Some of our favorite recipes, enjoy! 











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(we will put up more if requested)

We enjoy cooking and sharing our experiences.

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Ingredients:
Olive oil
4 beef short ribs
1 carrot, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
3 garlic cloves, smashed with back of a knife
1/2 cup of Van der Vijver Estate Cabernet Franc
1 quart beef stock
1 quart chicken stock
1 quart vegetable stock
5 or 6 thyme sprigs
3 laurel (bay) leaves
1/2 cup crème fraiche or sour cream
2 table spoons bottled horseradish, drained
1 teaspoon lemon juice
fine sea salt
freshly ground white pepper
20-30 small mushroom caps, cleaned (Stems out and nicely cut)
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1. *Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
2. *Place enough olive oil in a medium oven-proof pot to cover the bottom, and heat it over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the short ribs (Rubbed with sea salt and black pepper) and sear on all sides, about 1 minute per side. Remove the ribs to a plate and set it aside.
3.*Add the carrot, onion, celery and garlic to the pot and cook over medium-high heat until the vegetables are browned and softened, about 10-12 minutes (lots of stirring do not walk away). Add the wine and reduce until the pot is almost dry. Return the short ribs to the pot and cover with the beef, chicken and vegetable stocks. Bring to a boil. Add the thyme, laurel leaves and lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot tightly or place a piece of parchment paper directly over the stock. Place the pot in the oven and cook for 3-3.5 hours, or until the meat is very tender.
4.*In a bowl, whisk together the cr me fra*che, horseradish, and lemon juice. Season with salt and white pepper. Place mixture in a resealable plastic bag, and refrigerate until needed.
5.*Remove the pot from the oven and raise the oven temperature to 400 F. Transfer the ribs to a plate. While they are still warm, shred the meat into small pieces with a fork.
6.*Strain the ribs* cooking liquid through a chinois (or fine mesh sieve) into another pot. Place the pot over high heat, and reduce the liquid to a sauce-like consistency. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon. (When you are almost there the rule of walking away still applies ... don*t do it!)
7.*Cut a very thin slice off the top of each mushroom cap so it will stay flat and level when turned upside down. Fill the mushroom caps with the shredded short ribs.
8.*Place enough olive oil in a large ovenproof saut* pan to cover the bottom, and heat it over medium-high heat. Place the mushrooms in the pan. You don*t want to crowd the pan, so do this in two batches if necessary. Once the mushrooms begin to brown (after about 1-2 minute(s)), transfer the pan to the oven to finish cooking. Roast for about 10 minutes.
9.* Remove the mushrooms from the oven, and spoon a small amount of the sauce on top to keep them moist.
10.* Cut a 1/4-inch opening in the tip or corner of the plastic bag, and serve warm.

*Preparation of Pasta (makes about 1 lbs of pasta)
3-3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour, plus more for kneading
9 eggs (5 whole eggs 4 yolks)
drizzle of extra virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt

Place the flour in a mound on a wooden countertop or a plastic surface (Stainless steel or marble surfaces are cold and can reduce the elasticity of the dough). Make a well in the flour and break the eggs into it. ( i like to brake the eggs in a seperate bowl)
Add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt to the well. Start beating the eggs with a fork, pushing up the flour around the edges with your other hand to make sure no egg runs out, and pulling flour from the sides of the mound into the eggs.
When you have pulled enough flour to form a ball to stiff to beat with the palm of your hand, incorporating as much flour as you can. You should now have a big ball of dough and a bunch of tiny, crumbly dough balls that have not been incorporated. Push these to the side and scrape the surface with  a metal spatula
Sprinkle the cleaned surface with more flour, place the dough on top, and knead by pushing it down and away from you, stretching it out. Fold the dough in half and continue pushing it down and away. Keep repeating this action until the dough no longer feels sticky and has a smooth surface. This should take about 15 minutes. (This process is important for a delicate, elastic pasta, so don't rush) Add more flour if the dough continues to feel sticky. When the dough is smooth , wrap it in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature to relax the dough before rolling out.
Cut the dough in 4 pieces to make it easier to roll out. Keep the dough you are not working with wrapped in plastic..

Rolling out the dough:
I like to use the kitchenaid for this on low speed with pasta roller attachment.
Flour the work surface. Take a rolling pin flatten the dough. In the widest position of the rollers put the dough through (sometimes/often you need to fold it and do it again at that setting. Take the pasta down to its smallest setting (8 on kitchenaid).
You can now use the pasta sheets for either raviolis or whatever else you can think of

INGREDIENTS:
1 recipe pasta with eggs
12-14 ounces taleggio cheese
2 tablespoons of finely chopped marjoram, plus extra to garnish
1/2 cup butter
salt and ground black pepper
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to serve



1. Using a pasta machine roll out a quarter of the pasta into a 36-inch-40-inch strip. Cut the strip with a sharp knife into two 18-20-inch lengths (you can do this during rolling if the strip gets too long to manage

2. Cut 8-10 little cubes of taleggio (Chill the taleggio, it will be easier, it is a very sift cheese) and place the  from the folded edge along one side of one of the pasta strips, spacing them evenly. Sprinkle each taleggio cube with a little chopped marjoram and pepper to taste.

3. Brush a little water around each cube of cheese, then fold the plain side of the pasta strip over them.

4. Starting from the folded edge. Sprinkle lightly with flour.

5. Using only half of a 2-inch fluted round ravioli or biscuit cutter, cut around each cube of cheese to make a half-moon shape. The folded edge should be the straight edge.

6. If you like press the cut edges with the tines of a fork to give a decorative effect.

7. Put the raviolis on floured dish towels, sprinkle lightly with flour and allow to dry while repeating the process with the remaining pasta, cheese, marjoram and pepper, to get 64-80 raviolis all together.

8. Drop the raviolis into a large pot of salted boiling water, bring back to a boil for 4-5 minutes until Al Dente.

9. Meanwhile, melt the butter in  a small saucepan until it is sizzling.

10. Drain the raviolis and divide among six or eight warmed large bowls. Drizzle the sizzling butter over them and serve immediately, sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan and chopped fresh marjoram. Hand around more grated parmesan separately.

Ingredients:
Soffritto*(1 medium size onion, 1 carrot, 1.5 stick of Celery)
8 cloves of garlic
1 cup of Van der Vijver Estate Merlot
* cup Umbrian lentils
* cup Le Puy lentils
1 cup Umbrian Barley *pearled*
1 cup Umbrian Farro

5 sweet italian sausages with fennel

3/4 Lbs Peppered bacon

Beef broth
Chicken broth
Vegetable broth
Parmasan cheese
Course Cervia Salt (or gray Normandie salt)



1. *Make Soffritto: This is the most important and time consuming part.

**Mince the onion, carrot, and celery as finely as you can, using a knife or a mezzaluna (a crescent-shaped, *double-handed knife). A food processor should not be used because it squashes the onion rather than chopping it, and *the soffritto becomes a mush. Chopping and onion by hand might induce a few tears, but one should weep from time to time. Do not discard the cut off pieces of the vegetables, you will use them for the sausages. 
**Choose a heavy-bottomed pan in order to brown the soffritto evenly, and heat the oil in the pan over a **medium flame.You should use extra virgin olive oil: It works well at high temperatures and it is the most digestible *of cooking oils. The amount you use will vary according to the quantity of vegetables; don*t overdo it, but put in *enough oil to ensure an even browning. Add the minced vegetables and saut*, stirring frequently, until the vegetables *are the desires hue (dark orange). (If you*d like you can add some small cut leek to this mixture)
*Never leave the soffritto unattended on the stove. It must be watched at all times and stirred frequently as it begins to *brown. You may be sure that, if you leave, it will burn. If you must answer the telephone. Ladle about 1/3 cup (75 *ml) of water into the pan to hold it back. After you hang up, continue cooking and stirring until the water has **evaporated and the soffritto is the right color.
2.*At this point add 5 cloves of the garlic (flattened with the back of a knife and minced) let it become aromatic (about a minute or two) then you add the merlot. Cook it down till the moisture has evaporated.
3.*In the mean time heat the broth in a pan and keep at a simmer.
4.*Add the lentils, farro, and barley to the pan and pearl them till they seem to have a nicer warmer color.
5.*Add the broth slowly, and allow the lentils and grains to soak it up. Continue this till all the broth is used and you have a nice broth showing that is not thick. (Add more broth if needed) Let this simmer for an hour and turn of the heat. (Adjust salt level at this time)
6.*In the mean time Saut* the onion skins and whatever vegetable leftover you have in a stock pot in olive oil over a medium high heat. Once that is brown and aromatic add 3 cloves of garlic (flattened with the back of a knife), and saut* for another minute or two.
7.*Add the sausage and beer, bring to a simmer and let cook for an hour. Take out of pan and let cool.
8.*Cut the bacon in * inch pieces and saut* them but don*t make them crispy. Take these out on a paper towel.
9.*In that same pan add a bit of olive oil. Slice the sausages and saut* until crispy.
10.*Add both the bacon and sausage to the soup. Reheat on a low fire.
11.*Serve the soup in a nice bowl, grate Parmasan cheese on top and some cracked black pepper.