Tis the season ... for rose' (or is it rosato?)

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we go through many months of cool, wet, drab weather during fall, winter and spring. So when the skies open up, as they finally have here, everyone goes outside. To garden, plant, walk, hike, ride, play, hop, skip or jump. It doesn't really matter what you do, as long as you can be outside enjoying the sun's rays.

Another thing that goes great with warm, sunny weather is ... pink wine. No, we're not talking about white zinfandel, otherwise known as "mother-in-law wine." We're referring to some of the great dry roses that are available out there. Rose' is the french term for it, and in Italy it's known as rosato. These wines are now made all over the world and some are very good. And they're for the most part pretty affordable.

Rose' wines are made with red grapes, with the exception of sparkling roses. Usually, the winemaker will remove the skins from the grapes within a few days, so the wine retains the pinkish color. The process also reduces the complexity and body of most red wines. Many people who haven't tried some of the world's fine rose' wines think of the type as being sweet and lightweight. It is light, but the roses (or rosatos) we like are dry and luscious.

We recently tried a good example: a 2006 Anoranzo, made in Spain with tempranillo grapes. It's dry but has great fruit and a nice mouthfeel. And the best thing about it is the price: $7.99 at the local Thriftway.

Pink wines are being made in France, Spain, Portugal, South Africa, Australia, and right here in the USA, including our home state of Washington. Most rose' wines go with most foods, although our favorite way of enjoying it is sitting in the back yard on a sun-bathed summer evening, sipping the cool pink goodness. Give it a try -- it's one of the things that's made for summer.

In Praise of Great Films -- Hud (1963)

This is the first in what may be an occasional series wherein Mark DuMond writes about film.

When first thinking about writing a piece on the 1963 film “Hud” this author was tempted to point out that this is a great story which is driven by story and dialogue, and that it achieves its goals without violence, gunfire or sexuality. The first point is true: “Hud” features a superb screenplay that lays bare the characters and their motivations. However, this movie does indeed have violence, human on human. It also has a massive amount of gunfire, though none of it is aimed at people. And sexuality simmers throughout, culminating in a scene of startling brutality.

The title character of this film is played by Paul Newman in what many consider to be the finest performance of his acting career. Many are put off by the fact that the character Hud Bannon is a heartless, soulless bastard with no redeeming qualities. All true, but this is not a movie that’s meant to lift the spirit or bring out the best in the people who inhabit its world. Indeed, “Hud” is a downer in many ways. However, as a character study and a story of family in all its weakness and tragedy, this is a film that stays with you long after you’ve watched it.

How selfish and egocentric is Hud Bannon? That question is answered in the very first scene of the movie. His nephew Lonnie (played by Brandon DeWilde) is wandering the streets of a small Texas town looking for his uncle Hud on a sunny weekend morning. He passes by a tavern owner sweeping up some broken glass, who matter-of-factly notes that “Hud was here last night.” Lonnie finds Hud coming out of the home of a local hottie, and just then the woman’s husband comes home unexpectedly. Hud leads the suspicious husband to believe that it was his nephew who had been trysting with the lady, and then hustles Lonnie off before the husband can beat him senseless. Right then, we’ve learned a lot about this character. He’s the kind of guy who would throw his own innocent nephew under the bus to save his own skin.

And it only gets worse from there. Though Hud is the central character in the film, there are three other characters who are very important to the story. Hud’s father, Homer, is played by the great Melvyn Douglas in an Oscar-winning performance. He’s a humble, honest rancher who can’t quite figure out how a louse like Hud could’ve come from his loins. The aforementioned nephew Lonnie is a kid who looks up to Hud like he’s a strutting hero, although by the end of the story his adoration is replaced by realism. The fourth key character in “Hud” isn’t technically part of the family, but as the loyal housekeeper Alma, she’s as much a part of the household as any of the three generations of men who live there. Patricia Neal won an Oscar for her portrayal of Alma, and deservedly so.

It’s to the movie’s credit that the Hud character doesn’t soften up, nor does he find some long lost morality or a proverbial “heart of gold.” He’s a bastard through and through from the first frame to the last. Plenty of things happen to the other residents of the ranch, but to go into detail would be to reveal too much.

Praise for the individual artists who toiled to bring this film to reality can be freely passed around. “Hud” was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won three (for James Wong Howe’s stunning black-and-white cinematography along with the previously mentioned acting honors for Douglas and Neal). However, despite all the nominations and awards, the film wasn’t nominated for Best Picture. That’s not right.

The script by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr. was based on a novel by a young writer named Larry McMurtry, who would go on to win an Oscar – 43 years later – for co-writing the screenplay for “Brokeback Mountain.” If you add up all the Academy Award nominations earned during their careers by all the people who worked on “Hud” you get an astounding number: 161. One wonders if there’s another film whose collaborators earned a combined 161 Oscar nominations?

One other trivial note: The actor who plays Mr. Burriss, the government man who has to relay some horrible news to the ranchers is one Whit Bissell. He’s one of those character actors most people would recognize, but few would know the name. What’s amazing is his body of work. According to the Internet Movie Database, he had 286 acting credits during his career. That’s about two dozen credits more than those for the three big stars of “Hud” (Newman, Douglas and Neal) … combined! That’s as good a definition of a “working actor” as you’ll find. For a complete list of Bissell’s acting credits, click here.

“Hud” is a better example of quality filmmaking than any expensive Hollywood blockbuster ever made. It’s definitely worth seeking out.

Parental Advisory: Although this film would be rated PG by today’s standards, this is not a movie for children. Adult themes abound, negative lifestyle choices are presented unvarnished, and there is a particularly harsh scene (sans nudity) of sexual assault. There is not much in the way of profanity. After all, it was 1963, and the groundbreaking “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” was still several years away. There is also a scene of mass slaughter of animals, which would be quite upsetting to very young children.

The IMDB entry on “Hud” can be found here.

Recipe #9 - Nicoise Salad, DuMond Style

Nicoise salads have been around for a long time and can come in a number of variations. This is our favorite rendition, including seared ahi tuna and deleting anchovies. Purists will cringe, but we always delete the anchovies. Sorry, purists.

Makes four servings.

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Salt & pepper
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 fresh eggs

4 fingerling potatoes, or 1/2 lb. red new potatoes
1/2 lb. fresh haricots vert (green beans)
12 stalks fresh asparagus

1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 lb. sushi-quality ahi tuna
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt & pepper

4 cups mesclun salad greens

In a bowl, mix together the garlic, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice and parsley. Season lightly with salt and pepper to taste. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly until emulsified. Set vinaigrette aside while prepping the rest of the salad.

With a pin, puncture one end of each egg and place in a small saucepan. Cover with water and put on a burner over high heat. Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium. Cook the eggs for about 10 minutes, drain, cover with cold water and allow to cool. Remove from water, peel, and cut into quarters lengthwise.

Put the fingerling potatoes into another saucepan and cover with plenty of salted water. Put on high heat and bring to a boil. After about five minutes, add the green beans to the pot and cook for about a minute. Add the asparagus spears and cook it all for two minutes more. Check the potatoes with the tip of a sharp knife to make sure they're tender and done, and pour all the veggies into a colander to drain. After they cool, cut the potatoes into quarters lengthwise.

Place the ahi tuna on a plate and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Flip the fish and treat the other side the same. Put a saute pan on medium-high heat and when it's hot, put the ahi in. Sear it for about a minute to a minute-and-a-half, flip it and sear the other side for another minute or so. Put the seared fish into a cutting board to rest for a minute. Slice the tuna into 1/4-inch thick pieces.

In a stainless steel bowl, add the salad greens and dress with about 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette and toss to coat.

On four chilled dinner plates, arrange the green beans, asparagus and fingerling potato wedges around the edges. Pile some dressed greens in the middle of the plate and top with several slices of seared tuna. Arrange some olives, tomatoes and egg quarters around the salad. Drizzle some vinaigrette around the edges of the salad and serve.

Recipe #8 - Wild Mushroom Risotto

It doesn't really matter what type of mushrooms you use in this risotto recipe. The more varieties, the better -- although keep in mind that the per-pound price of shrooms varies wildly. We've seen instances where common button mushrooms sat humbly at two or three bucks a pound next to fresh porcinis selling for $60 per pound! So the cost of preparing a wild mushroom dish like this can fluctuate from cheap to pricey depending on which varieties you use.

Makes four servings.

1 oz. packaged dried porcini mushrooms

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 medium shallots, peeled and finely diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 lb. wild mushrooms, diced (some of our favorites are oyster, portobello, shiitake, black trumpet, porcini or matsutake)

1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup grated parmesan or asiago cheese
1/2 cup half & half
Salt & pepper to taste

Soak the dried mushrooms in one cup of hot water for about 30 minutes. Drain them, reserving the soaking liquid, and chop roughly.

Heat the olive oil in a wok or large deep skillet. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until fragrant, about two minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms and saute until they give off their juices and start to brown, stirring very frequently. Add the soaked porcinis and stir fry for another minute or two.

Add the wine and continue stirring constantly until the liquid is absorbed. Add the stock, a half-cup at a time, stirring constantly, until the risotto has absorbed enough of the liquid to become al dente.

Stir in the cheese and half-and-half, bring heat to very low, and keep stirring until the cheese is well incorporated into the risotto. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

This risotto goes great with a steamed green vegetable, perhaps a small piece of grilled seafood, and a green salad. Leftover risotto can be re-purposed as risotto cakes in a main dish salad

Recipe #7 - Ravioli with Pesto-Mushroom Sauce

Last week's recipe featured pre-made basil pesto, so we're keeping with the theme here. If you happen to have pesto on hand and use store-bought ravioli, this becomes a quick and easy main-dish pasta.

Makes four servings.

1 lb. fresh cheese or mushroom ravioli or tortellini

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 lb. wild mushrooms (perhaps a mix of shiitakes, oysters, portobellos or porcinis)
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups low fat milk
4 oz. neufchatel (reduced fat) cream cheese
3/4 cup basil pesto (recipe follows)
Salt & pepper

Add ravioli to boiling salted water and cook until al dente, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain in a colander and toss with olive oil so it doesn't stick together.

Heat olive oil in a saucepan or large skillet. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add mushrooms and cook until they give off their juices and start to brown slightly. Add the flour and stir well to coat the veggies. Pour in the milk and stir over medium-low heat to thicken. After about five minutes add the cream cheese in tablespoon-size pieces and stir in to combine and melt into the sauce.

After the sauce is well heated through, stir in the pesto and continue to heat over a medium-low flame. As soon as it begins to bubble, put the pasta in a large mixing bowl, pour the sauce over it, and stir gently to combine. Serve and enjoy. This goes great with a steamed green vegetable and a caesar salad.

BASIL PESTO

Fistful of fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
8 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and buzz it until it becomes a smooth paste, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Adjust flavors as appropriate. (If you want a more pronounced garlic flavor, throw in a few extra cloves. Same goes for the other ingredients.) If the pesto seems too thick, add more olive oil. Store in an airtight jar or sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator, or freeze for later use.

Jackson Hole: One of the Earth's Great Wonders

Along with our daughter Jess, we just spent the past five days in and around Jackson, Wyoming. The primary purpose of our visit was to spend time with Mark's twin brother Ace, and Ace's wife Sallie and son Keaton, which was great. But you can't go to Jackson Hole without experiencing the fabulous surrounding areas, which are unique on this earth. Here's a sampling of what we were able to see and do:

• Teton Village - This is essentially an upscale ski resort, but it's accessible to the masses. We rode the Bridger Gondola all the way up to the top, which is a rise in elevation of several thousand feet. Up there, one can view the entire resort and valley below. There was still plenty of snow. Several restaurants are perched at the summit, along with shops and a snow sports school. Jess expressed interest in paragliding, so we booked her a flight for a couple of days hence as a 21st birthday present. Unfortunately, the flight was cancelled due to high winds. A major disappointment, but it gives us a new reason to return to Jackson Hole. Read more about Teton Village here.
  

• Grand Teton National Park - The Tetons are unlike any other mountain range. The awesome craggy peaks reach to the 13,000 foot level and have inspired painters and photographers for as long as there have been paint and cameras. We saw Jackson Lake, Jenny Lake, and (after a 1.6 mile hike each way) Taggart Lake. We also got to see a large herd of bison, up close.

• Gros Ventre - This is another fabulous area north of Jackson. We went in search of moose, but never got to see any. The Gros Ventre (roughly pronounced as "grow von") region features many lakes, rivers, elk, bighorn sheep, moose and deer, as well as many other types of wildlife.

• High School Butte - This is a steep hill in the middle of Jackson with a zig-zag trail going up the side. We hiked to the top, where the view is spectacular and you can see virtually the entire town on all sides.
  

We've now been to Jackson Hole in the middle of winter and late spring. We want to experience it in summer and fall also. There really is no place like it anywhere. Here is some more information about Jackson Hole. We will definitely be back.

Recipe #6 - Main Dish Salad - Mediterranean Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Salmon

In late summer, when basil is plentiful and relatively inexpensive, we make a large quantity of pesto and put one-recipe amounts in sandwich bags and freeze them. That way, any time the rest of the year when we decide to make a dish that requires it, we have instant access to wonderful pesto.

Makes 4 servings.

2/3 lb. dried farfalle pasta

12 spears fresh asparagus

1.5 cups freshly made basil pesto (recipe follows)
20 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
20 kalamata olives
Salt & pepper to taste

1.5 lb. fresh, wild sockeye or king salmon fillets
1/4 cup red wine
3 Tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. each dried oregano, basil, thyme & herbes de provence

4 cups clean mixed mesclun salad greens
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese
Salt & pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the pasta. Cook according to package directions until al dente (probably 11 or 12 minutes). When you have a couple minutes left of cooking time, toss the asparagus spears in to cook them briefly. Drain in a colander, pick out the asparagus and set aside. Toss the pasta with a little olive oil so it doesn't stick while cooling and you're prepping the rest of the recipe.

Carefully pick any bones out of the salmon with needle-nose pliers. in a large zippered storage bag, place the wine, oil and herbs. Slosh it around a bit to mix it up well. Put the salmon in the bag and make sure to get it coated well with marinade. Seal the bag and put in the refrigerator while you continue to work with the salad.

For the salad dressing, place the lemon juice, olive oil and the tablespoon of feta in a small jar and shake vigorously to mix. Add salt and pepper to taste, keeping in mind that feta cheese already has salt in it.

Once the pasta has cooled to near room temperature, place it in a large mixing bowl along with the pesto, tomatoes, 1/2 cup feta, and olives. Mix gently but well with a large spoon. Season with salt and pepper, although since feta cheese and kalamata olives already have a high salt content, you may not need to add any at all.

Prepare the grill to medium high heat. Remove the salmon from the marinade and grill until cooked through, about five minutes per side, but that of course will vary based on grill temperature and fish thickness.

To serve, decoratively flay three spears of asparagus on each of four dinner plates. Put a mound of pasta salad in the center of the plate and lay a fillet of grilled salmon alongside it. Add several tablespoons of the lemon-feta vinaigrette to the greens and toss lightly to coat. Place a mound of the dressed greens on the plate opposite the salmon and serve.

BASIL PESTO

Fistful of fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
8 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and buzz it until it becomes a smooth paste, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Adjust flavors as appropriate. (If you want a more pronounced garlic flavor, throw in a few extra cloves. Same goes for the other ingredients.) If the pesto seems too thick, add more olive oil. Store in an airtight jar or sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator, or freeze for later use.