Wine Garden? What is a Wine Garden? And why would it grow in Vegas?

We’ve been fortunate this summer.  We didn’t see triple digits until the middle of June which (I guess) meant that the garden I try to grow each year actually grew! Coupled with an unusually high humidity, my perpetually brown and wilted thumb has actually been green!

“Great, Irene. You’ve got a tomato. So?”

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The original post was going to be titled, “I Made Demi Glace. Now What?” but I didn’t want to appear like I was too much of a plebe.  But that was my dilemma; I had made this gorgeous Demi Glace (Read about it Here on MirePoix Vegas) and didn’t have a clue as what to do with this beautiful gelatinous masterpiece.  All I knew was that when I tasted it, my eyes rolled back into my head and I emoted “Sacre Bleu!”  Whatever that means.

I searched the ‘Net for recipes because my Julia Child Cookbook was just a little too much for a weeknight.  I found this wonderful recipe for a more-or-less weeknight Bordelaise sauce at Angela’s Food Love and oh my! Shallots, thyme, a bay leaf and about a half bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon (in this case, a 2007 Opolo Cab), rapidly reduced to mere teaspoons and quickly sieved, was the start.  A few quivering tablespoons of the Demi Glace, gently simmered and finished with a generous pat of unsalted butter – which turned it into silk – before being poured over a piece of pan-seared, oven-finished rib eye.

Now this is where the “I Get It” part comes in.  Asparagus (quickly sautéed in butter with a squeeze of fresh lemon seems to banish of the wine/asparagus problem), some crusty French bread, and a glass of Cabernet made up the remainder of my simple meal.

Ahhh!

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It was Sunday night, and I was a little tired after spending all afternoon at the Orleans casino with my cousin Byron, watching the LVMPD K-9 Trials .  It was fabulous, by the way, and gave me hope for the future of Jake, my own personal wannabe K-9 Belgian Malinois.  I say this as I watch him romping around the living room, throwing a squeaky cow in the air.  Oh well.

While a part of me wanted to stop at a restaurant, preferably a local place, the part of me that said “get home before you fall down” was more insistent, so that’s what I did.  I grabbed a few items from Whole Foods and hurried home.

One of the items I grabbed was some ground lamb.  I figured that lamb and wine were a no-brainer as far as classic matches were concerned, and I had nothing to lose.  I picked up a few veggies, including kale, beets, and grapes (okay. not a veggie), and decided to throw something together at home.

If I want ground beef at home, I purchase it in solid hunks or pieces and grind it in my own grinder (thanks Rod!), and don’t give it another thought. This is the first time I purchased ground lamb, and immediately discovered that it was very sticky from the naturally-occurring fat. So what to do? Add more fat!  EVOO to the rescue!

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Lamb *is* a red meat, isn’t it?

Good. Let’s start.

I had to ask because generally speaking, lamb goes great with a variety of red wines.  Depending upon the preparation, lamb pairs well with Pinot Noir, Syrah, Cabernet, Merlot, and Malbec.  When these wines are well made, they can be a marriage (“made in heaven”) with lamb.

Well, maybe not Cabernet, which, in my opinion, is a wine made with a moo.  But I digress.

The reason this is important is because I decided to try lamb chops with Rosé.  What?!?

The lamb chops were prepared simply because I wanted to try them with the pink.  Generally, lamb will easily overwhelm the lighter, more delicate structure of a Rosé wine.  This lamb was from New Zealand, which has a slightly stronger, more gamy flavor than American lamb.

Some people think that’s a bad thing.  I don’t.

When lamb – like most animals that are a part of our food chain in America – is “finished” with grain, it diminishes the natural, distinctive flavor. Lamb tastes like beef tastes like pork tastes like turkey…you get the drift.  As an example, venison is now being farm-raised, and therefore, it can be presumed, grain finished.  Wave good-bye to the luscious, natural wild venison flavor! Let’s go for American Bland!

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While recuperating from even relatively minor surgery is, by design, ridiculously boring, it’s necessary so that one can do stuff afterward. And because there’s a lot of stuff that I want to do, I’m following doctor’s orders to the “T.” Mostly.

These long hot summer days have spurred my creativity in the kitchen. I’ve been living on fruits and veggies and other summer foods almost exclusively. Because there’s such a (cheap) abundance, I’ve gotten a little creative with some of the foods, and searched for and made up some recipes to enjoy that are Vegas-heat friendly.

On Wednesday, for example, to celebrate the one week anniversary of my knee surgery, I braised a small brisket with caramelized onions, garlic, celery, allspice, carrots, and red wine. For my summer veggie dish, I made an amazing kale salad of fresh kale (of course), chopped white onion, parsley, diced fresh tomatoes, fresh lemon juice, EVOO, fresh pressed garlic, and toasted pine nuts. Thanks to Whole Foods for the recipe inspiration.  As an aside, when I pan toasted the pine nuts, I toasted them just a little too much which added a slight bacon-y flavor! Summer fresh and filling, the salad was the perfect accompaniment to the brisket and pasta dinner. Accompanying this meal was a generous glass of 2003 Parker Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. Perfect for a summer evening.

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