The Love of Wine and Hiking

One of my other passions in life is hiking. I really love going to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. There is nothing like being on a 4000+ foot mountian. This trip that I just finished got me up a few of my most favorite mountians. It was a three day 26 mile trip starting in Lincoln Woods, going up the Bonds (Bond Cliff is my MOST favorite mountian in the Whites!!!), slept the first night at Guyot Campsite, crossing over South Twin over to Gailhead Hut, down to 13 Falls, camped the second night about 200 feet off the trail half way past 13 Falls and the car, and out. This trip helped my realize I am out of shape, and its time to turn that around. The good news is there where no major injuries on this trip, sore knees and joints, stubbed toe and cut myself with my knife opening a peanut butter package for lunch. Now it always surprises my the crap people will eat while hiking mountians. My buddy Tom likes to bring the dehydrated foods that you can find at EMS or REI. Sure the breakfasts are ok for a quick warm meal but dinners can be so much better with a little more effort!! I get made fun of sometimes for being "gourmet" in the woods. I'm not gourmet, I just believe there is no reason not to eat well when you are roughing it. Sure my food may weigh more but as you use it the weight goes down, so you carry more weight when you start and are well rested and by the time you are dead tired and ready to get home your pack weights significantly less. Plus the food I bring leaves far less trash behind.

The first nights meal this trip was the best meal I have ever made in the mountains. I bought a summer salami ( this is a sausage that does not need to be refrigerated), red pepper, broccoli (which I used the second day) and small onions at Whole Foods Market. Tom also had a Louisiana style rice and beans dehydrated meal that he got from REI that we figured would go awesome with salami, pepper and onions. So I boiled the water for the rice, it asked for two and half cups of water that we later figured out was a little to much. After the pot was empty I added a small amount of olive oil. I always bring olive oil with me, its easy: empty an alcohol nip (50 ml bottle) and fill it with oil. So simple and so light weight, I also have a small salt and pepper (I fill the pepper side with Old Bay) shaker. So after the olive oil warmed I added the red pepper and onions a little salt and Old Bay. This usually gets on lookers from other tent sights!! After the pepper and onions has cooked for a minute or two I added half the summer salami cut into small bight size pieces. After it the salami stared to brown on both side I add a small amount of water to steam it all up. By this point the rice was suppose to be finished, but there was still a lot of water left. After a few more minutes I came up with a great idea and just added the rice and extra water to my salami and peppers and made it into a stew. I cooked the water down for about a minute and added more Old Bay. It came out AMAZING!!!! After a 11 mile hike up 4500 feet in the clouds with only a few minutes of views from Bond Cliff this was one meal that really made it all worth it. Warm and savory, with the right amount of spice. Chef Dan strikes again!!!! I am so sorry my battery on the camera died so I couldn't get pictures of this one.

The second nights meal was almost as good. I took the rest of the salami cut it up to bight size pieces, used the small amount of red pepper and onion that I had left and cooked them up the same way as the night before. Right before they were finished cooking I added a good amount of broccoli. I let the broccoli cook for a few minutes and added a cup of water to boil. When it was done boiling I added some couscous took it off the heat, covered it and let it sit for about five minutes. At the end of a long weekend of back packing over mountains this meal hit the spot too!!

Now you didn't think I would go to the White Mountains and not bring wine did you?? Don't be silly. My company started carrying a wine called FLASQ. It's a half bottle of wine packaged in eco-friendly, easy to handle aluminum bottles. This wine is GREAT for back packing in the wilderness!! It weights close to nothing, 100% shatter proof and not bad wine at all. It actually is pretty good. They have two varietals that they make, a Chardonnay from Monterey County and a Merlot from San Luis Obispo County. This is one of those products that if you saw it you would think it wasn't the best quality. After bring two up with me I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the wine. I brought the Merlot and it was really easy drinking. Ripe red berries, blackberries and a little spice. This wine went GREAT with the first nights meal. The next trip I make to the White Mountains I will bring this with me again. Again there is no reason not to have a relaxing evening after a hike with wine and FLASQ makes it easy to do!!

When life gives you lemons, drink Carmenere!!

So last night after a long day of work I came home to cook a new recipe out of my new book The Spice Bible, page 208 three pepper steak. I couldn't wait it was a three pepper steak with a cream sauce. A really cool recipe that required white pepper, black pepper and green pepper. This meant I HAD to buy whole white and green pepper corns. So I get home change and got to the fridge to get the steaks out and the steaks had already gone bad. Weird because I had only just bought them on Sunday and it was only Tuesday. When I went back to the fridge I realized it didn't work anymore. This pissed me off. I had to call the management company tell them what was wrong and now I have to wait until they find the time to get me a new fridge. It's 24 hours later and still no fridge. But when life gives you lemons, drink Carmenere!! It's something about the mocha, bell pepper and dark fruits that makes me feel much better. So after a quick glass I calmed down and started to think about what to do. I came up with go to Whole Foods and rebuy steaks and try my adventure. First Whole Foods is expensive but it is the only store near my apartment. Second they didn't have what I was looking for. I had to buy thicker steaks.

So I get home get the book out, start the prepwork. I got to use my new mortar and pestle. When I saw it at T.J. Maxx I knew had to have it, plus it was only $9. So I grind up my peppers and sea salt coat the steak, fill the skillet with oil, put the heat on med-high and start to cook my steaks. Now the recipe says for med-rare to cook two-three minuets on each side. I figured that meant four because my steaks where thick. So the steaks are on the stove I quickly cut up some bacon and cut the ends off some white asparagus small amount of salt and stick them into the broiler. I love white asparagus, it has such a different taste than green asparagus and when it's grilled or broiled it kind of has a candy flavor to it add bacon and watch out. So I go back to my steaks and flip. Now I prep the sauce two-thirds cup beef broth, third cup whipping cream,two tablespoons brandy (I know I should be cooking with wine but brandy does come from grapes so it like a cousin to wine), large garlic clove mashed, shallots diced, two tablespoons butter, two tablespoons green pepper( I got to use my mortar and pestle twice this recipe, I was in home chef heaven!) and parsley to taste. After four minuets I take the steak off the stove throw in the garlic, shallots and butter cook for a minuet or two. Now the book said to be careful with the brandy and take the skillet off the heat before you add it. I followed the rules because I didn't want to burn down my kitchen. So you put the skillet back on the heat bring to a boil add the broth, cream, green pepper and cook for four minuets, add the parsley and pour over the steaks. As I finish that up the asparagus is just about done. This looked like I had just got a dish from Abe and Louies. Except I forgot the small red potatoes and when I cut into the streaks they shout ouch that hurts. I did not take in to account the thickness of the steaks they were more on the rare side of med-rare. No big deal just took a sip of the carmenere threw the steaks in the broiler for a few more minuets and started to watch the Red Sox go 0 and 4. After all that I opened another carmenere.

So what is this carmenere I speak of? Just like Malbec it is originally a Bordeaux blending grape. At one time it was a major blending grape however in recent years it has been torn up for other varietals and now makes up for less than 5% of vines in Bordeaux. How ever in Chile it has really has had a chance to shine. It wasn't always that way however. So when the French, Italians, well I guess anyone from a wine drinking society decided to immigrate to new lands they always bring clones with them. So why would it have been any difference in Chile?? They planted vineyards and made great wines. Well tough times came to the Chileans and wine making kind of went a way for a few years(decades even). Then years later things start to get a little better and they wine industry starts to make a come back. But the wine they make was not that good, especially the merlot. So I have heard this story two different ways, they get to the same end but for this blog I am going to go with more the "Cinderella Story" ending. This guy is walking one of the vineyards and is checking out the  vines. He tells the owner that the vines that he thinks are merlot are not merlot but carmenere. A much later harvesting grape. In a perfect world the Chilean people would have hoisted this guy on they shoulder and renamed the country after him. But then again we don't live in the land of Disney. Instead the wine growers start harvesting these grapes later in the year and the wine makers make a wine that in silky dark fruit, with mocha and green bell pepper. Now some of these wines can be a lot of bell pepper. The best ones have it as a finishing note that last on your palate long enough to make the wine drinker smile. Where can I get this wine you say. Well any good wine shop should carry at least one carmenere! Which one should I look for? Well I personally I love, love, love the wines from Viu Manent . These guys are the rock stars of the Chilean wine world. They have been a family owned and run vineyard since 1935. The really put their hearts and souls into every bottle they make!! They have a few levels of quality in wine and every quality is well worth their price. My favorite level is their reserva level. These wine retail around $12.99-$14.99 a bottle and the quality is more like a Napa $25 bottle. What are you doing still reading this post go out and buy a bottle. You wont be disappointed. Not sure you like carmenere? Go try their Cabernet or Malbec. You really wont be disappointed.