Recipes

Here are the recipes:

Mediterranean Lamb with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

Serve this recipe with Pend d’Oreille 2003 Syrah, Columbia Valley – a wine made from the Willow Crest and Pleasant-Roza vineyards.

It is adapted from Tom Douglas’ Seattle Kitchen, a favorite resource for inspiration in our home and a sure bet on select recipes for the less than adventurous palates of our boys Andy and Paul. If the marinade recipe sounds complex, a quicker method is to use Tom Douglas’ “Rub With Love” lamb seasoning, a staple in the Pend d’Oreille Winery tasting room gift shop. It is also available at Rocket Market, Arbor Crest Winery, Egger’s Quality Meats, Sonnenberg’s Deli and Meats and Williams Seafood, according to the company.

Lamb:

2 tablespoons paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground cayenne, or more to taste

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon brown sugar

8 green onions or scallions roughly chopped

3 cloves minced fresh garlic, plus an additional 3 cloves to rub lamb and slide into meat pockets during roasting

1 or 2 limes squeezed

½ cup olive oil

One 4 to 6 pound leg of lamb, boned and butterflied

For the cucumber sauce:

1 cucumber shredded, salted and liquid squeezed out using a strainer

3 cups plain yogurt

¼ cup chopped cilantro

¼ cup chopped mint

1 to 2 limes squeezed, or to taste

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Dash of sugar

To make the lamb: Mix the spices, sugar, onions or scallions, garlic, lime juice and olive oil in a blender or food processor to create a paste.

Rub lamb with crushed garlic and slide slivers of garlic into pockets created in meat. Rub paste over lamb and marinate 4 or more hours covered with plastic wrap, refrigerated.

To make the cucumber sauce, mix the strained cucumber and yogurt, cilantro, mint, lime juice and salt and pepper in a bowl and allow to stand at least 4 hours before serving.

Roast lamb on a grill over direct heat at about 350 to 375 degrees for 30 to 50 minutes depending on thickness of meat and desired level of doneness. Serve with cucumber sauce.

Yield: 6 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 449 calories, 29.5 grams fat (7 grams saturated, 63 percent fat calories), 35 grams protein, 10 grams carbohydrate, 104 milligrams cholesterol, 1.5 grams dietary fiber, 487 milligrams sodium.

Northwest Halibut with Tangy Curry Rub

This recipe is a delicious lighter selection that is refreshing and savory at the same time. It is especially nice for twilight meals in the garden. Serve with 2003 Pend d’Oreille Chardonnay, Idaho or 2003 Pend d’Oreille Pinot Noir, Idaho.

1 to 2 teaspoons Green Curry Paste or equivalent (not too hot or you won’t be able to taste the wine)

1 to 2 limes squeezed, or to taste

1 to 2 teaspoon brown sugar, or to taste

1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste

½ tablespoon fresh ginger

1 tablespoon lemon grass paste (Gourmet Garden makes a good one)

1/8 to 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 to 2 pounds fresh halibut filets or steaks

Mix first seven ingredients making sure to keep the consistency that of a loose paste (watch quantity of the liquid ingredients). Rub halibut with the paste and grill over direct heat 8-10 minutes to a moist and flaky finish.

Yield: Varies

Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.

Salad with Walnuts, Pears and Gorgonzola and Dijon Sauce, Meursault Style

I had one of my most memorable food and wine pairings when I opened a bottle of our original bottling of Pinot Gris from the 1999 vintage with this salad. The sweet taste of Northwest pears and the creamy taste of walnuts and gorgonzola cheese bounce off the crisp honeysuckle flavors of our Pinot Gris. The trick is making the right sauce (not vinaigrette) for the salad. Too much vinegar sets off the palate and the wine can’t do its trick for your taste buds. Serve with the 2004 Pend d’Oreille Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley from the Willow Crest Vineyard.

This dressing can be used with all kinds of lettuce or even on tomatoes, beets or hard boiled eggs - it’s a standard in Burgundy, France.

Mixed salad greens

Raw walnuts

Pear slices

Gorgonzola cheese crumbles

Dijon Salad Sauce:

2 to 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard depending on size of the salad

Just a few drops of subtle good quality red wine vinegar

4 to 6 teaspoons extra virgin oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix the mustard and the vinegar in a bowl. Add the olive oil and salt and pepper. The sauce may need to be expanded to meet the size of the salad. Taste the sauce before tossing it over the salad. If the vinegar tang is too strong, throw it out and start over – it is a really simple sauce to master, and it is quick to make up.

Yield: Varies

Approximate nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.