El Bloggo Torcido - Twisted Oak Winery: Twisted Dinner of the Week (Month? Year?)

Once in a while we get a letter... Cathy from Michigan wrote in asking for serving and pairing suggestions for our 2006 Torcido. I thought what she was planning sounded pretty good and asked for a recipe and a couple pictures to share with you - and here's what she sent! Take it away Cathy:

Twisted Dinner featuring 2006 Torcido and 2006 %@#$! 7/11//2008

Menu:
Antipasti: Basil, Tomato, & fresh mozzarella (regular and smoked) with balsamic vinegar.

Entree: Grilled chorizo sausage sandwiches, with sauteed green peppers and onions and a side of Grilled garlic-crumb stuffed zucchini
Wine: 2006 Calaveras County Torcido

Main_course_torcido450

Dessert: Grilled Apricot & Plum pouches, prepared with a splash of the wine.
Wine: 2006 Sierra Foothills %@#$!

Dessert450

Impressions on the wines:

Torcido: Served at approx. 60 degrees. Decanted for about half an hour, probably needed about 15 more minutes to fully open up. Color: Garnet. Cherry and spices on the nose, particularly after having a bite of the smoked mozzarella. The cheese really caused the cherry scent to come through. When sniffing after a bite of the chorizo, there was a smoky quality to the nose. Across the palate, hints of cocoa, cherry, smoke, and spices. Plain mozzarella enhanced the flavor of cocoa. Tomato and zucchini brought out more fruit flavoring - berries of all the summery sorts. Very light tannins, and just a touch of a bite of alcohol. The finish gave a little burn, but more like the burn you get from a particularly tasty salsa. Overall, fairly well-balanced, well structured wine. 89 points.

%@#$!: Served at approx. 55 degrees. Color: golden straw. The nose was filled with summery fruits of apricots, peaches and berries. Across the a hint of the peach lingered, along with some earthiness that was very refreshing. There was a minerally quality to it that I found complimented the sweetness of the dessert quite well. Oak undertones rounded out the wine to give it a nice, surprising full body. Not a wine to be taken lightly. Have it with some nice ripe fruit, and it will tickle your tastebuds. The more I had, the more I liked it. It has a taste to it like there should be bubbles - it looks and feels like a nice, dry champagne, but without the sparkle. 89 points.

Recipes:

Antipasti
4 oz fresh, smoked mozzarella
4 oz fresh, plain mozzarella
2 medium red ripe tomatoes
8-10 basil leaves
6-8 medium lettuce leaves
2 Tbsp sweet balsamic vinegar

Slice the mozzarella and tomatoes into 1/4-inch thick slices.

Arrange lettuce on a plate as a base, so that the plate is covered. Arrange the mozzarella and tomato slices in an alternating pattern, then place basil leaves on top. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the whole plate. Serves 4-6

Chorizo Sausage Sandwiches
4 links chorizo
4 sausage rolls, freshly baked if possible
2 green peppers
1/2 red onion
2 Tbsp olive oil

Slice peppers and onion into thin strips. Pour olive oil into skillet over medium-high heat and add the peppers and onions. Stir and cook until the onion becomes translucent. Set aside, but keep warm.

Fire up your grill so that the internal temperature comes to about 400 degrees. Grill chorizo until sausage begins to fatten and juices begin to escape. During the last few minutes of cooking, split the rolls and place them on an upper rack in the grill to toast.

When cooked, remove from grill. Place sausages in rolls, and top with pepper and onion mixture. Serves 4

Grilled Garlic-crumb Stuffed Zucchini
3 zucchini
2 yellow squash
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup panko
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
salt and pepper

Cut off the stems of the squash, set one aside. Cut lengthwise about 1/3 of the way down on the squash to create a lid. Scoop out the flesh using a spoon. Chop flesh and place in bowl. Set aside.

Peel the remaining squash and finely dice the flesh. Add to bowl.

Pour 2 Tbsp olive oil and garlic into a skillet over medium heat, and stir for about 30 seconds until the garlic becomes fragrant and slightly browns. Add the squash flesh, and stir for about 3 minutes until the flesh becomes tender. Add panko and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Stir to combine.

Brush remaining olive oil on squash, being sure to cover the cut flesh as well as the outer skin. Spoon crumb mixture into the cavities of the squash, and place on grilling pan with the lids. Place on grill at about 400 degrees and cook for 8-10 minutes until squash becomes tender.

Serve with lids placed on squash at an angle. Serves 4

Grilled Apricot and Plum Pouches
8 graham crackers
5 plums, pitted and quartered
5 apricots, pitted and quartered
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1 cup %@#$!, divided 4 ways

Cut four sheets of foil approx. 18 inches by 18 inches.

For each sheet, break apart 2 graham crackers into 8 pieces each, and arrange in the center of the sheet. Distribute fruit evenly across the sheets, placing fruit on top of graham crackers. Pull the corners of each sheet up towards the center and crimp to make a pouch with a small opening on top. Pour 1/4 cup of wine into each pouch.

Place pouches into 400 degree grill and allow to cook for 20 - 30 minutes. Remove from grill and place on individual plates. Open pouches to form a bowl, and top with 1/4 cup ice cream (about one scoop). Serves 4

Epilogue: I'm having more of the lovely %@#$! tonight from Twisted Oak, and I am getting just bombed with apple on it tonight (after 3 days in the fridge). A definitive flavor of both granny smith AND braeburn apples. There's a little bit of sour cherry, too. It is SUPER smooth tonight - absolutely no heat from the alcohol at all. The finish brings out cantaloupe, a little (tiny) bit of oak, and there's still a touch of a minerally quality to it. I get a little ZING to on the back of my tongue for a moment. Wow. There's just whole new depths to this tonight. Score: 90 pts for the added complexity to this.

(If you make a special meal with Twisted Oak wines, send us pictures! And recipes!)