Dining on Memories

I learned to cook watching my grandmother on summer afternoons in August, when the Feast of the Madonna of the Water was celebrated in her neighborhood and twenty or more of our family would gather under the grape arbor in the backyard for dinner every evening before wandering out to the street fair. Homemade fettucine with fresh pesto; meatballs filled with garlic, parsley and Parmeggiano; fennel sausages and chicken salmi were the staples of her repertoire.

My mother continued my education in the kitchen, and by the time I was an adult, I knew I loved to cook. Wherever I found myself in the world I gathered recipes and techniques, and when I moved to the Rheingau in Germany—a Riesling wine region—I taught friends how to make American apple pie in exchange for their traditional recipes.

The first time I tasted winzergulasch I had spent the day hiking the vineyards with my eight-month-old son in a backpack. We ate in the open air at trestle tables set up on the top of a mountain. I recreate the hike and the meal in my novella, “The Hand That Gives the Rose,” (in the February 2008 anthology THE VALENTINE GIFT) as Marielle remembers a carefree and secure past far different from the challenges she faces as a young woman taking on her family’s winery.

Although the preparation requires some work to chop the vegetables, once you throw everything into the pot and get it simmering, you can walk away and go read one of our books!

Winzergulasch (Vintner Stew)

One pound cubed chicken or pork
Canola oil
2 medium onions, chopped into quarter-inch dice
1 large leek, sliced into rings
1 large carrot, chopped into quarter-inch dice
1 bay leaf
A pinch of dried tarragon
A pinch of dried oregano
1 cup water
1 cup Riesling wine (or substitute 2 cups of chicken broth for the water and wine)
¼ pound grapes
Salt and pepper

Brown the meat in a small amount of oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the onions, leek and carrot and sauté until onions are golden.
Add the herbs, the water and wine.
Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
Add the grapes and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Serve over noodles or dumplings.

Do you have recipes that stir memories? Share them with us!