TableConversation.com

An Easy Dinner in a Single Bowl

Bowl dinners are so easy. You layer everything you need for a complete meal in a bowl, in this case, a starch (rice), protein (shrimp) and veggies (baby bok choy plus mushrooms) combined with a sauce

You can cook the rice and keep it warm while stir-frying the veggies and shrimp. Put these on top of the rice, and you're done. So fast!

Baby bok choy is just the right size for this dish. Melissa's Produce distributes it widely, so you can find it in some supermarkets. I also get it from a nearby Korean market. 

For the rice, I cook either jasmine or basmati rice in lots of boiling water, then drain off the water and let the rice stand, covered, for 5 or 10 minutes. This way, you get perfect rice every time, don't have to measure the water, and the rice never sticks. An Indian chef taught me this method. 

You can prepare the rice in advance and and assemble the other ingredients ahead of time so it takes only a few minutes to put the dish together.

For the shrimp, I use big EZ peel shrimp that I keep in a bag in the freezer. Thawing them enough to peel takes only seconds, if you rinse them with cold water.

So here's the recipe, designed for one serving on the days when you're alone and need something that's as delicious as it is quick to prepare. 

SHRIMP AND BOK CHOY BOWL

2 dried shiitake mushrooms
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/3 cup jasmine or basmati rice
2 heads baby bok choy
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 (1/4-inch) slice ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
4 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Additional soy sauce, if needed

Soak the shiitake mushrooms in the water until very soft. Remove and slice or chop, discarding stems. Reserve the soaking liquid.

Place the cornstarch in a small bowl or measuring cup. Add 1/4 cup of the mushroom soaking liquid, the soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil and stir until blended. Set aside until needed. Reserve the remaining soaking liquid.

Wash the rice well, then place in a saucepan and cover generously with water, which should come well above the rice. Bring to a boil and boil 10 minutes, uncovered. Drain, then let stand in the saucepan, covered, until needed. The rice may be prepared in advanced and reheated before using. 

Cut the bok choy crosswise in slices about 1-inch wide, or slightly wider. Discard the root end and any tough pieces at the bottom. 

Heat the vegetable oil in a wok. Add the ginger and garlic and stir fry a few seconds, but do not allow to burn. Add the bok choy and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, then the sauce mixture and cook and stir for 2 minutes, until the sauce is thickened. 

Place the hot rice in a heated large single serving bowl. Place the bok choy on top. 

Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved mushroom soaking liquid to the empty wok. Add the shrimp and cook about 2 minutes, turning once. 

Place the shrimp on top of the bok choy and serve at once, with additional soy sauce on the side to adjust seasoning if needed. 

Makes 1 serving.

A Summery Vodka Cocktail

The delicate floral scents wafting from this cocktail will make you think you’re in a garden.

It’s a Vodka Pixie, named for one of its delightful components, Ojai Pixie tangerine juice. The season for Ojai Pixie tangerines is coming to an end, so grab some if you can. They’re so sweet you’ll be amazed.

Otherwise, use the juice from oranges, mandarins or other tangerines. Then you can enjoy this refreshing cocktail throughout the summer.

VODKA PIXIE
2 oz. vodka
1 oz. Pixie tangerine juice
1 oz. triple sec or other orange liqueur
1/2 tsp. orange blossom water
4-6 drops orange bitters
Ice cubes
Mint sprig, optional

Combine the vodka, tangerine juice, triple sec, orange blossom water and orange bitters in a cocktail glass. Taste and adjust sweetness if needed. Add ice cubes and stir. Top with a mint sprig, if you have one.

A Wine to Go with Everything

Matching wine with ethnic foods can be a real challenge, especially if you're planning to eat something as spicy as the blazing hot Indian food on the fork in the photo here.

However, the wine behind the fork was better than perfect, a match that worked two ways. If your main interest was wine, you could taste every nuance of this one. The spicy food did not kill it. 

If you were more interested in food than wine, you could still appreciate the way it offered cool contrast to the spiciness.

The food on the fork is gobi Manchurian, a spicy cauliflower preparation from the restaurant Banana Leaf LA in Culver City, which specializes in hotly seasoned South Indian food. Gobi Manchurian is an Indo-Chinese dish widely popular in India. 

On the same menu were chicken Chettinad from the South Indian state Tamil Nadu and Hyderabadi fish fry, both laden with spices and chiles.

The wine that could handle all of them was the 2020 Willamette Valley Pinot Gris from Iris Vineyards. What made it a winner was its vibrant acidity, fruitiness and a touch of sweetness. 

Winemaker Aaron Lieberman (above) said, "The density and concentration of this vintage are the best in a generation."  The Pinot Gris' stellar attributes earned it a Double Gold as well as Best in Show and Best White Varietal awards at the 2022 McMinnville Wine & Food Classic in January.

Iris Vineyards (above) is located in a cool climate zone in the foothills of the Oregon Coast Mountain Range. The 36-area vineyard is part of an 870-acre stretch of land. The owners, Oregon natives Pamela Frye and Richard Boyles, are committed to enlarging the forest on their estate, making the property even more lush and beautiful. 

Pinot Noir is major in the Willamette Valley, accounting for 70% of the grapes grown, Lieberman said. Unfortunately, the Iris 2020 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir (above, with the Pinot Gris) met a major challenge. Wildfires in September of that year affected grapes with smoke compounds, and this wine had to be given special pre- and post fermentation treatments.

All turned out well though. "It's a little softer, more approachable and easier to drink" than other recent vintages, Lieberman observed. It was also given extended barrel age. 

Light rather than a powerhouse, the 2020 Iris Pinot Noir would be nice with chicken in a delicate sauce or fish, but definitely not with highly spiced food. I paired it with Filipino dishes from the chain Jollibee (above). It did well with crunchy fried chicken, a chicken sandwich and adobo rice, but Jollibee's famous sweet spaghetti was not its best friend.  

As if the smoke damage that affected the Pinot wasn't enough, the vineyard (above) experienced two frost events that will reduce its output this year by 50%, Lieberman said. That's a big cut from normal annual production of 14,000 cases. 

But there's good news too. Iris Vineyards is opening a wine bar in Springfield, Oregon.  In addition to wine, there will be wine-based cocktails, which Lieberman has been working on, cheeses and charcuterie. The opening was set for June 2. The address is 322 Main Street.

About 20 minutes from Eugene, Oregon, Springfield offers plenty to do--restaurants, boutiques, antique shops and even a Simpsons tour, because the Springfield where the famous family lives is based on this one. Click here to learn more. 

Learn About Livermore Valley Wine

This beautiful wine is the 2017 Grenache from Longevity Wines in the Livermore Valley. Just as beautiful is the story that goes with it, a love story that may bring a tear to your eye.

Phil Long (above) and his wife Debra were avid wine hobbyists. When the hobby became too big for their garage, they opened Longevity Wines, basing the name on their surname. That was in 2008. Ten years later, Longevity was named winery of the year by the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association.  

This is no small accolade. The Livermore Valley is crucial to California wine history. The first wine grapes were planted there in the 1840s by Robert Livermore, and in 1889, a white wine from Cresta Blanca won an award at a competition in France.

The first ever varietally-labeled Chardonnay came from Wente Vineyards in Livermore, and the Wente Chardonnay clone became the leading source of American Chardonnay, just as 80% of Cabernet Sauvignon in California can be traced back to another valley winery, Concannon Vineyard.

So the Longs had risen high in a big league. And then in 2019 Debra Long passed away from pancreatic cancer.

Look closely at their wine label. The heart that you see was designed by Phil Long to reflect his wife's love of this motif. On each Valentine's Day he had given her an artisan glass heart, a tribute to their love. 

And he has had a heart placed among the tattoos on his arm so that, as he says, she will always be with me.

I "met" Phil Long, tasted the Longevity Grenache and learned about the Livermore Valley thanks to a webinar arranged by the International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Association.

The Grenache is dark in color, with a hint of red fruit at the start, then a bit of pepper and vibrant flavor that, as Long says, can go with anything from lamb to salmon.

I paired it first with a Middle Eastern dish of beef and eggplant.

And then with roast chicken, corn on the cob and pasta with pesto.

I have yet another Longevity wine to taste, a Pinot Grigio given a coppery hue by skin contact. Long recommends this one with shrimp and grits or with aguachile on a handmade potato chip.

Longevity Wines has grown from 500 cases a year to the third largest brand in the Livermore Valley, with international distribution. This alone is notable, but Longevity stands out for another reason. It's a certified-minority owned winery, and Long is president of the Association of African American Vintners.

Association goals include drawing attention to the role of African Americans in the wine industry, making young students aware that the industry can be a career path and providing scholarships.  

Long shared time in the Webinar with two other Livermore Valley winemakers. Alexandra Henkelman (above) is co-owner and winemaker of Omega Road Winery with her father, Ken Henkelman.

This boutique winery, which opened in 2011, grew out of Ken Henkelman's longtime interest in wine and his experience as a home winemaker. They share the view that wine should be "fun, enjoyable, approachable."

Omega is a small producer, about 750 cases a year. One day I would love to taste the Omega Gratia 2019 because 6% of it is Torrontes, a wine I first encountered when I went to Argentina and have enjoyed ever since. The two main grapes in Gratia are Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

Other Omega wines range from Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Tempranillo to Verdelho and a varietal Torrontes. 

Mark Clarin, winemaker of McGrail Vineyards and Winery, (above) is himself part of Livermore Valley history. In 1979, he joined the Wente team. In those days, there were just four wineries, he recalls. Now there are more than 50.

McGrail grows 99 per cent of the grapes for its wines. Case production started at 1,500 and is heading toward toward 10,000 a year, which includes premium Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. 

Clalrin is holding a glass of the McGrail Sauvignon Blanc. It's "a delicious, delicious wine that I truly love," he says, and he recommends it with spicy food. Only two acres of vineyards produced the grapes for this wine.

The chart above shows how the Livermore Valley region is steadily growing. It's easily accessible from San Francisco. To learn more, go to the website of the Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association, which tells how to plan a trip there, lists wineries, places to eat, places to stay and provides wine maps and an itinerary planner. 

A Mid-East Redo of the Potato Salad

Tired of the same old potato salad? Then try something new, like skipping the usual creamy dressing (and all that fat!) and dressing up the potatoes with Middle Eastern flavors.

Then you'll have a salad that's all bright greenery, light and fresh. Borrowing from two popular middle Eastern salads, fattoush and tabbouleh, this recipe incorporates generous handfuls of parsley and mint along with colorful vegetables. But instead of the fried pita used in fattoush and the bulgur wheat basic to tabbouleh, it is based on potatoes.

And why not? Especially if the potatoes are small, tender, red, white and blue potatoes that come combined in a bag from Melissa's Produce.

The potato bag gives handy cooking instructions as well as a salad recipe (not this one, which I made up).

I left the potatoes unpeeled in order to heighten the contrast and added more color with roasted red bell pepper, baby heirloom tomatoes, green onions and a mini cucumber.

The dressing incorporates olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, za'atar, harissa and cumin, and I added honey to offset the tanginess. You can substitute any hot pepper for harissa or leave it out. And you can omit the za'atar, although it's become trendy enough to be widely available.

In the photo at the top, I've dished up the salad on a red white and blue plate to match the colors of the potatoes and to honor the Fourth of July, which is the perfect time to serve it. Here, I've transferred it to a bowl for easy serving at the table. 

MID-EAST POTATO SALAD

1 1/4 pounds red, white and blue potato medley
Salt
1 cup baby heirloom tomatoes, cut in halves
1 mini cucumber, unpeeled, diced, about 1/2 cup
5 green onions, including some of the tops, finely sliced
1 sweet red (bell) pepper, roasted, peeled and diced
1/2 cup (packed) Italian parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup (packed) mint leaves, chopped
Mid-East Dressing

Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water 12 to 15 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain and cool. When the potatoes are at room temperature, cut them in halves or thirds, depending on size. Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle lightly with salt, if desired.

Add the tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, red pepper, parsley and mint. Add 1/2 cup of the Mid-East Dressing, or more to taste, and toss the salad carefully. Refrigerate any remaining dressing. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Makes 4 generous servings. 

MID-EAST DRESSING

1/2 cup mild olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon za'atar, optional
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon harissa paste, Aleppo pepper or other spicy pepper, optional

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, honey, za'atar, salt, cumin and harissa in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Cover and shake well before using. Makes about 3/4 cup.