Recipes

Recipes Using Wine

Merlot Meatballs (Appetizer)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Mokelumne Oaks Merlot
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
20 ounce bag of Trader Joe's mini meatballs
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste (serves 4-6)

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Place meatballs in pan and cook for 10 minutes, making sure the meatballs are browned all over. Remove meatballs  from pan.
2. Combine Merlot and vinegar and add to hot pan. Let sauce boil and reduce for approximately five minutes, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to release any brown bits. Add meatballs back to the pan. Stir to coat the meatballs in wine sauce, then continue heating for a few minutes.
3. Once heated, take meatballs out and place in a serving dish. Add butter to the remaining sauce in pan. Heat until the butter is melted and the sauce is glossy and slightly thickened. Pour glaze over meatballs, hand out toothpicks and enjoy.

Strawberry Trio Shortcake
Ingredients:
1 pint fresh strawberries
1 cup Mokelumne Oaks Trio
1/3 cup sugar
4 shortcake cups
Vanilla ice cream
White chocolate (serves 4)

Directions:

1. Cut strawberries into quarters and place in a bowl. Sprinkle sugar over berries and mix together. Then pour Trio wine over strawberries. Cover and let marinade in fridge for at least 4 hours (overnight is fine!).
2. After marinating, drain liquid from strawberry bowl into a saucepan. Heat liquid on medium-high heat. While the liquid boils and reduces for a couple of minutes, put shortcake cups into individual serving bowls. Spread a scoop of softened ice cream on the bottom of each cup. Place strawberries on top of ice cream. Shave white chocolate on top of strawberries. Then pour the heated wine sauce over top of the strawberries.
   
   

Red Wine Braised Chicken                                
Ingredients: 
1 cup Mokelumne Oaks Cab-Shiraz 
8 chicken thighs (approximately 3 Ibs) 
1/2 cup brown sugar 
1 large shallot (minced)
2 cloves of garlic (minced) 
1 tablespoon paprika 
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper to taste (serves 4)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic and shallot in oil until tender.       Season chicken, then place chicken skin side down in pan and brown for 4 minutes.         Turn chicken and brown for another 4 minutes.
2. Drain oil from skillet. Sprinkle chicken with paprika and brown sugar. Pour red wine around chicken. Cover, turn heat down, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, making sure to         lightly baste chicken with wine sauce every few minutes.
3. Remove chicken and plate. Place butter in pan and heat on high until sauce is glossy and    slightly thickened. Spoon glaze over chicken and serve with your favorite side dish.

Tri Tip with Old Vine Zin Sauce
Ingredients:
11/2 cups Mokelumne Oaks Old Vine Zinfandel
3/4 cup veal or beef stock
2-3 Ib tri tip roast
2 shallots 1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper to taste (serves 4)

Directions:

1. Bar-b-q- tri tip.
2. When meat is halfway finished, combine wine and shallots in a heavy, medium-sized        (10") skillet and heat on high until liquid is reduced in half (approximately 9-10 minutes).
3. Add stock to skillet and simmer until liquid is reduced to about Vi cup (7-9 minutes longer).
4. Turn heat down and add butter 10 skillet. Once butter is melted and sauce is glossy, season to taste, then strain and discard shallots. Spoon Old Vine Zin sauce over slices of tri tip.