Smoked Salmon Sandwiches with Santa Cruz Mountain Winery's Durif

Smoked salmon sandwiches are easy to make and are great for a Super Bowl party.  This recipe can be found in The Fishy Chips. The Durif (Petite Sirah) is a great low alcohol (12.5%) wine that is the perfect accompaniment.

Serves 4

1 cup finely chopped red onion

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon vinegar

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

3 tablespoons chopped chives

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 tablespoon drained capers

12 slices thin Danish-style pumpernickel bread

6 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon

Mix red onion, sugar and vinegar in small bowl. Let stand 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix cream cheese, chives, sour cream, dill and capers in another small bowl. 

Spread each bread slice with about 1 tablespoon cheese mixture to cover. 

Divide salmon among 8 bread slices. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon red onion mixture atop salmon on each bread slice. Top each of 4 salmon-topped bread slices with another salmon-topped bread slice, salmon side up.

Top each stack with 1 cheese-covered bread slice, cheese side down, forming a total of 4 three-layer sandwiches.

Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard

Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard has been making European-style, food-friendly, cellar-worthy wines since 1975. This means making wines with moderate alcohol and oak so that the true characteristics of the grape varieties are expressed.

Jeff Emery is the proprietor, winemaker, truck driver, mechanic, and basically anything else he needs to be to make this small business work. He first came to Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard in July of 1979 and ended up working with Ken Burnap, the winery's founder, in what can best be described as an old-fashioned apprenticeship. Jeff took over the business in 2002 when Ken retired.

Production is about 2500 cases per year consisting of Pinot Noir (from the Estate vineyard), Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache, and Durif (Petite Sirah). In 2008 they launched a second brand, Quinta Cruz, which features only varieties that originated on the Iberian Peninsula but are now grown here in California. These Portuguese and Spanish varieties include Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Souzao, Graciano, and Tinto Cão.

Cincinnati Chili with Hunter Hill Zinfandel

Cincinnati Chili with Hunter Hill Zinfandel

Rick Podowski and The Hefty Trio work with a woman who used to teach in a Cincinnati high school.  Every year around Super Bowl time her friend sends her a container of Cincinnati Chili.  Rick and the Trio love this dish and they have recreated this tasty dinner from a recipe found on the About Foods website.  Rick's addition to the feast is the Hunter Hill Zinfandel and cornbread with honey.  The fruitiness of the wine goes perfectly with the flavors of this spicy chili. 

6-8 Servings

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped
1 pound extra-lean ground beef (hamburger)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa or 1/2 ounce grated unsweetened chocolate
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 (16-ounce) package spaghetti
Toppings (see below)

Preparation:

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, sauté onion, ground beef, garlic, and chili powder until ground beef is slightly cooked.

Add allspice, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, unsweetened cocoa or chocolate, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar, and water. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove from heat.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Make some cornbread and then add honey to some butter.

Put the spaghetti, the chili, the cheese, the onions, the kidney beans and the cornbread on a counter so that the guests can help themselves.

Cincinnati chili lovers order their chili by number. Two, Three, Four, or Five Way. Let your guest create their own final product.
Two-Way Chili:   Chili served on spaghetti

Three-Way Chili:   Additionally topped with shredded Cheddar cheese

Four-Way Chili:   Additionally topped with chopped onions

Five-Way Chili:   Additionally topped with kidney beans (used canned beans)
 

Hunter Hill Vineyard And  Winery                                                                     The Hunter Hill vineyard and winery is located in Soquel on the old Manildi farm that in the late 1800s raised apples, stone fruits, and grapes.  Wine was made for home consumption. Christine, a granddaughter of the Manildis married Vann Slatter and they returned to the farm to raise their own children. In 1992, Christine and Vann decided to replace the old apple trees with Merlot grapes and they started to experiment with making wine. By 1998 the winery moved from the basement of the house to a new facility and Hunter Hill was bonded. The six-acre property now produces ten to eighteen tons of Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Syrah grapes each year. They produce about 2400 cases of wine per year.      Hunter Hill was named after the Slatter’s Chesapeake Bay retriever, Hunter, who died over five years ago. Her muzzle still graces the Hunter Hill label and business cards.      The family also is in the construction business, having owned Santa Cruz-based Slatter Construction since 1985. They were responsible for rebuilding much of downtown Santa Cruz after the earthquake in 1989.

Comfort Food

The holiday lights are gone.  It's cold outside and it gets dark really early.  This is the time of year when people turn to comfort foods to sustain themselves both mentally and physically.  These are the feel good foods of our childhoods and often they come from our ethnic roots.  Rick Podowski and The Hefty Trio want to share their favorites with you.  Click on the headings for a link to the recipes.

Polish Pierogies and Cabbage Rolls

Rick remembers those wonderful times with his grandparents.  The air would be filled with the beautiful sounds of the Polish language and English.  Rick's uncle was going to the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) and his grandmother would proudly proclaim in her very accented English, "My son is going to the state pen."  

Then his grandmother would fill a plate with stuffed cabbage rolls and right next to them would be his favorite, cheese and potato pierogies, sauteed in butter and with lots of sour cream.

Irish Beef Stew 

Erin McGinity remembers the Irish stew of her childhood.  Everyone would be sitting around the table and her mother would ladle the thick brown broth filled with carrots, onions, and beef into a bowl.  Her mother placed the stew over buttered noodles which provided that extra touch.

Chicken  Cacciatore 

Teresa Spinelli remembers what it was like to be from a large family.  Every Sunday the family would sit down together for conversation and pasta.  Her favorite was Chicken Cacciatore consisting of a huge bowl of spaghetti covered with a red sauce and lots of pieces of chicken.  She loved to cover her plate with Parmesan cheese and a piece of  homemade bread just out of the oven with butter melting over every nook and cranny.

Steak Tampequena

Leti Ramos's mother served  Steak Tampequena on special occasions when people came to visit.  A thin piece of steak was covered with onions, tomatoes the green chili and a piece of cheese. Leti remembered how delicious the steak tasted accompanied by rice and beans.  She also had fond memories of  the good times the visitors and her family had as they ate and talked.