Smoked Kuri Squash Soup

with CHESTNUT CREAM

Paired with 2015 Mineral Springs Blanc de Blancs

Soup: Yield 4 quarts

2 medium Kuri Squash (about 3# each) or 2 large Butternut squash

1⁄2 Cup maple syrup
4 Ounces butter, unsalted
2 Onions, large sliced
1 Head garlic, chopped
2 Cups dry white wine
1/2 Cup marsala wine
1⁄2 Bunch thyme and 5 bay leaves, tied with twine
3-4 Quarts chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and black pepper to taste
Minced thyme to garnish

Chestnut Cream:
8 Ounces chestnuts
2 Cups milk
2 Cups cream
1 Tablespoon salt
Peel of one orange

Set smoker to 300 degrees. Cut open squash and scoop out the seeds. Brush the squash (inside only) with maple syrup, and season with salt and pepper. Place squash in the smoker for about two hours (maybe a bit more) until bubbling and very tender. While the squash is cooking, prepare the rest of the soup. In a large Dutch oven, heat up the butter. Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown and caramelized. Be patient with this process. As the onions begin to brown, you will need to scrape the fond (brown stuff that sticks to the bottom of the pan) continuously, incorporating it back into the mixture.

Once the onions and garlic are evenly browned, deglaze with both wines, stirring to scrape the bottom of the pan. Reduce the liquid. Add in thyme bundle and cook another 3 minutes. Season generously with salt. Once the squash has come off the smoker add that to the pot, including the rind (peel), and use a wooden spoon to break it apart (note: only use the rind if you are using a Kuri squash; if you are using a butternut, scoop the flesh out and only use that part). Add enough stock to cover and simmer gently for about 20 minutes. In a Vitamix or high speed blender, blend the soup in batches until smooth and return to a clean pot. Taste for salt and set aside.

For the chestnut cream, heat your oven or smoker to 425 degrees. Score the chestnuts on the round side. (Use a paring knife to make a deep “X” in the skin). Be sure you are going deep enough, or your chestnuts could pop open during the cooking process from pressure building while they cook. Roast chestnuts for 15-20 minutes until the skin has peeled back revealing the sweet meat. Once they are cool, peel them and place them in a saucepan.

Add the milk, cream, salt and orange peel and simmer for about 45 minutes. Remove the orange peel and transfer the milk and chestnuts to a blender. Blend on high until creamy; add more cream to thin if needed. Chestnuts can be very thick and you’re looking for something the texture of an easy to spread peanut butter.

TO SERVE:
Ladle 8 ounces of warm soup into a shallow bowl. Garnish with a dollop of chestnut cream and a sprinkle of minced thyme.

Mexican Pork Chops

Paired with 2018 Mineral Springs Brut Rosé

6 Pork chops, bone-in
2 Tablespoon Salt
1 tsp. Garlic powder
I tsp. Onion powder
I tsp. Oregano, dried
1 tsp. Cumin, ground
1 tsp. Achiote paste (or paprika)
Juice of one lime
1⁄4 Cup Vegetable oil/Canola oil
1⁄2 Cup Mexican beer
1 Cup Cilantro, chopped, stems and leaves

 In a large mixing bowl combine salt, garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, achiote, lime juice, vegetable oil, beer and cilantro. Mix well. Let the mixture marinate in fridge overnight.

When ready to cook, bring to room temperature. Sear each pork chop on medium-high heat in a frying pan one at time with 3 teaspoons of oil.

Once they are all seared, add pork chops back to the pan. Add all the juices from the marinade and cook for 5 more minutes or until 160 degrees in the center.

Serve with white or Mexican rice and a green salad, and homemade tortillas.

Braised Bone-In Short Rib

WITH POTATO GNOCCHI

Paired with 2020 Mineral Springs Ranch Pinot Noir

Short Ribs:
4 # Bone-in short ribs
1 Bunch thyme
1 Head garlic, peeled, smashed
6 Bay leaves
Kosher salt
Cracked black pepper

The night before you plan to cook the short ribs, season them generously with salt and pepper, thyme, garlic and bay leaves. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2 Carrots, large dice
2 Ribs celery, large dice
1 Onion, large dice
1 bottle Dry red wine
4 quarts Beef or rich vegetable stock

Gnocchi:
Serves 4-5 for an entrée
(If you need to make more, rather than doubling the recipe, just make two batches.)

2 1⁄2 # Russet potato
3⁄4 Cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 Large egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon salt

To finish:
6 Ounces grated parmesan
1/2 Bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped

The next day, pull short ribs from the fridge. Heat a large Dutch oven on medium-high heat that will fit all your ingredients (about 12 quarts). Add a swirl of olive oil and sear the beef on both sides until golden brown (save the garlic, herbs, etc.). Next, add your mirepoix (carrot, onion, celery) and your leftover herbs and garlic from the night before into the pan and caramelize until golden brown. Deglaze with red wine (the whole bottle) and stir the bottom of the pan to scrape up any of the fond (or bits of fat, meat and veg that get stuck to the bottom). Allow the wine to bubble and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the beef, then add enough beef stock to cover the meat. Place the lid on your Dutch oven (alternatively cover in tin foil), and place in the oven for about 3-4 hours until the meat is fork tender and falling off the bone.

Once beef is tender, pull it from the braising liquid and set aside. Strain the stock and put it back on the stove to reduce, discarding all the used vegetables and herbs. Reduce your braising liquid by at least half. Taste for seasoning. Meanwhile, once the beef has cooled, pull it apart with your hands or rough chop. Add it back into the reduced stock on the stovetop and gently simmer until your pasta is ready. Taste the beef and stock, it should be richly flavored and plenty salty. If not, season again.

Now it’s time for gnocchi! Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Prick your russet potatoes with a fork and place them directly onto the oven racks. Cook for about an hour (or up to 75 minutes depending on your oven and size of the potato) until fork tender. Immediately slice open the potato and scrape out the innards. Run them through a food mill once to ensure an even texture.

Place potato innards into a metal mixing bowl and sprinkle with salt. Using a fork, mix the potato with the flour and then slowly add the egg. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface. Lightly knead the dough (it is imperative you do not over mix). Using a rolling pin, shape the dough into a rectangle and fold it over itself. You aren’t looking to flatten the dough – be sure you keep it a nice thick rectangle the whole time. Do this again, turning the dough the opposite way, as if you were folding a napkin. If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle with flour. Cover with a towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Prepare a couple of half-sized sheet trays with parchment paper, and sprinkle with flour.

Next, using a bench knife, cut off a 2-3 inch wide and 4-5-inch-long piece of dough. Use flour as you go and roll the dough into a 3⁄4” rope using your hands. A rolling pin would not work for this application. Again, with your bench knife or a utility knife cut small dumplings, about 1⁄2” wide. scoop these up and place on your prepped sheet tray. These dumplings are fragile so be careful with your dough (don’t crush it when rolling!) and do not pile them up on the tray. Repeat until all your dough are now dumplings. Transfer dumplings to a sheet tray (you may need two).

At this point, gnocchi can be frozen, then bagged and saved for a future use! When you’re ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. In small batches, boil your dumplings for about 1-2 minutes until they float, using a slotted spoon, remove them from the water and place on a clean sheet tray. Sprinkle with olive oil so they don’t stick together. Next, heat a cast iron skillet or rolled steel pan on medium high. Once the pan is hot, add olive oil to the pan and get it nice and hot.

In small batches, fry gnocchi on both sides until golden brown. Use a fish spatula (or slotted spatula) to transfer them to a warm tray (be sure to eat a few while you cool). If the gnocchi are sticking, you are either crowding the pan, the pan isn’t hot enough, or you aren’t using enough fat. They will take about 1-2 minutes on each side to achieve a crispy texture and golden-brown color so don’t rush the process. Once the dumplings are ready transfer them to a large metal bowl. Scoop warm short ribs and braising liquid into the bowl and gently toss to coat.

TO SERVE:
Serve in a shallow pasta bowl, garnish with grated parmesan and chopped parsley. Enjoy immediately!