A Summer Treat Plus A Little Advice

There's nothing like sitting on the deck with a nice Pinot eating Cerviche with Roasted Asparagus And Red Onion Quesadillas.  If a little humor is in order, then reading a chapter from Mellow Out--Lessons Learned from Household Cats would be great fun.

 Mexican Ceviche and  Roasted Asparagus And Red Onion Quesadillas 

This recipe comes from The Winning Certificate. The ceviche is made with scallops but halibut, red snapper, flounder, or swordfish can be substituted. The asparagus and red onion quesadilla is very easy to make and the Pinot Noir complements the spiciness of the lime cumin cream that is served with the quesadillas.

Ceviche

Serves 4 as a Luncheon or Supper Entree

1 pound bay scallops

8 limes, juiced

2 tomatoes, diced

1/2-cup onions, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/8 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Rinse scallops and place in a medium sized bowl. Immerse the scallops in lime juice and chill all-day or overnight until scallops are opaque. 

Add tomatoes, onions, olive oil, and cilantro to the scallop mixture. Stir gently. Serve with tortilla chips.

I had to leave my guests alone with a large bowl of the ceviche and when I
returned, this was all that remained.

Asparagus And Red Onion Quesadillas

Serves 4 as a Luncheon or Supper Entree

1-pound asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large red onion, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and separated into rings

Eight 6- to 7-inch flour tortillas

1/2 pound pepper Jack cheese, coarsely shredded

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh coriander

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

Preheat oven to 500°F. In a large shallow baking pan, toss onion with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil until coated well. Cook the onions and the chopped asparagus for 10 minutes shaking pans occasionally. Cook until tender and lightly browned,

Preheat broiler. Grease a large baking sheet and arrange 4 tortillas in one layer and divide vegetables, pepper Jack, and coriander among them. Cover quesadillas with remaining 4 tortillas. This can be done using two cookie sheets. Brush top tortillas with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and broil quesadillas about 3 inches from heat until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn quesadillas over and broil until golden brown, about 2 minutes.

Make Cumin Lime Cream while quesadillas broil. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, cumin and lime juice. Cut quesadillas into wedges and serve with cumin lime cream.

I tried marijuana once. I did not inhale.

Bill Clinton

Chapter 5
No Guilt—Getting High Is Natural

The “do-gooders” want to restrict all of us from the pleasure gained from using drugs and drinking alcohol. They hover over us like parking officers waiting for the time to expire on the meter so they can issue a citation. In the San Francisco South Bay, there is a huge campaign during the December/January holidays called “Avoid the Thirteen.” Police agencies have teamed up to place roadblocks to ferret out drunken drivers. Along with this cooperation is a media blitz. In our small town, the headline in the local newspaper states, “Expect DUI saturation patrols on Friday.” The fear created is so bad than when someone sees a police car, panic sets in, even if that person hasn’t done anything. It’s a horrible way to live.

When the police catch someone under the influence, the cost is tremendous. Fines are paid to the court, fees are paid for education classes, interlock devices are installed, and the Department of Motor Vehicles has a fee for every step in the process. Plus, we continually see ads on television about the evil effects of drugs. These campaigns are relentless and are made to make people feel guilty. For me, it got so bad that when I had too much to drink in my own house, I felt guilty. Then I took a step back and watched the behavior of my cats. The guilt has gone away.

It’s springtime, and we make our annual pilgrimage to the nursery to buy seeds and seedlings for our garden. We buy tomatoes, lettuce, corn, zucchini, fava beans and eggplant. Of course, we can’t forget the cats, so we buy catnip seedlings.

Next comes the hard work of digging the holes, filling the space with planting mix and finally putting the seedlings in the ground. After we finish this arduous endeavor, we sprinkle the ground with water and then adjourn to the chairs on the deck to rest.

Samantha saunters up to the catnip and then goes about sniffing, licking, head shaking, body rolling and head and cheek rubbing as she partakes of the herb. Goodness, she is really putting one on. The effects usually last from about five to fifteen minutes.

After Samantha leaves, The Mitzer runs over to the catnip. Since the Mitzer is hyper, she can’t saunter up to anything—it’s always full speed ahead. She sniffs and rolls in the catnip. It’s like a marijuana or LSD-type response. Finally, when the Mitzer finishes, Chubby takes over and has the same experience. After getting “stoned,” the cats walk away and act perfectly normal. There is no remorse, no headaches, and no promises not to do this again.

The cats understand life, and they know that an altered state is just part of living. I used to have a difficult time with this concept, especially during the Christmas holidays. We buy and wrap presents, decorate the house and tree, attend lots of parties and spend forever finding the perfect picture for the Christmas card. Finally, Christmas comes, and it has been our tradition to have a themed buffet for family members and friends. We do this in the evening and the buffets have had Italian, Polish, Irish, Mexican, Greek and International themes.

I finish the cooking, put everything out and then pour myself a glass of wine. But not just any wine—my favorites are from the Santa Cruz Mountains. Some eighty small wineries produce wonderful Cabernets, Zinfandels, Pinots and a whole host of other reds and whites. I have talked to many of the winemakers; thus the wine is extra special.

The guests come, they eat and they talk, and I pour myself some more wine. Friends and extended family members open their Christmas presents, and I pour myself some more wine. Finally, the evening ends, and I pour another glass of wine.

The next morning, I wake up with a house in shambles and not feeling very well. In the past, I would have promised myself that I would never drink again. “Why did I get so drunk?” I would ask myself. “Why don’t I have more control?” I would feel guilty as hell. 

Internalizing the lesson I learned from my cats, this becomes the end of the story because I know it will happen again. My guilt is gone because I am modeling my cats’ behavior, and I have learned to enjoy the high, suffer the morning after, and then move on. Life has gotten tremendously better. I think I’ll have another glass of wine.

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The Food and Wine Pairings From The Fishy Chips

Each of the five books in The Rick Podowski and The Hefty Trio series contain seven ethnic (Polish, Italian, Irish, Mexican) recipes and information about seven wineries. A wine is then paired with the recipe. A reader who completes the series will have learned about thirty-five boutique wineries and have thirty-five recipes paired with the appropriate wine. Four of the pairings from The Fishy Chips are presented below. Click on the link to see the recipe.

The Fishy Chips

Loyalty and betrayal quickly become conflicts in The Fishy Chips, set in the Silicon Valley of California where many of the titans of the computer world have research and development operations and manufacturing facilities. Educators, under the control of Chinese agents are using students from the Mission Community College’s Semiconductor Manufacturing Program to obtain a top-secret computer chip being manufactured by Intel for use in the United States Military's anti--ballistic missile system. Rick has to reconcile his loyalty to his students with loyalty to his country as he works with his friend from the FBI to recover the stolen component.

Also telling the story is George Yuan, a nineteen-year-old alienated Chinese-American. Through the help of a beautiful female spy, George discovers his love and loyalty to China. He agrees to help steal the computer chip. In the process of recovering the stolen computer chip, the FBI captures the members of the spying ring, and two others are murdered.

"Conflicting Loyalties: An Excerpt from The Fishy Chips." was a winning entry in the 17th Annual Mendocino Coast Writer's Contest, Summer 2006. It was published in the Todd Point Review. 

 Polish  Potato Pierogies with Fernwood Mirepoix

  A plate of pierogi fried in butter and topped with sour cream puts

  Rick in heaven. Pierogi are inexpensive and very easy to make. 

  The Fernwood Mirepoix is light and fruity.

                    

Irish Beef Stew with a Hunter Hill Zinfandel

Beef stew is the ultimate of comfort foods.  Chunks of beef, carrots, and onions is a thick broth served over noodles is a real crowd pleaser.

Fettuccine and Clams a la Teresa with Alfaro’s Billy K Merlot

This is the dish for those who want to impress, but  don't know how to cook. Add  scrubbed whole clams to a simple Marinara sauce.  Spoon the sauce and the opened clams over ithe pasta. Put  a bowl of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on the table beside the basket of Italian bread rustico,    light a candle, pour two glasses of Billy K Merlot                                                 from Alfaro Family Vineyards, and dress the salad                                               with eighteen-year-old balsamic vinegar and                                                       California extra virgin olive oil. What a  perfect                                                     dinner !

Leti's Steak Tampequena with Kathryn Kennedy Lateral

 Steak Tampequena is one of Rick's  favorites because he enjoy the blend of green chili and cheese. After sautéing the onions and tomatoes,  put the steak in the broiler and cook one side. Remove if from the brioler and place the onions, tomatoes the green chili and a piece of cheese on the uncooked side. The steak with beans, rice and tortillas plus a mixed green salad with vine ripened tomatoes becomes the perfect dinner. Serve it with Katherine Kennedy's Lateral.

More Food And Wine Pairings From Murder Before The Bell

Each of the five books in The Rick Podowski and The Hefty Trio series  contain seven ethnic (Polish, Italian, Irish, Mexican) recipes and information about seven wineries.  A wine is then paired with the recipe. A reader who completes the series will have learned about thirty-five boutique wineries and have thirty-five recipes paired with the appropriate wine.  Four of the  pairings from Murder Before The Bell are presented below. Click on the link to see the recipe.

In Murder Before the Bell, Rick Podowski and the Hefty Trio fight to save their friend accused of murdering the school principal. The story begins when Rick arrives at Central High School and sees the administration building engulfed in flames. Later, the police discover the charred body of the principal and as the police start to gather evidence to frame the acting principal, Rick and the Hefty Trio start their own inquiry.

They discover that their friend and the principal are both involved in illegal activities with a South Vietnamese Colonel who runs a language school on the campus every Sunday. The community loves the Colonel and is unaware that he owns a house of prostitution in the neighborhood and employs a local Mexican gang for security. A rival gang wants part of the action and the excitement begins.

Irish Poached Salmon with Watercress Sauce Paired With Pinot Noir

This dish is a favorite of both Rick and Erin. Rick likes to serve it cold with the pinkness of the salmon highlighted by the green watercress sauce. It's the perfect dish to take to a picnic or a potluck. An Armitage Pinot Noir goes well with this dish because it has a light nose and allows for the flavor of the salmon to dominate.    

Pollitos en Vino Tinto (Little Chickens in Red Wine with Naumann Vineyards Tre Rosso Cali

Usually Cornish Game hens are not considered part of Mexican   cuisine. However, this dish, according to BellaOnline's Mexican food editor is authentic and it tastes wonderful. The Tre Rosso Cali truly complements the dish with a rich, textured mouth feel  that adds extra complexity.

Heavenly Fettuccine with Barbera Wine

The heat of the summer makes us want to spend less time in a hot kitchen. Heavenly Fettuccine is light and very simple to make. Serve it with Italian bread, a garden salad, and a light fruity Barbera. 

A Bonus Recipe

Rick's Famous Polish Nut Strudel 

Rick makes fifty small rolls for all of his students and friends at Christmastime.  People love it because it is not too sweet.

The Food and Wine Pairing From Murder Before The Bell

Each of the five books in The Rick Podowski and The Hefty Trio series  contain seven ethnic (Polish, Italian, Irish, Mexican) recipes and information about seven wineries.  A wine is then paired with the recipe. A reader who completes the series will have learned about thirty-five boutique wineries and have thirty-five recipes paired with the appropriate wine.  Four of the  pairings from Murder Before The Bell are presented below. Click on the link to see the recipe.

In Murder Before the Bell, Rick Podowski and the Hefty Trio fight to save their friend accused of murdering the school principal. The story begins when Rick arrives at Central High School and sees the administration building engulfed in flames. Later, the police discover the charred body of the principal and as the police start to gather evidence to frame the acting principal, Rick and the Hefty Trio start their own inquiry.

They discover that their friend and the principal are both involved in illegal activities with a South Vietnamese Colonel who runs a language school on the campus every Sunday. The community loves the Colonel and is unaware that he owns a house of prostitution in the neighborhood and employs a local Mexican gang for security. A rival gang wants part of the action and the excitement begins.

 Irish Leek And Swiss Pie with River Run Vintners Cote D' Aromas  The unique part of this dish is the taste of the creamy leek and cheese custard. At the bottom of the pie is the salty deviled ham. The flavors in the pie blend and are accented by the Cote D' Aromas which is a Rhone Blend. In this wine, the bold fleshy Syrah counterpoints the sweet tones of Grenache as the wine opens.

Rick's Bigos--Hunter's Stew (The Polish national Dish) with Burrell School Syrah. Bigos is the national dish of Poland and is made with sauerkraut, cabbage mushrooms and a mixture of Polish sausage, spareribs, fried pork, cooked ham and pork hocks. Serve the Bigos with pierogi and a green salad to complete the meal.

Rick's Pasta Puttanesca with Villa del Monte's Cabernet Sauvignon Puttanesca was created by the prostitutes of Naples to give them strength and stamina. Red pepper flakes and capers provide a flavorful kick. 

Leti's Mexican Chocolate Pots de Crème with Loma Prieta Merlot This is not your typical chocolate pudding because it contains several ingredients that concentrate the flavor of the chocolate.  These include espresso, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and Kahlua.  You can put these in ramekins as mentioned in the recipe or you can make it in a tart dish and then serve it in wine glasses.  Either way, this dessert is delicious.  If you want to pair this with wine, use a Merlot.  The recipe was adopted from one found in Sunset magazine.

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