This Wino Can Cook!: Goat cheese stuffed endive, pork tenderloin and shiraz

A couple of years ago my wife Lindsay and I were in Rome and we had a phenomenal meal that I have wanted to recreate ever since. The dish, baked endive with goat cheese, is extremely easy to make and is absolutely delectable. It was actually served as an entree (at a French restaurant in Rome, go figure) but we decided to recreate it as a side dish served with pork tenderloin and homemade garlic mashed potatoes.

Obviously, it's best to start with the tenderloin first, as you will need to marinate the pork overnight.

Clean excess fat off of a couple of pork tenderloins. I like to make more pork than needed for the actual meal because it makes great leftovers (sandwiches and sliced into salads).

Put the tenderloins into a heavy storage ziplock bag. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Take a port wine of your choice and pour into the bag to cover the tenderloins. If you don't have a fresh herb garden at home, get some fresh herbs from the store and add to the bag to flavor during the marinading. Use what herbs you have available and toss them in whole with stems and all. I used fresh oregano and fresh thyme. Refrigerate the tenderloins overnight.

Once the tenderloins are marinated remove from the bag and heat a heavy skillet. Also preheat your oven to 300 degrees. When the pan is hot add enough olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter to cover the pan. Next add a little bit of chopped garlic and heat. Just before the garlic browns, add the tenderloins and sear, rolling the pork to get a good sear all around. When the tenderloins are completely seared, remove from heat and set aside.

Gently rinse the endive with cool water and separate it into individual leaves. Plan for each person to eat 3 or 4 leaves, as endive tends to be small. Next spoon in goat cheese of your choice into the leaf pocket of the endive. I used an herbed goat cheese. Letting the goat cheese sit out at room temperature for about 15 minutes before you plan to use it makes it much easier to spread. Season with salt and pepper and place the leaves in a heated skillet with olive oil. Heat for a few minutes, constantly moving the leaves around the pan. The endive does not need to be browned that much; you are just adding a little color.

Next put the skillet with the pork tenderloins into your preheated oven for around 20 to 25 minutes. Watch the pork so that it does not over cook. The endive skillet also needs to go into the oven to cook for about 15 to 20 minutes. Be sure to watch the cheese; when it begins to bubble and brown it is ready. While the pork is cooking, baste it with the juices in the pan.

While the pork and endive bakes, prepare mashed potatoes or some wild rice. Lindsay and I like to add parmesan cheese and lots of garlic to our mashed potatoes to give it that little kick.

When your pork is finished, take it out and let it rest for 5 minutes. This is very important with pork – it keeps the meat juicy. While pork is resting, deglaze the pan with a little wine to get all the little bits of seared pork from the pan and stir it over low heat to create a light sauce. Slice the pork into medallions and arrange on a plate. Spoon some of the sauce over the pork and arrange several endive cups next to the medallions.

I paired this meal with a shiraz from Australia, Hill Of Content.

Tasting Notes: Ruby red in color, vibrant, jammy nose with earthy qualities, lots of spice and dark fruits make this shiraz a great pick for pork and any other roasted meats.

This Wino Can Cook!: Mexican Snapper & Pinot Pairing

Living on the Gulf Coast, we have a lot of fresh fish at our disposal. One of the dudes I play golf with every Tuesday enjoys cooking as much as I do, and we often trade recipes while navigating our way around the course. My friend Frank Stone is also an avid fisherman and is always coming up with different ways to cook his catch. This recipe is one of Frank's.

This a great recipe because it is simple and takes no time to prepare and it tastes awesome. You could substitute snapper for almost any firm white fish, but snapper is probably best if you can get it. Freshness is the key. Buy the freshest product you can get if you are not able to catch it yourself.

This dish can be done on a grill outside or in the oven. I like the the oven method because of the simplicity. I will mention that if you plan on cooking indoors with the oven method remove the skin so all you have is a clean filet with no bones. Otherwise, keep the skin on the deboned filet and cook skin side down if you're going to use a grill.

Preheat your oven at 350 degrees and open a bottle of wine so it can begin to breathe. Feel free to have a glass while you cook too.

Take an oven-safe lasagna style dish or cake pan and coat the bottom with olive oil. Season both sides of the filet with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place filets in the dish, leaving space between the filets. Squeeze the juice out of a fresh lemon over the filets and spoon your choice of salsa over the filets. You can use homemade salsa or some from the jar. I prefer a medium heat salsa. Next sprinkle crushed corn tortilla chips over the filets. I usually have several bags around the house and crush the chips right in the bag. Cover the filets just enough to add a good crunch. Then sprinkle the filets with shredded cheese. I use pre-shredded Mexican blend cheese, but use whatever cheddar you want. The final step is to top the filets with jalapenos. You can use fresh sliced or pickled jalapenos. Slice them or chop them. The amount of peppers you use depends on how much heat you want.

Put pan in the oven for about 15 minutes. Watch to see when the cheese is melting and beginning to brown a little. Remove the pan and let the fish rest for about 3 minutes. Using a flat spatula, gently lift the filets onto a serving dish or individual plates.

Serve the fish with a nice Mexican style rice or a saffron rice.

Ingredients:

Snapper filets, deboned and skin removed (unless cooking on a grill)
Salt & pepper
Garlic powder
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Medium heat salsa (from a jar or freshly made)
Corn tortilla chips, crushed
Shredded cheddar cheese
Jalapenos (fresh or pickled)

I paired this fish with a King Estate Signature Pinot Noir ($27-$29).

Tasting Notes:
In the glass this pinot displays a beautiful ruby red color. It has aromas of raspberries, bing cherries and strawberries. There are subtle hints of floral and spices. At first taste you'll immediately notice bing cherries and ripe plums. It is a very typical Oregon pinot with its jammy qualities with spice and currant notes and layers of caramel and vanilla. This pinot, for the money, is a steal. It is soft and elegant; smooth tannins fill the mouth with a very long finish.