Orange Pinot Grigio Fizz

I’m not afraid to admit that I love wine spritzers. I think I’m a fan because of my preference for all things Spanish. A mixture of red wine and casera (soda water), the tinto de verano is the ultimate wine spritzer.  I don’t know why in general, wine spritzers have a bad rap. When well made, a wine spritzer is fruity, refreshing, and the perfect thing to drink on a hot summer day.

A colleague sent me this recipe for a wine spritzer with Campari and I was immediately intrigued. The original recipe calls for blood oranges, but it’s a little too late in the year to find them, so I used regular oranges instead. I also cut back on the simple syrup because I didn’t want the cocktail to be too sweet. The thing I love about this drink is that it elevates the wine spritzer to another level. The Campari gives it mixology cred and the color just screams summer.

Orange Pinot Grigio Fizz
by Krista Simmons

¾ cup (6 ounces) Pinot Grigio
1 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice
1 ounce Campari
½ – 1 ounce simple syrup, depending on how sweet you like your beverages
1 ½ ounces soda water
Orange wheels to garnish

1. Fill a large wine glass or Mason jar with ice, then add all of the measured ingredients, except for the soda water.
2. Stir the ingredients with a bar spoon. Once incorporated, finish with the soda water.
3. Garnish with wheels of freshly sliced oranges and enjoy.

Makes 1 large cocktail.

Links of the Week

I’m super excited for Memorial Day. It marks the unofficial start of summer, which is my favorite season. I always celebrate with my parents at our cabin in the Sierra Foothills and I’m looking forward to heading up there for a few days. Summer is also a very busy time of year: my weekends are filling up with events. Last Friday and Saturday, I stayed at a house in Clear Lake for a bachelorette party. I was in charge of Saturday night’s big dinner and the above photo is a snapshot of my menu. My friend Melissa did the chalkboard art design. I’ve got lots to do today, so here are a few links you may find interesting.

• Three simple ways to arrange roses courtesy of Glitter Guide.

• How cool is this snake print lamp DIY on P.S. — I made this?

• I was saddened to learn that Grub Street San Francisco has shut down.

• If you’re a Giants fan, you should start reading the Brandons’ MLB blog. It’s so cute seeing how Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt describe things like home runs and new scooters.

• Two recipes I’m dying to try: Saveur‘s mustard and white wine braised chicken and Cooking Channel’s sun-dried tomato and basil macaroni and cheese.

Pasta With Cherry Tomato Sauce

It’s always a wonderful surprise when I throw together something at the last minute and it ends up being one of my new favorite dishes — that is the case with this simple pasta recipe. You can’t go wrong with the combination of tomatoes, basil, and cheese. However, it’s still a little too early in the year for a raw tomato sauce, so I made a very light pasta sauce with sautéed and slightly crushed cherry tomatoes.

Canned tomatoes could work, but the fresh cherries taste so sweetly delicious when cooked down into a velvety sauce. Since I had parmesan and pecorino in my fridge, I tossed them both into the sauce for more depth of flavor. The parmesan is more nutty than the pecorino, which is more salty than the parmesan. If you don’t have both, don’t worry, just use one or the other. This dish comes together quickly making it perfect for a vegetarian weeknight meal.

Pasta With Cherry Tomato Sauce

1 large handful (or 2 servings) of spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large red onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Red pepper flakes
2/3 pint of cherry tomatoes, larger tomatoes sliced into quarters, smaller tomatoes sliced in half
1/4 cup white wine
1 heaping tablespoon sun-dried tomato pesto
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
2 heaping tablespoons chopped basil

1. Bring a large pot of water, seasoned heavily with salt, to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook one minute less than instructed on the outside of the pasta package. Do not drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the red onion and garlic and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Depending on how hot you prefer things, add 2-3 pinches of red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and press down on them with a wooden spoon to crush a little and release their juices. Cook stirring occasionally until the tomatoes are soft and tender and a thick sauce starts to form, about 12-15 minutes.
4. Add the wine and the sun-dried tomatoes, using the wine to scrape up any browned bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Stir everything to combine well and cook until the wine is almost completely evaporated, 3-4 minutes.
5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked pasta to the pan with the tomatoes. Scoop 1/4 cup of the cooking water from the pasta pot and add to the sauce. Add more water if necessary to thin out the sauce.
6. Add the majority of the cheese and the basil and stir everything together until each strand of pasta is coated in the sauce. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately with the remaining cheese sprinkled over the top for garnish.

Serves 2.

How to Throw an Impromptu Picnic

I’m not sure what it’s like in other major cities, but San Francisco is filled with picnickers. On warm and sunny days, the city dwellers flock to their neighborhood parks, picnic baskets in tow. Since the weather here is incredibly unpredictable, most picnics are not planned, but rather impromptu. They happen at a moment’s notice usually when the weather is exceptional and a friend has off during the middle of the week and I’m not bogged down with work, or on the weekend when it’s too nice to stay in side. Thus, I’m always ready for a picnic; here’s how you can be too.

• Invest in the picnic basics. The necessary ingredients are a basket, plastic wine glasses, a waiter’s corkscrew, and a picnic blanket. Special extras include a wooden cheese board, cheese knife, plastic cutlery, decorative paper napkins, and paper plates. You don’t have to spend tons of money; I got my basket at a flea market and my blanket in Uruguay. For plastic wine glasses, I love GoVino.

• Use what you have. Start planning your last minute menu by looking in the fridge and pantry. Last night’s roast chicken can easily be transformed into chicken salad. Add fresh parsley, lemon juice, and shaved parmesan to canned tuna and canned white beans and you’ve got a salad perfect for a picnic. Even if you don’t have items to make a dish, you may have a block of excellent cheese or a basket of fresh fruit that are ideal for picnicking.

• Once you’ve gathered up some picnic components, head to the local market. Compose your picnic menu with an assortment of cheese (one hard, one soft), cold cuts (salami is my favorite), bread, crackers, chips, nuts, fruit, olives — anything that is easy to eat without utensils. You could also pick up a store made salad, but I always end up being disappointed by them.

• Buy screwcap wine. Even I sometimes forget the bottle opener. If you get wine with a screwcap you avoid the problem.

• Don’t forget dessert! A nice chocolate bar is a great finish to a picnic.