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1969 Chappellet – The Greatest Cabernet Ever Made in America?

I had a profound, 38-year-old wine at dinner last night. It was harvested the year of Woodstock. 1969. That’s a long time ago.

And if you can believe it, it was an American wine.

And if you can believe it one more time, it was the best American Cabernet Sauvignon that I have ever had.

The wine: The 1969 Chappellet Cabernet.
The wine maker: Philip Togni.
The occasion: our 34th anniversary.
The dinner: Served with grilled, butterflied leg of lamb, with side dishes of roasted Yukon gold potatoes, sautéed broccoli rabe, and roasted yellow beets.

I first discovered the existence of this magical elixir two years ago, reading a commentary penned by Robert Parker Jr., the world’s most influential wine critic. Here’s what he said about the 1969 Chappellet:

I want to acknowledge a wine Philip Togni produced early in his career at Chappellet, the 1969 Cabernet Sauvignon. Recently, one of my dearest friends, Dr. Jay Miller, was feting his 60th birthday, and brought a bottle of this wine along with a collection of profound museum pieces.

Togni’s ‘69 may be one of the greatest California Cabernet Sauvignons I have ever tasted.

Every bottle I have had seems to get better and better. This 36-year-old wine tastes like a 14- or 15-year-old adolescent except for the extraordinary soaring aromatics of crème de cassis, spice box, incense, and cedar. In the mouth, it’s gorgeously fresh, full-bodied, super-concentrated, and revealing no signs of age. It is both a monument to California Cabernet Sauvignon and an homage to a feisty British-born winemaker who continues to turn out some of the world’s most interesting wines.

I made several end runs on Philip Togni and the Chappellet family to buy a bottle at any price, figuring that as a serious wine writer, I should have, at least once in my life, a chance to experience this Cabernet zenith, to taste “one of the greatest California Cabernet Sauvignons” that Robert Parker Jr. has ever tasted. I mean, this guy tastes a lot of wine. If this wine stands out in his mind like a California red wood in a briar patch – I want to experience it!

In my opinion, British-born Philip Togni is one of the top winemakers in California, and by extension, in America. (Hate to be Napacentric, but that’s just the way it goes.) Having studied enology at Bordeaux and Montpelier, Philip made wine in Beaujolais, Alsace and even Algeria before landing on his feet at Chateau Lascombes, a Margaux grand cru vineyard in Bordeaux.

Having come to Napa Valley by way of Chile, Philip made a series of sensational wines at Mayacamas, Inglenook, Sterling, and Chalone. In 1968, Philip became winemaker at Chappellet, which is where our story resumes.

After reading Parker’s notes two years ago, I called Philip at his eponymous winery on Spring Mountain, about 6 miles north of, and 2000 feet above, St. Helena. Having interviewed Philip many times before, and having bought his wine every year for the past 15 years, it was an easy call.

“Philip, do you have any of the 1969 Chappellet in your own cellar? I am prepared to buy a bottle at any price. Or consider this: Carol and I would welcome you and your family to dinner in our home and we will open any wine in our cellar in exchange for your bringing the 1969 Chappellet, which we will open and enjoy with you.”

He said no, but he let me down gently. He used two words when he could have been curt and used one: “No deal.”

“I have the wine in my cellar, but it is too rare and I will not sell a single bottle,” Philip explained.

A few months later, I tried an end-run on the Togni household, speaking to Birgitta, Philip’s wife. I pleaded with her to sell a bottle.

“1969 was our daughter Lisa’s birth year (she helps Philip make wine these years) and we take a bottle out of our last remaining case each year on her birthday. We cannot justify selling a bottle,” said Birgitta.

I asked her how the 1969 was drinking. This was two years ago.

In her lyrical accent: “Like a baby! You can’t really imagine, Jim, how young this wine tastes. It’s still young – like a recent vintage! It easily can mature another 25 or 35 years!” Which only made me want to taste this elusive Cabernet even more.

So then I turned to the Chappellet clan to see if I might wrest a bottle from their library. Chappellet, which, early on, was called “the most remarkable wine cathedral of the modern world,” by British wine writer Hugh Johnson, is located on the east side of Napa Valley, on a promontory called Pritchard Hill. It was here, in 1969, that Philip made his best-ever wine and that of Chappellet.

So I made end-runs on the Chappellet family, trying to secure a bottle.

Donn, the patriarch, said No.

Mollie, his ever-accommodating wife, said No.

Even his jovial and always pleasant son, Cyril, said No.

I was starting to feel the frustration. I checked my best wine sources, in New York, Sonoma, London. I checked auction houses. I asked local winemaker friends to dig deep into their cellars to see if any one of them had a bottle for trade, for dollars, for sharing, for this story.

In the end, I failed to secure a bottle.

But never underestimate the power of a woman. Especially my wife, Carol, who knew that I so badly wanted to taste this wine. She made it a point in her own life to secure a bottle for my 60th birthday last year.

Some how, some way, for some reason, she was able to get Cyril Chappellet to part with a bottle of this very rare and prized wine from his personal cellar. I do not know the terms of this trade and I hesitate to ask what they were!

I was given the wine last summer on my 60th birthday, surrounded by our children and Carol and was so overwhelmed by the extravagance and originality of this gift, that I actually broke into tears. The family had caught me completely off-guard, unprepared for a gift of this stature and rarity.

And so, you are thinking to yourself, “let’s get to the good stuff. What about the wine? Was it any good at 38 years of age?”

Well, without intending to plagiarize Birgitta Togni, but fully doing so, all I can say is, “It’s still a baby!”

I opened and decanted the wine an hour before grilling the leg of lamb. It perfumed our Grand Room (with many of the doors and windows fully open!) with purplish aromas of cassis and black currant (which one expects from a Bordeaux Cab, but rarely from a New World Cab). If anything, the aroma reminded me of a serious, and seriously old, St. Estephe (Bordeaux appellation) red.

The color of the wine was dark and inky red; the color of Plantagenet Kings’ robes. Impressive and commanding respect.

On the nose, the wine possessed a complex array of top notes – near-currant scents mellowed with unctuous forest notes.

On the first sip, I knew I was tasting History. And probably the best American Cabernet that I have ever had. The wine possessed a gorgeous, focused core of black currant fruit, diffused with herbs, cedar, reddish, almost rusty fruit, briar, cinnamon and old barrel flavors. This was not just a stunning wine; this was a stunningly young wine! In a blind tasting, you would never guess that it was 38-years-old. Or that it was American.

One of the reasons you would be fooled into thinking this was a French Cabernet-based wine: there was none of that scratch-your-eyes-out high alcohol and forward fruit that are the hallmarks of young Napa Valley Cabs. In fact, the alcohol level of the Chappellet was a refreshingly low 12%!

One of the more impressive qualities of this wine was its texture. Wine writers rarely comment on this, probably because so few wines, especially young wines on which they mostly comment, have anything textural to write home about. But this old Chappellet had a palpable texture. With every swallow, there were soft, lush, warm tannins coating your cheeks. The wine left a sort of footprint with each sip.

Throughout the course of dinner, the decanted wine just got better. The flavors suffused, warped into new layers of complexity and on every swallow there was a sweet, broad and expansive textural element; it was like drinking velour.

From the technical side, it is worth noting that 1969 was a great year for grapes in Napa Valley, probably the best harvest since World War II. But how many great wines were made that year? How many are still being cellared and treasured? And how many opened today would reveal the nuances, complexity and youthfulness that Philip Togni’s 1969 Chappellet did last night? If they’re out there, I don’t know what they are or who owns them. If you find out, drop me a line.

A post script, ten days later: I drove up Spring Mountain this afternoon to pick up my allotment of 2004 Togni Cabs, which I had purchased last year. It's one of my favorite annual pilgrimages each spring -- to drive up Spring Mountain to see the Togni family, pick up their newly released wines and taste, from barrel, what will be offered as the next vintage release in September.

I mentioned to Philip that I had tasted his 1969 Chappellet achievement only two weeks ago and he added some valuable commentary:

"We produced 17 barrels of Cabernet that year. This made about 400 cases in total. I don't suppose many of these bottles are left. Most people probably toted them off to barbecues early on in the wine's life."

Philip also had a telling comment on the youth of the vines that produced the 1969 Chappellet Cab: "The vines, planted in 1964, were only five years old when we made this wine. So it's rather an atypical wine -- we always expect the big, long-lasting wines to be made with old vine fruit, not from vines so young."

Rather curiously, according to Philip, the vines were suffering from leaf roll virus in 1969. "It was the last year that they produced magnificent fruit. Each successive year -- 1970, 1971, 1972 -- the vines produced less concentrated fruit and by the mid 70s they had to be ripped out."

I asked Philip: Of all the wines that he has made since 1969, which vintage under his own label might have close to the ageing potential of the 1969 Chappellet? "The 1991 Togni Cabernet. It's odd that this wine might also have a 40-year life expectancy, given that it contains 15 percent Merlot. But it is such a balanced wine that it may actually give the Chappellet a run for its money!"

Now that's a race at which I'd like to be around to judge!

10 Reasons I LOVE Napa Valley

The best way to determine what's really meaningful to you where you live is to play this game: pretend you are moving out of your community to a town far away. Ask yourself, "What are the things I would miss most if I moved away?" This will help identify your favorite reasons for living where you live.

Drum roll, please.... these are the Top Ten Reasons I love living in Napa Valley (in no particular order)... the things that I would miss most, if I moved away.

1. Mustards Grill.

I've often told Cindy Pawlcyn, owner of Mustards Grill, in Yountville, that I want to write a book titled: "Is Mustards Grill the Best Restaurant in America?"
For one thing, this would ignite a firestorm of controversy among foodies, who would argue that they can name other restaurants more deserving, etc. But I have reviewed restaurants professionally for many years and believe there is justification to call Mustards Grill "The Best Damn Restaurant in America. Period."
Without question, Alice Waters runs "the most important restaurant" in the US (Chez Panisse), and Thomas Keller runs "the two most prestigious restaurants" in the nation (The French Laundry, in Yountville, and Per Se, in New York), but Cindy has, for 24 years, run a consistent, and consistently tasty, diner, turning out grilled dishes of sublime pleasure.
Mustards' pulled pork sandwich with Cindy's famous "OOOEEE!" sauce is worth a 300-mile detour. I have never had a better hanger steak served anywhere. And before they started to tear the Romaine leaves in Mustard's Caesar Salad, it was the best version of it in Napa Valley. Today, that title -- Best Casear Salad -- is shared by two local eatieries, Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen, in St. Helena and Bistro Don Giovanni.
Other DON'T MISS dishes at Mustards include: the dazzling Crispy Calamari Slaw appetizer, the pork chop, which has been on the menu since Day One, and the grilled rabbit and polenta entree. I get goosebumps thinking about this dish, which Cindy once tried to take off the menu but locals hollard so loudly that she was forced to bring it back!
I have eaten at Mustards since it opened, surpassing 400 times, maybe 500 times, and it is as good now as it has ever been. If I were to move away from Napa Valley, I would miss my regular visits. I love table 36 and my advice to you is NOT to fight me for it if we show up on the same night -- because I will win! Carol and I love the staff here -- they are like Family. Which is how they make us feel. But in truth, they make everyone feel this way; even first-timers leave feeling sated, exuberant and happy. (This is also a true-ism at Bistro Don Giovanni... see below.). Mustards Grill is located just north of the town of Yountville, off Hwy 29. The actual address is 7399 St. Helena Hwy. (Hwy. 29). Tel: 707-944-2424.

2. Bistro Don Giovanni.
There is something magical about this restaurant; does it serve the best Italian food you will ever find in a restaurant? No. Is the pasta ethereally light and homemade? No. But there is something about the room, the service, and the intensity of flavors that make me as happy as I can ever be at a table. It is the reason that we chose to spend our 30th anniversary at Bistro Don Giovanni. We could have spent it anywhere in the world, but Napa Valley is our demi-Paradise and for sheer giddy pleasure, you can't have more fun at a restaurant than at Don Gio.
The wine list is large, as are the portions, and the Caesar Salad here is still, after a decade, tied for tops in the valley.
Without exaggeration, I have eaten here well more than 300 times, and still eagerly await my next visit.
On occasion, they serve the best burger in the valley, and often, we roll our eyes in orgasmic appreciation at the perfectly grilled whole fish of the day, boned tableside by the trained, always spirited, wait staff. And one more thing -- the fig and caramelized onion pizza is a seasonal showstopper appetizer that makes me long for fig season. In fact, I am more moved to tears of joy by the anticipation of eating this pizza than I am by the anticipated achievement of Barry Bonds who may break Hank Aaron's home run record.
The restaurant is located at 4110 Howard Ln., just off Hwy. 29, in Napa. Tel: 707-224-3300.

3. No Parking Meters.
Napa Valley is about 30 miles long and three miles wide. The biggest town, Napa, has a population closing in on 100,000. The next biggest towns are St. Helena, Calistoga and Yountville -- and no where, not in one of these towns, is there a parking meter. This alone is enough of a reason to live here. Talk about cutting out urban stress; we live in wine country amidst several of the greatest restaurants in America and can drive to them and park FREE everywhere with a two-hour limit. Can you imagine an urbane world without parking meters? (Don't imagine it for too long -- we don't have space for you and your family to move to Napa Valley!)

4. Pain au Levain Bread at the Model Bakery, St. Helena.
I used to think that the best bread in the United States was the Pain au Levain made by Acme Bakery, in Berkeley. It was. Until Model Bakery, owned and operated by the mother-daughter team of Karen and Sarah Mitchell, came along and started producing a version of this lightly soured, oversized, crusty, golden bread. (PS: The secret to keep one of these fresh breads fresh is to take it out of the paper bag immediately upon getting it home; wrap the bread in a clean tea towel and store it in a cool part of your kitchen. A bread wrapped like this can last up to a week without gettng hard or stale. Cut off slices as you need them, but then rewrap the bread to keep it from staling.) The Model Bakery is at 1357 Main St., St. Helena. Tel: 707-963-8192.

5. Sunshine Market, St. Helena.
How does one small, 10,000 square-foot food store cram in so much great stuff?
We are SO very lucky to have the family-run Sunshine Market in our lives in Napa Valley. It's like having Balducci's, Dean & DeLuca, a knowledgeable wine merchant and a convenience store all rolled into one. The Smith family does a sensational job of catering to the locals' tastes; fish, meats, cheese, produce -- and really esoteric stuff. The wine section is as good, if not better, than what you will find in many metropolitan wine stores in this country. They have $5 wines and $225 wines, labels that you will recognize and brands that are unknown. Last week, I discovered a half-case of 1970 port that was, in all fairness, perfectly priced with what I have been seeing on the internet. I make a point of telling friends visiting the valley to stop at Sunshine because it is a unique treasure to Napa Valley. There are many, many wineries and a lot of restaurants but there is only one Sunshine. Sunshine Market is at 1115 Main Street, St. Helena. Tel:
707-963-7070.

6. Robert Mondavi.
If it weren't for Bob, I wouldn't live in Napa Valley. In May, 1980, while food editor and restaurant critic of Canada's largest newspaper, The Toronto Star (really one of the top five largest newspapers in North America), I was invited to attend one of Bob's heralded Great Chefs of France Cooking School classes; he had invited Jean Troisgros, one of the planet's greatest chefs (from Roanne, France), to cook and teach for three days at the Robert Mondavi Winery. I attended as a paying guest. (The Star never accepted freebies; if a story was worth covering, the Star paid the price to maintain editorial integrity. For five years, I traveled around the world in search of great food, great stories, and great chefs and ALWAYS the Star paid in full.) Even though I had been a foreign correspondent in Africa and had traveled around the globe making films, when I landed in Napa Valley, I KNEW intuitively that I would one day live here. HAD to live here. For the first time in my life, I had found a place that resonated so deeply within me that I knew I HAD to live out the rest of my life in this place. If it weren't for Bob Mondavi, and the exceptional lengths to which he went to introduce me to the culture, wine and the food of this valley, I would be living elsewhere. Thank you, Bob. You are proof that one man can fully alter the expectations, visions and life of another
person.

7. Cameo Cinema, St. Helena.

If there is a more charming, more intimate, more alluring theater in America, I can't imagine what it would look like. 10 seats?
The Cameo, owned and operated by Charlotte Wagner (of Caymus Vineyards fame), is a 104-seat cinema that shows artsy, contemporary films for a week at a time. The seats are covered in red-wine velours, and the back two rows are love seats so that you can really cozy up to your date. Going to the first-run shows with dinner to follow is one of the highlights of the week. No line-ups, no hassles.
The Cameo is in the two-block stretch of Main St., which constitutes most of downtown of St. Helena. The actual address is 1340 Main St., St. Helena. Tel: 707-963-9779.

8. Walks in the vineyard with Linus.

Carol, Linus (a Golden Doodle) and I are often joined by our good friend Wendy and her Golden Doodle, Bailey, for our five- to nine-mile walks through the vineyards surrounding our home. We traipse past the most famous, certainly the first, vineyard in America, called To Kalon (Greek for highest beauty), named and planted in 1868 by Napa wine pioneer H. W. Crabb and we talk about life while the dogs chase rabbits up and down the rows of vines, exhausting themselves and never bringing anything home other than a good case of exhaustion.
These walks, the fresh air, the Big Sky, are among my most pleasurable moments in Napa Valley. They are joyous, simple, and rejuvenate the spirit the way a two-week trip to Provence might do. But all we have to do is walk out the door to experience this calming, warm and sunny Nirvana.

9. Home-grown, organic heirloom tomatoes.
From mid-August through mid-December, we harvest five to seven pounds of Carol's organic heirloom tomatoes EVERY DAY. We fenced off a 1,000-square-foot garden where Carol works her magic, making plants produce prodigious amounts of dinner greens. The heirloom tomatoes tower over Carol at 9-feet, providing a rainbow of tasty, colored tomatoes -- purple Cherokees, green-striped tomatoes (which are screamin' green when perfectly ripe), and mottled red-orange tomatoes that are large enough to be used as doorstops, but juicy and tasty on the inside.

10. The porch.
There is something calming, centering, comforting about sitting on a covered porch and watching the world roll by. We sit on ours and watch hummingbirds suck the sweet nectar out of vintage rhododendron blossoms; in the morning, we sip espressos on the porch and watch a flotilla of hot air balloons ascend from Yountville.
A good day starts as a "five-balloon morning," or an "eight-balloon morning," giving some hint of the sweetness of the air and intensity of the blue sky that day. My best day ever was a "13-balloon morning."
To sit on the porch and watch the hot air balloons silently float over head brings the same inner focus as a meditation session at a holy ashram.

Springtime means tulips

Springtime means tulips
Originally uploaded by napaman.

Visited friends in Vancouver, BC, last weekend. They had a gorgeous arrangement of tulips on their kitchen table.
I hopped up on a chair and shot them from above, then filtered out
extraneous details...

Big Skies, Napa Valley

Big Skies, Napa Valley
Originally uploaded by napaman.

Another glorious few days in Napa Valley.... big sky... big dreams... big wines!

I didn't make this up -- this is really how it looks!

I didn't make this up -- really how it looks!
Originally uploaded by napaman.

A glorious zebra-esque, flower, caught suntanning on a warm April morning in Napa Valley.

VYA - “ The Stephen Colbert of Vermouth"

VYA looks like the mangled abbreviation of a US state, or maybe the name of a Russian airline, but it is, in fact, the name of a trendy, small-batch vermouth that turns martinis into magical moments. At home, we call VYA "the Stephen Colbert of vermouth" - it has edge and personality and takes over all conversation.

VYA is the brainchild of Andrew Quady, eponymous owner of Quady Winery in Madera, CA, 23 miles north of Fresno, in the state's Central Valley.

Fashionable restaurants in the Bay-area are starting to serve this flavorful vermouth on the rocks by itself. The really smart ones are starting to use it as the flavor-upper for superior tasting vodka, or gin, martinis.

Restaurants in San Francisco using VYA to make heady cocktails include, One Market, the Park Hyatt Hotel,, Clement Street Bar & Grill, according to VYA producer Andrew Quady.

In the Bay-area, Poggio in Sausalito, Piazza's in San Mateo, Cafe Society and Mudds in San Ramon, the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, and JoJo in Oakland also make cocktails with VYA, according to Quady. We personally introduced Press restaurant, in St. Helena, to VYA and they now make one of the best gin martinis in the Bay-area, blessing 209 (gin) with a whisper of VYA.

Vermouth is an old European aperitif, originally enjoyed on its own before meals to stimulate the appetite; over time, the beverage was commercialized, industrialized, trivialized, becoming what it is today - an afterthought, used mostly to flavor vodka or gin martinis. Most of the commercial vermouths found on grocery shelves and in bars today are industrial; if anything, they detract from a martini, don't add to it.

Many nights of testing (tough work - but someone's got to do it) reval that it is the vermouth and not the vodka, or gin, that adds flavor and complexity to a well-shaken martini. And when you use VYA as the vermouth, you really have the tail wagging the dog.

VYA is special for two reasons. Quady winemaker Michael Blaylock makes the beverage with flavorful housemade wines, not industrial swill. Orange Muscat and Colombard grapes are the base for Quady’s extra-dry vermouth.

The second thing that makes the vermouth unique: Quady and Blaylock climb into the Sierra foothills to grab aromatic botanicals that will be used to flavor the vermouth. The list of botanicals used in VYA is a trade secret, but this much I learned in conversations with Quady: The extra-dry version is flavored mostly with the uppermost parts of aromatic plants, flowers and leaves. The idea is to get flavors that give the drinker the impression of springtime in the mountains.

While Angelica, Orris & Linden sounds like an old-monied San Francisco law firm, these are three of the exotic botanicals that Quady adds to his extra-dry vermouth. As well, he adds a dash of lavender, elecampane and don't forget some galangal.

Over the next few months, Quady hopes to get government approval to add a few other plants to his extra-dry vermouth. Seeds taken from shrubs in the Sierras have been planted at the winery. "We hope to add leaves from an annual shrub in the Goosefoot family (Chenopodium Botris) and some from a plant in the Monardella family, a sort of mint," says Quady.

For his sweet vermouth, Quady collects seeds, bark, roots, and the skins of bitter Seville Orange, as well as nettle and thistle flowers to give the red beverage a warm, tingly feeling in the mouth. The base for the sweet vermouth Quady-made Orange Muscat and Port.

To add depth to his sweet vermouth, Quady hopes to add the flowers of an aromatic called Pearly Everlasting to the mix. He says he found a strain of this plant in the Sierras that would add a hint of curry to the complexity of the finished beverage.

VYA has such rich aromatics that it actually can be enjoyed on its own over rocks. In effect, you can dispense dispensing the vodka! When you do mix it with vodka, stand back - you'll have your best ever, best tasting martini.

I conducted a series of informal taste tests for family and friends in my home, pouring different vermouths with a popular vodka, Grey Goose, that was constant in every cocktail. Only the vermouths kept changing.

The experiment confirmed my spirits hypothesis: as vodka is largely neutral in taste, flavors in the vermouth are hyper-critical to the overall taste and complexity of your martini. When you start out with VYA, you have a huge taste advantage over Martini & Rossi, or Ponti, brand vermouths.

It turns out that the sheerest vapor of vermouth can radically alter the taste of a (mostly) neutral tasting vodka. Contrary to what you've been conditioned to think by vodka producers, it's not the vodka that's critical to the success of your martini, it's actually the vermouth!

With spring starting to sprout in Napa Valley, Quady suggests serving his favorite spring/summer drink, a mixture of his two vermouths. Mix together two-thirds parts VYA extra-dry and one-third part VYA sweet vermouth. "Serve chilled over rocks with a twist of orange peel," says Quady, who affectionately calls the drink "the VYA French Kiss."

Andrew Quady and his bride, Laurel, landed in Amador County in the early 70s, escaping the clutches of southern California where they had pursued pyrotechnic and merchandising careers. Bitten by the wine bug, Andrew enrolled at UC Davis and, upon graduating, at the insistence of friend Darrel Corti, got into the wine-making business. The rest, as they say, is history. And a flavorful one at that, indeed. Quady has been producing some of the state's most flavorful dessert and port wines for 30 years.

It is not easy to find VYA in corner wine stores, possibly because production is so limited (only a few hundred cases of the dry vermouth are produced each year). The best place to get VYA: the winery. Call 800-733-8068 or go to www.quadywinery.com. Get a bottle for yourself and a couple for friends - VYA makes a unique hostess gift.

Tasting room at Quady Winery

Label of VYA Vermouth

Andrew and Laurel Quady

Carol's Wine-country Kitchen: Pasta e Fagioli

This traditional Italian pasta and bean soup is so hearty that I usually serve it as a main dish at dinner. I usually save the rinds of Parmigiano Reggiano (wrap them in plastic wrap and store them in the fridge) and when I make Italian soups, like this one, I add a piece of rind to the pot. It adds a wonderful flavor.

Serve this rustic dish with lots of crusty bread and a salad of mixed greens. And keep the recipe on hand as everyone will ask you for it!

3 tbsp good-quality olive oil
Pinch dried red pepper flakes (or to taste)
4 or 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 onions, chopped
6 or 7 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 large cans (each 28 oz) plum tomatoes
6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (if using canned, look for low-sodium)
1 tbsp fresh chopped oregano or 2 tsp dried (or to taste)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Rind of a piece of Parmigiano Reggiano (optional)
2 cans (each about 16 oz) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (check ingredient list on can to make sure sugar has not been added)
3 cans (each about 16 oz) chick peas, rinsed and drained (check ingredient list to make sure sugar has not been added)
3/4 lb small pasta, such as macaroni (I like DeCecco or Latini)
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until hot. Add red pepper flakes, garlic, onions and carrots and cook, stirring, until onions are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir frequently and adjust heat as required to prevent onions from burning.

Add tomatoes and their liquid and chicken stock. Season with oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Add rind of cheese, if using. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 30 to 40 minutes. Stir periodically and break up tomatoes with a wooden spoon.

Stir in beans and heat gently until mixture is hot. Then, using an immersion blender or food processor, coarsely puree about half of the mixture to thicken. (After you make this a few times, you’ll start to know how thick you like the mixture to be. You may prefer not to puree it at all, but the final product will
not be as thick.) Taste and adjust seasoning.

Shortly before serving, add pasta to mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring often to prevent pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook until pasta is tender but still firm. Ladle mixture into large, shallow soup bowls. Top each serving with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with lots of crusty bread.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Suggested wine:
Napa Valley Syrah would make a perfect complement to this earthy, savory dish.
-– Jim White

Carol's Wine-country Kitchen: Roasted Red Onions

This is one of my all-time-favorite side dishes. Every time I serve it, guests ask for the recipe. Even friends who think they don’t like onions fall in love with this dish. Serve with meat, fish or poultry. Or even with vegetarian meals. There’s nothing it doesn’t go with. As well, you can serve it hot out of the oven or at room temperature. Or, if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, put one or two wedges – right out of the fridge -- on a piece of crusty bread that’s been coated with Dijon mustard. You won’t believe how good it is!

Note: I only use 1 tablespoon of oil to make this dish, which serves 6 to 8 people. This is not a typo! Too many recipes call for excessive amounts of oil. I’m crazy about good olive oil, but not when food is
swimming in it! Too little oil isn’t good either. The answer lies somewhere in the middle and sometimes you have to do a little experimenting to figure out where that midpoint is. As well, always buy the best oil you can find. If you’re not sure what oils to buy, go to a good specialty store and ask for recommendations. Some stores even permit you to taste the oils they sell. Before long you’ll start to get a sense of what you like and what complements your style of cooking.

6 to 8 large red onions
1 tbsp good-quality olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup (approx.) balsamic vinegar

Peel onions. Trim tops off, but leave root ends intact. Slice onions in half vertically through root. Cut each half into quarters, cutting through root so onion wedges hold together. Place wedges in large bowl. Add oil and toss gently with hands until all pieces are coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange onion wedges in single layer in large shallow baking dish. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Seal well with aluminum foil.

Place onions in 450F oven for about 40 minutes. Then remove foil and continue roasting until onions are soft and juices have caramelized, about 5 to 10 minutes or longer. Check periodically to make sure onions don’t burn. They should be cooked just until lightly charred around the edges. (If pan liquid evaporates before onions are finished cooking, add a little water to the pan.)

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Wine suggestion:
As this is not a proper entrée, or main dish, it is hard, if not incorrect, to suggest a pairing wine. Carol often serves this dish as an accompaniment to her stunning farmhouse roasted chicken, or with her show-stopping beef brisket. They in turn have their own wine suggestions, which you will find affixed to her other recipes.
-- Jim White

Carol's Wine-country Kitchen: Sunday Roast Chicken

This is one of the most popular dishes in our home (I often serve it to company, but it also makes frequent appearances on Sunday, when family comes to visit, hence the name). I usually buy one 4- to 5-pound chicken for 3 to 4 people. Any leftover meat or bones can be used to make stock the next day. Always start with fresh, top-quality chickens, preferably from a specialty meat market. Although you can use any type of salt for cooking, I usually prefer coarse salt and experiment with different kinds all the time. For most cooking, I use either kosher salt or one of the “wet” sea salts that are now available at many specialty food stores.

1 whole chicken (about 4 to 5 pounds)
Handful of fresh rosemary sprigs
Handful of fresh thyme sprigs
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 whole lemon
Extra sprigs of rosemary and thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil

Clean chicken inside and out with wet paper towel and pat dry. Season cavity with salt and pepper to taste. Carefully slide your hand under the breast skin, starting at the top, and gently separate skin from breast meat, being careful not to tear the skin.

Remove the rosemary leaves (needles) from 4 or 5 of the stems and finely chop. Then remove thyme leaves from 5 or 6 sprigs and finely chop. Mix herbs together. Add about 1/2 teaspoon salt and several turns of your pepper grinder to the herbs. Using your hands, stuff some or all of herb mixture under the breast skin.

Rub chicken all over with olive oil. Cut lemon in half and stuff both halves into cavity along with the extra herb sprigs. Truss chicken with string.

Arrange chicken on its side on rack in shallow roasting pan and roast in 400F oven about 5 minutes; then turn chicken onto other side and continue roasting 5 more minutes. Then turn chicken onto its back and roast for about 60 to 75 minutes or longer, until chicken is done; test for doneness by piercing thigh with the tip of a sharp knife: when juices run clear, chicken is cooked. Be sure not to overcook. (Remember, the chicken will continue cooking for a while after you remove it from the oven.) Remove from oven and let sit for about 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

Carve into serving pieces and arrange on platter. Serve with boiled new potatoes and sautéed greens.

Makes about 4 servings.

Wine suggestion:
This is one of our most comforting comfort meals. Carol makes the chicken and then usually adds four or five side dishes to accompany it; among the most popular side dishes are her Tuscan Beans, Caramelized Red Onions, Boiled new Potatoes with herbs, and Braised Leeks. To accompany these dishes and the chicken, I usually prefer a mature wine, something that has lost its oaky top notes, something not strident or shouting; try a five- to seven-year-old Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, or a four-year-old Pinot Noir. A stunning match!
-- Jim White

Carol's Wine-country Kitchen: Fettuccine with Leeks, Carrots & Thyme

On nights when we need a break from meat and heavy protein dinners, I often make this delicious pasta dish. As well, I only make this when I have rich-flavored chicken stock on hand, because good stock is essential to this dish. Serve with roasted acorn squash and a salad of mixed greens. And, of course,
plenty of crusty bread to soak up any liquid remaining in the bottom of your pasta bowl.

1 to 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
scant 1/8 tsp dried red pepper flakes
4 to 6 leeks, white and light-green part only, halved lengthwise, then cut in 1/2-inch slices
3 or 4 slender carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced; or cut in julienne strips
2 cups (approx.) rich-flavored chicken stock
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb fettuccine or pappardelle

In a sauté pan over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant; do not brown. Add leeks and carrots and continue cooking, stirring often, until leaks are tender. Add chicken stock, thyme half the parsley and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, bring large pot of water to boil. Add salt (about 2 tbsp for a 5- to 6- quart pot) pasta and cook until tender but firm. Drain very well and add pasta to leek mixture, tossing well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve in individual, heated pasta bowls. Sprinkle each portion with remaining parsley.

Makes 3 or 4 servings.

Wine suggestion:
Enjoy this dish with a Pinot Noir, a Zinfandel, a juicy Merlot or a stainless-steel- fermented Sauvignon Blanc. This pasta dish requires a “pretty, little wine,” not a big monster, or high-alcohol bruiser.
–- Jim White

Carol's Wine-country Kitchen: The Ultimate Beef Daube

Beef daube is a classic French beef stew made with wine, vegetables and herbs and slowly braised until the beef is meltingly tender and the stewpot is tantalizingly fragrant! I usually use beef chuck or round, as it can withstand long cooking and still remain in tact. For marinating, I like to use a spicy or peppery young red wine; often I choose a Cotes-du-Rhone from the southern Rhone Valley to honor the origins of the dish. If I am trying to buy American, I opt for a spicy Zinfandel or Petite Sirah. For the best results, start this dish two or three days ahead and reheat before serving. I usually serve daube in large shallow soup or
pasta bowls, either on its own or over wide noodles. Offer lots of crusty bread to soak up the sauce and follow with a salad of mixed greens.

5 lb good-quality stewing beef (chuck or round), cut in
2-inch cubes
Coarse salt
Good handful fresh sprigs of thyme
Good handful fresh sprigs of Italian parsley
4 bay leaves
6 thin strips of orange rind (about 2 or 3 inches by 1/2 inch)
1 bottle dry, hearty red wine (such as Cotes-du-Rhone, Zinfandel or Petite Sirah)
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
6 oz slab bacon or salt pork, cut in small pieces
2 cups (approx.) beef stock, preferably homemade
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
5 or 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
2 tsp fennel seeds
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 carrots, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch rounds
1/2 cup green olives, such as picholine (optional)
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Wipe the beef with a damp paper towel and pat dry. Place in a large glass or stainless-steel bowl and season all over with salt. Make a bouquet using half the thyme, half the parsley, 2 bay leaves and 3
strips of orange rind. Tie the bundle with kitchen string and add to the bowl. Then add wine, cover with plastic wrap and let marinate 6 to 8 hours or overnight. (If you are marinating this in a cool room, you can keep the bowl out on the counter for several hours; otherwise, marinate in the fridge.) Stir from time to time.

A day before you intend to serve this dish, drain meat by transferring to strainer set over another bowl. Reserve marinade. (If desired, strain marinade through a linen or cotton tea towel set
inside your strainer.) Dry the meat by patting it with paper towel and set aside.

In a heavy stewpot or soup pot, heat olive oil until hot. Add bacon or salt pork and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Discard bacon. (If there is an excess of fat in the pan, pour a little of
it out.) Add beef and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until browned all over. (It may take as long as 10 minutes to brown beef thoroughly. Do not crowd pan or beef will not brown properly; if
necessary, brown beef in batches.) Return all beef to pot and add reserved wine marinade, 1 cup of
beef stock, onions and garlic. Tie together remaining thyme, parsley, bay leaves and orange rind and add to pot along with fennel seeds.

Add salt and pepper to taste and bring to boil, stirring up browned bits from bottom of pan. Reduce heat and cook, partially covered, for about 1 hour, stirring often. Add carrots and continue cooking for about 1 hour longer or until meat and carrots are tender. Add more beef stock as required. Turn off heat and let daube cool to room temperature. Refrigerate overnight.

Allow to warm to room temperature before reheating. Then add olives, if using, and reheat over low heat. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve in shallow bowls with a sprinkling of parsley over each serving.

Makes about 6 servings.

Wine suggestion:
The wines that you might use to prepare this dish are the same wines you might consider to serve with it. Why not try a stylish Zinfandel or Petite Syrah?
–- Jim White

Carol's Wine-country Kitchen: Oven-Broiled Salmon Fillets with Thyme & Lemon Zest

This delicious salmon dish is ridiculously quick and easy to make. For best results, buy your salmon the same day you intend to cook it.

I highly recommend buying fish from a specialty fish store where you can be sure of getting fresh, high-quality fish. I usually ask for the center cut, which is the thickest part of the fish. And make sure the salmon is completely scaled. There's nothing more frustrating than finding fish scales all over your work surface!

If you purchase your fillets early in the day, take them out of the store-wrapped package, wipe with a damp cloth and then pat dry. (Do not run fillets under running water as this tends to make the fillets watery, dulling the flavor.) Place salmon on a plate, sprinkle lighly with salt and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Then refrigerate until an hour or so before you start preparing dinner.

I like cooking salmon under the broiler, but you can also cook this on an outdoor grill. Just make sure your grill is hot enough that the salmon cooks quickly and doesn't dry out.

4 center-cut salmon fillets, skin on, each about 6-7 oz
Good-quality olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Grated or finely chopped rind of one lemon
A handful of fresh sprigs of thyme, leaves removed and finely chopped

About 30 minutes before cooking, rub salmon fillets all over with a little olive oil and place skin side down on a flat plate. While rubbing with oil, take note of whether there are any remaining bones. If so, carefully remove with a tweezers or cherry pitter, being careful not to damage the flesh. Season with salt and coarsely ground pepper to taste. Then sprinkle lightly with lemon rind and thyme. Let rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes or longer.

Preheat broiler. Arrange fillets skin side down on lightly oiled broiler pan and place about 4 inches below broiler element. Broil for about 8 to 10 minutes or until salmon is just barely cooked in the center; do not overcook.

Arrange fillets on serving plate and serve with boiled new potatoes, sautéed greens and a salad of mixed greens.

Makes 4 servings.

Wine Suggestion:
Pinot Noir is THE red wine of choice with broiled, or grilled, salmon in our home. We love Pinot Noir with salmon more than any white wine. These days, we're particularly fond of the Pinots from the Willamette Valley, Oregon. With three or four years of bottle age, these wines are heavenly.
-- Jim White

Carol's Wine-country Kitchen: Fettuccine with Caramelized Radicchio, Lemon Juice & Pecorino Romano Cheese

This delicious dish is quick and easy to make. If you don’t have lemon on hand, you can substitute balsamic vinegar. As well, you can grate the cheese yourself and serve it in a bowl or pass around a large wedge of cheese with a hand grater and let your guests grate their own over the pasta. Serve with a mixed green salad and crusty bread.

3 to 4 medium heads radicchio (about 1-1/2 to 2 pounds)
2 to 3 tbsp good-quality olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1 lb fettuccine
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup or more Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Slice radicchio heads in half vertically, then place flat-side down on cutting board and slice crosswise into
thin strips. Place in strainer and rinse well; let dry and set aside.

In large sauté pan, heat oil. Add onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add radicchio
and salt and pepper to taste and continue cooking, stirring often, until radicchio is wilted and starting to
caramelize, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Add lemon juice to taste (you might want to add a little more or less, depending on the tartness and
juiciness of the lemon) and parsley. Stir well and turn off heat. (Don’t cook more than a few seconds after
adding the lemon or the lemon will lose its fresh flavor.)

Meanwhile, in large pot of rapidly boiling salted water, cook pasta until tender but firm. Drain well, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Place pasta in large pasta bowl. Add radicchio mixture and toss well. If mixture is a bit dry, add some of the reserved pasta cooking water and toss again. Sprinkle
with parsley and grated cheese. Serve immediately.

Makes about 4 servings.


Wine suggestion:
We tend to enjoy this dish on cool or rainy nights; there is something wonderfully rustic and comforting in
the dish that helps warm one up in temperature and spirit. This dish pairs well with a bright Zinfandel or
Dolcetto. If you’re looking for a Dolcetto made in Napa Valley, we suggest you seek
out Pavi brand, a pretty wine made by our friend, Rob Lawson. -- Jim White

Carol's Wine-country Kitchen: Braised Whole Leeks

Leeks, the aristocrat of the onion family, are far more delicate in flavor than their ubiquitous cousins (onions, garlic, chives, scallions). They add great flavor to soups, stews and pasta dishes – but they’re also delicious braised whole and served alongside roast chicken, grilled fish or beef dishes. I like to serve them on an oval platter, with the leeks lined up in single file and drizzled with the thickened juices remaining in the pan. Make this with amontillado sherry, which is medium-sweet. Anything dryer than that will not produce the same delectable results.

8 medium-size leeks
1 to 2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup (or more) amontillado sherry
1 cup (approx.) chicken stock, preferably homemade
Freshly ground pepper

Trim off and discard dark green tops and tough outer leaves from leeks. Cut a thin slice from the root end. Slit down one side of each leek, about halfway through, to within 1 inch of base. Place under cold running water, fanning out leaves, to remove grit. Drain thoroughly.

In sauté pan just large enough to hold leeks in one layer, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add leeks and cook, turning often, until leeks start to brown in a few spots, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Pour in sherry, turn heat to high, and continue cooking for about 1 minute longer. Then pour in chicken stock (use enough chicken stock so liquid comes a little over halfway up sides of leeks) and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until leeks are tender, about 10 to 20 minutes. (Check frequently and turn leeks from time to time. The braising time varies with the diameter and age of the leeks.) If a lot of liquid remains in pan, remove cover and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until sauce is slightly thickened and syrupy. Season with freshly ground pepper to taste.

Arrange leeks on an oval or rectangular serving plate, spoon some of the pan liquid on top and sprinkle with a little more coarsely ground pepper.

Makes 4 servings.


Jim White's notes:
One of Carol’s cooking hallmarks is to serve many side dishes with a generous serving of grilled fish, or roasted chicken. Many nights, even for the two of us dining by ourselves, she will make four or five side dishes.

One of her side dishes that has gained notoriety is Braised Whole Leeks. Many guests claim on seeing them, “Oh, I really don’t like leeks,” or “I’ve never seen them served this way.” These are the same guests who ALWAYS ask for seconds and the recipe!

The secret in the leeks’ appeal is a generous splash of just-sweet-enough sherry.

Carol's Wine-country Kitchen: Boiled New Potatoes with Fresh herbs

Everyone in my family loves potatoes – although we do have varying opinions on what constitutes the perfect potato dish. For me, this is unequivocally my favorite potato dish and I serve it often. I do, however, vary the herb mix. For those occasions when I don’t have fresh herbs on hand, I simply use finely chopped lemon zest and coarsely ground pepper. Or if you only have a few sprigs of parsley in the fridge, this works well too.

I have more success with brown-skinned rather than red-skinned new potatoes so that’s what I usually buy. If Yukon Gold or other yellow-fleshed potatoes are available, I opt for these.

Here’s a trick that’ll simplify mealtime preparations. When preparing boiled potatoes, bring them to a boil about 45 to 60 minutes before you intend to serve them. Then cover the pot, let boil for a few minutes and turn off the heat. As the potatoes sit in the covered pot, they continue to cook and by the time you’re ready to serve them, they should be tender. (Check the potatoes along the way. If they’re still a bit firm as you get closer to mealtime, bring them to a boil a second time, turn off heat and let them continue sitting for a few minutes until done.)

About 25 to 30 small new potatoes (about 1 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter)
Salt
Butter
1 to 2 tbsp Chopped fresh herbs: thyme, lemon thyme, summer savory, chives, tarragon, Italian parsley or a mixture
1 tbsp finely chopped lemon zest (optional)
Freshly ground pepper

Scrub potatoes and place in saucepan. Add cold water to cover and season with salt to taste. (Potatoes need salt to bring out their flavor, so don’t be too shy with the salt.) Bring to boil, reduce heat and cook, partially covered, until tender. (If time permits, bring to boil about an hour ahead of time, as described in the introduction.)

Drain water from pot and return pot to burner. Place on low heat and gently shake pot just until water has evaporated. Then add a dollop or two of butter (you don’t need a lot; just enough to lightly coat everything), chopped herbs, lemon zest, if using, and salt and pepper to taste. Place cover on pot and carefully and gently turn pot upside down, then upside right a few times until potatoes are well coated.

Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Mixed Salad Greens with Blue Cheese

In summer, I grow a variety of salad greens and fill a basket with assorted leaves in the late afternoon, when the temperature starts to cool. But you can also buy superb salad mixes at your local farmers’
market, where there are usually numerous excellent assortments, most of which are organic. As well, many grocery stores have good produce sections and often carry organic salad mixes.

A word of caution: Salad mixes do not have a long shelf life and should be purchased on the day you intend to use them. If the salad greens in the produce section look tired, don’t buy them! Ask the produce manager if there’s anything fresher in the cooler and see if that is any better. Otherwise, see if there are any whole heads or bunches of greens that look fresh and interesting, and make your own mix. I usually choose from such varieties as frisee, endive, radicchio, arugula and watercress.

Note that I only use 1 tablespoon of oil for this recipe. I like salad that isn’t swimming in heavy dressing. And one of the things I like most about using fresh salad mixes is that they only require small amounts
of oil to coat them.

6 to 8 cups mixed fresh salad greens
1 tbsp flavor-rich extra-virgin olive oil
2 to 3 oz blue cheese (e.g., Stilton, Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Bleu d’Auvergne, Danish)
1 fresh lemon, cut in half
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Find a salad bowl that’s large enough to toss your salad without everything falling out of the bowl. Add greens to bowl. Add oil and toss gently but thoroughly until all the greens are coated. (I like a lightly
dressed salad, but if you like more oil, add a bit more.) Once the salad is evenly coated, crumble the cheese into the bowl and toss again. Then add the juice of half the lemon and taste. If you prefer more
acid, add more lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Recipes - Introduction

Carol White

Carol White, formerly, food editor of one of Canada's most widely read lifestyle magazines, is a GREAT cook. No surprise. She has spent her career editing and writing cookbooks. She also produced a weekly recipe column for Canada's largest newspaper, The Toronto Star.

Carol, who is passionate about cooking, has evolved a style of cuisine that is rich in flavor, yet low in fat; it relies on the freshest, best-quality ingredients available. Friends call her style of cooking "cuisine carolaise."

Above all, Carol's dishes are casual and simple — the quintessential wine-country fare.

Braised Beef Brisket

There are as many recipes for beef brisket as there are cooks who
make it, but this is one of my favorites. I usually start preparing this
dish about 3 to 5 days ahead of the time I plan on serving it. Get your
brisket from a good meat market. Some butchers always have briskets
available, others get them sporadically and you may need to special
order your brisket.
Serve with braised leeks or roasted red onions, roasted or mashed
potatoes and sautéed greens such as chard or cavalo nero. And be
sure to make a little more than you think you’ll need. Everyone loves
leftover brisket.

Carol White

1 beef brisket, about 6 or 7 pounds
Coarse salt (such as kosher salt or coarse sea salt)
1 tbsp good quality olive oil
1 yellow onion, cut in 6 or 8 wedges
2 carrots, peeled and chopped in 1-inch chunks
2 stalks celery, chopped in 1-inch chunks
2 leeks, halved and chopped in 1-inch slices
5 or 6 cloves garlic, left whole and unpeeled
1 bay leaf
4 cups (approx.) beef stock, heated until hot
1 bottle dry red wine, such as a peppery Cotes-du-Rhone,
simmered until reduced by half
1 can (about 28 oz) whole tomatoes, drained and coarsely
chopped
Coarsely ground pepper

Wipe beef with damp cloth and pat dry.

Using a sharp knife (a long slender knife, such as a slicing knife, works well; be careful not to cut yourself), trim off excess fat. Then wipe the brisket again with a damp cloth and pat dry.

Sprinkle generously with coarse salt all over and place in a shallow porcelain or glass casserole dish and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or for 2 to 3 days, turning the brisket every 12 hours or so.

About a day or two before you plan on serving the brisket, remove from casserole dish and place on clean surface (a stainless-steel baking sheet works well) and let get to room temperature.

In large heavy braising dish or soup or stew pot that can comfortably accommodate the brisket, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add brisket and cook until browned all over; this can take about 5 or 6 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

Drain off excess fat from pan, leaving a thin film. Add onion, carrots, celery, leeks, garlic and bay leaf to pan. Then pour in beef stock and red wine and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat until liquid is gently simmering. Stir in tomatoes and season with coarsely ground pepper. Let simmer for about 5 minutes and taste stock. Add a little salt only if it needs it.

Add brisket to pan, cover and cook for about 3 to 4 hours or until tender, turning halfway through. Check brisket regularly to make sure the liquid is not bubbling too hard. Liquid should come slightly more
than halfway up sides of brisket; meat should not be swimming in liquid.

When brisket is done, turn off heat and let cool. Then remove brisket from braising liquid and wrap well in foil. Strain liquid and refrigerate. Remove any fat that congeals at the top.

Several hours before serving, heat braising liquid in large pan. Add brisket to pan, turn once or twice to moisten meat all over, and turn off heat. Let meat sit in pan juices until shortly before serving time. Then turn heat to medium-low and heat until meat is warmed through.

Just before serving, slice brisket into 1/2-inch slices and arrange on platter. Spoon a little of the braising liquid on top and place the rest in a bowl with a spoon for passing.

Makes about 6 servings.

Wine suggestion: There’s something in brisket that brings out the Cabernet sauvage in me. I often turn to a younger California Cab to complement the meaty, upfront flavors of this dish. Though often times, we pull a 4-to-8-year-old Chateauneuf-du-Pape from the cellar to complement this brisket, one of our family’s all-time “cuisine carolaise” favorites.
--Jim White

Welcome!

Some 3 million people visit Napa Valley annually and they all have the same FAQ's: "Where should I eat?" "What wineries should I visit?" "Where do the locals hang out?"

The aim of this blog is to share What's Best in Napa Valley with friends and tourists so they can make the most of their visit. Lots about wine. And food, too. My wife, Carol, is one of the best cooks that I have ever known (and I've cooked with, and interviewed, many 3-star chefs, so I know of what I speak). Guests to our home rave about her wine country meals and, upon leaving, demand her recipes. Now you have access to them on this site; look for them under the Category Search Engine: Carol's Wine Country Recipes.

As for my credentials: I have been a professional food and wine writer for 30 years, twice named Best Food Writer in North America, (large circ newspapers). I moved to Napa Valley in 1997, figuring that if I were to continue writing about Food and Wine, I wanted to live where the Best in North America is produced and/or served.

What you'll read about here is where to eat, drink and be merry in Napa Valley. Plan to revisit often as my comments and notes will be freshened regularly.