3-Course Meal & Wine Pairings....Say What?!

So I lost a bet. I won't say the terms of the bet, but it wasn't anything embarrassing. In fact, it was quite the opposite, it is perhaps one of the nerdiest bets that I have ever taken part in, and then lost. The terms of the best were; if I lost, I would have to make a 3 course dinner with wine pairings and if I won, then I would get an expensive dinner at a sushi restaurant. As indicated by my title and opening sentence. I lost.

I guess it's not horrible that I lost. I am someone that loves to cook and this time was no exception. I had a great time trying to think of dishes to come up with. Developing the dishes was easy, it was finding the wine pairings that was quite difficult. I literally Googled it. I am not a wine person. Wine makes me quite sleepy and I don't think I really appreciate the drink. I don't understand when people say they sense these oaky and floral notes. Why does my wine taste like the woods?

Once Google came to the rescue I happened to create quite the successful menu. With the help of the Cooking Channel, Epicurious and my own innovation, I think I made a meal that would probably cause me to lose further bets in the future (just so this meal can be had again).

The meal:

• Appetizer: Steamed artichokes with roasted garlic lemon butter; wine pairing: Sauvignon Blanc
• Dinner (I need to find a way to condense the name of this): Lemon poached salmon with a dill English cucumber sauce, served on a bed of spaghetti squash coupled with roasted vegetables & fresh pickled cucumbers; wine pairing:  Chardonnay
• Dessert: Coconut infused tapioca and fresh cut mango; wine pairing: Moscato

Steamed Artichokes with a Roasted Garlic Lemon Butter

Ingredients

• 1 head of garlic
• Olive oil
• 2 artichokes (or 1/person)
• Water
• Salt
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 tbs lemon juice

Directions:

1. Take the head of garlic and up the top off the the garlic is exposed but still together. Then take a square of metal foil and place the garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and seal up the packet. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degree and roast the garlic for about 45 minutes or until it is golden brown and soft. Let the packet cool for 5 minutes and then open.

2. Take the artichokes, wash them and be prepared to fight them. Cutting them can be awkward at times. Cut off the stems close to the base. Then cut the some of the top off so it is flat. Then using scissors, snip off the top of each leaf. Notice how the leaves look slighting menacing? Who wants to eat that when they are hungry?

3. Rub some lemon juice on the artichokes to prevent browning. Then in a large pot, place a bowl, open side down, at the bottom. Then fill the pot with water so the bowl is slightly covered. Place the artichokes face down and cover the pot. Steam the artichokes until a knife can go into the stem easily. If you would also like you can use a steamer. This is a far easier option than what I described.

4. In a bowl melt butter. Add a splash of lemon juice and sprinkle with salt. Take the roasted garlic and squeeze it out into the bowl. Make sure you get ALL of the garlic out. It would be a tragedy is something was left over. Thoroughly mix and set aside.

5. When the artichokes are done, remove from the steamer and set on a plate.

How to eat an artichoke: The white fleshy part is what you can eat. The outer leaves have less meat than the inner ones. Peel off each leaf and dip it in the garlic butter. Then using your teeth, scrape the meat off the leaf. This may be hard to imagine, so use YouTube for references. When you get to the heart there is more work required. Once you have eaten ALL of the leaves, including the tiny white ones you will notice there are these thistle like needles in the heart. DO NOT EAT THOSE. These seriously hurt. Using a spoon, scrape them out of the heart, make sure you don't leave anything behind. Then, break up the heart and really dip it in the sauce. I mean douse it with that lemony garlicky buttery goodness. Then eat it and wonder, "where have you been all of my life?"

Looks unsuspecting, but it's quite delightful.

Lemon Poached Salmon with a Dill English Cucumber Sauce

Ingredients

• Lemon Poached Salmon
• 2 fillets of salmon, extremely fresh, de-boned and skinless (if you want)
• 2 cups of Chardonnay
• 2 lemons sliced, with skin on
• 2 cups of water
• Large pinch of salt
• Dill English Cucumber Sauce
• 1 English cucumber, unpeeled, roughly chopped
• 1 bunch dill (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 small red onion
• 2 large lemons, juiced
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup yogurt
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions for Poached Salmon:
1. In a large pot, place all of the ingredients (sans the salmon) and bring to a strong simmer. This is a mix between a boil and a simmer. Once it is simmering, add the fillets of salmon. Cook for exactly 8 minutes.

*This recipe was adapted from one provided by Ellie Krieger*

Directions for Dill Sauce

1. In a blender, add the cucumber, onion and dill. Roughly chop. Then slowly add in the lemon juice, yogurt and mayonnaise. Blend until smooth. Finally, add in the lemon juice and blend for another 20 seconds. Then season with salt and pepper. 

*This recipes is from Dave Liebermen* 

Roasted Vegetables 

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb small brussel sprouts, washed with ends cut off 
• 1 lb tiny baby red potatoes 
• 1 lb asparagus, cut on a diagonal 
• Salt 
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• 2 cloves of garlic roughly chopped 
• 1 1/2 tbs coriander seeds roughly chopped 
• Olive oil

Directions

1. Take the asparagus and bend at the end. Where the stalk snaps is where it is no longer tender. Throw away the bottom half. Wash the stalks and then cut on a diagonal.

2. In a pan, combine all of the ingredients and drizzle with a good amount of olive oil. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cook until a knife goes through the potatoes easily. Mix periodically.

Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

• 1 medium Spaghetti Squash, ends cut off and cut in half length wise
• Butter
• Salt

Directions

1. Take the halved squash and remove the seeds. Then place on a microwave save plate. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the oven for 10 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the squash with butter and sprinkle with salt. Finish off in the oven until there is some golden brown color and the squash is fork tender.

3. Once they have cooled, take a fork and pull away at the flesh. This created the "spaghetti" like strands.

Freshly Pickled Cucumbers

Ingredients

• 1 English cucumber
• 1 tbs coriander seeds
• 1 1/2 tbs freshly chopped dill
• 1 clove of garlic cut
• White Vinegar
• Water
• 1/2 tbs salt
• 1/2 tbs sugar

Directions:

1. Wash and slice the cucumber into rounds.

2. Take a glass jar or tall plastic container and add the: cucumber, coriander seeds, dill, garlic, salt and sugar.

3. Take the vinegar and cover the cucumbers half way. Then cover the remaining half with water. Shake to mix all of the ingredients. Let it sit for at least 24 hours, shaking periodically.

Coconut Infused Tapioca with Fresh Cut Mango

Ingredients

• 1 mango, peeled and diced
• 1 can of unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 cups of milk
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of small pearl tapioca (not the fast cook ones)
• 2 cups of water

Directions

1. In a large pot add the water and set it to boil. Once it starts to boil add the milk and sugar. Then return to a boil.

2. Then reduce the heat to medium and add the tapioca. Stir it in. Leave it on the heat uncovered until the tapioca is fully cooked. Mix frequently so the tapioca doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

3. When the tapioca is cooked, add the coconut milk. This pudding will be runny. Then set aside in the fridge so it can cool down. If you want, you can probably eat it warm. I actually prefer it warm.  Serve with the fresh cut mango and enjoy.

*This recipe is adapted from Epicurious*

  

Ease: I know all of the steps don't really go over 6, but this took me a lot more prep time than cook time. Also the fact that I was wicked tired probably factored into the situation.

Ayurvedic Friendly: Bhahaha, NO.

Yummy: Perhaps the bet winner should say how it tasted....

             "The artichoke was steamed just right, and was quite tasty on its own. The roasted garlic sauce proved quite tasty only to augment the already delicious and simple artichoke. The salmon was cooked perfectly, and the cool and slightly crunchy spaghetti squash offered a contrast to the soft/buttery texture of the salmon. The dill yogurt sauce was a nice and refreshing addition to the dish and offered a tangy taste to complement the softer tastes of the salmon and the squash. The roasted vegetables were tender and lightly seasoned such that you could taste the true flavor vegetable as well. The pickled cucumber with dill was a nice crunch to add a tart taste to the palette to complement the salty/spicy vegetables and soft, buttery, and tangy salmon. The dessert was impeccable. The flavor of the coconut infusion was just right, and coldness of the mango was a great accompaniment to the warm tapioca pudding." - Bet Winner