Journey Thru Lancaster – Part 2

I woke up at 6am the next morning to make sure I got to the Achenbach bakery before 8am. The bakery itself opened at 5:30am but I figured it must be for the early morning trucker crowd and then the rest of locales would get there before 9:30: making 8am the perfect time for Vicky. I had wanted to try Achenbachs famous “long john” donut  due to their fanatical devout fan base. What was the difference between a “long john” and a regular donut? Was it like a cruller with frosting on top of it? I was hoping it wasn’t, but didn’t expect too much.

I left the hotel around 7am, got there at 730 and grabbed one of the LAST peanut butter long johns left (they also had it in chocolate, vanilla, and vanilla coconut long johns but I just love peanut butter). That’s right, the bakery looked like it had already gone through their big rush by 7:30am. Apparently, in Lancaster, PA opening up at 5:30am is like opening up at 8:30am anywhere else in the country. This took some getting use to during our entire trip and I’m not entirely sure we did it successfully. I also grabbed a glazed pretzel since I was all too curious as to what that would taste like.  Before I go  into the cute little eatery next to Achenbachs bakery, let me tell you my thoughts on their “long john”. It didn’t taste anything like I thought it would – the dough was very yeasty and chewy and the frosting was more creamy and smooth than anything else. It was beyond delicious. I could have eat 12 of them in one sitting had I the desire to gain 15 lbs. The glazed pretzel however was a letdown. It just tasted like a regular glazed donut – nothing special or “pretzely”. If you go down to Lancaster, please indulge in a peanut butter long john. You wont regret it.

Now to the cute little eatery next door – the Home Place Family Restaurant. This is solely a breakfast/lunch spot (closes at 3pm) with great small town feel that I stumbled upon due to my constant need to pee. I sat and watched the servers as I waited for my breakfast and they knew EVERY customers name! The breakfast  – egg white omelet with broccoli and home fries – was of course delicious. I’m almost positive its the only place in the area where you can get a healthy breakfast too, so after you get your long john walk a few more steps and make a stop here too.

After breakfast, we made our way to the Nissley Vineyards and Winery in Bainbridge (about 30 minutes from our hotel). We went early to do their self-guided vineyard tour, the grounds were just lovely – although it was still a bit too early to see the vines in bloom. The tour was brief but fun – I enjoy being able to walk around the grounds without anyone bothering me. After the tour, we made our way to the tasting room to sample some of the wines and I have to say – if you love dessert wines, they make lovely ones. The Spicy Red is like a cold Glühwein, rich with spices(cloves, cinnamon & orange) and fragrance. Their Grapeful White (which won Silver at the 2010 PA Wine Awards) is a delightfully sweet, light bodied wine and intensely grapey. Although I found this wine delightful, my husband claimed it was “cloying” so make sure to steer clear if you aren’t a sweet wine person. I did not try their 2008 Chambourcin (which was suppose to be their best red) but bought a bottle of it for the husband. When we crack it open, I’ll let you know how it is.

We left the vineyards early due to a pending thunderstorm and drove over to Porkys Place (after a stop at the Biggest Shoe House in the world – not my choice). Typical hole-in-the-wall BBQ eatery that served only pulled pork and smoked chicken wings. I was really excited about trying the pulled pork sandwich but since we left in a hurry, I forgot to use any of the sauces they had on the countertop. But I brushed it off thinking I wouldn’t need it – WRONG. It was only after we got back to the hotel we realized the sauces left on the counter were the ONLY sauces for the pulled pork. So basically I was left with a dry, unseasoned pork sandwich. Terrific. Why wouldn’t you at least season the pork?? It was greatly disappointing to say the least. The smoked wings weren’t bad though, a little too smokey for my taste and a tad dry but still – much better than the pork.

My BBQ disappointment left me craving fresh produce, so we made our way to the Bird-In-Hand Farmers Market. I was hoping to grab a few pieces of fruit and maybe some cheese – a lighter dinner than the night before. Walking in was a bit of an overload, fresh produce stands, pretzel booths, bakery stands, meats, cheeses, jams and jellies everywhere, etc. We stopped at the Hummers Smoked Meat and Cheese booth and lo and behold: TURKEY JERKY! Jenny immediately ordered 1/4 lb. of  jerky and while we were walking around the market – ate the entire thing. It wasn’t more than 20 minutes until we were back ordering the jerky again – this time 1/2 lb. Upon leaving we looked at our bags and noticed we had purchased nearly a pound of turkey jerky, a pint of strawberries, several apples, some horseradish cheddar, a whoopie pie, and some small jars of Aunt Ruthies Amish mustard. Sadly, the 4 different varieties of mustard all tasted the same to me: like honey mustard. Why would all of them be so sweet? Disappointing.

Check back here tomorrow to read Journey Thru Lancaster – Part 3, where we’ll visit Downtown Lancaster, the 200 year old Central Market, and organic restaurant Carr’s.

ALLOZO Tempranillo de Finca la Fuente

This is a new section on Love Food, Love Me that I hope to keep going. Each week one of our editors will give you their favorite wine for the week.

Hoping they will all be in video form with a little bit of written info – let me know what you think of our wine picks!

This week Marianne is tasting a Spanish Tempranillo from Allozo. If you arent familiar with them, Tempranillos are full-bodied red wines which are usually consumed young and contain hints of delicious berries, red fruits, leather, and vanilla. Yum!

Eugene Statnikov

Eugene is currently getting his PhD at Imperial College, London and works on staff as a data analyst in Neonatal medicine. He is an avid foodie, wine connisseur, self appointed chocoholic, and restaurant goer. Eugene has also traveled extensively in the UK, Belguim, France, The Netherlands, Italy, Ukraine, and Denmark.

Stay tuned for Eugenes opinions on food and life because they will have you rolling in the aisles!

My Meat Sauce

My grandfather use to be very secretative when it came to his sauce, actually when it came to his food in general. Now my meat sauce isn’t really his recipe exactly but it’s close. What’s the key? Pork. Its amazing what pork can do to a red sauce.  The below is not a typical meat sauce nor is it a bolognese (no carrots or celery).

Ingredients

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

1 cup of red wine

2 pork braccioles (thin pork cutlets wrapped up with parsley, cheese, and prosciutto)

2 minced shallots

1 minced garlic clove

6 links of plain sausage meat (remove casing)

1 cup of sliced mushrooms

3 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

In a pressure cooker saute shallots and garalic in olive oil until translucent. Cook sausage meat in with onions and shallots. When sausage meat is browned, add tomato paste and stir.  Then add the mushrooms, crushed tomatoes, red wine, and braccioles.

Now set your pressure cooker on low and cook for the appropriate times on your pressure cooker (mine is about 15-20 minutes). Let your pressure cooker cool and when it is ready, remove the lid. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook for an additional 30 minutes to thicken the sauce.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

This is a perfect dish when its cold outside…it smells great and it warms the house for 4 hours!

8 beef shortribs
2 tomatoes
1 large yellow onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 large carrots
1 1/2 cups of red wine
1 cup of beef broth
1 cup of garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

Chop the tomatoes, onions, carrots, and garlic into large pieces (if you make them too small they will disintegrate into the sauce). Place in a large baking dish.

Brown the meat in a pan with a touch of olive oil, transfer to the baking dish and pour wine/broth over the meat. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 4 hours.

French Onion Soup

I love onions, cheese, and broth – so french onion soup has always been my perfect combination. This recipe is a huge hit in the Minchala House. My husband often goes up for thirds!

Ingredients:

2 beef marrow bones (get from butcher)

3 cups of beef broth

3 cups of white wine

2 bay leaves

7 medium onions

1 cup of sherry

salt and pepper

3 tbs butter

Put bones, broth, wine, and bay leaves in a pressure cooker and cook on high for 20 minutes. After cooked, strain liquid to remove bones/leaves and reserve.

Cut 7 onions into thick slices.  Cook butter in a large pot on medium heat until foamythen add onion slices in layers. After each layer, salt and peppers the onions – DO NOT STIR. If you keep the heat at medium they will not burn. Cook for 1 hour. Check on them every so often to make sure nothing is burning or sticking (although it shouldnt). After onions are cooked – add the beef broth and sherry. Reduce heat and simmer for another 30 minutes.

After soup is done heat broiler and place rack on top 1/3 of oven.

Pour soup into oven safe bowls and top with a slice of country bread/italian bread and slices of gruyere cheese. Place a baking sheet underneath in case of spills and heat for 1 minute (the cheese can burn easily so make sure it is not in there for too long)

Enjoy!

Mustard Glaze Duck Breast

Duck doesn’t have to be expensive anymore. Grocery stores such as ‘Stop N Shop’ are now carrying separate breasts and legs that cost about $3-4 each. If you are cooking for two, this a wonderfully cheap meal that should be in your dinner cycle. I use a mustard glaze for the duck because I love the way mustard pairs with the duck meat. However, you could use an apricot/orange glaze, a chinese five spice rub, etc. Anything you like.

Ingredients:

2 duck breasts

1 lemon

1 onion, sliced

1/3 cup of dijon mustard

3 tbs of white wine vinegar

2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

1 tbs of garlic powder

Salt and Pepper

 

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees

Score the skin-side of the duck with a knife in a lattice pattern, being sure not to cut through to the flesh. Season each breast with salt and pepper on both sides. Sear duck breasts in a skillet, fat side down,  for 10-15 minutes on high – in order to get a nice dark crust and reduce the fat. While the duck is searing, mix mustard, vinegar, oil olive, and garlic powder together to create glaze.

Remove duck breasts from skillet and reserve the rendered fat for later recipes. Grease a casserole dish with a little bit of olive oill and cut 1 lemon and 1 onion into slices. Place onion slices in pool in the middle of the casserole and season with salt and pepper, then top with lemon slices. Brush the tops of the duck breast with the mustard glaze and place ontop of the lemon slices. Cook in the oven for 25 minutes for medium duck.

I love Moscato d’Asti

This is just about the best brunch wine you could ever have. Its light, its sparkling, its sweet (without being too sweet), and its not too expensive. Sometimes it can bee tricky to find a good one so here are a few of my favorites.

1 – La Spinetta, 2008, Moscato D’Asti Vigneto Biancospino

This is a Piedmont sparkling wine that has yellow/light green reflections. Its sweet without being ‘sticky’ and contains grapefruit/peach undertones. It also has a very low alcohol content (5.5%) so you can literally drink the entire bottle without getting a headache.

 Average Price: $19.99

 

2 – Bricco del Sole, 2008 Moscato d’Asti

Another Piedmont, the Morando family has been making wine since the beginning of the 19th century. Since 70% of their production is Moscato you KNOW it’s gonna be good. I find this to be slightly sweeter than the La Spinetta but its not hheavy at all. Still really light. Also they are ORGANIC!! Honest  – its the truth. One of the best organic wines out there.

Average Price: $15.99

 

3 – Saracco, 2008 Moscato d’Asti

Golden in color, this wine’s flavor has been compared more to pears instead of the typical ‘peach’ taste. It also can have a jasmine fragrance and a little after tingle of candied fruits.

Average Price: $ 16.99

 

Whats the difference between Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti??

Asti Spumante is a straightforward  fully sparkling wine with sweet/fruity flavors. Its usually just enjoyable as a dessert wine.

Moscato d’Asti is a low-alohol, semi-sparkling wine with about half the carbonation of a typical sparkling wine, and is released very soon after the vintage to preserve its uniquely fresh character. It’s not as sweet, has a very complex perfume, and a vibrant acidity. Its low alcohol level and fresh/sweetness makes it perfect as a brunch wine or simply a ‘sitting-by-the-pool’ wine.

NOTE: Moscato d’Asti’s are best within 2 years of the vintage in order to keep the ‘freshness’ alive.