Fig sauce for the grilled chicken breasts 〜with GSM〜

One time, we were invited for dinner by our local friends. As one of the appetizers, they served us fresh Black Mission Figs that they just had harvested in their backyard. We were so excited, and tasted them. They were deeeeeeelicious! Our friends gave some of the figs for us to take home. We thought of eating as is again, but we came up with another good idea. "Let's make some fig sauce for the grilled chicken breasts!" Oh, my goodness. This turned out to be great! Figs are not only tasty, but you can also expect a lot of health benefits. Why not to eat them, right?

Fig sauce for the grilled chicken breasts

Ingredients:

15 Black Mission Figs, cut in half

1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice (About 3 medium oranges)

2-3 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon dry thyme

1/2 teaspoon dry rosemary

A pinch of salt & black pepper

Before starting...

You can use the store-bought orange juice in the bottle, but I highly recommend squeezing the oranges at home. The freshness and sweetness from the oranges is one of the keys to make the sauce tasty. Good luck!

Directions:

1: In a medium pan, comine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low to make it simmer until the figs get soft enough to be mashed. 

2: Remove the harshness. This small effort gets rid of unpleasant flavor.

3: Mash with a masher until the sauce gets smooth enough for you. That's it!

4: Put some fig sauce on top of the grilled chicken breast seasoned with salt & black pepper. Leftover sauce could be used as jam for bread for the next few days. Please enjoy!

5: You may be surprised to hear that we recommend GSM (the red wine blended with Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre) to pair with this meal. The grilled chicken breasts that were simply seasoned with salt & black pepper might have the light taste, but the fig sauce brings the big flavor with the sweetness and earthiness. Please give it try and let us know what you think!

Thank you so much for visiting Kula Vineyards Food & Wine!

Strawberry wine jelly 〜with Grenache Blanc〜

This simple and delicious jelly makes a great dessert on a warm summer day. The beautiful aroma of Grenache Blanc and the natural sweetness of the strawberries make you want to eat more! You can make the jelly in a big bowl and spoon some in the wine glasses with mint leaves for an arrangement. Otherwise you can make the jelly in the jars and enjoy them as a picnic dessert. We hope you have wonderful summer days!

Strawberry wine jelly

Ingredients:

2 cups strawberries

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 bag gelatin (7g)

3 Tablespoons water

200ml Grenache Blanc

200ml water

3 Tablespoons sugar

5 glass jars (or wine glasses)

Directions:

1: Get the ingredients ready.

2: Cut strawberries in half or quarters if strawberries are big.

3. Put them in the bowl and mix the sugar in.

4: Pour the lemon juice in.

5: Combine the wine, water and sugar in the pan. Cook over medium heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Turn off the heat.

6: Mix the gelatin and water in a small bowl stir until dissolved. 

7: Put the gelatin mix in the pan, and stir until completely melted.

8: Place the pot on top of the ice cubes until the jelly liquid cools down. (No need to make it completely cold, but chill enough to add the liquid in the strawberries.)

9: Pour the jelly mix over the strawberries, and mix gently until the sugar is dissolved.

10: Using a spoon, divide the strawberry wine jelly into the glass jars. Close the jars with the lids and chill in the fridge. (You can also chill strawberry wine jelly in the bowl and divide them into wine glasses later when the jelly sets.)

11: Bon appetite!

Thank you so much for visiting Kula Vineyards Food & Wine!

Salmon Lasagna with onion & zucchini & herbs 〜Grenache Blanc or Syrah Rosé〜

Salmon Lasagna is a big hit in our house! Every time we serve this dish to our guests, there is always someone who says "Can I get some pieces for my family? I want them to taste this." Salmon Lasagna has an amazing harmony of the white sauce, salmon, vegetables and herbs. This dish can be prepared in advance, and it will be a great main dish for your party. You will get "Wow!" from your guests for sure.

Salmon Lasagna with onion & zucchini & herbs

Ingredients: 

Lasagna

12 lasagna noodles

1 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Salmon

4 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon chopped garlic

1 - 1 1/2 pounds salmon with skin

1/4 - 1/2 lemon

White sauce

2 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups whip cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Filling

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 finely chopped onions

1 Tablespoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon dry thyme

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

2 cups grated green zucchini

2 cups grated yellow zucchini

1 Tablespoon dry parsley

Directions:

1: Cook lasagna noodles according to box directions. Put drained lasagna noodles in a single layer on sheet sprayed with oil until ready to proceed.

2: Prepare salmon by patting with a paper towel to remove moisture. Season with salt & pepper to taste. In large skillet, place 4 Tablespoons of butter and 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic over the medium heat. Place salmon skin side up in skillet, and sear for 2-3 minutes. Flip salmon and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. No need to cook them through (It will finish cooking when it is baked in the lasagna). 

3: Remove skin and flake salmon into pieces. Squeeze 1/4-1/2 lemon on top of flaked salmon. Cover and refrigerate.

4: Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk constantly. (Don't let flour brown.) Whisk in milk, whip cream, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5: Add basil and simmer an additional 2 minutes. Set aside.

6: Heat extra virgin olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook 3 minutes or until soft. (Don't let onions brown.) Stir in garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook 1-2 minutes.

7: Stir in green & yellow zucchini and cook 5-8 minutes or until the liquid is evaporated. Stir frequently. Before you turn off the heat, stir in parsley.

8: Spray 9×13 inch baking pan with oil. Reserve 1/2 cup of the white sauce and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. 

9: Arrange 3 lasagna noodles in baking pan. Spread noodles with 1/3 each of the remaining white sauce, salmon, filling and remaining Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining 3 noodles, reserved white sauce and Parmesan cheese. (If you bake lasagna next day, put the plastic wrap on top of it and refrigerate it until you need.)

10: Heat oven to 375F. Bake the lasagna uncovered for 40 minutes or until lasagna is hot throughout. Let stand 10-15 minutes before cutting. 

11: Please enjoy!

12: Salmon Lasagna is a perfect match with both Grenache Blanc and Estate Syrah Rosé from Kula Vineyards & Winery. Our Grenache Blanc has elements of green apple, herb and minerality, along with floral scents and refreshing acidity. Any seafood dish is a great match with this wine. Estate Syrah Rosé is full of mouthwatering purple fruit. Expect plums, dried cherries and fresh blueberries mingling with hints of smoke and spice. This wine goes very well with pasta dishes. Please try them with Salmon Lasagna. You won't regret it!

Thank you so much for visiting Kula Vineyards Food & Wine!

Sausages & Grapes with caramelized onion 〜with Pinot Noir〜

I was browsing the internet the other day, and happened to find someone's blog in Italy. She mentioned about her dinner, that was sausages & grapes, but didn't say how to make the dish exactly. So my husband and I went to the local farmer's market and asked the guys who sell the Italian sausages & salamis, but they didn't know much about the dish. So I did more research and decided to create my own recipe to see if that works. The result is.... WE LOVED IT! Sausages turned out to be very juicy, and grapes & caramelized onion with a little sauce were amazingly delicious. I hope you try this dish at least once. You are going to fall in love with it!

Sausages & Grapes with caramelized onion 〜with Pinot Noir〜

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 links sweet Italian sausages (pricked with a fork)

1/2 onion thinly sliced

A little amount of salt & black pepper (season to taste)

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup chicken broth

15 seedless red grapes (halved)

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

Directions: 

1: Heat 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add three sausages and cook enough to brown all over (about 12 minutes). No need to worry about cooking through completely at this point. Transfer to a plate.

2: Carefully wipe off the oil and fat in the skillet using the tongs and a piece of paper towel.

3: Heat the remaining 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in the skillet. Cook the onion with a little amount of salt and black pepper. Stir until the onion starts to turn light brown. Add the balsamic vinegar and chicken broth. And stir until boiled.

4: Reduce the heat to low. Add the browned sausages and grapes. And cover the skillet with the lid to cook. Stir occasionally until the internal temperature of sausages reaches 165F using a thermometer (about 10-15 minutes).  

5: Serve immediately. Garnish with chopped fresh oregano. 

(We steamed some vegetables as a side dish, and served with home-baked artisan bread.)

6: We recommend Pinot Noir as a pairing. This wine is light in color, and has a delicate taste. It doesn't make you feel like it disappears in your mouth, but it never overwhelms the main dish. 

7: Please enjoy!

Thank you for visiting Kula Vineyards Food & Wine!