New Recipe: Pam’s Plum Good Ribs

It is just about summer time and that means firing up the grill with a tasty collection of chicken, ribs, burgers and steaks. We wanted to share with you a special rib recipe and while it doesn’t require a babeque, is still amazingly meaty and delicious.

This meal will pair fabolous with our 2005 Zinfandel.

Pam’s Plum Good Ribs

3-4 lbs pork spareribs

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup plum jam

1/2 cup honey

1-2 clove garlic crushed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut ribs into serving pieces and place in glass pan meaty side up. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. In the meantime combine remaining ingrediants. After your hour of cooking remove foil and drain off any excess fat. Brush ribs well with sauce mixture. Baste ribs every 10 mins for another 30 minutes. If you have any excess sauce pour over ribs. Serve and enjoy!

Bacigalupi Apple Crisp

We have never really been a big cake eating family. Birthdays, holidays and special occasions always seem to be celebrated with a pie of some sorts. My grandma Helen makes some of the best pies in Sonoma County. With fresh fruits picked off the ranch she sometimes will spend an entire day making a pie; perfecting the dough and decorating it with her signature leaf design.  The following recipe isn’t exactly a pie but a very special dish to our family and quite easy to make, just make sure that you have a good peeler!

Slice 6 - 8 tart applies into a 2 quart baking dish (buttered)
We like to use Granny Smith or Gravenstein apples if avaliable

Cover the applies with:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Then pour over the apples 1/3 cup sweet white wine or sherry

Combine together for topping
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
Work into the topping mixture 3/4 cup cold butter until mixture is crumbly.
Optional: Can chop up 1/2 cup nuts and sprinkle over topping. Also frozen cranberries can be added prior to placing in the oven.
Place in oven @ 350 degrees for 45 mins. Serve with whip cream or vanilla ice cream.

On a cold winters night

Mother Nature has been fooling us a little this year as there hasn’t been much weather that suggests its winter. But the recent rain (I have been doing my rain dance every night, religiously) has out me in the mood for a nice, hearty winter meal. This recipe is staple in our house and was crafted by my Grandma Helen Bacigalupi. My mom tells me that Buckaroo is also a term of endearment for a cowboy! Who would have thought that it is also a tasty bean? Enjoy this dish with a nice bottle of John Tyler 2004 Zinfandel!

To start you need 2 ½ cups dry pinto beans. Wash, and pick out any rocks or unsightly beans. Add 6 cups water to the beans and soak overnight. After soaking overnight measure the water the beans were in and then rinse. Add back in fresh water to equal the amount that was measured.

Place the beans with the water in a heavy gauge pot with:
1 large onion coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves mashed
1 bay leave
1/2 pound smoked ham, salt pork or slab bacon. (Can put bacon rind or any left over bone in ham i.e.: honey sliced ham bone with some attached meat)
2 cups solid pack tomatoes
½ cup green pepper chopped
2 tsp chili powder or more
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
½ Tsp dry mustard
¼ tsp crushed oregano
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

*Cover and simmer for 1 ½ - 2 hours on the stove top or may also place in pressure cooker for 20 minutes.
Pressure cooking saves time by cooking a wide variety of foods in 1/3 to 1/10 time it would take for stove top cooking.

Sausage stuffed mushrooms!

This is one of John’s all time favorite appetizers. We make it for almost every holiday and special occasion. You can choose to use any bulk sausage; we have just found that the flavors of the Jimmy Dean Sausage really compliment this recipe. It’s easy (and fun) to make and I’m sure the whole family will enjoy it. Happy Holidays!
~Pam Bacigalupi

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs medium mushrooms
1/2 lb Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
parsley for garnish

Directions
1. Remove stems from mushrooms; chop stems. Set mushrooms and stems aside
2. In 10 -inch skillet over medium heat, cook sausage until well browned. With slotted spoon, remove sausage to paper towels to drain. Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet.
3. In hot drippings over medium heat, cook mushroom stems until tender, about 10 mins, stirring frequently. Remove skillet from heat; stir in sausage, cheese and crumbs.
4. Preheat oven to 450 degree F. Fill mushroom caps with sausage mixture. Place stuffed mushrooms in 15 1/2 ” by 10 1/2″ pan. Bake 15 mins.

Thanksgiving yams

What is Thanksgiving without your traditional yam recipe? In the Bacigalupi household we use Grandma Helen’s recipe that is a loved favorite by all the family members.
Directions:
Cook until done 3 and 1/2 lb yams, peel and mash. Then add:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 lb butter
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup sherry wine
1/2 cup chopped or slivered almonds
Place in large Pyrex baking dish and sprinkle with slivered almonds. Bake 300-350 degrees until hot. Serves 8-10 generously.

Such an easy and tasty recipe! Pair with turkey and a nice glass of John Tyler Pinot Noir.
Check out more of our recipes

A holiday recipe

From our Kitchen to Yours!
Persimmion Cookies
Fall is officially here and it is one of my favorite times of year. The leaves on the vines are changing colors and the weather is just starting to get cooler. One fruit that we always have in abundance on the ranch are Persimmons. This fruit although not well known is a great addition to many dishes. The following recipe is my own creation, a little twist on the traditional chocolate chip cookie. To view our wines that pair perfectly with all our recipes go to http://www.johntylerwines.com
~Pam Bacigalupi

Ingridients
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cup persimmon pulp
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cups walnuts– optional

Directions
Melt butter and combine with sugars.
Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture along with the Persimmion pulp.
Stir in chocolate chips (nuts and raisins optional).
Drop by tsp on greased baking sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes