07/05/2025
HOMEWOOD WINERY
We're sorry that the pictures of the dishes didn't come through, but we know you'll enjoy making these recipes. Homewood.
Hello, everyone. We hope you all had a safe and sane 4th of July. As promised, we have the results of the 3rd Annual Wine & Dine Competition.
We're showcasing the top 4 entries with scores that were so close that the winner only won by less than 1/2 a point!! Honestly, the next 3 dishes were so close that they basically tied for 2nd place. All the dishes were delicious and paired really well with the wines. Well done participants!!
Our winner is Amanda Kuespert for the 3rd straight year!! Her winning dish, "Redneck Stroganoff", was extremely easy to make with limited ingredients and paired beautifully with our Petite Sirah. We believe that even beginner cooks can successfully pull off this recipe...please read on for the top dishes.
WINNING DISH:
#1 Redneck Stroganoff - Amanda Kuespert
Winner receives a FREE case of wine of her choice!!
(this is a cross between our Smashburger (see recipe #3) and beef stroganoff)
Ingredients:
1 pound of ground beef
4 ounces of sliced white mushrooms
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
One package of ranch dry seasoning
Onion powder and garlic powder
1/4 a cup of bacon (we used Kirkland bacon crumbles)
1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream
Quarter cup Gorgonzola crumbles
Baby yellow potatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450° and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Rinse baby yellow potatoes and cut into quarters. Put in a bowl and toss with olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, little bit of salt and pepper, and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. Bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until done.
For the sauce start to brown the ground beef in a pan add the sliced mushrooms, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and the bacon. Cook until ground beef is done. Drain any extra oil once beef is brown. Sprinkle in one package of dry ranch seasoning and some onion powder and garlic powder to your preference. Add cream and continue to cook on low heat until sauce thickens to your preference. Add in the Gorgonzola Crumbles just before it’s done and let it melt.
Serve over the potatoes and pair with Homewood Petite Sirah. Could also serve over egg noodles if you wanted that instead.
*Our notes:
Super easy to make and you can never go wrong with a creamy Bleu Cheese sauce!! As judges were tasting and pairing with the wine the expression that I kept hearing was "Wow!!". This dish left the judges wanting more.
Recipe #2
Lomo Saltado - Patrick Kurtz
Ingredients:
1 pound beef (filet mignon, sirloin, skirt steak, or flank steak) cut into thin slices (we used Sirloin Steak)
5 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
5 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 tablespoon EACH: oyster sauce AND red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Aji Amarillo paste (we found this paste has a really nice spice/heat to it...it's not too overwhelming and really adds to the dish!! We ordered it from Amazon, just in case your local market doesn't carry it...)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 medium red onion, sliced into ½ inch wedges
3 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and sliced into ½ inch wedges
Sliced scallions/chopped cilantro, for serving
Oil, for cooking
Cooked French fries + rice, for serving
Instructions:
MARINATE: Add 1 tablespoons soy sauce and half the garlic, to the thinly sliced beef and allow for the beef to marinate for 5-7 minutes.
SAUCE: In a small bowl, combine the remaining 4 tablespoons soy sauce, oyster sauce, red wine vinegar, Aji Amarillo paste, and cornstarch. Whisk to combine and set aside.
STIR FRY:
Add about a tablespoon of cooking oil to a hot cast iron pan or wok until it shimmers. Brown the beef for roughly 1-2 minutes flipping as needed to cook evenly. Remove to a plate.
Add tablespoon of oil. Add onions and sauce for 1 minute before adding the remaining garlic and tomatoes. Sauté for 1 minute, then add the beef back into the pan. Add the French fries and cook them with sauce. Top with sliced scallions or chopped cilantro and serve warm with rice and with French fries. Serve with Flying Wizzbangers.
*Our Notes:
We served this over a bed of Jasmine rice WITH French Fries on the side. This dish was very easy to make, the flavors are amazing, especially if you love a little spice in your dish and paired really well with our Flying Wizzbangers. Again, this dish had our judges asking for more!
Recipe #3
Smash Burger - Amanda Kuespert
Ingredients:
1 pound burger
3 tablespoons of sour cream
One packet of ranch dry seasoning
Half a cup of bacon (we used Kirkland bacon crumbles)
Half a cup of Tillamook, extra sharp white cheddar cheese
One 8 ounce package of sliced mushrooms
3 tablespoons of butter
Onion powder, and garlic powder
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
Loaf of sourdough bread
Pair with Homewood Cabernet Sauvignon
Instructions:
Just before cooking the burgers, make the mushrooms
Add 8 ounces of sliced white mushrooms with 3 tablespoons of butter into a pan on medium to low heat. Season with a little bit of onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper add in one clove of garlic, add in a splash of Homewood Cabernet Sauvignon. And cook for 10 minutes or until you like them done.
Mix in a bowl -1 pound burger, 3 tablespoons of sour cream, one packet ranch seasoning, half cup bacon, half a cup of Tillamook white cheddar cheese – mix together and roll into balls and let’s sit for an hour let’s sit for an hour. Cook on griddle or cast-iron skillet. Start by placing the burger balls on the griddle and smash thin with a burger press. Flip when seared on bottom remove when done to your liking. *Our note: be careful to not over work your ground beef as it makes your burger tough. I would recommend that you mix the sour cream and ranch together then add to the beef so it's less kneading of the meat. Just my opinion...*
Once you have the burger cooked, add a slice of sourdough bread, buttered, and grill on both sides. To serve place the burger on top of the sourdough bread little extra cheese if you’d like mushrooms on top and pair with Homewood Cabernet Sauvignon
*Our Notes: Again, another easy dish to make and paired amazingly well with our Cab!! This was another recipe that the judges asked for 2nds. But our reminder again is to be careful not to over work your burger.
Recipe #4
Nicoise Salad - Dan Ruckers
Dan's comment: The wonderful thing about recipes (unless you’re baking) is that they are kind of like the pirates’ code -“More of a guideline than an actual rule.”
I submit for your culinary pleasure a Niçoise inspired salad with blackened salmon, lemony garlic Mahi Mahi, smashed baby potatoes and a homemade dressing. Easy to make by yourself, fun with friends to help, extra fun if you have a grandchild that likes to help.
If you have time, make the dressing a day ahead. In a blender or small food processor, add these Dressing ingredients:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 Chopped Shallot
1 or 2 Minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon Stone ground (or your favorite) mustard
1 teaspoon Summer Savory (*we ordered this herb from Amazon - just in case your local market doesn't carry it)
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
A bit of horseradish- somewhere between not enough (0) and too much (not sure what that would be but guessing somewhere north of a tablespoon.
Blend for about 15 seconds. Then while blending on low,
ADD:
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon warm bacon grease (this will calm down the acidity of the vinegar)
When well blended add
1/4 cup parsley leaves (fresh chopped or dried) (we used fresh)
5-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Set aside to mellow.
Instructions For the meal:
First the potatoes
Boil small potatoes for 15 minutes, drain then spread on a cookie sheet (oiled, parchment paper or silicone mat) take a flat bottom coffee cup and smash to around 3/8 inch, salt, pepper, a bit of butter and shake on some dry Parmesan. Bake for 25 minutes at 425.
While the potatoes are cooking:
On a large serving platter:
Cover with spring mix greens. Around the outside add your favorite fresh and fermented foods. I used…
Avocados, small tomatoes, sweet red peppers, cucumber, pickled sweet peas, red onion, pickled mushrooms, hard boiled eggs, hard baked eggs (baked in a well-oiled muffin pan at 375 for 14 minutes).
Leave the center of the platter for the fish.
The fish..
Salmon- make sure it is dry. Put a little bacon grease on the non-skin side and coat with a blackened seasoning. In a frying pan with a little bacon grease and 1/4 tablespoon butter, fry skin side down about 3-4 minutes, flip over and fry another 2 minutes.
Mahi Mahi-make sure it is dry. Put a little bacon grease on and coat with Meyer Lemon & Honey seasoning (lemon pepper is fine) and minced garlic. Slice a lemon into thin rounds. In a pan with a little bacon grease and 1/4 tablespoon butter add the lemon slices and fry until turning brown around the edges, move to the side and add the fish to the pan and fry 3 minutes, flip and 2-3 minutes more.
Arrange all the fish in the middle of the platter (put the fried lemon on top of the Mahi) and place potatoes on a side plate and serve.
Pair with Homewood Pinot Noir!!
*Our note - Again another easy dish to make but it was more labor intensive with all the steps/ingredients. However, it was a lot of fun to make because it allows for the cook to be creative. We followed Dan's recipe, and the judges spent a long time discussing how each bite delivers a new experience with the wine pairing. One judge used the expression that the "meal and wine danced together with lots of movement and surprises" with some bites enhancing the acidity while other bites brought bright fruit flavors, then other bites would make the wine smooth and balanced, just amazing!! This dish is perfect for our vegetarian and pescatarian family and friends. And like Dan suggested, get your friends and family to jump in the kitchen and help make it...there's something very special about joining in the kitchen to chat, drink wine, and make a delicious meal!! Finally, dishes like this give an opportunity for less experienced wine lovers to see how different foods effect the wine
Team Homewood sincerely appreciates all the participants and their dishes!! We believe that anyone reading this can make any of these top 4 dishes and have great success. Again, the 3 dishes noted after the winning dish were virtually tied for 2nd place. Your dishes were so amazing and paired so well with the wines that we kept saying all 4 of these dishes could have been the winner.
In honor of the winning pairing, we are offering our 2018 Petite Sirah for a special case price of $210 per case, including shipping!!
If you would like to place an order, please call us at (707) 996-6353 and one of our friendly teammates will be happy to help you. If we are unable to take your call please leave a message and we will get back to as soon as we can.
Again, well done everyone!!
Cheers,
Team Homewood
