Our wonderful volunteers helped us bottle our first ever Zweigelt in the morning, and our 2018 Müller-Thurgau in the afternoon. Chef Andrew decided to be contrary to the German wines and served us cold Greek mezze (small dishes) to accompany the mornings run of the bright medium body red. Again several dishes were vegetarian for some of our cadre.
2 lbs. cooked mussels meats
1/4 C. dry white wine
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 Moroccan preserved lemon, minced
2 t. fresh rosemary, minced
1/4 t. chili flakes
Check through the mussel meat to make sure none have any "beard" left.
Combine all ingredients and marinate overnight, folding several times.
1 pound large lima beans, soaked overnight
1/4 C. Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1 t. dried thyme
1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground black pepper
1 28 oz. diced tomatoes
1/2 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 t. sugar
~1/2 C. vegetable broth
Discard soaking water and rinse the beans well. Put them into a large over proof pot and cover with plenty of water. Bring to the boil and then simmer (with a lid mostly covering the pot) for about 45 minutes, discarding surface foam until ‘al dente’.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Heat up olive oil in a medium frying pan. Add onion, carrot and celery. Saute until low heat until translucent, stirring from time to time. Add in garlic and fry for another minute or two.
Decrease the heat to low and add in the spices and herbs. Saute for another minutes, stirring constantly.
Add in the remaining ingredients. Add in drained beans and mix everything together.
Bake uncovered for about 1 hr, until the sauce has thickened nicely and the beans are soft and creamy. Stir in some vegetable stock if the sauce has been completely absorbed.
Cool to room temperature.
Dressing:
1/4 C. Greek yogurt
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 T. minced Italian parsley
2 t. minced fresh oregano
1/2 t. fresh ground black pepper
Salad:
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
2 cucumber, peeled, chopped into 3/4" pieces
6-10 multi-color baby bell peppers, chopped into 3/4" pieces
4 vine ripe Roma tomatoes, chopped into 1" pieces
1/2 small Walla Walla onion, chopped into 1/2" pieces and separated
1/2 C. Kalamata olives, halved
Whisk the dressing ingredients together.
Refrigerate 1 hour.
Fold the salad and dressing together.
1 dozen pita
Extra virgin olive oil
Lightly brush the pita with oil.
Grill over medium high heat 1-2 minutes per side until nicely marked.
Slice into 6 wedges.