yes, i know it's red.. but thanks for the warning.

It's that time of year when the hunt for the Saint Paul Pioneer Press Medallion is underway, and it's getting down to the wire, and here I sit in 'sunny' California, and as I'm sitting here feeling nostaligic about my wonderful memories of the Saint Paul Winter Carnival, and the incredible memories of the friends, and my times that I will always cherish, there is a memory that I keep coming back to, and since it involves wine, I thought I'd share.

It was the hunt of 2007 (anyone who actually participates is nodding along with me on this one) and Jake has found the medallion in 3 clues, so the paper has decided to hide a second one ...good thing too, as I was just flying in to Minnesota the day Jake found it, so had they not, I would have missed out on that years hunt!

I was in Matty B's Supperclub in downtown Saint Paul(I've heard rumor's it's closed and that makes me sad) waiting for some of the Cooler Crew to get there, so we could go get the next clue. (Cooler Crew, is a group of medallion hunters, kinda like a close knit family for 2 weeks of the year, and an amazing group of individuals that I am lucky enough to call my friends)

Matty B (That's Matt Birk, from the Vikings) was there at his supperclub that night, and was hanging out at the bar. We were making small talk for a few minutes and I was looking over the wine list, deciding to have a cup of liquid warmth before heading out to stand in the sub zero temps and wait for the paper (albeit with a bottle of snow shoe, but THAT's save for another story, another time)

Matt asks me what I'm planning on having. With one more glance over the menu, I decide on the Zinfandel (sorry I don't remember what it was, but I do remember them having a beautiful 04 Hess Cab another night) and infact told him so. Matt stops, processes this info I've just given him, and then quietly whispers to me...
"You know that's a red right?" Yup. I sure do know it's red. We both laugh, and he says, I can't tell you how many people just assume it's pink. haha. funny stuff.

The bartender comes over to take my order, and I order a glass of the Zinfandel. She goes to get it, and retrieves a glass and the bottle, walks over and sets the glass down infront of me, and as she is pulling the cork out, looks at me, and says "You know this is a red wine?" Now Matt and I both laugh, and again, I assure her that I DO INFACT know that it's red. We all laugh, and she says, "you have no idea how many people get really mad and say "that's not Zinfandel! Zin is pink!" She pours it, and it's a lovely red Zin.

A few minutes pass, and several of the crew arrives. We are sitting there, drinking and chatting and having an all around good ruckus of a time. One of my friends comes over and asks what I'm drinking. I say Zinfandel, and she looks at me quite puzzled and says... "but Zinfandel is pink!"

Comfort Foods

So most of the country is experiencing some really really cold weather right now. Up until today, I’ve been wearing short sleeves and flip flops for the past two weeks, and although I enjoy the California Sunshine, I’m realistic and know that it’s ultimately not good for our growing season and that we will (hopefully) see some rain in the upcoming weeks, and colder temps.

In preparing myself for this inevitable chilly fact, I’ve been thinking a lot about delicious - warm you up from the inside out - comfort foods. You know the ones I’m talking about, Mac & Cheese, Sheppard’s Pie, Chicken Pot Pie, Stuffed Bell Peppers and all the goulashes and hot dishes that are hallmark dishes of my Minnesota Heritage.

Now, before you all groan a collective sigh at the thought that I’m talking about hamburger hot dish, hear me out. There ARE a lot of wonderful one dish, warm and toasty meals you can pull out of your oven, and there are many that taste incredible paired with a ‘winter weather’ wine. You can health them up too, if it makes you feel better about eating them.

One of my favorites is Stuffed Bell Peppers. I make these all the time, and they are so easy and delicious, and shhh, healthy! They can become a staple in your menu without becoming a tire around your waistline.

Ingredients -
4 large red peppers. (yes, really red)
1/8 lb pork sausage
¼ lb ground turkey
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried sage
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
1 green bell pepper diced
1 shallot diced
1 clove garlic diced
teaspoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
½ cup couscous (dry, unprepared)
½ cup wheat germ
(for wheat free or a nice change - sub 1 cup quinoa (unprepared) for the above two ingredients)
1 small can of tomato sauce
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese (+ a little to top finished peppers with)

Cut tops off Red Bell peppers, deseed, and set aside whole peppers. Take tops, dice and set aside with green diced pepper.

large pan, over med heat sauté garlic and onions in the olive oil until clear. Add pork sausage, and ground turkey, add spices to meat and continue stirring until almost cooked through. Add bell pepper and sauté until meat is finished cooking. Turn heat to low, and mix in can of tomato sauce and couscous and wheat germ (or quinoa) continue to stir over low heat until well mixed. Remove from heat and mix in parmesan cheese.

Stuff each of the peppers with the mix, and place upright into a Pyrex dish.

This is the beauty of this recipe, at this point you can stash them in the fridge and pull them out and cook them later for a party - or you can pop them into an over and continue making your dinner.

When ready to finish cooking them, pop into a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes (if stuffing is still warm from stove) or 40 minutes (if from fridge) just until the peppers start to get a little soft. You still want them to hold the stuffing, and have crunch in them!

When they are ready to serve, slice each one through the center - and sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese.

Because these peppers are such a meal in themselves, I don’t serve them with a lot of other stuff, usually a wonderful side of sautéed Swiss-chard with a hint of lemon and olive oil, or I some grilled asparagus tips with some olive oil and fresh shaved parmesan. I’ve even just opted for a beautiful green salad on the side. Bread is also optional, although a wonderful crusty wheat with some real sweet cream butter is certainly a favorite of mine.

Some of my favorite wines to serve with the stuffed peppers: A berry forward syrah, spicy zinfandel, merlot goes beautifully, if you are more of a white wine drinker, a nice well oaked fume blanc will even do the trick!

Here are some past “tried and true” wines that have made a huge hit with guests dining on my peppers. I try to find wines that have a lot of yummy berry richness and notions of herbs to round out the hearth and home feel of the meal:

Robert Keenan, Napa Valley Merlot; Indian Springs, Syrah; Toulocay Wines, Zinfandel; Robert Mondavi, To Kalon Reserve Fume Blanc, but, I encourage you to find wines that really speak to you, and your palate.