New mom and dad and famous foodies, Brooke Parkhurst and James Briscione, bring us great grilling recipes and wine to go with.

(Food/Jamie) Steak with Grilled Potatoes and Red Onions with Arugula Pesto

(Wine/Brooke) Beautiful Blends: A Glass at the Grill, A Glass with the Girls


Jamie:


There’s only one way to guarantee you’ll be cooking up the best steaks on the block this summer: buy the best meat. This means skipping over the cellophane wrapped, styrofoam trays and going directly to the meat counter. Selecting a great steak isn’t always as easy as just grabbing the piece marked “Prime”-- especially today, when most naturally raised beef is not put through the grading process. But you don’t need an inspector to tell you what’s good; there are two things to look for when picking out a top cut. Number one is marbling, those white flecks of fat in the interior of the steak. Just don’t be fooled-- excess fat around the outside of the steak will not do much to enhance the flavor of your steak. The second important characteristic is the color of the meat. Great steaks should have a deep red color. If the color leans toward purple or burgundy, that’s great. Avoid meat that looks pink or otherwise light in color.

Once you’ve got your meat, try these tips to make it even better:

Get a Jump Start: Giving your steak a light sprinkling of salt 1-3 hours before cooking allows the salt to penetrate the meat, resulting a more flavor steak. Just before puuting it on the grill, pat off the excess moisture and season again with salt and a healthy dose of pepper this time too.
Chill Out: allow the meat to stand at least one hour outside of the fridge before cooking, makes for juicier meat.
Take a Rest: placing meat on a resting rack immediately after cooking allows it to retain more of their juices.
Control the Heat: start cooking your steaks over high heat to get a char on the on the outside, then reduce the heat (or move to the side of the edge of the grill) to cook more slowly and develop a smoky flavor

Grilled Fingerling Potatoes and Red Onion With Arugula Pesto

pesto:
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
4 cups fresh arugula leaves, packed
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

In a food processor, pulse together the arugula, pine nuts and garlic until well chopped but not a smooth puree. Chunky is the goal. Remove from the processor and stir in the olive oil until fluid, but not too loose. Add the parmesan cheese, then season to taste with salt and pepper, reserve in the fridge up to a week.

1 lb. fingerling potatoes, split lengthwise
1 large red onion, cut into rings
½ cup olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper; add the potatoes and onions and toss until well coated. Be careful to keep the slices of onion from breaking apart. Leave to marinate at least 30 minutes.

Place the onions and potatoes cut side down on a clean and very hot grill. Cook the potatoes until well browned on one side, then turn and continue cooking until tender. The onions should be cooked until charred and blackened on both sides. Remove the potatoes to a clean bowl; dice the charred onion add to the potatoes. Mix in ¼ cup of the arugula pesto. Served with grilled meat, passing the arugula pesto as a condiment.
 

Brooke:


I am the queen of “crisp,” “grassy” and “refreshing.” “Minerally” is another descriptor, and complement, I throw at Sauvignon blanc, my favorite 6 o’clock sip. The wild (sauvage) white (blanc) grape that flourishes everywhere from the Loire Valley of France to New Zealand to California has the distinct talent of pairing well with food or standing alone, beautifully--my solitary nip.

This means that I drink simple, inexpensive Sauvignon blancs all the time.

This also means that Jamie is tired of “elegant”, “light” and “peppery.” He doesn’t want a wine (or a wife) that is one-note. He wants a mealtime partner that has a bit more depth, something he can sink his teeth into. More than anything, he wants a wine that’s akin to a killer steak, one that reveals its many layers and flavors slowly, with assurance and with each mouthful. This summer, my chef-of-a-husband is devising menus that must be enjoyed with a different grape.

I’ve challenged myself to investigate (“Not even noon, you say, honey? And I seem tipsy? It’s all in the name of research…”) rich, ripe reds that, May through September, will stand up to the smoke, fire and char in our meals.

The usual suspects have already found their way into my glass: bold Syrahs, outrageous, fruit-forward Zinfandels and oaky Merlots.

But while Jamie’s dishes loved the wines, I didn’t. Many of the single-grape reds were just too big and overpowering to sip stove-side.  I longed for a well-balanced, slightly chilled wine that I could sip with my husband while we prepared dinner together.

Crisp, minerally whites, come back to Momma!

And then I happened upon a bottle of Rioja. The tempranillo and granacha grapes that comprise one of my favorite Spanish Rioja wines--Marques de Caceres-- made me realize that a wonderful, very quaffable, easy-listenin’-kind-of-wine world lay before me.

Blends!

In my Sauvignon blanc-induced lethargy, I had forgotten about the blended wines--“wines made from different grapes and different vintages in order to add more complexity, flavor, texture and balance”--that take center stage at wine bars and cocktail hours. These beauties work overtime to please your palate--whether you’re at the grill with your hubby, at the table with your family, having a glass with the girls or relaxing in the tub, alone.

Below are my three favorite grape blends. Hop over to your favorite wine store and ask the salesperson to pick out a bottle that suits you and your budget.

grenache, syrah, mouvedre- the superstar grapes of France’s southern Rhone valley
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc- which California produces beautifully
Tempranillo & Granacha- the light, fruity grapes that make many Spanish wines so tasty