The Wine: Tertulia Cellars 2006 Les Collines Syrah

The Cheese: Gorgonzola

The Cheese Purveyer: Cugini Italian Import Foods - Walla Walla

The Recipe: Fideos with Shrimp, Tomatoes, Olives, and Garlic Sauce

The Chef: Jamie Guerin - Whitehouse Crawford - Walla Walla

Tertulia Cellars 2006 Les Collines Syrah

Regular Price $30.00

Club Price $27.00

Tasting Notes

The first whiff of this wine brings on aromatics of blue berry preserves and black berries, followed by scents of violets, rosemary and sage. The nose finishes with smoked game. On the pallet, balanced acidity gives way to velvety tannins and a smooth finish.

Gorgonzola

Gorgonzola is a veined Italian Blue Cheese, made from unskimmed cow's milk. It can be buttery or firm, crumbly and quite salty, with a 'bite' from its blue veining. It has been made since the early Middle Ages, but only became marbled with greenish-blue mold in the eleventh century. It is frequently used in Italian cooking. The name comes from Gorgonzola, a small town near Milan, Italy, where the cheese was reportedly first made in 879; however, this claim of geographical origin is disputed by other towns.

-From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

About Cugini Italian Import Foods

Cugini Import Italian Foods opened in April of 2004.  Located in the heart of the Walla Walla Valley, at 960 Wallula Road.  Cugini was the first Italian market in Walla Walla and strives to carry the finest imported meats and cheeses.  It is also home to "Cugini Homemade Wine-Cured Salami," made on site by Don Maiuri.  They carry a wide array of hard-to-find quality products and receive new items weekly.  They offer many take out dinners from Lasagna to baked Eggplant Parmesan, plus fresh homemade sandwiches, soups, pastries, and much more.

cuginiimportfoods.com

509-526-0809

Hours: Tuesday-Friday 10-6  Saturday 9-5

Fideos are very thin pasta cut into 1-inch pieces that are cooked in stock and then baked in the oven to create a crispy crust. The earthiness and spiciness of the dish I feel pair well with the characteristics of the wine.

1 8.8 oz. box Spanish fideos

3 3/4 cups fish or chicken stock

1 red bell pepper, diced small

6 cloves garlic, chopped

3/4# shrimp, peeled

Extra virgin olive oil

2 t Spanish smoked paprika

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 T tomato paste

1/2 c white wine

1-cup manzanilla olives cut in half

Chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Garlic sauce (recipe follows)

1. Sauté the peppers, garlic, and shrimp in the olive oil. When shrimp start to turn white add the paprika, the cayenne, the tomato paste, and the white wine. Sauté for about 2 more minutes and season with salt and pepper. Set shrimp aside.
2. In the same pan sauté the fideos in olive oil until they are golden brown. Add the stock and simmer until the pasta absorbs all the liquid.
3. In a large mixing bowl add the shrimp mixture, the fideos, and the olives, mix well, and season to taste. Pour mixture into a table ready casserole dish and place in a 450-degree oven. When the fideos have developed a crispy crust pull the pan from the oven. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley, drizzle with the garlic sauce, and serve. Feeds 4.

1/2-cup mayonnaise, homemade or store bought “real”.

Juice from 1 lemon

1 garlic clove, very finely minced

1/2 t smoked Spanish paprika

Mix together all ingredients. Season to taste.

- Jamie Guerin, Whitehouse-Crawford
 

About the Whitehouse Crawford Restaurant

The Whitehouse Crawford Restaurant is a special place. Located in an historic 100 year old building, it welcomes you into a spacious, comfortable dining room. The menu changes frequently in order to use each season's freshest ingredients with emphasis on locally grown vegetables and fruits. Fresh wild-caught fish is delivered several times each week. Pasture-fed beef comes from a ranch just down the road. The kitchen takes great pride in its house-made pâté, pasta, pastries and ice cream. Even the crackers are made in-house.

The wine list emphasizes wines from the acclaimed Walla Walla appellation, as well as other fine Washington wines. Rounding out the wine list are French, Italian and California wines.

A full bar complements the dining experience, and the bar menu has selections for lighter appetites.

Every menu has delightfully varied choices of vegetarian entrees created by Chef Jamie Guerin.

Hours: