Fort Ross Vineyard

Ingredients:

Black garlic tahini:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 medium garlic cloves, grated

3 peeled black garlic cloves (such as CalPAC)

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup tahini (such as Soom)

3/4 cup ice water

Sumac onions:

1 medium-size red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon ground sumac

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Za'atar chicken:

1 (4-pound) whole chicken

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 1/2 tablespoons za’atar

Black Garlic Tahini

Instructions:

Black garlic tahini:

1. Combine lemon juice and grated garlic in a blender; let stand 15 minutes. Using flat side of a knife, smash black garlic cloves on a cutting board, and scrape to form a paste. Add black garlic paste and salt to blender; puree until mostly smooth and black garlic is very finely chopped, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Place tahini in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on high speed until smooth and creamy, 4 to 5 minutes. Decrease speed to medium, and slowly drizzle in black garlic mixture. (Mixture will thicken but will smooth out again after adding water.) With mixer running, slowly drizzle in 3/4 cup cold water until fully incorporated. Increase speed to high, and beat until mixture is smooth, glossy, and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Za'atar chicken:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F, and line a large baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place chicken, backbone side up, on baking sheet. Using kitchen shears, cut along each side of backbone; remove and discard backbone. Flip chicken breast side up, and push down on breast to flatten. Season both sides of chicken evenly with salt. Roast chicken, breast side up, in preheated oven until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 140°F, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating pan after 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the sumac onions.

2. Toss together onion, vinegar, sumac, and salt in a large bowl until onions are well coated. Set aside until ready to serve.

3. Remove chicken from oven. (Do not turn oven off.) Tilt pan slightly to collect rendered juices into a baster or large spoon. Baste chicken skin with drippings, and sprinkle with za’atar. Return chicken to oven, and roast at 450°F until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of chicken registers 155°F, 5 to 10 minutes. Let chicken rest 15 minutes before carving. Serve with sumac onions and black garlic tahini.

 Pair with our 2021 Chardonnay »

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced

3 peeled garlic cloves (1 minced, 2 left whole) 

2 cans (14 oz. each) crushed tomatoes 

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

About 1 tsp. each salt and freshly ground black pepper, divided 

6 cups (about 2 lbs.) butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-in. cubes 

1/2 tsp. dried thyme 

1 pound Lacinato kale (often sold as dinosaur or Tuscan kale) 

9 whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 8 oz.) 

1 container (15 oz.) part-skim-milk ricotta cheese 

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a 2- to 3-qt. pot over medium heat. Add onion and minced garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent, 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, and 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until thick and flavors are combined, about 30 minutes. Set aside.

2. While sauce is cooking, in a 12- by 15-in. baking pan, sprinkle squash with thyme, remaining olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic cloves and toss squash mixture to coat with oil. Bake until soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 3 qts. salted water to a boil in a large pot.

3. Reduce oven temperature to 350°. Transfer squash and garlic to a food processor and purée until smooth.

4. Tear kale leaves from center ribs and discard ribs. Boil leaves until soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain; let cool. Squeeze out as much water as possible and chop finely.

5. In the same pot, bring another 3 qts. salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until tender to the bite, about 10 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water.

6. In a bowl, mix ricotta, nutmeg, 1 cup mozzarella, and remaining 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper.

7. Coat the bottom of a 9- by 13-in. pan with 1/3 of tomato sauce (about 1 1/2 cups). Lay 3 noodles in a single layer over sauce. Top noodles with squash, spreading evenly. Sprinkle 1/2 of kale evenly over squash. Arrange 3 more noodles on kale and top with ricotta, spreading evenly. Top with remaining kale and noodles. Cover noodles with remaining tomato sauce and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella.

8. Bake lasagna until juices are bubbling and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

 Pair with our 2021 Bicentennial Chardonnay »

Ingredients:

10 ounces (2 cups) shelled fresh peas (from about 1 lb. pods)* or frozen peas, thawed

12 ounces ricotta, preferably sheep’s milk

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup Preserved Lemon

Herb Oil (recipe at right) or best quality extra-virgin olive oil

4 ounces (about 4 cups) mixed spring greens

1 ounce (about 2 cups) of at least 3 mixed fresh herb leaves

About 1/2 ounce (1 bunch) chives, trimmed and snipped into 1⁄2-in. pieces

Flaky sea salt

Edible flowers, such as Johnny jump-up violas, sage, thyme, or arugula (optional)

Preserved Lemon Herb Oil

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt until it tastes like the sea. Set a large bowl of ice water near the stove.

2. If using fresh peas, boil until bright green and tender, 30 seconds to 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, transfer to ice bath to cool. Drain well, spread on a kitchen towel, and pat dry. If using thawed frozen peas, dry them the same way, uncooked.

3. To 4 to 6 large shallow bowls, add a large spoonful of ricotta on one side.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, a pinch of fine sea salt, a few grinds of pepper, and 1/4 cup preserved lemon herb oil. Add peas, greens, herb leaves, chives, and another pinch of fine salt. Gently toss with clean hands. Season with more lemon juice, oil, or salt, depending on the greens used.

5. Mound salad next to cheese. Drizzle a spoonful of extra preserved lemon herb oil around each salad so that it forms a shallow, bright green pool. Top salads with flaky sea salt and a few edible flowers, if using. Serve at once.

Pair with our 2020 Mother of Pearl Chardonnay »

Ingredients:

 1lb celery root, peeled and diced 1’’

1lb Yukon potato, peeled and diced 1’’

2 large shallots, small diced

1 cup white wine

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tablespoon celery seed

2 teaspoon whole cardamom

6 black peppercorns, whole

3 sprigs fresh flat leaf parsley

2 quarts vegetable stock

½ cup heavy cream

2 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoon olive oil

¼ cup crème fraiche

Celery leaves to garnish

Kosher salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Make a bouquet garni by tying up thyme, celery seed, cardamom, peppercorn, and parsley in a cheesecloth. Set aside.

2. Heat a 6-quart stock pot to medium heat. Add celery root, potatoes, shallots, and olive oil. Season lightly with kosher salt. Sweat vegetables for about 10 minutes, stirring often until shallots turn translucent. 

3. Add wine to deglaze. Reduce for a few minutes until wine reduces by half

4. Add vegetable stock and bouquet garni and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 20 minutes until celery root is fork tender.

5. Remove bouquet garni. Put soup in a blender with the butter, and blend until smooth. Pour soup through a strainer into a clean stock pot. Bring to a simmer. Add cream and stir. Season with kosher salt.

6. Ladle soup into a bowl. Garnish with a dollop of crème fraiche and celery leaves.

Pair with our 2019 Chardonnay »

Ingredients:

1 1/2 qts. peeled, 1 1/2-in. chunks kabocha* or other orange-fleshed winter squash (from a 3-lb. squash)

 About 1 tsp. kosher salt, divided

 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

 1 onion, halved and cut into half-moons

 1 or 2 red or green serrano chiles, minced

 1 cinnamon stick (2 1/2 in.)

 20 fresh curry leaves* or 6 dried bay leaves

 1 teaspoon turmeric

 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

 1 can (14.5 oz.) coconut milk

 1 cup salted roasted cashews

 1 tablespoon lemon juice

 Steamed basmati rice

Instructions:

1. Sprinkle squash with 1/2 tsp. salt. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Brown half the squash in oil, turning once, 6 to 8 minutes; reduce heat if squash starts getting dark. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with 1 tbsp. oil and remaining squash.

2. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tbsp. oil in another large frying pan over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until deep golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer half to the nonstick frying pan and reserve other half in a bowl.

3. Add chiles, cinnamon, and curry leaves to onion in pan. Cook, stirring often, until curry leaves are very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add turmeric, cumin, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and cook, stirring, until spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.

4. Return squash to nonstick frying pan (with onion) and add coconut milk. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer until squash is tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in cashews and lemon juice, and add more salt to taste. Top curry with reserved onion and serve with rice.

*Kabocha peels are edible. Find curry leaves in Indian markets.

Pair with our 2019 Mother of Pearl Chardonnay »

Ingredients:

Soup
1 butternut squash, about 2lb

2 quarts vegetable stock

2 cups cream

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

1⁄2 teaspoon ground green cardamom

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Zest of one lemon

Kosher salt to taste

 Brioche crouton:
2 slices Brioche bread, cut into 1 inch sticks

2 tablespoons olive oil

Zest of half of a lemon

1⁄4 teaspoon ground green cardamom

Instructions:

Soup
1. Split squash in half, and scoop out seeds. Season with salt and green cardamom. Roast at 350F for one hour. Set aside to cool, then scoop the squash out of it’s skin.

2. In a large pot, sweat shallots over medium heat until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add roasted squash, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add sherry vinegar to deglaze.

3. Add cream and stock and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 minutes, then blend until smooth.

4. Pour soup through a strainer into a clean pot a bring to a simmer. Season with salt and lemon zest.

5. Serve with crème fraiche on top and brioche crouton.

Brioche Crouton
1. Coat brioche with olive oil

2. Sprinkle on lemon zest and green cardamom.

3. Toast at 350F for 7 minutes, or until crispy

Pair with 2019 Chardonnay »