Cooking Chat

"I made a huge batch of this for a church gathering. Put a few loaves of crusty rustic bread next to it. They could not stop eating it!"

Glad to see Roberta and her church friends enjoyed our short rib ragu recipe! Definitely one to keep in mind as we head into comfort food season. Recipe and wine pairing details here:

https://cookingchatfood.com/short-rib-ragu/

From last night’s cooking - adding red lentils to the Tuscan kale, cooking in the skillet with plenty of garlic. We were remaking our Tuscan Kale Pasta recipe, which we’ve just posted with a few recipe tweaks to incorporate some feedback and further testing.

A good way to use the Tuscan kale we got in our latest Family Dinner local food delivery!

https://cookingchatfood.com/tuscan-kale-pasta/

I came across a recipe for pickle soup in the latest edition of . That reminded me of how much we liked the pickle soup featured in an dinner several years ago, especially paired with their beer.

After several attempts to create my own version of a Polish Dill Pickle Soup recipe, I eventually nailed it! Even though we are both big pickle fans, Jodi and I were pretty skeptical about the concept of pickle soup at the outset. I'd encourage you to save this and give it a try as we head into soup season!

https://cookingchatfood.com/polish-dill-pickle-soup/

Enjoyed a great start to Hispanic Heritage Month by attending the wine dinner at Inn at Hastings Park featuring a Spanish-inspired menu highlighting seasonal produce from Lexington Community Farm and wines from Bodega Numanthia.

We learned about Bodega Numanthia and the Toro region where it is located. The winery was founded by a family with roots in Rioja, who set out to bring some of that region’s techniques to making high-quality wines. All of the wines we tasted were old vine Tinta de Toro, the local name for Tempranillo.

I’d say my favorite pairing was the Beef Cheek Empanada, paired with the 2022 Numanthia Termes. The way the robust red paired with the dish and the salsa verde topping reminded me of pairings I enjoyed in Spain earlier this year, featuring simple preparation of great ingredients with well-made wine.

Speaking of great wine, the 2016 Numanthia Termanthia is a powerful yet elegant red wine. Definitely shows the potential of wines from this region.

I also enjoyed learning more about Hispanic cultural traditions from Inn owner Trisha Pérez Kennealy, who is originally from Puerto Rico. She was in Mexico for the celebrations last year at this time and noted that the night of 9/15, the date of our dinner, kicks off Mexican Independence Day, the big day actually celebrated in Mexico, not Cinco de Mayo.

The evening served as a nice reminder of how a good meal brings a community together. In fact, I went with a good friend, and we wound up meeting two couples there and found we had a lot in common.

I had a glass of Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards Chardonnay out at dinner last night, always a good choice! Reminded me of some good Sonoma-Cutrer pairings we've done at home, and the podcast episode we did with their senior winemaker.

This combo of Steak with Shiitake Mushrooms paired with the Les Plus Haut is definitely a good one! You can get the recipe here on Cooking Chat, as well as a link to the podcast interview.

https://cookingchatfood.com/steak-with-shiitake-mushrooms/

Our Asian Grilled Pork Tenderloin is a tasty option for a Labor Day meal! Delicious served with some Brussels Sprouts and a Pinot Noir.

Get all the details on Cooking Chat:
https://cookingchatfood.com/asian-grilled-pork-tenderloin/

Labor Day weekend is a great time to do some grilling as summer winds down. I put together 65+ recipes to help you plan: steak, pork, chicken, seafood, veggies, even a couple of drinks and desserts. Most are from here on Cooking Chat, with a bunch of great additions from fellow food bloggers. Visit Cooking Chat to browse them all and pick your weekend menu.

https://cookingchatfood.com/grilling-recipes-for-labor-day-weekend/

"This recipe is a keeper!" one reader said about our Everyday Pasta Sauce with Ground Beef and Chickpeas. We agree - and made it again last night!

This recipes uses just a modest amount of beef, with the chickpeas bringing a healthy heft to the dish. Last night we used some fresh tomatoes on hand along with a smaller amount of canned tomatoes.

Get the recipe and wine pairing ideas on Cooking Chat.
https://cookingchatfood.com/pasta-sauce-ground-beef/

We've been working on perfecting our Air Fryer Pork Chops recipe. Today, we are sharing the juicy results!

For a delicious, easy meal in under 20 minutes, you've got to give this one a try! And it gets even better, served with a good red wine and a tasty BBQ sauce. We feature the recipe with the 2022 Dry Creek Vineyard Spencer's Hill Petite Sirah, an elegant version of this bold red wine grape. Delicious pairing!

Get the easy recipe along with wine pairing details on Cooking Chat.

https://cookingchatfood.com/air-fryer-boneless-pork-chops/

We headed to A Tavola to celebrate our anniversary the other night. I appreciate the fresh, local food and the warm hospitality!

An heirloom tomato salad with a glass of Prosecco was a nice way to start. I went for a pasta dish with halibut; Pinot Bianco from the Alto Adige was a good pairing.

Speaking of pairings, the Amaro recommended by our server was great with the dessert we ordered, a creative take on s’mores.

It so happened that Nouvelle Maison has their Thursday wine tasting next door, with our friend Susan L. Santos pouring some excellent Burgundies. So we stopped in for a little taste of some French wine before enjoying the all-Italian lineup at the restaurant!