Hot Spanish Soup

I love making soups and stews at this time of year! They seem to be "comfort food" and easy to serve with a salad, crusty bread and some wine! One of my favorites is a seafood type gazpacho that is served hot and has a "kick" to it as well. In this recipe, I use Two Amigos Chardonnay as an ingredient and also as the wine we drink while enjoying the soup. It is very easy and a great one to impress your guests! Let me know how you like it! As they say in Italy.... "Mange!"

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. pure olive oil
1/2 Cup chopped onion
2 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 Cups chopped fresh tomatoes
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 Cup Chardonnay (or more)
1 16 oz. can tomato sauce
2 Cups chicken stock
1/4 lb. Scallops
1/4 lb. Salmon chunks
1/2 lb. Prawns, shelled and deveined

Directions:

Add olive oil to a medium-hot pan (a high side saute pan or heavy 6-quart pot), then saute onion and garlic for 5 minutes; add tomatoes, cilantro, and basil, and season with chili powder, pepper flakes and salt to taste.

Add lemon juice, Chardonnay, tomato sauce and chicken stock, then simmer (uncovered) for 10 minutes.

Add scallops, salmon and prawns and cook until prawns turn color, about 4 minutes. Do not overcook.

Prep time: 60 minutes
Serves 4

To ORDER Two Amigos Chardonnay go to our order page HERE!

Guida-Guida Brownies

Greetings Fellow Sweet Toothers,

Guida-Guida, my mother, always made the best BROWNIES!!! The ingredients and the directions are simple. Everyone loves them. Over the years, I have made her recipe thousands of times...often upon request. So treat yourself...and your friends and family if you choose to share.

Here's a picture of Guida-Guida celebrating her 92nd birthday this month! She ALWAYS has room for dessert.....don't you?


Guida-Guida Brownies


















Ingredients:

1 stick of butter
2 squares of baking chocolate (1 ounce each)
1 1/4 C granulated sugar
1 C flour
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt- maybe 1/4 tsp
1 cup diced walnuts (optional but we always add them unless folks have an allergy issue)


Directions:

1. In a decent size saucepan on a low heat, melt the butter and chocolate squares. Then turn off the heat.

2. In that same pan, stir in the sugar and egg to the melted mixture. Add the vanilla and salt.

3. Slowly mix in the flour until it is all combined, and add the diced nuts.

4. Bake at 300" or 325" for 25-30 minutes in a buttered and floured 8x8" pan. Watch that you do not overcook them and be mindful that they will continue to "firm up" after you have removed them from the oven. A clean toothpick test in the center will definitely tell you if they are done, but, of course this will vary with each oven. We like them fudgy so I try to watch the cooking time.


See...easy! And they freeze really well! For a real treat, try pairing the GUIDA-GUIDA BROWNIES with any of the Two Amigos red wines or maybe the TAW Wee Moor? Remember, Guido is offering $10 shipping on ALL wine orders through the end of December 2012.....such a deal!

Check it out HERE!

Lemme know if you try the recipe. Email me you thoughts!


Holidays and Happy Sipping!

Guida

Osso Bucco Served with Two Amigos Wines 2011 Tirare il Dito

This month is all about the holidays. Nothing is better than enjoying great food and great wine with family and friends.

One of our closest friends and charter member of La Familia, Susan Barri, has offered her recipe for Osso Bucco, a traditional Milanese winter dish often served with risotto. She has quite a reputation as a culinary goddess so pay attention.

Osso Bucco Alla Milanese Recipe

Osso Bucco is an EASY traditional Milanese dish made without tomatoes so that the flavor of the Gremolata comes through. It is often served with risotto.

Ingredients:

12 Pieces veal shank, about 1 ½ “ thick

All purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

¼ Cup olive oil

4 Tbls butter

1 Garlic clove

1 Cup dry white wine

1 Bay leaf or lemon leaf

1 Pinch of allspice

1 Pinch of ground cinnamon

Gremolata:

2 Tsp grated lemon zest

6 Tbls finely chopped parsley

1 Garlic clove, finely chopped

Thin lemon wedges

Directions:

Tie each piece of veal around the middle and dust with the seasoned flour. Heat the oil, butter and garlic in a heavy saucepan such that the shanks are one layer. Brown the meat for 12-15 minutes, standing them up in a single layer. Add the wine, bayleaf, cinnamon and allspice.

Cook at a low heat for 15 minutes, then add ½ cup warm water. Continue cooking for 45 min – 1 hr, adding more water if needed. Transfer to a platter and keep warm. Discard garlic and bay leaf.

Increase the heat under the sauce pan and stir for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is thick, scraping up any bits off the bottom of the sauce pan as you stir.

To make the gremolata, mix together the lemon zest, parsley and garlic. Add the gremolata to the sauce pan.

Season with salt and pepper, if necessary, and return the veal to the sauce. Heat through and serve with lemon wedges.

This pairs very well with our Two Amigos 2011 Tirare il Dito! Syrah (69%)/Cabernet Sauvignon blend (31%):  

This elegant, full-bodied red wine is grown in the hills above Sonoma Valley where Sonoma Valley, Bennett Valley and Sonoma Mountain intersect. Both the Syrah and Cabernet are Estate grown, fermented in small lot fermentation tanks, blended right after several taste trials and then finally barreled in French Oak to create a fusion of flavors.

What to have for dessert? Hmmmm…..

Now that you have served and enjoyed tour friend’s Osso Bucco, how about some Two Amigos Wee Moor and milk chocolate…simple, yummy, easy, peezy!! The TAW Wee Moor is dessert wine made from 100% Estate grown Syrah and fortified with pure grape spirit. Belgian milk chocolate is wonderful, particularly sprinkled with almonds or walnuts.  This dessert wine pairs especially well with ANY milk chocolate product rather than dark chocolate. Guido is having a special on the Wee Moor this month. For more info, just click on HERE!

Welcome to Two Amigos Sips & Tips!

Welcome to Two Amigos Sips & Tips! We, Guida & Vita, want to share our ideas of ways to enjoy our Two Amigos Wines. We plan to share recipes, pairing suggestions, events, photos, jokes and just about anything that involves enjoying Two Amigos Wines. We always suggest that you, as the cook, sample the wine to be paired with the meal while you are cooking. Guido and Vito are forbidden from our kitchens...unless they are bearing gifts or wine while we cook.

Let us know what you think of the recipes, the pairings, your life as a kitchen goddess (or god) and of the ways you are enjoying our wines. We welcome your recipes, comments, jokes and photos as well, and invite you to bookmark this page and check in from time to time. We are planning to add at least one recipe or pairing suggestion each month. You can email us HERE!