Rick's Red Snapper, Veracruz Style with Roudon-Smith Duet

This book explores a tragedy resulting from a teacher being falsely accused. Rick Podowski, the head grievance representative for the teacher’s union enters the science lab and finds the body of the teacher hanging by a braided rope from the metal frame of the overhead florescent light fixture.

As Rick and his friends investigate, they find Dan Longreen's secret. He has been charged with sexual misconduct concerning three young girls in his Las Vegas classroom. Even though proven innocent, a small group of parents forced his resignation. He accepts a job in San Jose, California, and is creating a new life. Suddenly, he starts to receive threatening emails and there are questions about his death.

Did someone stage the suicide? Was the principal putting extreme pressure on Dan to resign to protect his forthcoming promotion or was the suicide related to Longreen's fiancée? 

Roudon-Smith Winery

While working at Silicon Valley's Amdahl plant, Bob and Annamaria Roudon and Jim and June Smith began to plan the establishment of a small winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. In the spring of 1972 the two engineers purchased vineyard land high up in the mountains.

Winemaker Bob Roudon learned how to make wine in Europe during a tour of duty with the U.S. Army in Germany. Later, he discovered French wines and winemaking techniques, which have influenced the style of Roudon-Smith wines since. By 1978, again designed and built by engineers Roudon and Smith, a newly expanded winery that would accommodate the 10,000 case goal was completed near Scotts Valley. In the 1990s production did reach 10,000 cases, but has been scaled back and the winery currently produces 4,500 cases.

After Roudon and Smith semi retired in 2006, Annette and David Hunt joined Al and Diane Drewke in a partnership that allowed two engineering families to take the reins at Roudon-Smith once again.

Al Drewke gained controlling interest in the winery and in 2011 he moved the entire operation to Watsonville.

Their wines include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot Rose, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Claret, and Duet. Rick really likes dropping a frozen strawberry into a glass of their Merlot Rose.

Rick's Red Snapper, Veracruz Style with Roudon-Smith Duet

Rick has made only one trip to Veracruz and he remembers this dish because it captures the flavors of this distinct part of Mexico, The snapper is covered with a tomato sauce and the capers, and jalapeño peppers provide an extra bite. Serve this dish with white rice. Rick modified this recipe from one he found in Bon Appetit.

Serves 6

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, well drained, juices reserved
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 small bay leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup chopped pitted green olives
2 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons drained capers
6 4- to 5-ounce red snapper fillets

Place drained tomatoes in medium bowl and crush them to a coarse puree. Drain again, reserving juices.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and stir 30 seconds. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add tomato puree and cook 1 minute. Add bay leaves, parsley, oregano, garlic and 1/4 cup reserved tomato juices. Simmer until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Add olives, raisins, capers, and all remaining reserved tomato juices. Simmer until sauce thickens again, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spread 3 tablespoons sauce in bottom of 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange fish atop sauce. Sprinkle fish lightly with salt and pepper. Spoon remaining sauce over. Bake uncovered until fish is just opaque in the center, about 18 minutes.

Using long spatula, transfer fish with sauce to plates. Serve with rice, salad, sourdough bread and a glass of Duet.

Free Winning Certificate And Chicken Cacciatore

As part of the Read an E-Book Week promotion you can obtain a free copy of   The Winning Certificate at Smashwords from March 2-8.  This book won the 2011 Global eBook award in the amateur sleuth category.

In The Winning Certificate, Sylvia Medina, a student at Central High joins a teenage gang after her adopted mother's death and is trapped in a life style of violence and hopelessness. Can the school's Literary Club and an image on the computer of her birth mother provide the hope necessary for Sylvia to survive? Antonio Medina, after his wife's death from cancer tries everything to get Sylvia back on track. However, nothing helps until Rick Podowski and Leti Rios, advisors to the high school Literary Club, get Sylvia involved. Sylvia reluctantly shares some of her poems. Then, as Sylvia becomes more committed, she begins to change and becomes in touch with her feelings. As Sylvia develops her ties to the Literary Club, she gets more intrigued by the picture of her birth mother and tries to find her. She learns that her mother lives in New York and when members of the Literary Club go to Columbia University to attend a conference and receive an award for their magazine, Sylvia goes along. Instead of going to the conference, she visits her mother. She finds out that her mother married a very rich man, and she has two stepsons. The stepfather is dead, and the two sons along with her lawyer are trying to get her farm and include it as part of a land trust being used as a means to launder money for the mob. Murder, kidnapping, money laundering, and mob activities are included in this novel. Included in the book are seven delicious recipes paired with Santa Cruz Mountain wines.  One favorite is Elaine's Chicken Cacciatore with a Copper-Garrod Cabernet Franc Review by: Sara Marie Hogg on Aug. 04, 2011: This reader loves Mr. Miller's series of school campus who-done-its, solved by Rick Podowski and the Hefty Trio. The way he weaves the recipes and wine into the stories is sheer genius. Rick and the Hefty Trio love to chow down and one gets hungry while reading about their delicious snacks--so nice to actually have the real and time-honored, tested recipes contributed by "Rick" and "his friends." This book was particularly poignant and I shed a few real tears toward the end of the story--Sara Marie Hogg, author of Blade Chatter and Catho Darlington.

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Irish Comfort Food with California Wines

Rick Podowski and The Hefty Trio exist to eat ethnic foods.  Rick loves everything Polish while Leti focuses on Mexican dishes.  Teresa is in love with italian dishes and Erin likes food from all over Ireland.

Erin has some great recipes for hearty winter dishes.  These are the dishes found in Irish homes and when the family gathers for great food and wine, the air is filled with stories about that jewel of an isle.  If you cook one of the dishes below, drink enough of the wine, and listen very hard you too may hear the voice of a seanchaí telling stories about the Pookas, fairies, giants and Leprachauns.
  
Enjoy the dishes listed below.

Erin's Irish Beef Stew with a Hunter Hill Zinfandel

In The Fishy Chips, Rick and the Trio are trying to stop the Chinese from stealing a secret computer chip.  Chinese agents have infiltrated the semiconductor program at a local community college and they are using students to steal the chip.  As Rick interviews the secretary of  the Semiconductor Manufacturing Program in the college cafeteria he sits down for a hearty Irish beef stew with stout-- a dish that Erin had made many times in the past. The presentation was superb and the carrots, the chunks of beef and the pearl onions were easily distinguishable. At home, he would have poured a glass of Hunter Hill Zinfandel to make this a perfect meal.

Chick here to view the recipe

Jenny's Irish Apple Maple Pork Chops with Vine Hill Zinfandel

In The Winning Certificate, Sylvia Medina, a student at Central High joins a teenage gang after her adopted mother's death and is trapped in a life style of violence and hopelessness. Antonio Medina, her adopted father tries everything to get Sylvia back on track. However, nothing helps until Rick Podowski and Leti Rios, advisors to the high school Literary Club, get involved.

As Sylvia develops her ties to the Literary Club, she leaves the gang and gets intrigued by the picture of a woman on a singles site visited by Antonio. Jenny turns out to be Sylvia's birth mother and her stepsons are trying to steal the family farm.

Jenny sends Antonio a secret document and two hired thugs tie him up, pistol whip him and search the house. A few days later Antonio, who had been released from the hospital that morning, was sitting at the kitchen table having dinner with Jenny. Even though there were no candles, Mexican love songs were playing on the stereo and the subdued light of dusk made for a romantic atmosphere.

Jenny had promised to make her famous Irish Apple Maple Pork Chops. When the chops were fried to a deep golden brown, she brought them to the table on a blue-rimmed oval platter. Three chops covered with apples and a maple sauce that included Irish whiskey sat in the middle of the platter with a border of piped mashed potato mounds surrounding them. A basic green salad accompanied the meal.

Antonio opened a bottle of wine. He poured two glasses and they sat down to eat.

Click here to view the recipe.

Erin's Irish Potato Casserole with Windy Oaks Pinot Noir

Death of a Foster Child explores the guilt felt when the foster placement of a teenage girl in the home of Rick Podowski and his wife failed.  To complicate matters, the foster child was brutally murdered and the authorities have accused her of selling drugs on the school campus and by implication asserted that the foster parents allowed this behavior.  Rick and The Hefty Trio investigate to determine what really happened.

The four of them met at Tessora's Barra di Vino, a wine bar tucked away in one of the side alleys at the Pruneyard Shopping Center.  An Irish Potato Casserole was first on the white board listing the small plates specials for the night.  
         "I'll take the potato casserole," Rick said, "and a glass of Windy Oaks Pinot Noir. This is an incredible wine that Elaine and I are particularly fond of."

         "I'm having the potato casserole, too," Erin said.  "My Irish grandmother used to make this dish all the time.  Remember Rick, I gave you a copy of my recipe?"

    "And I made it," Rick said.  "It was absolutely delicious. Let’s see what Tessora’s does with it."

         

        

Click here to view the recipe.

Potlucks with Rick Podowski and The Hefty Trio

It seems like potlucks have become more popular and we are often asked to bring a dish to school, work, church and family gatherings. The key is to find an interesting dish that is easy to prepare and will remain delicious even though it is prepared several hours in advance. Four dishes are presented below and the actual recipes can be found in the list of popular posts on this blog.

People in the United States call them quiche, but the Irish refer to them as pies. 

1.  Erin's Egg, Bacon and Leek Pie is a favorite. This pie is made with bacon, leeks, and cream and is flavored with parsley and nutmeg. The best part is that the saltiness of the bacon contrasts with the mellow flavors of the eggs and the leeks. Cook the pie, cut it into wedges and then put it on the table. A Clos LaChance Syrah is a perfect pairing for this dish.

2.  Another Irish pie is Erin's Leek and Swiss Pie. This pie is easy to make and it starts with a package of leek soup where you add cream, eggs dry mustard and lots of Swiss cheese.  The bottom of the baked piecrust is covered with deviled ham. After the pie has cooled, cut it into pieces, put a dab of sour cream on each piece with some parsley and the pie is ready for the potluck. Try River Run's Cote D' Aromas with this dish.

3.  Teresa's Hot Italian Sausages and Peppers is another hit at potlucks. Just add some spicy Italian sausages, garlic, onions, and a bell pepper to a frying pan and turn on the heat. In a few minutes you will have a tasty treat. Place bread around the outside of the dish, have a spoon handy and people can then indulge in this creation. A Travieso Amaranta goes well with this dish.

4.  If you want to be a little bit more ambitious, then try Rick's Famous Cabbage Rolls. This dish is a staple of Polish cuisine and features cabbage leaves filled with beef, pork, and rice. A contrast of color, texture and flavors makes this a great dish for a potluck. The Thomas Fogarty Pinot Noir is light and fruity and compliments this dish.

Erin's Irish Leek & Swiss Pie with River Run Vintner's Cote D' Aromas

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.

River Run Vintners

During the 1970s J.P. Pawloski was a professional river guide and was attracted to a bottle of River Run Zinfandel. In 1982 he purchased the defunct River Run Winery and now produces between 1,000 to 3,000 cases of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carignane, Malbec, Syrah, and Zinfandel per year.

Pawloski works part time as a respiratory therapist in the hospital and runs a one-man show in terms of the winery. He doesn't have a degree in viniculture and he doesn't have a staff.

His central belief is that you must start with good fruit to make a great wine. So, when it comes time to buy grapes, he hops into his truck to pick up the grapes from the growers' premises—not from a loading dock. For 28 years, he's been going right out into the fields and actually points to the precise grapes he wants picked. His wine making process is bigger on fruit than oak and he manipulates the fermentation and pressing processes to bring the fruit flavors to the senses.

Seven of his wines won silver medals at the 2009 Santa Cruz Mountains Commercial Wine Competition. They were: Rapid Red (Carignane, Grenache, Zinfandel and Cabernet), Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Negrette, Cote D'Aromas, and Viognier.

 Erin's Irish Leek and Swiss Pie with River Run Vintners Cote D' Aromas

Rick ordered two pieces of this delicious pie when he met with Candy at the Café du San Jose. 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 only made one pie.  Since he loves leeks, he added the whole envelope of the leek soup and cut all of the other ingredients in half.

Serves 12

2 uncooked pie crusts, room temperature

1 envelope leek soup mix

3 cups milk

1 cup light cream

6 slightly beaten eggs

12 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded

2 teaspoons dry mustard

dash pepper

2 4.5 ounce cans deviled ham

12 teaspoons of sour cream (optional)

fresh parsley sprigs (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425F. Pierce crust bottom all over with a fork and bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Set aside. Reduce oven to 400F.

In a saucepan, combine soup mix and milk; cook and stir until mixture boils. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Stir in cream. Combine eggs, cheese, mustard, and pepper. Gradually add to the soup mixture, stirring until well blended.

Spread one can of the deviled ham in the bottom of each pie shell. Carefully pour soup mixture into each shell. Bake at 400F for 20 to 30 minutes, until center is firm.

Let stand about 10 minutes. Rick likes to take this dish to parties. He cuts each pie into six servings, puts a dab of sour cream on each piece and then puts a fresh parsley sprig on each dab of sour cream.

The Wineries and Wines In The Rick Podowski Series

The Santa Cruz Mountains Appellation

In 1981 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms approved the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation. The first wine growing region to be defined by a mountain range, it runs from eight miles north of Woodside, near Half Moon Bay, to fifty miles south near Watsonville and includes parts of three counties.

Of the approximately 350,000 acres within the borders, most of the land consists of rugged steep terrain. The proximity to the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay, with the related fog, makes the Santa Cruz Mountains one of the coolest grape growing regions in the world and allows a long growing season.

The Santa Cruz Mountains have been recognized as a premium wine-producing region since the late 1800s. In 1891 the counties of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and San Mateo together had nearly 14,000 acres of planted vineyards. The individual micro climates, marine influence, mountain terrain, distinctive soils and low crop levels all contribute to the production of intensely concentrated grapes with rich flavors. In the famous 1976 Paris tasting at which California wines proved their worth against the best the French could produce, two of the eleven wines chosen to represent California's best were from the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The Wineries 

Drinking wine is an experience that involves many factors. In addition to the color, the smell, and the taste, a little history about the winery and the winemaker adds to the enjoyment. The thirty-five wineries referred to in this series, each producing wine in the twenty to forty-dollar range, are located in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California.       

With the help of June Smith, one of the original owners of the Roudon-Smith winery, seven wineries were chosen for the first book. We included wineries that had small to medium production and owners who were colorful individuals.  So in Murder Before the Bell the owners had a variety of careers including a river guide, a hardware engineer, a golf  course developer, a grocery store owner, a communication technology specialist and as a lawyer.  This model has been  used to select the wineries for the remaining four books.  The information comes from talking with the owners, the winemakers, or knowledgeable employees at the wineries or when that is not possible, interviews at their tasting rooms

Before we list the wineries in the series, one final word about the selection of the wines for the food pairings is in order.  Carrie Bradshaw in a Sex and the City episode talks of the za-za-zoo. It is her opinion that relationships won't work without this magical quality and when it comes to wine, I agree. The experts look for hints of fruits and spices in the wine and analyze the balance and the body. Rick looks for the za-za-zoo. You don't need to analyze a great wine to just enjoy it.

The wines can be purchased from the winery websites or from the Vinocruz Website at www.vinocruz.com

The Wineries and the Wines featured in the Series

 Information about the wineries and the owners can be found at the end of each mystery.

Murder Before The Bell 

River Run Vintners Cote D' Aromas

Burrell School Syrah

Nicholson’s Pinot Noir

Naumann's Tre Rosso Cali

Downhill Winery’s Susannah’s Barbera

Villa del Monte's Cabernet Sauvignon

Loma Prieta Merlot                                                                                                                                            

        The Fishy Chips 

Santa Cruz Mountain Durif

Thomas Fogarty Pinot Noir

Salamandre Coyote Cuvée

Fernwood Mirepoix

Hunter Hill Zinfandel

Alfaro’s Billy K Merlot

Kathryn Kennedy Lateral

The Winning Certificate 

Travieso Winery's Amaranta

Hallcrest Pinot Noir

Soquel Vineyards Trinity

Vine Hill Zinfandel

Silver Mountain Winery's Alloy

Martin Ranch Grenache

Cooper-Garrod Cabernet Franc

Death In The Science Classroom 

Woodside Vineyards Kings Mountain Cabernet

Clos LaChance Syrah

Poetic Cellars Mourvedre

Roudon-Smith Duet

Big Basin's Pinot Noir

Roudon-Smith Claret

Zayante Merlot

Beauregard's Late Harvest Zinfandel

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Death of a Foster Child 

Pelican Ranch Cinsault

Windy Oaks Pinot Noir

Rexford's Pinot Gris

Odonata Malbec

Mun's Pinot Noir Rose

Myka Cellar's CFM

MJA Winery's Rose                                                                                                                                        

                                        

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