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Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Truffle Oil

October 3, 2013 in Food by traveleatlove | No comments

Pairing a wine with this dish was a ton of fun. Chock full of butternut squash, mushrooms, white beans, parmesan shavings, and truffle oil, this warm salad is intended for cool fall nights. If it was chilly out, I would pair this with a Cabernet Franc, hands down, to bring out all of the earthiness.

To my pure delight, however, it still feels like summer! Now if only we could make the sun stay out longer. . . Since the night was still nice and warm when we sat down to dinner, and since I have been on a Riesling kick since Riesling #WineChat, I paired this dinner with an Austrian Riesling. There will certainly be time for reds and winter white wines, (Speaking of, this article on fall white wines on Palate Press is a great resource.), but a cold glass of Riesling did the trick with this dinner.

This is a very simple, rustic dinner, inspired by a similar, amazing salad I had at a Venge wine dinner years ago. The most time consumed is for the roasting of the butternut squash. I tossed a couple of cups of butternut squash cubes in oil and roasted them for 20 minutes at 380.

butternut squash

I then added in chopped baby bella mushrooms and roasted everything together for another 10 minutes.

image

The other steps in this recipe are easy. Drain and rinse a can of cannellini white beans.

white beans

Toss with the roasted butternut squash and mushrooms, then top with truffle oil and parmesan shavings. I like this Monini White Truffle Oil because it offers concentrated truffle flavor at a great value.

white truffle oil

The end result is a delicious, hearty side or main dish full of flavor. You could always add in some chicken or chicken sausage for more protein to round the meal out, though I found myself pretty full after a bowl of this dinner and a glass of wine.

warm fall vegetable salad

Flavors like this definitely make the earlier sunset a little more bearable and remind me of the good parts of changing seasons.

Have you found any new fall recipes lately?

Tags: butternut squash, dinner, Food, food and wine pairing, healthy comfort food, healthy dinner, mushrooms, truffle oil, Vegetarian

Post 390 Farm to Post Dinner with Ward’s Berry Farm

July 2, 2013 in cocktail, Cocktails, events, Food by traveleatlove | 1 comment

Summer is for strawberries, and a couple of weeks ago, I had the delicious pleasure of joining Post 390 for their Farm to Post dinner with Ward’s Berry Farm. Post 390 features a different farm every month; you may remember when I dined with the cheese farmers from 5Spoke Creamery. One of the things I love about these dinners is that they really introduce guests to the farm, its products, and the people behind them. It’s a warm and wonderful way to enjoy food while learning where it comes from. The Post 390 does an amazing job with the ingredients they select, and their wine pairings are always excellent.

Lin and I arrived and were welcomed with the cocktail of the evening, the “Strawberry Ward”. This delicious blend of Pisco Porton, Cherry Heering, Ward’s Farm strawberries, balsamic, ad lemon offered a refreshing, natural berry taste without too much sweetness.

Strawberry Ward Cocktail The cocktail was paired with Sea Scallop and Tuna Sashimi and Maine Crab Stuffed Monkfish Cheek. We then received an introduction to the guests from Ward’s Berry Farm and watched a video taken when the Post 390 staff visited the farm. Everyone had great things to say about the experience, and I now definitely want to plan a day trip there.

Ward's Berry Farm The first course of our tasting menu was Hot Smoked Salmon with Ward’s Berry Farm chioggia beets, herbed chevre, strawberry salsa, and candied pignole, paired with Domaine Pascal Pibaleau Crémant de Loire Rosé. This course was a favorite of many; the components just went so well together and made for an unforgettable dish. The wine’s strawberry notes complimented the flavors in the dish, and fine, abundant bubbles made it feel celebratory.

hot smoked salmon with beetscremant de loire Next up, we were treated to Ricotta and Arugula Ravioli Carbonara with sugar snap peas, spring onion, and house bacon, paired with Laporte Pouilly-Fume. Again, a perfect pairing, matching a rich, creamy and flavorful ravioli dish with a tart wine with minerality and acidity that brought out the flavors of the food really nicely.

ricotta and arugula ravioli carbonara Our third course was Skillet Seared Hailbut with German butterball potato vichyssoise, gremoulada braised romaine lettuce, baby carrots and baby peas, paired with St. Urbans-Hof Riesling. Light and flaky fish with the spring veggies. went well with a light, crispy, and fruity Riesling.

skillet seared halibut And there was more! Carved Saddle of Spring Lamb with the most delicious Cherokee and Two Star Lettuce salad with feta, oregano, and mustard vinaigrette. I could eat simple, zesty salads like this every day and wish the salads I made came close. A spicy, earthy red, Mas de la Dame La Stele was paired with this dish, and I could not stop sticking my nose in the glass. The nose of the wine was simply beautiful and required lots of time to stop and breathe it in.

lamb The final course of the night was a Strawberry Crème Fraiche Tart, paired with Chambers Muscat. As stuffed as I was from all of the other courses, I found eating this dessert easy (and necessary!). The tartness of the crème fraiche made it seem light and fresh; the strawberries added pure summer.

strawberry creme fraiche tart

My dining companions were a ton of fun, as they always are at Post 390. They have a great team that puts a lot of thought and love into the work they do, and they are happy to share. I would definitely recommend checking out a Farm to Post dinner soon.

How have you been enjoying summer strawberries? Have you had strawberries in a savory course?

 

 

My dinner was hosted by Post 390, however all opinions are my own.

Tags: Boston, dinner, events, farm to post, farm to table, Food, food and wine, food and wine pairings, Post 390, strawberries

Steak with Guasacaca

February 24, 2013 in Food, recipe by traveleatlove | 2 comments

A sauce so delicious you want to put it on everything? This is it. Last summer our friends hosted us at a fantastic July 4th barbecue. It was hot and sunny, we had spent the earlier part of the day on the boat (Just over 2 months til boating season!), and we were relaxing around the fire pit with fun friends and amazing food. Venezuelan friends of our friends brought a green sauce that they apparently are asked to bring to every party. I’m not even sure what I was supposed to put it on, but once I tasted it, I wanted to put it on everything, so I did.

Fast forward to February, this cold and dreary month where things have been stressful in this household, to say the very least. The summer sun and sea can’t come fast enough; at least then when our nasty neighbor is making me sick with her smoking I can go sleep on the boat!

I had a random craving for steak last week, and this green sauce popped into my head again. A quick Google of “Venezuelan green sauce” brought me to this page, which features a recipe for Guasacaca. I didn’t know the name, but going by the way the sauce tasted, the ingredients sounded right, so I decided to make it. guasacaca ingredients

Guasacaca is a vibrant green sauce that combines avocados, green peppers, garlic, onion, vinegar, and oil with generous amounts cilantro and parsley. The vinegar gives it a little tang while the herbs make it bright and flavorful.

oil and vinegar

To my Guasacaca, I also added two Thai green chili peppers, not Venezuelan, I know, but I wanted a little bit of heat. It was a good decision.

guasacaca

For Thursday night dinner, I picked up four small sirloin steaks at Foodie’s Urban Market, which is dangerously close to my South End office. They have such a great selection of all sorts of food, wine, and beer, and while it’s pricey, it’s also handy for picking up one or two items during the week.

sirloin steak

I simply prepped my steaks by seasoning on both sides with sea salt and pepper and grilling them to perfection on my grill pan. I topped the steaks with the Guasacaca and served with mountains of steamed spinach and baked sweet potatoes, both of which found their way dipped in the Guasacaca as well.

steak with guasacaca

This meal was perfect, a mix of winter and summer and a delicious way to brighten up a challenging week. The addition of a Chilean red wine on the side definitely didn’t hurt.

How are you keeping warm and hopeful for brighter days this February?

Ingredients: (adapted from original recipe posted on on Venezuelan Food and Drinks)

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

2 green sweet peppers, seeded, deveined, and roughly chopped

2 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded

2 cloves garlic

2 spicy green chili peppers

Half a bunch of fresh parsley leaves

Half a bunch fresh cilantro leaves

A third cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon salt, or to taste

Pinch of black pepper

1 cup olive oil

Add all ingredients except for the olive oil to food processor and puree until smooth. Slowly stream in olive oil until combined completely.

Serve this sauce with meat, fish, vegetables, chips, crackers. . . it’s so delicious it goes well with just about everything.

Tags: comfort food, dinner, Food, Guasacaca, meal planning, meals, recipe, steak

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