Because I’ve had so many requests as
the weather’s become cooler........

Jack Salerno’s Beef Bourguignon:
of course, it requires an entire bottle of red wine

1 cup flour
1/8 cup Kosher sea salt
3-4 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
5 lbs boneless short ribs from Costco
3 fat carrots
2 sprigs...leaf clusters of fresh sage
4 stalks of celery
1 large yellow onion
3 thick slices apple smoked bacon
1 lb mushrooms, sliced in 1/4s
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 fresh Bay leaves
750 ml mc2 Zinfandel (or other zin)
Extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper

Now the fun: Dice all the vegetables (except mushrooms)...in medium size 1/4” to 3/8”, place in a large work bowl season it well with same seasonings you added to the flour + hit with a shot or 4 Tablespoons or so of olive oil and let set until you’re done browning the beef. Start by cutting up the beef into 1” cubes. Dump 1 cup flour into a large work bowl, add 1/8 cup Kosher salt 3 to 4 tablespoons Italian seasoning mix and a healthy shot of black pepper...mix well. Dredge beef in 5 or 6 batches as you brown in olive oil in a 14qt heavy skillet. You need to focus on the browning...don’t burn - keep an eye on the flame, this is very important...make sure to use plenty of olive oil, & don’t drown it, just brown it. As you work add already browned beef to 6 qt crock pot. Tie up the fresh herbs with cotton twine so you can fish them out later. Saute the vegetables in the skillet as soon as the beef is out, this will de-glaze pan and flavor the vegetables...add cut up bacon to the veggies; all takes about 7 min on high heat, dump on top of beef, add mushrooms, and pour 1 bottle of zin over the top. Cook on High setting for 4 hours, or Low for 8...DO NOT lift the lid! Any questions?

PS: SERVE OVER BOILED SKINLESS POTATOES DRESSED WITH ITALIAN PARSLEY AND A BIT OF EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL.
CIAO, Jack

Orecchiette Salad
with Fresh Mushrooms and White Beans
Pair with Chardonnay

8 oz Orecchiette Pasta cooked Al Dente,
rinsed under cold water to cool
1 lb sliced button Mushrooms
1 15 oz can Cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
1 cup Peas (fresh, canned or frozen-thaw)
2 oz freshly shaved Parmesan (to taste)
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
1/4-1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil-equal to lemon juice
A handful of Italian Flatleaf Parsley leaves, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

The dressing:


Whisk the Lemon Juice and Olive Oil together, season to taste with Salt & Pepper.

The salad:


Cook the pasta in a largish pot of boiling salted water. Drain, and rinse in cold water to cool (by the by, a handy way to speed things up with this dish is to have the can ‘o beans already open and the peas measured out while the pasta cooks. When the pasta goes into the colander to drain, just dump the peas and beans in too. Then you can thaw, cool, rinse, and drain everything all at once.)

In a large bowl, meanwhile, mix the Pasta, Peas, Parmesan, White Beans, and Mushrooms together. Add the dressing and Parsley to the salad and toss to coat.

Flourless Chocolate Torte
Pair with any of our Reds
especially the Syrah or the Pinot Noir

8 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
3/4 c plus 2 tbls. unsalted butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 c sugar
5 large eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 350, and butter and flour 9 in. diameter springform pan with 2 and 3/4 sides. The Torte: Melt first 3 ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan over med-low heat, stirring constantly until smooth and then pour into a large bowl and cool slightly. Add sugar and the yolks and whisk until smooth. Then, using electric mixer, beat the whites in separate large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold the whites gently into the chocolate batter in 2 additions, careful not to mix too much. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake about 40 minutes, until top is dry and begins to crack and tester inserted to center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Transfer the torte onto a cooling rack and let cool. Press down gently on top of the torte to even out the edges. Let torte stand at least two hours at room temperature before serving. This torte can be made ahead - store in the fridge.