Santa Maria Style Black & Bleu Caesar Salad

“This is called black and bleu because of the gorgonzola and the way I like my steaks grilled, black and blue,” says Chef Rick Manson of Chef Rick’s Ultimately Fine Foods in Santa Maria. He means “hard” (some might say burned) on the outside and rare (sometimes meaning raw) on the inside. But of course, this salad will be delicious no matter how you like your steak.

For the dressing
1 cup best quality mayonnaise
3⁄4 teaspoon anchovy paste, or 2 to 3 canned anchovy filets 
“smashed” into a paste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
3⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the steak
1 giant 2-pound rib eye steak
1 1⁄2 tablespoons Susie Q’s Santa Maria Style Seasoning, or
to taste (or mix 1 tablespoon of salt, 11⁄2 teaspoon freshly
ground black pepper, and 11⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
together)

For the salad
2 large heads of romaine lettuce, cleaned and cut into 
1- to 2-inch pieces
2 cups croutons
3⁄4 cup freshly grated parmesan, or to taste
1⁄2 cup crumbled gorgonzola
2 tomatoes, cut into large dice

Make the dressing: Mix all of the dressing ingredients together. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Prep and grill the steak: Allow the steak to come to room temperature then rub the seasoning all over it. Over a medium-hot fire, preferably one burning red oak, grill the steak until the exterior is very brown, almost black, and very crusty, about 8 to 9 minutes per side. To check for doneness, nick the meat (no thermometers for this barbecue chef) on one side and look at the color. It will appear slightly rarer than it will actually be after resting. Remove the steak from the fire, and while it rests for 5 minutes, make the salad.

Make the salad: Place the romaine in a large bowl. Toss in the croutons, sprinkle in the parmesan and gorgonzola cheeses. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing and toss well.

To serve: Place one fourth of the salad onto the center of 4 salad
platters. Cut the steak into slices and place one fourth on top of each salad. Drizzle a little dressing on the meat and sprinkle once again with more parmesan. Serves 4.

Wine suggestion: Syrah or Pinot Noir.

Barbecued Artichokes With Spicy Aioli

Artichokes may be that item everyone claims can’t pair with wine, but the spicy aioli mitigates the choke’s vegetal flavors, with olive oil and butter adding richness. This recipe, which puts a Latin flair on traditional Italian aioli by substituting jalapeños for garlic, is from Joanne Plemmons of Plemmons Catering.

Spicy Aioli
2 jalapeños
2 roma tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups mayonnaise
Salt and pepper, to taste
Artichokes
3 whole artichokes
4 lemons, divided
1⁄2 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 tablespoon salt
1⁄2 cup butter, melted
BBQ seasoning

Make the spicy aioli: Brush jalapeños and tomatoes with olive oil then spinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until tender. Remove stems and then blend in the blender with olive oil until puréed. Mix half of the purée with mayonnaise. Taste, add more purée is necessary. (The other half may be used for salsa).

Prepare artichokes: Trim all of the thorns and peel the stems. Cut in half and remove the hair/chokes. Squeeze lemons into enough water to submerge the chokes. Set the submerged chokes aside.

Cook artichokes: Cut the two remaining lemons into eighths. In a medium-large stock pot add water, lemons segments, white wine, peppercorns and salt and artichokes. Bring to a boil then simmer, 25 to 30 minutes or until tender. Remove artichokes from water and drain. Preheat the grill. Brush the artichokes with melted butter and season with seasoning and grill, face down first. Grill approximately 6–8 minutes on each side. Serve half an artichoke per guest along with the spicy aioli. Serves 6.

Wine suggestion:  Syrah or Chardonnay.

Grilled Lamb Chops With Roast Tomato, Green Bean & Herb Salad

Chef Oded Schwartzbard runs the kitchen at Torrance Restaurant in The Scots Hotel, Tiberius, Israel, near the Sea of Galilee. He demonstrated this simple and aromatic dish at this year’s Yarden Vintage Festival, a three-day consumer wine and food celebration held every other year in Israel.

For the roasted tomato, green bean and potatoes:
4 medium potatoes
½ pound fresh green beans or haricot verts
4 cloves of garlic
4 shallots
Extra virgin olive oil
16 red cherry tomatoes
16 yellow cherry tomatoes
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh chopped oregano
Juice of 1 lemon

For the herb salad:
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup chopped mint leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
Extra Virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper

For the lamb chops:
2 racks of lamb (16 rib chops)
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme

TO MAKE THE VEGETABLES:
Peel the potatoes, cut into slices and chop the green beans in half. Boil together for 5 minutes, drain and set aside. Slice the garlic and shallots and sauté in olive oil for 3 minutes. Add the boiled potato slices and green beans. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and toss all ingredients together with salt, pepper, oregano, olive oil and lemon juice.

TO MAKE THE SALAD:
Lightly toss all ingredients together and set aside.

TO MAKE THE LAMB CHOPS:
Separate the racks into 16 individual chops. French the rib bones if you like—or have your butcher do this. Sprinkle both sides of each with salt, pepper and thyme. Grill over medium flame for 2 minutes on each side after the warm vegetable mixture and herb salad have been prepared and are ready to plate. To plate, place one quarter of the warmed vegetables in the center of the plate and arrange 4 lamb chops with the Frenched bones all facing inward. Sprinkle each plate liberally with the herb salad. Serves 4.

Wine suggestion:  Red Cab based blends.

Bearnaise Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:
¼ cup dry white wine
1/3 cup dry Vermouth
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
3 medium shallots, peeled and sliced into rounds
6 sprigs tarragon, leaves removed and reserved
4 sprigs fresh chervil, leaves removed and reserved
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon water
½ cup clarified butter
A pinch of kosher salt
A pinch of cracked black pepper
The juice from 1 whole lemon (optional)

To make the reduction:
In a medium pot, combine the white wine, Vermouth, red wine vinegar, shallots, tarragon and chervil stems. Let the mixture simmer over medium heat until it cooks down by about two thirds. Remove and discard the herb stems. Set aside.

To make the base of the sauce:
In a metal bowl that can fit over a pot of simmering water, combine the egg yolks and water. Off the heat, whisk to blend until it gets frothy, 1-2 minutes. Place the bowl on top of the pot of water and cook, whisking constantly, until the eggs are thickened, 3-4 minutes. Take care not to allow the egg mixture to form a crust on the edges of the bowl. Whisk constantly to avoid uneven cooking. Take care to keep the heat low, as well, to avoid making scrambled eggs instead of the sauce.

To finish the sauce: Remove the bowl from the heat and, little by little, whisk in the clarified butter. Add some of the reduction, a pinch of salt and cracked black pepper and taste for seasoning. Chop the reserved tarragon and chervil leaves and stir them into the sauce. Add more of the reduction and/or some lemon juice. Stir to blend. Makes ¾ cup serving.