Barbeque season and alfresco dining often conjure up the image of a steak or burger, but there are plenty of ways to enjoy your veggies with some nice grill marks, a flavourful dipping sauce, and a crisp bottle of sparkling wine on the patio.
Chef Sider from Redstone Restaurant has given us a simple dish with complex flavours that we have paired with our 2016 Spark Blend. And because it’s VegeWednesday, you know that it’s all VEGAN!
Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends removed
1 bunch rapini, woody ends and bottom leaves removed
4 small zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
4 romaine hearts, cut in half lengthwise
50mL canola oil
85g pine nut
1 sprig thyme, picked
1 red chili, seeded and sliced
1 clove garlic, split lengthwise
2 red peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
50g sourdough bread, diced and toasted
45mL sherry vinegar
1tbsp sherry vinegar
125mL water
Method:
Combine the pine nuts, canola oil, garlic, thyme and chili in a pan over medium heat. Cook until lightly coloured and aromatic, approximately 5 minutes. Drain and discard the oil. Combine the pine nuts, garlic, thyme and chili with all remaining ingredients in a blender and uree until smooth. Season with salt, black pepper, and more sherry vinegar if desired.
To serve:
Preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Toss the vegetables in a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables over high heat until cooked and lightly charred. Remove from the heat and serve with romesco sauce on the side, for dipping.
The Pairing:
Our 2016 Spark Blend is not only an award winning sparkling wine, but it is also certified Vegan by VegeCert! This blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay is made in the traditional method, dry with bright citrus notes and the perfect amount of bubbles. It will lift up the earthy richness of the romesco without overpowering it’s complex flavours. Something to keep in your back pocket each summer when it’s just too hot to eat anything dense!
Summer is approaching far quicker than we could have imagined, so it’s time to cool things down with this simple and bright recipe from Chef Sider at Redstone Restaurant, paired with our 2019 Cherry Avenue Rosé.
It’s strawberry season here in Niagara, so swing by your local fruit stand and grab a basket to make this beautiful dish as fresh as possible!
Ingredients:
4 cups Ontario strawberries, tops removed
2 English cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into 2” pieces
4 baby cucumbers cut into ¼” slices
1/2 cup sliced almond, toasted
1/2 cup dill, picked
50mL red wine vinegar
50mL white wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 shallots, minced
350mL grapeseed oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
Method:
For the dressing:
In a stainless steel bowl, combine the red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, minced shallots, and mustard. Whisk to mix all ingredients together. Gradually whisk in the grapeseed oil to form a vinaigrette. Season with salt to taste.
To serve:
Combine the strawberries, cucumbers, and half the dill and lightly dress in the vinaigrette. Arrange the salad on a plate and liberally sprinkle the toasted almonds and the remaining dill over top.
Pairing:
Pair this super easy dish with our 2019 Cherry Avenue Rosé. Made with 100% Pinot Noir grapes from our Estate Vineyard, the Cherry Ave Rosé is delicate and dry, but loaded with bright berry flavours that will perfectly compliment the fresh strawberries, all while uplifting the bright acidic flavours of the vinegar dressing and fresh dill.
It’s Vege-Wednesday! We’ve got another delicious recipe from Chef Sider at Redstone Winery & Restaurant for you…and it’s all vegan!
The wines we feature on Vege-Wednesdays are certified Vegan friendly by VegeCert, an organization that certifies vegan and vegetarian products. This means the wine in question was not made using any animal byproducts. But some of you have been wondering, what does that mean?
Ingredients:
2pc butternut squash, neck only, cut in half lengthwise
1 cup Redstone black garlic
½ cup vegetable stock
3 tbsp brown sugar
¼ cup sherry vinegar
¼ cup each picked parsley, dill, cilantro, tarragon, mint
½ cup toasted cashews, chopped
½ cup Redstone pickled red chili
Juice of one lime
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper
Method:
Combine the black garlic, vegetable stock, brown sugar and sherry vinegar and cook over medium heat until the garlic is very soft, approximately 15 minutes. Puree in a blender and reserve.
Preheat the oven to 425F
Place the squash cut side down on a cutting board. Using a very sharp knife, cut the squash into thin slices (no more than 1/8” thick), but only do 95% of the way through the squash so it remains intact. Season the squash with salt and black pepper and individually wrap them in aluminum foil with a generous amount of black garlic glaze (at least ½ cup per piece). Bake until tender, approximately 20 minutes.
To serve:
Remove the squash from the oven and place on a plate. Spoon any excess glaze over the squash. Dress the herbs, chili and cashew in lime juice and olive oil and serve over the squash.
We recommend serving this dish with our 2014 Laundry Merlot! This wine is certified Vegan from VegeCert and a beautiful compliment to the savoury earthiness of the garlic, pickled chili, and squash.
This recipe from David Sider at Redstone Restaurant is simple, filling, and oh, so flavourful.
Ingredients:
2 cups dried chickpeas soaked overnight in 6 cups water
2 celery stalks
1 carrot
1 leek
8 sprigs thyme (tied together)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 pints cherry tomato
4 slices high quality sourdough bread, ½” slices
Salt and black pepper to taste
1C combined picked parsley, basil, dill, and tarragon
Method:
Cut the celery, carrot, and leek in half lengthwise and tie together using butchers twine. Combine the vegetables, thyme, and drained chickpeas in a large pot and cover with 6 cups of water. Heat to just below a simmer and cook until the chickpeas are tender, approximately 90 minutes. Remove from the heat and season liberally with salt and black pepper.
To serve:
Set your oven to broil. Drizzle some of the olive oil over the bread and toast. Broil the tomatoes until the skins crack and they begin to collapse, about 3 minutes.
Laddle the warm chickpeas into bowls and finish with the tomatoes and herbs. Garnish liberally with olive oil (approx. 25mL per bowl) Serve with Toasted Sourdough.
Recommended Pairing:
2019 Tawse Gamay Noir, now available at the LCBO.
Another delicious recipe from Chef Sider at Redstone Restaurant! This time it’s a great option for Easter as an alternative to a traditional Ham dinner. Paired with a Tawse Wine, it’s a match made in Niagara Winery Heaven!
Ingredients:
8 pieces chicken thighs, skin on
2L water
1/2 cup Kosher salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 medium Vidalia Onion, small dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeds removed, diced
2 cups frozen peaches, pit removed (or fresh in season)
1 tbsp smoked papria
1tbsp chili powder
1/2 cup apple cider vinegard
2 cups honey
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
The day before:
Combine the water, salt and sugar and bring to a boil. Allow to cool completely and pour over the chicken thighs. Refrigerate for 12 hours.
Combine all ingredients for the BBQ Sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour and puree in a blender. Exercise extreme care when pureeing hot liquids. The BBQ Sauce can be made up to a week in advance.
To serve:
Remove the chicken thighs from the brine and pat dry with paper towel. Season with salt and black pepper and grill, skin side down over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes. Flip the chicken and brush with the BBQ sauce. Continue to do this, flipping and re-basting every 4-5 minutes until cooked through, approximately 15 minutes.
Enjoy with a bottle of 2019 Lawrie Pinot Gris!
It’s Vege-Wednesday! This week we’re excited to have a recipe from Chef Sider at Redstone Winery & Restaurant for you.
The wines we feature on Vege-Wednesdays are certified Vegan friendly by VegeCert, an organization that certifies vegan and vegetarian products. This means the wine in question was not made using any animal byproducts. But some of you have been wondering, what does that mean?
🌱Sometimes fining agents that are made from things like eggs, isinglass, and casein are used in the production of wine. This would result in a wine NOT being considered Vegan! Wines of ours that do not have any of these animal byproducts used during production proudly carry the VegeCert certification of being Vegan.
Apricot-Glazed Tofu with Catalan-Style Spinach
Ingredients
- 2 lbs extra firm tofu, pressed & dried
Glaze
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 honey or your favourite substitute
- 3 tbsp apricot jam
- 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch each ground nutmeg, ground cloves, black pepper
Catalan-Style Spinach
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, diced
- 1/2 cup unsalted mixed nuts (or whatever you have on hand! We like almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, and pistachios) toasted and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup mixed dried fruit (Chef recommends raisins, apricot, dates, and figs) roughly chopped
- 1 shallot, minced
- 5 oz baby spinach
- splash of dry white wine (2016 Cuddy Chardonnay works perfectly!)
- salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Bring all glaze ingredients to a boil and simmer until combined, approximately 5 minutes. Cool.
Preheat oven to 425F. Cut each piece of tofu into slices and shingle them out on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Pour the glaze evenly over the tofu and wrap tightly in the foil. Bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake a further 10 minutes.
Heat a pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Add diced apple and sauté until caramelized. Add the nuts and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly. Add minced shallots and dried fruit, cook until both are soft, approx. 3-4 minutes. Finally, add the spinach and cook until evenly wilted. Season with salt and splash of dry white wine and cook for a final 1-2 minutes.
Remove the hot tofu from the aluminum foil and lay out on serving platter. Place spinach around tofu and serve!
Pairing with Wine
We recommend pairing this delicious recipe 2016 Cuddy Chardonnay, certified Vegan by VegeCert! Delightfully sticky sweet but layered with toasted nut flavours and earthy greens, this dish highlights the fruity characteristics and subtle oak on a crisp and dry Chardonnay. Hearty but light, this pairing is just waiting to be enjoyed on the patio, in the warm, setting sun on a new Spring evening.
This sweet, spicy, tart recipe is the perfect pairing for an equally intriguing Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine…
CRUST
– 5oz Gingernaps
– 1 cup Walnuts
– 3 tbsp Brown Sugar
– 4 tbsp Butter, melted
FILLING
– 12oz bag of fresh Cranberries
-1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
– 3 large eggs
– 2 egg yolks
– pinch of salt
– 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
– 4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp & cut into pieces
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F, lightly spray a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray.
- Put the gingersnaps in a food processor and process until they are fine crumbs (a heaping cup) Add the walnuts, and brown sugar and process again until everything is finely ground. Add the butter and process briefly to combine.
- Pat the crust into your pie plate, and up the sides. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Put the cranberries, 1 cup of the sugar, and 1/4 cup water to a simmer in a saucepan. Lower the heat and simmer the cranberries, uncovered, for about 15 minutes until they’ve popped and the mixture is quite thick. Let cool slightly and then puree until completely smooth.
- Whisk the puree, the eggs, yolks, salt, lemon juice and 1/2 cup sugar together in a saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, this will take about 10 minutes or so. Stay by the pan the whole time and stir!
- Push the curd through a mesh strainer, using the back of a spoon to get it all through.
- Let the curd cool for a few minutes and then drop the room temperature butter in, bit by bit, while you stir to melt it.
- Pour the curd into the pie crust and smooth out evenly. Chill the pie until it is firm, about 2 hours or so.
- Decorate with sugared cranberries and fresh Thyme sprigs!
It’s Vege-Wednesday! We’re bringing back our Vegan Wine features with a little twist….now you can pair these wines with a delicious Vegan meal (tried and tested and plates completely cleaned by our team here, so you know they’re good!)
We’re thrilled to be continuing to partner with VegeCert in certifying our Vegan and Vegetarian wines, making it easier for Vegan customers to find and enjoy new and exciting wines in their area!
The wines we feature on Vege-Wednesdays are certified Vegan friendly by VegeCert, an organization that certifies vegan and vegetarian products. This means the wine in question was not made using any animal byproducts. But some of you have been wondering, what does that mean?
🌱Sometimes fining agents that are made from things like eggs, isinglass, and casein are used in the production of wine. This would result in a wine NOT being considered Vegan! Wines of ours that do not have any of these animal byproducts used during production proudly carry the VegeCert certification of being Vegan.
Now, let’s get cooking!
Orecchiette with Creamy Carrot Miso Sauce & Carrot Top Gremolata
Ingredients
- 8–10 ounces orecchiette pasta, cooked in salted water, according to package directions.
Carrot Miso Sauce:
- 2 shallots, rough chopped
- 4–6 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 heaping cups carrots, thinly sliced
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons White Miso Paste
Carrot Top Gremolata
- 1/2 cup carrot tops (tender leaves) packed
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley
- 1 fat garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup– 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions: Pasta
- COOK PASTA: Set 6-8 cups salted water to boil for pasta, and cook according to directions.
- COOK the SAUCE: Heat oil in a medium pot, over medium heat. Saute shallot and garlic until fragrant and golden, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add carrots, cashews, water, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat to low and simmer gently until carrots are fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the 3 tablespoons of miso and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
- BLEND THE CARROT MISO SAUCE: Once the carrots are tender and slightly cooled, place all in a high-speed blender, covering tightly with a kitchen towel, blend on the lowest setting, gradually increasing speed, until fully blended, creamy and silky smooth about 1- 1 1/2 minutes.
- Drain the pasta and pour the sauce over the pasta, gently warming if needed. Taste and adjust salt.
- Divide among bowls, and sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs and spoon the flavorful Carrot Top Gremolata over top.
Instructions: Carrot Top Gremolata
- Place carrot leaves, parsley, lemon zest and garlic in a food processer and pulse repeatedly until finely chopped. Add the salt and oil, pulsing a few more times until incorporated (but not too smooth). Add more oil if you prefer a looser version.
Pairing with Wine
Enjoy this dish with our 2017 Tintern Pinot Noir, certified Vegan by VegeCert! This Pinot is light and bright but harmonizes beautifully with the earthiness of the carrot sauce, and balances the savoury miso flavours nicely. This completely vegan meal is FULL of flavour and seems rich, but doesn’t leave you feeling heavy and over-stuffed. The Gremolata is optional, but we love the fact that we didn’t waste anything from our carrots and let’s be honest, who could say no to more garlic in your pasta?
