Greetings, from my side of the universe! You would have to be without a soul to have been immune to the emotional effects of the most recent tragedies and current state of our world in the past several weeks, months and heck, the entire year. One of the most tried and true methods to help heal that soul, is FOOD, and good food at that. Food nourishes, heals, warms and comforts and cooking is insanely therapeutic. A compilation of many different things that, once put together, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Sincerest of apologies that I took a mini hiatus from my cooking emails. It has warmed my soul and made this tired mama’s heart smile to get your texts, emails and DM’s letting me know you were waiting for more, and how much you enjoyed getting these recipes to make for your loved ones. Who knew anyone was even listening???
I wish I could tell you that I was too busy jet-setting between the Bahamas, Cotswolds and Amalfi...but let’s face it...you know exactly where I’ve been. Between a couple of health scares (everything is fine but ongoing) rescuing a new, older pup (they forgot to mention he was double the expected age and DEAF (yes...DEAF)) and just really...trying to figure out our “new normal”...there just weren’t enough hours in the day between work and adulting to compose these fun recipe emails. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve still been cooking up a storm, both with old favorites and new experiments, but I just wanted to breathe...sip...and enjoy and not make work out of it. I like to be in a good mind-set when I sit down to compose these snippets of happy. Cooking is my therapy and I just needed to roll with throwing ingredients together for a minute (or two) and not keeping track. With that being said, I am so pumped because I have so many fun and exciting new concoctions, and still some old, comfy, warm-blanket type of yummy dishes to spill out to you over the next several months. I’ll try to keep the dishes (and the content) light and airy, since the majority of us are suffering infernal temperatures that will only continue to rise. However, I still have some fun, healthy(ish) comfort dishes to roll out too that will nourish and help heal whatever ails you.
This one foots that bill in every sense...this isn’t just a recipe, it is a cherished memory. This meal was originally “thrown” together by our dear family in Sonoma, whom we love and miss madly. Lorna and David are some of the best damn chefs we have had the pleasure of breaking bread with...and this was a 12am meal thrown together in order to soak up one too many (but thoroughly enjoyed) glasses of wine after a Boys & Girls Club charity event in Sonoma County.
If any of you out there are reading this that know them, you can attest to the beautiful food and wine marathon that is a “meal” with that crew. Every dinner party is structured around maximizing the love and social interaction with friends and family…and everyone has a hand in the process. No one eats for free. It is truly a beautiful symphonic production of ‘you chop this’, ‘you whisk that’, ‘don’t just stand there…get to chiffonade-ing!’ …and one of my all-time favorite turns in the evening ’Hey you! Grab your wine and come outside with me to grill the meat…”. Lorna and David’s dinner parties, are, for lack of a cringe-worthy word…EPIC and unforgettable. When you are there, even if it is for the first time, you are FAMILY. The meals are designed with one thought in mind…to show you that you are loved. Oh…and you are lucky to get out of there alive at 2am.
Every time I make this, meal we are transported back to such a simple, happy and loving time where we were solving the world’s problems one sip at a time with hours of carefree laughter into the wee hours of the morning by candlelight. A night well-spent with people whom we love more than life itself. No masks, no hand sanitizer, definitely no social distancing; if anything probably too many invasions of personal space, close talking and snorty giggles. Picture fancy dresses, yummy cologne and heels tossed aside with soles propped up, hurting from dancing too much. Great wine, even better food and company that is truly paramount. Tears in my eyes as I type.
I often feel that when someone cooks for you, it tastes a thousand times better than had you cooked it yourself. Cooking is DEFINITELY a love language; I really think it’s the love that is sprinkled in throughout the process. A special sort of magic that can only be replicated if truly from the heart. Keep that in mind the next time you “throw” together something for those that you love. Something as simple as this dish can truly be spectacular. From my heart to yours...
Cin Cin!!!
Sayre
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Owner, MARKET
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Owner, MARKET
WINE AND CHAMPAGNE PAIRING:
I've said it before, and I will say it again-if you like red wine with chicken, drink it. If you want white wine with your steak, go on and get sippin'. For you "reddies" out there, I of course recommend this dish with my all-time fave, Le Bruciate Brunello di Montalcino, but our Hubert Brochard Sancerre (for your white lovers out there) is truly a beautiful wine with a smooth finish. And of course, bubbles go with EVERYTHING, any my new personal favorite is Laurent Perrier Brut and would be BEAUTIFUL with this dish and balance it out nicely.
***TASTING NOTES ARE AFTER THE RECIPE***
As always, you can get these at MARKET, and we have a ton of other yummy whites, reds or bubbles and will deliver to your front door, or you can come to the shop since we are now open Tuesday-Saturday 11-3! Curbside pickup is also an option if you prefer. We LOVE to chat and help you choose the perfect bottle so please, do not hesitate to reach out.
Scroll down for an updated list of our champagne, wine and cider or click this link to head to our portfolio on our website. We are out delivering daily, and will get you anything that tickles your fancy if you don't see what you love on our list. Just let us know!
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Lorna + David's Easy Chicken Sausage & Peppers Pasta
From our Kitchen to Your Home
By Sayre Schwiering
Lorna + David's Chicken Sausage and Peppers Pasta
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 18-20 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 18-20 Minutes
- 1 Bottle of your favorite wine
- 1 Wine Glass (or 2 if you are feeling frisky)
- 1 Package of mild or hot organic chicken sausage, squeezed out of it’s casing (if it isn’t already crumbled)
- 1 Red pepper, diced
- 1 Green pepper, diced
- 1 Large, white onion, diced
- 5 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
- ¼ Cup of good white wine (whatever’s open)
- 2 Tbsp of GOOD olive oil (using quality olive oil is KEY in any recipe)
- Parmesan cheese, grated, to your liking (the more the merrier)
- 1 package of your favorite pasta (I prefer a fat noodle)(yes…I’m being serious)
- Red pepper flakes (if you want some heat)
- **WINE TIP: Cook with wine that YOU LIKE TO DRINK. Don’t save wine that you don’t like, or keep wine that has gone past it’s prime. Rotten wine in your recipes is no bueno. Be sure to cook with wine you love or like, believe me-it makes all the difference in the world. Just remember-if you don’t like to drink it, you are NOT going to like it in your food.
PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS
(TIME-SAVING TIP: can take less time if you want to prep the veggies the day before and put in an airtight container in the fridge overnight)-Open whichever bottle you have selected as your victim. Open, pour some sips, take some sips. Breathe…enjoy it. Take a moment of gratitude. Then begin cooking.
-Take a large pot of salted water and bring to a simmer for the pasta.
-In a large skillet or pan with high sides, add olive oil. Add a small sprinkling of garlic and onion, just to season the pan and get the goodness going. Nothing smells better than onions and garlic sautéing…just saying)
-Sauté the crumbled up sausage, on medium heat, being sure to not let it stick to the pan. Add white wine, to deglaze and get some of the brown bits up as you go. (About 10 minutes). Add salt and pepper.
-Take some sips. Get excited for what you are making, and how easy it is.
-While you are cooking the rest of the dish, bring water up to a boil, and add the pasta.
-Add onions and peppers to the large pan, cook until veggies are nice and translucent (about 5 minutes).
-Cook the pasta only long enough so that it isn’t fully cooked…you will add everything together for a couple of minutes in the end to do the final cooking. (around 7-8 minutes) Prior to draining pasta, add 2 ladle-fulls of the starchy pasta water to the sausage and veggie mixture. Stir to combine. Taste, and add more salt if needed. (If you opted for red pepper flakes, sprinkle some in here…)
-Take another sip of wine.
-Drain pasta, then add pasta to the sausage and pepper mixture. Stir together on low heat so the flavors can meld together for 2-4 minutes. Add in 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese (adjust to your liking) prior to serving.
Enjoy!
With much LOVE-Cin Cin!
-Sayre
xxx
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(SAYRE'S FAVE PICK/Breakfast Wine)
Le Bruciate Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2013
Producer: Canneta Le Bruciate
Region: Brunello di Montalcino, Italy
Varietal: Sangiovese
Tasting Notes: This offers aromas of plum, tangerine peel and a hint of hay. The palate offers prune, vanilla and star anise alongside firm tannins that lead to a strong finish. This is Sayre's favorite wine!
(Sayre's New Fave Champagne!!!! We also have splits)
LAURENT-PERRIER LA CUVET BRUT
Le Bruciate Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2013
Producer: Canneta Le Bruciate
Region: Brunello di Montalcino, Italy
Varietal: Sangiovese
Tasting Notes: This offers aromas of plum, tangerine peel and a hint of hay. The palate offers prune, vanilla and star anise alongside firm tannins that lead to a strong finish. This is Sayre's favorite wine!
(Sayre's New Fave Champagne!!!! We also have splits)
LAURENT-PERRIER LA CUVET BRUT
Region: France
Varietal: Chardonnay (over 50%), Pinot Noir (over 30%), and rounded out with Meunier
Tasting Notes: Pale gold in colour. Fine bubbles feed a persistent mousse. A delicate nose with hints of fresh citrus and white flowers. The wine’s complexity is expressed in successive notes like vine peach and white fruits notes. A perfect balance between freshness and delicacy with fruity flavours very present on the finish. Description provided by Laurent-Perrier
Food Pairings: This fresh and pure wine is perfect for an apéritif. Its citrus and white fruits notes and its remarkable balance supported by a subtle effervescence, make it an ideal accompaniment to poultry and the finest fish.
HUBERT BROCHARD SANCERRE 2019 FRANCE
Sancerre, Loire, France- Sancerre, Loire - This Sauvignon Blanc is full of zesty grapefruit flavors that mingle with crisp pear and mineral. Floral and elegant, dry & fruity- grown on 3 soils of clay, limestone and flint. All of the flavors are wonderfully balanced by ample acidity making this perfect for most seafood and chicken dishes.
(Sayre's other Breakfast Wine)
ROMBAUER CHARDONNAY 2018 - CARNEROS, CA
Enticing aromas of vanilla, peach and mango are layered with apricots, creme brulee, butter and a slight minerality. Those scents are echoed as flavors on the creamy, rich palate, along with peach, pie crust and baking spices. The long, smooth finish is marked by mouthwatering acidity.
Varietal: Chardonnay (over 50%), Pinot Noir (over 30%), and rounded out with Meunier
Tasting Notes: Pale gold in colour. Fine bubbles feed a persistent mousse. A delicate nose with hints of fresh citrus and white flowers. The wine’s complexity is expressed in successive notes like vine peach and white fruits notes. A perfect balance between freshness and delicacy with fruity flavours very present on the finish. Description provided by Laurent-Perrier
Food Pairings: This fresh and pure wine is perfect for an apéritif. Its citrus and white fruits notes and its remarkable balance supported by a subtle effervescence, make it an ideal accompaniment to poultry and the finest fish.
HUBERT BROCHARD SANCERRE 2019 FRANCE
Sancerre, Loire, France- Sancerre, Loire - This Sauvignon Blanc is full of zesty grapefruit flavors that mingle with crisp pear and mineral. Floral and elegant, dry & fruity- grown on 3 soils of clay, limestone and flint. All of the flavors are wonderfully balanced by ample acidity making this perfect for most seafood and chicken dishes.
(Sayre's other Breakfast Wine)
ROMBAUER CHARDONNAY 2018 - CARNEROS, CA
Enticing aromas of vanilla, peach and mango are layered with apricots, creme brulee, butter and a slight minerality. Those scents are echoed as flavors on the creamy, rich palate, along with peach, pie crust and baking spices. The long, smooth finish is marked by mouthwatering acidity.
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