Chef jojo vasquez’s perfect pairing
Date night dinner for two
Cozy up with your favorite person and enjoy an intimate dinner at home featuring our new release of The Vineyard House 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon. Cooking together always brings a connection to the table. A little prep goes a long way when you bring everything together and toast to an evening coupled with flavors that sing.
Bon appetite!
RECIPES
GREEN GODDESS SALAD
INGREDIENTS
6 oz Romaine, chopped head
2 oz Cucumber, small dice
1 oz Red onion, sliced
1 oz Celery , small dice
5 ea Cherry tomato, quartered
2 oz Chickpeas, drained/ rinsed
2 oz Feta cheese, crumbled
Garnish Crispy won ton, store bought
1 cup Packed fresh green herbs, chopped
½ cup Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
4 T Mayo
2 T Lime juice
3 Garlic cloves, minced
To Taste Salt & Pepper
DIRECTIONS
1. In a food processor, add yogurt and chopped green herbs. Process until smooth about 1 minute scraping down the mix as needed to incorporate all ingredients
2. Add the remaining ingredients and process for a few seconds
3. Taste and finish with appropriate seasoning. Add a splash of water if you want to thin out the dressing
4. Transfer to a container and refrigerate. Shelf life for 1 week. Many uses for this recipe; as a dip for crudité, sandwich spread, entree sauce for chicken/ fish, etc.
PAIRING MENU
GRILLED LAMB CHOPS
INGREDIENTS
8 chops Rack of Lamb, Cut into Chops
To Taste Oil, Salt & Pepper as Rub for Lamb
4 oz Oyster Mushrooms, Shredded
2 oz Red Bell Pepper, Julienned
2 oz Onion, Julienned
DIRECTIONS
1. Slice the lamb rack straight down into chops, have the back of the rack face you so you can see the chime bone. You will be able to avoid bones and slice individual chops.
2. Season with salt, pepper and your favorite spice mix then drizzle the chops with EVOO.
3. Grill is on at medium heat. And cook on each side for about 3 minutes, rest the chops for 2 minutes before you are ready to serve.
4. Meanwhile, in a sauté pan. Add oil and bring to high heat. Add mushrooms first and cook to achieve color, add a touch more oil if the pan is dry then add the onions and bell peppers to sauté for another minute. Season and add some chopped herbs if you like. Reserve warm.
I suggest having all components for the entree ready first so the cookery of the lamb is done last, and you are ready to plate up everything for the Date night dinner!
HERB LEMON QUINOA
INGREDIENTS
½ C Quinoa, Rinsed
3 T Onion, Minced
1 T Garlic, Minced
1 C Chicken Stock
Garnish Chopped Parlsey
2 T Lemon Juice
To Taste Salt & Pepper
DIRECTIONS
1. Per my package directions; I rinsed the quinoa and made a batch using ½ C dry quinoa to 1 C hot liquid to cook.
2. In a saucepan, add EVOO to coat the bottom of the pan. Add minced onion, garlic and sauté until fragrant.
3. Add quinoa and lightly toast, then cover with chicken stock and bring to a boil
4. Reduce to a simmer and cover with lid. Cook for 15 min
5. Remove the lid, stir cooked quinoa and check that all liquid is absorbed
6. Fold in lemon juice, chopped herbs and season accordingly. Reserve warm.
POMGRANATE GASTRIQUE
INGREDIENTS
½ C Sugar
¼ C Water
¼ C Red Wine Vinegar
½ C Pomegranate Juice
Dash Salt
DIRECTIONS
1. In a saucepot, add sugar and bring to med-high heat, do not touch
2. As soon as some of the sugar starts to liquify slowly swirl pot around to caramel starts to catch on. You can also use a high heat rubber spatula. About 5 minutes.
3. Manage your heat, lower the heat as caramel is starting to form there is a lot of residual heat in a pot. DO NOT go past a medium brown color (Darker color will lead to burnt sugar) and DO NOT touch caramel with bare fingers; it is like hot lava!
4. Add vinegar and stir; you will notice that some sugar will seize up and harden. This can be cooked down back into liquid form.
5. Still on medium-high heat, add pomegranate juice and stir while reducing for about 3 min. Remove from heat and add a touch of salt to balance the flavors. Reserve warm.
6. Transfer sauce to a jar with a lid and cool at room temperature. This has a longer shelf life of about a month in your fridge.
ICE CREAM SUNDAE
INGREDIENTS
Pint Vanilla Ice Cream (or any flavor!)
1 C Strawberries, Cleaned & Quartered
2 T Sugar
1 Lime Zest
1 T Lime Juice
1 T Honey
1 C Semi-Sweet Chocolate
3 T Refined Coconut Oil
Dash Vanilla Extract
Dash Salt
Garnish Pistachios, Chopped
Garnish Mint
DIRECTIONS
1. Add strawberries, sugar, lime zest, and lime juice to a bowl, toss together to incorporate the flavors and refrigerate for 1 hour. Toss often to coat evenly.
2. Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, add all ingredients and warm at 30 seconds at a time until fully incorporated, mix with a spoon.
3. Rest at room temperature before you use the sauce. Shelf life at room temperature for 2 weeks, best kept in a sealed jar.
4. If the sauce solidifies, repeat the microwave heating process until smooth.
5. Add honey to the strawberry mixture to thicken the sauce.
6. To use magic shell, scoop ice cream and place in a bowl. Pour the sauce directly over the cold ice cream, garnish with the pistachios right away and watch the magic of the sauce hardening. Fun to crack the shell and enjoy this frozen treat!
