The 4 Steps to Making Great Stuffed Artichokes

INGREDIENTS
4 Large artichokes
4 medium onions diced
4-5 cloves of garlic – diced
2 cups of sliced mushrooms (packed add more if you like mushrooms)
½ cup of finely chopped parsley
½ lb of Proscuitto if you don’t have any half a pack of bacon will be a great substitute
1 cup of black Greek olives (pitted)
2 cups of Italian bread crumbs
½ cup of grated Parmesan
½ cup of dry white wine

Once you have cleaned, de-thorned and cut the stalk of your artichoke, open them up.  Spread the leaves open with your thumb until you can see the center of the artichoke.  (Figure 1)

What that will do is basically stretch the artichoke up for the stuffing.  Set them aside.  Make sure you cut the base so when you do lay them out in the steamer they are going to be flat and not tilt to one side or another.

Get a large frying pan and start by frying your bacon or Proscuitto.  The oil from the bacon can be used to fry your onions, garlic and mushrooms.  If you are using the Proscuitto, add about 2 tablespoons of virgin olive oil.  Remember the mushrooms retain a lot of water, so add those last.

Once you have diced all your onions, garlic, mushrooms, olives and fried them, add the wine.  Let that reduce and cool.  (Figure 2)

In a separate bowl, pour your breadcrumbs with Parmesano and cut parsley, and mix the pan ingredients into the bowl.  Mix very well, add one egg to tighten this mixture.  This will give it a better consistency once you start stuffing the artichoke flower.  Start stuffing the middle of the flower by adding more and more stuffing towards the outer leaves.  (Figure 3)

You can go a little crazy with how much stuffing you add per artichoke; just keep in mind that the stuffing ingredients will only be enough for four artichokes.  Remember when steaming vegetables, you don’t want your artichoke touching the water.

Add just enough water to steam at a low heat for about an hour to maybe one hour and a half.  Pull a leaf and taste it to make sure the meat is tender.  Let this cool.  (Figure 4)

Once you are ready to serve, make sure you add a nice, dry, crisp white wine with tart, green-apple flavors as an addition to this meal.  Buon Appetito!

This next recipe comes directly from her cooking notes and I have been using this recipe for years. The things you will need are:

Ingredients for Grandma’s Country Ham
• A Large Hamm (With bone)
• White pepper
• Grandma’s mustard (I will give you that recipe.)
• 2 cups of granulated sugar
• 1 cup of apple cider vinegar
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 1 dozen whole cloves
• 6 all spice berries.
• 1 cup of sherry
• Box of brown sugar (I like using the dark brown sugar)

Wash and weigh your ham to make sure you know the time frame for baking. Place in a large roasting pan with a lid. Fill the pan with water, place lid on tight, and put in the oven at 350 and cook for about 20 minutes per pound, turning the ham often. (Count the time after the water begins to boil, a tenderized ham will require only 15 minutes per pound for cooking.) When cooked, let it cool in the liquid. (You may boil this the day before.)

When cooked gently remove the top skin, being careful not to take the fat off with it. Place the ham in another pan and stud at intervals with cloves. Sprinkle liberally white pepper; then spread a layer of brown sugar all over. Pour 1 cup of sherry into the pan and place the pan, without the lid, in a very slow oven, about 250, for 1 hour. The slow heat allows the spicy flavor of the pepper to penetrate the meat. After ½ hour, gently baste the ham every 10 minutes with the gravy. Remove the pan from the oven cover, and keep hot on top of the stove with a very low heat. Use mats under the pan. The oven should now be free to take care of the rest of your dinner. Serve the ham with the mustard sauce, which also may be made the day before and refrigerated.

Mustard Sauce

Combine 2 teaspoon of dry mustard ¼ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar, add 2 tablespoon of flour. Place in the top of a double broiler. Add 3/4cup of water and 2 tablespoons of heated vinegar, stirring as it cooks until it becomes a smooth creamy sauce. Then add 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter.

When thickened, lift the pan from the hot water immediately to prevent the curdling of the egg yolks. When you are ready to reheat make sure the water doesn’t boil under the sauce.

Choice of Asparagus
When you are out shopping for asparagus, choose ones that are firm and have not started to wilt. The stem should be thick and firm or thin and firm according to your recipe. Rule of thumb choose for the asparagus that is fresh looking with a bright green hue to it.

Cleaning process
Wash each spear under cold running water. Some produce shops will sell them in bundles with a rubber band wrapped around the stems, and some may sell them loose Cut about a quarter of an inch from the bottom. This usually has a white color to it and is very firm with a bitter stringy taste.

The Quick and ease of cooking healthy
After you have cut and washed the spear, make sure you have a hot pan ready on your stove. One thing I insist on is eating vegetables with a certain crunch to them. This will not only ensure a quality taste but it will keep as many of the vitamins and nutrients in the vegetable rather than cooking it away with heat. Depending on the size of your asparagus you may want to blanch them first. This is simple enough. You bring a pot of water to a boil and drop your vegetable in it for about 3 minutes. Just enough time to give them a bright green color and make them pliable while keeping the crunching quality I am talking about.

Once you have blanched them make sure you have a very hot pan ready for the spears. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, toss a clove of garlic for flavor. Allow the garlic to get brown; once the garlic is brownish in color you know the pan will be hot enough to cook your asparagus. Place your spears in the pan allowing them to cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add a splash of white wine just enough to coat the asparagus. Don’t drown them, about 1 tablespoon of wine will do. This will give your asparagus a nice zesty flavor. Some people like to use lemon I use wine since I am usually sipping it anyway. The estimated time is about 5 to 6 minutes. You should keep in mind the asparagus should be tender but not mushy. After this process, you can place the asparagus on your plate either fanning them out like flowers or in a nice clump like logs.

Seasoning of the Asparagus
According to some people they drizzle a bit of Hollandaise to this tasty vegetable even a Beurre Blanc. I however like to eat things as they are why ruin the taste with all the heavy sauces and butter. Save that for when you go out. Remember you want to eat healthy and make it fast.

Toast the finely chopped nuts first and let them cool before adding the mixture. Meanwhile cream soft butter and sugar then add the egg. Slowly add the flower, stirring all the time. Add extract and stir the liquid in the bowl. Put aside a handful of nuts, and then add the rest of the nuts into the mixture. Place a piece of wax paper on table and spoon mixture into the paper in the shape of a long roll.

Sprinkle the remaining nuts on the roll. Roll the wax paper and seal the ends. Freeze for about 3 hours or until it’s is firm. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving and cut off the amount you are going to serve. Keep in mind this is extremely rich so you may want to cut small pieces. Top this off with the fresh whipped cream this recipe will serve 10-12 people. You can always place this back in the freezer, it stays for a while. Chestnut balls these are a delicious treat for anytime of the year, but mostly seen in the south during Christmas. You will need the following ingredients.

Chestnut Balls
1 cup of Shortening
3 tbsp. Powdered sugar
2 cups of flour
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp of Vanilla Extract
1 cup of broken Chestnuts
Brown paper bag

Take all your ingredients mix well in a bowl, make into a ball or small balls depending on how you want to serve them. Bake these balls into a greased cookie pa for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. (Make sure you preheat you oven that will always save you time on actual cooking. If the oven is already per-heated then the chestnut balls will only take 20 minutes. Therefore it’s best to turn it on then make your mixture. Once you have taken these out of the oven take a brown paper bag and fill with powdered sugar.This recipes will make 5-6 dozen balls again this will depend on the size of your chestnut balls.

1 Litre of Alcohol
1 kilo sugar
8 Lemons

Take only the lemons peel them and leave it to infuse in the alcohol.
Place it in an hermetically sealed container.
After 4 days blend the alcohol infusion with the syrup you should have already. (prepare using 1 kilo of sugar into 1 litre of hot water.)
Mix and wait 10 minutes, then filtrate, put in the bottle.
Drink Lemoncella very cold! Enjoy

You do not have to plant a vineyard or own a winery in order to make a good wine. The process is basically easy to learn but the most important factor is your area and equipment must always be clean and sterilized. There are kits available at wine and liquor stores, through catalogues, or on the Internet that simplify the set up needed to begin. These kits take the guesswork out of the results. Ancient man went through many batches of bad wine before the process was honed to perfection. They had little knowledge of what chemical process was happening; they just knew they enjoyed the end product. One trial after another the winemaking became an art. The basis of the kits includes such equipment as a fermentor, hydrometer, sterilizer, airlock, and siphon hoses. Fomenters are 6-7 gallon, white or clear buckets that the wine stays in during the process of fermentation. A hydrometer measures the amount of alcohol. The sterilizer is used to kill bacteria that can ruin your batch. An airlock is used to seal the fermentation process from any bacteria or foreign material that can also spoil your wine. Siphon hoses are used to drain the finished product into the bottles for storage. You don’t have to have specific wine bottles. However dark bottles are usually preferred. Most any glass bottle with a cap or stopper will do. However you want to make sure the seal is tight to prevent it from turning to vinegar. You will be given specific ingredients to add to the juice such as acid blend, pectin enzymes, yeast, and tannin to name a few.

These are used to give your wine the body and taste you are looking for. There are various types of yeasts used. Please note various yeasts will enhance the taste of the wine, there is Port yeast, Tokay yeast that Japanese wine makers use for their rice wine along with at least another 30 types of yeasts. Therefore get as much information as you can regarding the yeast you will be using. There are dry yeasts or liquid yeasts. The yeast you choose will depend on the recipe you use including the amount and type of grape you have chosen for the ultimate wine of your choice. Some are good for blush wines while others are for Sherry’s and are used in the primary and secondary stages of the fermentation period.

Once you have your space and material organized you will need the most essential part of the process, the grape. Technically you do not have to use only the revered grape. Any fruit or non-toxic plant material is suitable for making wine. By all means be brave and try various flavors. Some more popular fruit wines are Apple, Cherry, Blackberry, Elderberry, Strawberry, and Peach. Japanese people know the enjoyment of Sake, or rice wine. You are not bound to using just grapes. When selecting any fruit test for sweetness, and ripeness. The deeper the color of the grape you select will determine the color and flavor of your wine. Ask your local wine vendor if they know where to buy specific varieties of grapes such as Cabernet, Merlot, Muscat, but don’t be afraid to try the grapes at your local market.

Now that your interest is peaked you can decide if homemade winemaking is for you. It does take up space and it does take time to ferment, but the end result is your own product, inexpensively made, to share with your family and friends. Even if you only make one batch the experience is worth it.

The art of drinking wine has a language of it’s own. As with any art form we look for elements, qualities, to describe it vividly. If we were scrutinizing or analyzing a Monet we would look at the highlights used, the balance of color, the lines of the painting, the form of each character etc. Wine looks at 3 basic elements, looks, smell, and taste.

Therefore a certain vocabulary, or “speak” was used for those elements that derived from years of experience through wine makers and wine connoisseurs. This language if you will became the norm.

It is also fair to say as American wine makers began getting notoriety and win awards for their wines they have in turn added a plethora of adjectives used today.

Here is a small collection of definitions to describe a wine and it’s effects or experience. Some may even say its Nirvana.

• Acid: A natural preservative of the wine that gives it flavor.
• Aggressive: A wine with a bite to it. This usually will define a wine when it is acidic.)
• Appearance: Refers to whether a wine is light dark, cloudy clear, rich or transparent.
• Astringent: A taste that lingers in your mouth from an aggressive wine.
• Backbone: A wine that is well balanced. This would describe a wine that has a full flavor, or has been aged in a wood barrel.
• Body: The structure of a wine to your palette.
• Bouquet: The aroma of a wine. This will become more apparent with age.
• Chewy: A full body, heavily tanned wine.
• Cloudiness: A look attributed to either old wines or young wines. In an old wine it may be sediment therefore “decanting” a wine would be a suggestion. In young wines it just may be a bad batch.
• Delicate: A lighter wine on the palette.
• Dry: A wine that has little residual sugar on the palette.
• Elegant: A well balanced wine
• Finish: The lingering flavor left on your palette. The longer the flavor lasts the richer and the savory the wine.
• Hearty: A robust red wine.
• Heady: Higher alcohol content.
• Nose: Refers to the aroma and bouquet of a wine.
• Oaky: A residual taste of wines being aged in oak barrels.
• Off dry: A wine that is a little sweeter than a dry wine.
• Rich: A full body, with a deep lingering taste that envelopes all sense.
• Soft: A lighter bodied wine with less acidity.

This is far from a complete list of terms and definitions for the wine enthusiast, but it is a good working vocabulary for the average wine drinker. As you learn to speak about what you are seeing, tasting, and smelling in a glass of wine you will pick up other terms from other connoisseurs who will help to expand your vocabulary.

Wine is one of the most popular and recognizable drinks in the world. It’s been around for centuries and hasn’t changed much. Sure there are more wines now than 20 years ago but the popularity and health benefits have given this nectar of the Gods a new boost in today’s household. Only the ingredients and the method of wine making have changed. Many people are still under the impression that a good wine is only made of grapes. Well I am here to tell you that isn’t so. Have you tried wines that have hints of Apples, Wild Berries, or Dandelions in their bouquet? Well more and more vineyards including home wine makers are picking and choosing their own secret signatures. Classic wine making is synonymous with grapes. But now with everyone in the world getting into wine making I have seen flowers like lavenders, plums, lemons, limes, including oranges being added to batches of wine giving them unique tastes. With the proper equipment and ingredients you can make wine at your home, making it an addictive hobby once you can perfect the process. But we can discuss this in a later article therefore I shan’t digress.

Traditionally wine is classified into 4 categories:

1. Red

2. White

3. Rose

4. Port

Red wines are made from a variety of red, black and purple grapes. This is one of the many reasons you get various shades of red when looking at a glass of wine. Some grapes are more purple in color than red or with a black blue hue depending on how much sun or rain that crop has received throughout the season. Wines made from certain grapes will adopt the name of the grape as the namesake. Such as Merlot, or a Cabernet.

You will notice they each have a certain color smell and hue that can be attributed to the containers they were fermenting in. They may have a stronger smell and a richer color if aged more than 10 years. Or they may be a light in color due to the young age of the wine. As a result the final liquid will exhibit various shades smells and ultimately tastes of reds, dark reds or Chianti with its signature ruby red colors. Some wine makers will store their wine batch in oak barrels while others in spicy woods or aged woods. Therefore you will hear wine connoisseurs describe wines as oaky, or fruity. But the most important effect you can have on the taste of a wine is by the aging process.

Any Sommelier [a waiter in a restaurant who has charge of wines and their service: a wine steward] will tell you that the great taste in wine comes from the age and years of fermentation in specific barrels. Commonly you will find the following hints in red and some white wines.

1. Strawberry

2. Cherry

3. Coffee

4. Pepper

5. Black berry

6. Plum

7. Violet White wine

classically was enjoyed with poultry and fish. Some countries even drank white wines with the change of seasons. For example white wine was only drunk in the summer and red only in the winter. But so much has changed in our drinking habits that now white wines are enjoyed year round. It depends on ones taste. The other difference is the process of the grape. In white wine the grapes are peeled. Making it an arduous process for the wine maker.

I am sure you have heard of Chardonnay, needless to say it is a popular white wine. Next time you have a glass of Chardonnay see if you notice a hint of vanilla in it’s taste. Other popular and recognizable white wines are the Italian Pinot Grigio, the German Riesling and of course the Zinfandel. The last categories for wines are Ports and dessert wines. Most are enjoyed either with a desert or just as a “digestivo” (a digestive after eating a nice meal). These wines have a rather sweet taste. The Ports are broken into 2 categories, from a Ruby to a Tawny. The Ruby being a richer sweeter taste while the Tawny is lighter in taste and dryer. This is the result of the aging process.

There really is no secret to making Strawberry wine. You can find a plethora of information on this topic from home made recipes to a Goggle search. It’s a matter of preference including your taste buds as far as ingredients are concerned. You may find several variations for this wine but I have found these next 2 methods as the most popular and widely used.

Strawberry wine is a popular “101” as the first-time wine. Since they are easy to find and most of us know what they taste like it’s a good “basic” wine to make. Really who doesn’t like strawberries?

The following 2 variations are both simple and will result in 18 gallons of this fruit nectar. The ingredients needed are almost the same in both methods, the only difference is the process of making it and time spent waiting for consumption. The first method of making strawberry wine at home involves the following ingredients added each time with both batches:

• 7 gallons cold, soft water.
• 6 gallons cider.
• 6 gallons strawberries. (Cleaned and crushed)
• 16 lbs. of raw sugar.
• 3 oz. of finely powdered red tartar
• 1 peel and juice of two lemons
• 2 to 3 quarts of brandy. (Depending on your tastes)

These are the basic ingredients you need to create quality strawberry wine. The methods are easy. First you mix warm (approximately 4 gallons) water with the cider, and then you add your strawberries concentrate (This mixtures is easily prepared by cleaning then crushing the strawberries into a thick concentrate). You may want to use cheesecloth in order to prevent the strawberry seeds from mixing or eventually sitting at the bottom of your batch. It’s imperative you keep an eye on what goes inside your liquid. Regardless of how many ways we try to keep this liquid clean of foreign objects, checking it often during this process will assure a better batch. Therefore all peels or fruit you use make sure it passes through a fine strain or use the cheesecloth like a tea bag.

Use your paddle or a large mixer in order for the concoction to merge. Leave this liquid alone in a dark cool area allowing the fermentation process to occur. This process should take no longer than 2-3 days. Once this step begins you will notice some bubbles on the top don’t fear that’s a good sign it just means your wine is fermenting properly and at the right temperature. The problem would be if you didn’t see any bubbles on the top.

It may take up to three to four days. After this is properly done you mix in the raw sugar, red tartar and lemon juice or peel. This should be done after a week or two that the fruit was added. The last step is adding the brandy. This will give your strawberry wine a unique and distinguishable taste. The brandy will merge and give the wine extra flavor and an original taste. The second method includes the following ingredients following the above steps:

• 10 gallons cold water,
• 9 gallons of strawberries (cleaned and pureed)
• 25 lbs. of brown sugar
• 3 oz. of finely powdered red tartar.
• 1 tbs. juice
• 1 peel of two lemons,
• 2 oranges peel and juiced.
• 1 gallon of brandy. (Depending on your tastes)

Once you have gathered all these ingredients follow this second method. Place the cold soft water and strawberries into a fermenting tub. After a week or two of fermenting you need to mix in raw sugar, red tartar, lemons and oranges. The final steps add the brandy. With the unique tastes of brandy this could be an added bonus. Keep in mind you may not get this right the first time out, but what a way to spend a week. Who knows you may be the next Gallo of wine making. If you do get a decent batch send me some. Now you may indulge in your strawberry wine.

If you have are a wine enthusiast, then it’s easy to assume you may be well suited to making wine at home. It’s becomes a hobby to many people worldwide. And in today’s technology of light speed information exchanging hands there are many options offered through the Internet. Your dream of wearing a beret while whistling an Aria making wine may very well become a reality. Most uninformed people will shy away from making their own wine due to research involved investments and space available.

It may even sound complicated and out of reach. After all, most of us don’t own a vineyard, or a fruit grove. Where would one get the equipment? How would one set it up in a house? The truth of the matter is making wine is simple, straightforward, and the equipment easy to find. With enough tenacity and creativity the equipment is inexpensive and easy to find. As far as room I have seen home wine makers use a microwave cart in their house. It is not a pastime for the impatient, however. Wine can take anywhere from a month to several years to enjoy the fruits of their labor. However once the bottle is uncorked the enjoyment and taste can fulfill anyone’s doubts. Imagine the joy of popping the cork on a bottle you made, and tasting it for the first time. Nothing could compare to sharing your very own vintage with friends and family.

Before you begin you will need to purchase a list of equipment and products. The best resource for this is a wine making supply store, which should be listed in your yellow pages or from any online supplier. Generally some of these online wine shops will also supply their users with blogs articles including links to buy the required equipment.

Following is a list of equipment you will need:
• Primary fermentation container (4-5-gallon food grade quality heavy plastic container with a lid)
• Secondary fermentation container (2 or 3 1-gallon glass jugs)
• Bung (rubber cork for the airlock to fit in. Should fit into the opening on the secondary fermentation container)
• Airlock
• Large nylon mesh straining bag
• 6 feet of clear plastic 1/2″ tubing
• 5 wine bottles for one gallon of wine
• Corks (size #9 fits standard wine bottle)
• Hand corker
• Hydrometer (which measures the alcohol content)

Other items you may want to purchase, but are not essential are:
• Thermometer
• Acid titration kit (measures the acid level)
• Grape press (essential if you are making wine from fresh grapes)
All of these items can be found at a winemaking supply store where you will also find these ingredients that you will add to your wine. Keep in mind there are also “Wine Kits” these will generally have all the required equipment for any beginner
• Campden tablets
• Wine yeast
• Yeast nutrient
• Pectic enzyme
• Grape tannin
• Acid blend

Now that you have all your equipment you need to prep everything by first sanitizing you area and euipment well. You want your preparation area to be as sanitary as possible. Be sure to clean and sterilize the bottles you intend to store your wine in. The last thing you want after investing your time and money is a bottle of vinegar. You will need to clear a cool, dark place to place your secondary fermentation jugs at the end of your process.

The next step, if you have not already done so, is choose a recipe. Most people stick to the different grape varieties, however you can make wine from many fruits. It is fairly easy to find good grapes, apples, plums, berries etc. or concentrate of the various fruits to use in the recipe. If using whole fruit wash it thoroughly, check for debris or rotten spots and discard. Make sure to remove stems, which could make your wine taste bitter.

You are now ready to prep the fruit or juice for the remaining ingredients to be added. This entails crushing, chopping, soaking, pressing, or boiling. The extracted fruit is called “must”. Make sure to follow the recipe’s instructions carefully with this procedure. Once extracted place the must in the primary fermentation container. (If you are using juice concentrate prepare it per instructions on the can or bottle and put this in the primary fermentation container.)

This is where you add the other ingredients you purchased with your equipment. Pay close attention to your recipe since the order is imperative to the quality of wine you are making. First you will add the Campden tablet. This is a sulfite that prevents oxidation and growth of wild yeast and promotes the growth of the cultured yeast. Second you will add pectic enzyme. This helps promote the flavor, aroma, and acid extraction from the fruit. Next is tannin if called for. Tannin sometimes needs to be added to white wines to give it more bite. Yeast and sugar are necessary to produce the wine’s alcoholic content. Use granulated sugar for this, do not use powdered or brown sugar.

Once all these ingredients have been added the fermentation process begins. This part of the process takes 3-10 days. Make sure the primary fermentation container is covered lightly with a cloth secured with a rubber band.

Once the initial process is over it is time to transfer this to a secondary glass jug. Begin by straining the pulp from the liquid in the primary container. Pour the remaining liquid through a funnel into the gallon jugs. Once the jugs are filled fit the openings with an airlock. This traps the fermentation as you let the jugs sit for several weeks in a cool, dark place. Over the weeks check your wine to see how clear it is. It may be necessary to siphon the wine from this gallon jug to another clean jug. This may take several times until the liquid is clear and not cloudy. This procedure is called racking the wine.

Finally, when this fermentation process has ended, it will be time to bottle your wine. Using the same tubing you used to siphon during the racking procedure, transfer the wine from the secondary containers into the individual bottles. Do not overfill. Be sure to leave room for the corks. Now cork each bottle tightly and store upright for at least 3 days. Then you can store your bottles on their sides in a 55 degrees Fahrenheit storage closet. The rule of thumb is white wines are aged at least 6 months, before sampling, while the red wine should be aged for a year or more.

You explored the idea, educated yourself and produced your first vintage wine. Now, be patient and wait for the day you can open a bottle with pride and pour the first glass of this nectar to swish on your palette. Savor the ultimate flavor and aroma, as you taste for the first time your harmonious creation.