Tomato Basil Risotto Cakes & Hendry Barrel Chardonnay

Tomato Basil Risotto Cakes with Piquillo Harissa Sauce                                               

Serves 4

Risotto:

¼ cup yellow onion, minced

1 tsp garlic, minced

2 T olive oil

1 c risotto

1/3 cup white wine

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock (may need more depending on type of rice)

¼ cup marinara sauce or tomato paste

½ tsp each: fennel seeds, basil, oregano

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1/3 c parmesan, grated

3 T butter

To finish:

½ lb smoked mozzarella, diced ¾” or other Italian cheese that melts well.

1/2 cup Japanese panko bread crumbs, or Italian style

Olive oil to brown cakes in

Harissa sauce and spring greens to garnish

1.      Heat small saucepan and add oil, stir in garlic and onion and cook until softened.

2.      Add rice and stir well to coat with oil, cook until rice turns a chalky white color.

3.      Add white wine and marinara, cook until evaporated.

4.      Add stock in small additions, just covering top of rice, stir every minute or so, make sure mixture is at a simmer, not boil.

5.      Add stock as needed until rice is tender, stir in parmesan, spices and butter.

6.      Spread mixture out on a large dish or platter and chill in fridge.

7.      To form cakes: measure ¼ cup risotto per cake, Press cheese into center of ball, press into patty shape 2” by ½”.

8.      Roll into bread crumbs and brown in olive oil over medium heat until heated through and cheese is melted.

9.      Serve with harissa sauce and garnish with greens.

Piquillo Harissa Sauce

Makes 1 cup

¾ cup roasted piquillo or other red peppers, chopped

1-2 jalapeno peppers, roasted seeded and peeled

Heaping 1/4 tsp each ground coriander, cumin

Pinch smoked paprika

½ tsp sugar

1-1/2 tsp lemon juice

2 T each olive oil, water

Pinch of salt

1.      Puree in blender until smooth.

Cooking over a hot stove in the heat of summer isn't always the most appetizing of ideas, but neither is sitting inside a restaurant. Grabbing take-out and a bottle of wine on the way home, and then lounging on the porch is a great solution. Picture this - snacking on deliciously hot and creamy Risotto Cakes from 17th Avenue, sipping and exquisitely paired chilled, wine from Joy Wine and Spirits and listening to your favorite jazz while enjoying a warm summer, Colorado evening. This is the synergy to be had with this month's food and wine pairing.

Hendry Barrel Fermented 2005 Chardonnay is a wine for Chardonnay lovers and those, not so in love with what has become of this grape. Often Chardonnay is buttery, oakey, tropical and very rich. This wine often is overdone-gussied up with lots of toasted oak and really ripe juicy fruit. But the Hendry Barrel Fermented Chardonnay is quite different from many of its California counterparts. Many California Chardonnays go through a process called malolactic fermentation. This is a process in which the tart malic acid (imagine the acid in a green apple) is converted into softer lactic acid (imagine the acid in milk), making the wine taste softer. Winemaker and owner John Hendry stops this malolactic fermentation, and produces a wine with wonderful vibrancy and acidity, that cuts through the cheesy risotto cake like a knife. This wine is a pure expression of the hand's on approach of owner, John Hendry's careful management in the vineyard and hands off approach in the winery.

This Chardonnay is barrel fermented in one third new French oak and one third once used French oak. The special barrels Hendy uses have a very tight grain which produced a wine with integrated oak and hints of vanilla in the nose and baking spices throughout, it promotes sheer elegance. This layered wine pairs beautifully with the layers of different cheese in the dish and the fruit compliments the spicy harissa sauce. Stop by Joy Wine and Spirits for the delicious Hendry Chardonnay. Cheers to a beautiful summer evening.