and seasoned, the cheese grated, the refried beans opened, it was time to start constructing. I am always looking for a way to make recipes a bit healthier, and with enchiladas, if you substitute whole wheat tortillas for plain flour, you won’t even be able to taste the difference. Once ready to assemble, it’s just tortilla, beans, roll, repeat, until all of your ingredients are used. Usually I’m left with a little extra ground beef and refried beans, which turn into a snack for the chef. Once the baking dishes hit the oven, the smell of melting cheese, and enchilada sauce, began to seep out of into the kitchen, coating the smallest crevasses of our apartment in a rich and spicy aroma.

With the cheese melted and bubbling, it was time to take the enchiladas out of the oven. You want to let them rest a couple of minutes before serving, so the heat can distribute evenly, and then it’s chow time.

With avocado, lettuce, sour cream, hot sauce, and diced tomatoes on the table, all that was left to do was take a couple of pictures, doctor up my enchiladas, and then dig in. Looking at the darker purple color of the Escudo Rojo, I noticed some recognizable legs streak down my glass. With strong aromas of blackberry, oak, and black cherry, the contrast to the spicy mexican flavors was warm and inviting. As the wine coated my mouth, I felt a full body and fruiter flavors, before swallowing to reveal the wine’s upfront tannins.

As my fork pierced the tortilla, little bits of ground beef tumbled out onto the sauce. Getting a bite of lettuce tomato, sour cream and enchilada, my mouth watered in anticipation. As soon as the bit hit my tongue I was transported back to childhood, eating at the kitchen table with my family, to college preparing enchiladas for my dorm friends, to colorado with Chrissy. Not only was the wine soaked in history so was the food. The slight spiciness of the enchilada sauce, played against the cool sour cream, and the chewy cheese. Little pops of green pepper and onion would rise and fall, giving way to the fresh crunch of lettuce, or a vibrant pop of tomato.

Taking another swig of wine, the bold flavors of blackberry and cherry stood in a noticeable contrast to the enchiladas, but did not overpower any aspect of the dish. Instead my mouth was given a needed sweetness that left me wanting more enchiladas.

As the banter about the drama of daily life swirled like the wine in our glass, at least there was one constant, and that was our friendship. There is something magical in food. It holds the power to relieve you from the stress and chaos of daily life, transporting you to a simpler or happier time, while creating new and lasting memories. Another Perfect Pair.

Pad Thai Pandemonium

2006 Fritz-Josef Schwibiger Riesling and Authentic Pad Thai: 4/5

2006 Fritz-Josef Schwibiger Riesling: 80/100

After seeing a picture of some good looking Pho on facebook, I was hit with the craving for some good pad thai. Most would call up their favorite Thai restaurant and order some carry out, but with a day to dedicate to cooking, I thought I would try making it from scratch.

As with a lot of eastern-world street vendor recipes, the cooking process doesn’t take long, but there are tons of things going on very quickly. After reading some mediocre comments about Alton Brown’s Pad Thai recipe I clicked a link that claimed to have a “real” Pad Thai Recipe: http://www.thaitable.com/Thai/recipes/Pad_Thai.htm The website looks a little sketchy, I know, there are no comments, and if you click the pronunciation link, an entertaining sound bite will pop up, but there were plenty of pictures, step by step instructions, and some history related to Pad Thai, so I was willing to step out of my comfort zone. What’s the worse that could happen.

If you have accessibility to an oriental market, you shouldn’t have a problem finding any of the ingredients to make this dish, but if you are stuck with shopping at Jewell or Dominick’s, you might have to do some modifications. I took a trip to whole foods, and was able to find everything except preserved turnip, and banana flower. Preserved turnip add a little zing, so I substituted ginger instead.

When looking to pair the light complex flavors in many oriental dishes, while dealing with a spicy element, when it comes to wine, the way to go is a white. Since this Pad Thai called for crushed red chili, I wanted to make sure I chose a wine that would stand up to the immediate heat the flakes provide. With lime, tamarind, fish sauce, and peanuts, the delicate flavors might fall flat when paired with a rich and buttery Chardonnay, but would playfully interact with something like a Riesling or a Chenin Blanc.

Perusing the wine section of Whole Foods I stumbled upon some German Rieslings. Now if everything goes according to plan I will be doing a study of Rieslings in the weeks to come, so keep an eye out, but with Pad Thai on the menu, I was thinking Riesling was the way to go. Unless you are fluent in German, Spanish, Italian, and French, you will more than likely run into some language barriers when looking over non-American wine. Not to fear. If there is no sommelier on hand to assist you, there are a few things that can give you an idea of the wine without having to bust out your iPhone and translate the bottle.

If sold in America, a bottle of wine must contain an alcohol per volume (apv) percentage. In most cases, this is also an indicator of the wine’s body, the lower the APV the lighter the wine. When looking at foreign red wines, vintage is another. The older the wine, the more mature the flavors, and vice versa. So if you are going to splurge on a 10 year old bottle of Cabernet, you can expect some well developed flavors. If you are feeling completely lost, look for bottles with awards, usually a sticker or something attached to the wine that is not the actual label, if the sticker is gold, most likely that wine won some sort of gold medal, and someone, somewhere, likes it.

Priced at $9.99 a bottle, I decided on a 2006 Fritz-Josef Schwibinger Riesling, from the Reinhessen region of Germany. With a alcohol content of 11%, I knew that the wine would probably be lighter and sweeter, and was hoping that it would have enough acidity to stand up to the tamarind and fish sauce.

When it came time to cook, I first put my mis en place, in order, a very important step with this dish. If you do not have everything set out, chopped up, portioned out, and ready to use, you will fail. Okay, you might not fail, but it makes cooking a lot easier if you have everything ready to go. Since Shelbey was already over, I decided to enlist her to be my recipe reader and assistant. The recipe said that a large pot would work if you didn’t own a wok, but I recommend a large non-stick frying pan, especially after trying a stainless steel skillet first.

Taking a deep breath I started heating my skillet with some olive oil, and toasting my peanuts. After burning the first handful of peanuts, and filling the apartment with smoke from the olive oil, I decided to switch to vegetable oil, which yielded much better results. With a hot skillet, and constant stirring, and adding, and sorting, and dividing, I was lucky to have Shelbey on hand.

With the smell of tamarind, fish sauce, and peanuts lingering in the air, the first batch of Pad Thai, hit the table as an 80% success, the other 20% burnt to the bottom of the stainless steel skillet. With Zachary and our friend Andrew still on their way over, I was sure that the second batch would come out even better.

Swirling my wine, I noticed a mature golden hue, indicative of the wines age. Met with aromas of apple, and hints of tropical flavors, the wine’s aromas matched that of the Pad Thai splendidly. Taking a mouthful, my palate was coaxed with a fairly sweet sensation that gave way to a slight acidity and a light finish. I probably could have done with more acidity, but with only a slightly spicy dish, the wine worked well.

A combination of sweet and savory the tamarind flavor of the Pad thai immediately made my mouth water, awakening the fruiter flavors left from the wine. A subtle crunch of bean sprout and peanut gave way to the softer textures of noodle, with the slightly chewy texture of shrimp. With the added freshness from the lime, every bite left me wanting more.

Paired with another mouthful of wine, the effect was refreshing and light, perfect for a spring or summer dinner. Enhancing the complexity of flavor, the Riesling was able to handle the lighter flavors of green onion and fish sauce, while the lime in the Pad Thai brought out the acidity of the wine.

As Michael and I fried some bananas for dessert to accompany the chocolate and orange liqueur tureens Andrew brought from his cooking class, everyone hit the couch to watch Project Runway. Nothing like good food, good friends, and a good night. Another perfect pair.

Impressive Pizza

2007 Abadía da Cova Albariño and Greek and Margherita pizza: 5/5

2007 Abadía da Cova Albariño: 89/100

With the beautiful sunshine this past Thursday, I took to the streets and headed down to whole foods for some high quality produce. On the menu: two whole wheat pizzas, one Greek, the other a Margherita.

Walking into Whole Foods is like walking into a culinary Disney World. Fresh flowers waft towards your nose as you enter, you catch a glimpse of beautifully faced organic produce in kaleidoscope patterns. The whole place buzzes with a healthy, fresh vibe. Of course you are going to be tagged with an extra 10 bucks or so for shopping organic, but the quality is worth it when it comes to a veggie pizza.

Shelbey asked me last week if her mom, Wendy, could come over for dinner this Thursday. Wendy sells Cookie Lee Jewelry and frequents Chicago to go to conventions and events and usually stays with Shelbey in the evenings. With Rocio confirming she was going to make it as well, I wanted to make sure that I made something that would feed everyone. What better than pizza right?

If you’ve ever shorted yourself by picking up a pre-made pizza crust from the store, I’m telling you, don’t do it. Pizza crust is not hard to make, it does take a little time. My mom has a recipe for regular white pizza crust, and the last time I made pizza I tried it with wheat flour and it was a little dry, so I found a recipe with rave reviews online: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/amazing-whole-wheat-pizza-crust/detail.aspx If you have a bread machine, as I’m sure many of you don’t, but if you do, you can also mix all these ingredients in the bread machine, saving you time and strain.

For the Greek pizza I wanted a pretty rustic presentation, so I got some olives from the Olive bar at Whole foods, rough chopped and red onion, used organic crumbled feta cheese, and just peeled apart a couple jarred artichoke hearts. For a light sauce I whipped up some pesto. If you have a food processor great, if you don’t, I recommend going and picking up a little 21 oz one. My 21 oz Cuisinart processor is the perfect size, and doesn’t take up your entire cabinet or counter. To the processor add a clove of garlic, 4-6 fresh basil leaves, some baby spinach, mixed greens, salt and pepper. Your 21 oz processor should be about 3/4 of the way full. Process on low while adding olive oil until the the greens are no longer sticking to the side of the processor. That’s it (and now you will ask yourself why you ever spent 6 dollars on a 4 oz jar of the stuff). Once the pizza was assembled I topped it with a light sprinkle of dried dill, indicative of greek cuisine.

A traditional Margherita pizza is simple: sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and pizza sauce. For Michael I added some pepperoni on a quarter of the pizza so he would have some meat. My mom’s pizza sauce is simple: 1 6oz can of tomato paste, 1 14 oz can of tomato sauce, 1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of dried basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix the ingredients together and your done. The next time I make a Margherita pizza I’ll wait to put the basil on until the last 5 minutes of cooking, so it does get crispy, but either way the flavor is still the same.

Since I was in the area, I stopped into Wine Styles and chatted with Sara Kay Snider, the resident sommelier, about the evenings meal. Telling her I was thinking of a heavier bodied white wine, she agreed, and showed me to a bottle of 2007 Abadía da Cova Albariño. Albariño is a varietal of grape popular in Spain, and usually has aromatics of almond, citrus, and apple, with a slight minerality, and a present acidity.

Before the pizzas even were close to hitting the oven, the apartment smelled of blooming yeast, garlic, onion, and tomatoes. With the fresh aromatics, my taste buds were tingling just thinking about the finished product.

Both Wendy and Rocio arrived around 7:00, and the pizzas had been sliced and were waiting when they arrived. The intoxicating aromas of feta, dill, basil, and dough floated all the way into the elevator, calling the women in like ancient sirens of the sea. (okay maybe not that dramatic). Anxious to see Wendy’s reaction, I described both pizzas, and the wine, while serving a slice of each to everyone but Michael, who’s not a fan of pesto or feta. To make sure we had enough food I whipped together a salad of baby spinach, mixed greens, shredded carrot, all tossed in a poppy seed dressing.

Inspecting the wine, I noticed a light greenish gold tint, before breathing in a full aroma of almond, citrus, and apple. With a bright acidity, tingling the sides of my tounge, and a slightly slatey minerality, the Alboriño was well balanced. Lighter than a Chardonnay, I would compare the body to that of a Pinot Grigio. Finishing clean, the Albariño refreshed my palate, and would be able to keep the pizza vibrant.

Taking a bite of the Greek pizza, I was met with the upfront flavor of feta that gave way to the sweetness of the red onion. Layered with flavors, olives and pesto peeked through with acidity and fat before giving way to an underlying flavor of dill.

Moving on to a bite of the Margehrita pizza, my mouth felt a bit more full with the mozzarella cheese versus the feta, but the simple flavors of basil and tomato, were not as in depth as the flavors in the greek pizza. The general consensus in the room was the Greek pizza was better, but both were tasty in their own right.

Paired with the Albariño, the overall effect was light, not a meal you'd have to feel guilty about indulging in. Bringing out the acidity in the onion, the Greek pizza was only enhanced by a swig of wine, while the tomatoes and mozzarella took on an overall sweetness—great for a sunny pre-spring day.

As laughter and conversation circulated the table Wendy commented that she was going to start coming every Thursday. I'm beginning to notice food's power to bring people together—good food promotes good conversation, laughter, and a shared experience, no matter if it's meeting someone for the first time, or reconnecting with old friends. Another Perfect Pair.