Ideal harvest meals

In Northern California wine country, where I live and work, the wine grape harvest usually starts slowly in late July with grapes for sparkling wines. It picks up steam through August and September and typically ends in late October. If we have a relatively cool year, the harvest can extend into November. For us it’s a time of great meals, and I’ve been lucky to participate in many that were memorable, from breakfasts before dawn to casual dinners outside on warm evenings.

For the most part, these meals are uncomplicated and take advantage of our gardens and farmers market offerings, when summer and fall fruits and vegetables are also reaching their peak.

One of the simplest and most delicious harvest parties I can remember was a lunch of slowly grilled peppers with fresh tortillas and cheese served at the Tierra Vegetables farm near Healdsburg, Calif., close to where I live. Tierra grows lots of different vegetables that are sold at farmers markets in Northern California.

The real specialty, however, is chili peppers of all kinds. They are sold fresh, but the real treasures, to my mind, are the chilies that they gently smoke and dry. Tierra smokes a number of different varieties that can be mail ordered. I keep them on hand to add spice and smoke to all manner of things but especially to winter stews and braises. Check them out at www.tierravegetables.com.

But back to the lunch that, on this particular day, was so simple. We were joined by a number of local winery folks, and the meal was composed of just three ingredients: Tierra’s fresh chilies, including both sweet and hot varieties; a good melting cheese, such as Mexican asadero or Monterey Jack, and freshly made tortillas.

All we did was place whole chilies on a grill over a low charcoal fire. We let them cook slowly for several minutes. This softened them with a minimum of charring until they were meltingly soft. On the same grill we then heated some fresh tortillas, topped each with the cheese that we allowed to melt, then placed a mixture of peppers on top seeds, skin and all and rolled them up and enjoyed them. Yum.

We also had a little wine, of course. We chose a couple of locally made rose wines that were just perfect with the spice of the chilies. I can almost hear some of you out there saying, “Pink wine … you’ve got to be kidding.”

I can finally say that Americans are beginning to understand and enjoy the versatility and delicious flavors of relatively dry rose or pink wines. For years wine and food writers have extolled the wonders of rose wines with a wide range of foods.

Roses are perfect for summer drinking, in part because they are served chilled. Our brethren in Europe have known this for a long time and enjoyed them with all manner of foods.

I think what may have delayed their acceptance in America were the sweetish roses of a couple of decades ago, the ones that came in earthenware bottles. Remember those?

Another strike against roses were some of the early white California zinfandels that tended to be pretty sweet and soda pop-like and as a result were not considered wines worth taking seriously. In the last couple of years, however, and in California especially, we’ve seen an explosion of roses being offered from producers all over.

And guess what? They’re finally selling like crazy because they are the perfect wines for warm weather harvest meals.

Some of my California favorites are the Iron Horse Rosato of Sangiovese, Sola Rosa Rose, Saintsbury Vincent Vin Gris, Fetzer Syrah Rose, Handley Rose of Pinot Noir and the Tin Roof Pinot Noir Rose. (Keep in mind that I am Fetzer Vineyard’s culinary director, so I am loyal to them, but I also know their wines and many others from our area well.) All of these are in fairly general distribution and well priced for harvest drinking.

One of the most unusual harvest meals I remember was one in which a whole roasted pig was the center of the meal. The average home cook might think twice before tackling such a task, but what made the job easy was that my winemaker friend had a specially constructed pig-roasting box.

The box is manufactured in Miamiand is called La Caja China. For more information go to www.lacajachina.com (or call 800/338-1323). It’s an amazing thing with wheels that makes it easy to move around.

The box can also be used for roasting hams, a couple of large turkeys or whatever you might want to serve a gang of friends. I was so taken with the box and the process that, of course, I had to buy one, which I continue to use to this day.

Here’s one of my favorite harvest dinner menus, much of which can be done ahead and that draws on the bounty of the summer garden. I recently served it to friends who had gathered to help harvest a small sauvignon blanc vineyard in Sonoma’s County’s Russian River Valley.

The menu is drawn from recipes in my just released book “John Ash One-on-One: Lessons from a Master Teacher” (Clarkson Potter).

Black bean gazpacho salad

This is a variation in form and content on the popular Spanish cold soup. It is a terrific lunch salad or first course because, though hearty, the chilled quality is extremely refreshing.

The ingredient list may seem a little daunting, and some time is involved in chopping the vegetables, but the salad comes together very easily. I often tell my students not to judge a recipe’s degree of difficulty based on the number of ingredients.

This dish is a perfect example. It’s great for a crowd and stores well in the refrigerator for up three days. It’s delicious. It’s healthy. What more could you ask for?

3 cups freshly cooked or canned black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups peeled and sliced red onions (soak in ice water for 30 minutes if strong)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 cups peeled, halved and seeded cucumbers, sliced

2 cups seeded and diced tomatoes

2 cups each diced red and yellow bell peppers

2 teaspoons seeded and finely minced serrano chilies

1 cup husked and chopped fresh tomatillos

1 cup fresh corn kernels, raw, if tender, or briefly blanched, if not

1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon favorite bottled hot sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup fresh or canned tomato juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons dried

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a big bowl or directly in a storage container, combine black beans, red onion, garlic, cucumber, tomatoes, red and yellow bell peppers, 2 teaspoons serrano chilies (or to taste), tomatillos, corn kernels, cilantro, 1/3 cup fresh lime juice (or to taste), 1 tablespoon hot sauce (or to taste), olive oil, tomato juice and oregano.

Chill at least 2 hours to allow flavors to blend. Taste the salad and then season to taste with salt and pepper, extra hot sauce or lime juice whatever you think it needs. Makes 8 generous servings.

Melon and goat cheese salad with agrodolce

This is a very easy summer salad that uses a dressing based on the Italian “agrodolce,” which is basically a mixture of caramelized sugar and vinegar or wine. It gives a tart-sweet flavor that is a nice counterpoint to the sweet fruit and tart goat cheese.

The spicy greens and tannic walnuts round it out, and I think it’s a wonderful combination. A delicious alternative here is to substitute prosciutto-wrapped grilled fresh figs or pears for the melon.

1 ripe (2- to 2-pound) melon such as cantaloupe

4 cups or so tender peppery greens such as arugula, red mustard, cress or a combination

1 cup fresh blue or other berries of choice

Agrodolce dressing (recipe follows)

8 ounces fresh goat cheese, cut in attractive shapes

cup toasted walnut halves

Freshly ground black pepper

Seed and remove rind from melon and cut into attractive shapes. (Don’t go crazy just make something that looks nice on the plate.) Arrange greens on plates with the melon and berries.

Drizzle a tablespoon or two of the agrodolce dressing over all and top with the goat cheese, walnuts and a grinding or two of black pepper. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

AGRODOLCE DRESSING:

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup hearty red wine

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

1 teaspoon mixed whole peppercorns

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

teaspoon salt

1/4cup or so olive oil

2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Place sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves.

Raise heat and bring to a boil, without stirring, until mixture is golden. Separately, stir the cornstarch together with the vinegar and wine.

Remove sugar mixture from heat and carefully add vinegar mixture. (Mixture will sputter.) Place back over moderate heat and stir in garlic, peppercorns, rosemary and salt. Bring to a boil and stir until all the caramel has melted and the mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Strain just before serving, whisk in olive oil and lime juice to taste.

Store covered in refrigerator up to 5 days.

Makes about 1 cup.

Miso grilled salmon with cucumber relish

Miso, the Japanese fermented soybean paste, makes a delicious marinade for rich salmon as well as other meaty fish. Be careful that the fire is not too hot to burn the sugar in the marinade.

The idea is to get a tasty crust. You can also cook the salmon under a broiler or pan roast it, starting it skin side up in a heavy oven-proof skillet until it’s nicely lacquered. Then turn it over and finish in a hot (425-degree) oven. Cooking it on the skin adds even more flavor and also helps keep the salmon moist.

6 (5- to 6-ounce) salmon fillets, skin on

MARINADE:

1/4 cup white (Shiro) miso

1/4 cup mirin (Japanese rice wine)

2 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons minced scallions

1 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root

Cucumber relish (recipe follows)

Toasted sesame seeds, daikon sprouts and slivered nori for garnish, if desired

Remove any pin bones from the salmon and set aside in a bowl. Mix together white miso, mirin, rice vinegar, sesame oil, scallion and ginger root, and use it to coat the salmon. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (and up to 2 hours), turning occasionally.

Wipe excess marinade off salmon with your fingers, and over a medium fire (or alternately under a broiler) grill the salmon on both sides or until just cooked through. Fish should still be translucent in the very middle.

Place on plates with skin side down and top with Cucumber Relish. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, daikon sprouts and nori strips, if using. Can be served warm or at room temperature. Makes 6 servings.

CUCUMBER RELISH:

3/4 pound (1 medium) English cucumber

2 teaspoons sea or kosher salt

1/4 pound daikon or other radish, peeled, cut into fine julienne match sticks and soaked in cold water

1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar

1/4 cup sugar or to taste

2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger root

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and a pinch or two of cayenne pepper

Peel and cut cucumber in half and scoop out seeds with a teaspoon. Cut cucumber into thick slices, sprinkle with salt and toss.

Let sit for 15 minutes in a colander over a bowl or in the sink. Rinse, drain and pat dry with paper towels and place in a bowl.

Drain daikon, pat dry and add to cucumber. In a small bowl whisk together rice vinegar, sugar to taste, ginger root, olive oil and salt and cayenne to taste and pour over cucumber mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Buttermilk panna cotta with raspberry sauce

We tend to think of gelatin desserts as something not very special. They can be, however, and this version of Italian panna cotta (cooked cream) is proof positive.

The buttermilk lightens the texture and adds an interesting tang. Look for a quality buttermilk with good flavor. A tip-off are ones labeled “Russian” or “Bulgarian” style.

2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (less than 1 envelope)

cup sugar

cup heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

2 cups buttermilk

Raspberry sauce (recipe follows)

Pour 1/3 cup water into a small saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over. Let sit for 5 minutes for gelatin to soften. Add the sugar, cream and zest and heat over low heat until it just begins to steam.

Do not simmer or boil. Stir constantly to dissolve the sugar. This will take about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the buttermilk.

Strain mixture and pour into 6 -cup molds, then cover and refrigerate until dessert is firm, at least 2 hours. To serve, dip molds into hot water for a few seconds and then invert panna cottas onto individual plates. Gently shake to loosen, then remove the molds.

Spoon raspberry sauce around and serve immediately. Panna cottas can be made a day ahead and unmolded at serving time.

Makes 6 servings.

RASPBERRY SAUCE:

3 cups fresh or IQF (individually quick frozen) raspberries

1 tablespoon lemon juice

About 2 tablespoons sugar

Place raspberries, lemon juice and sugar in a blender and puree. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds and add lemon and sugar to taste. Store covered and refrigerated up to 5 days.