So again, I went through the pantry and did a raid as to what we should have for dinner tonight. I ended up making Osso Bucco Asian style. I gave it a general tso’s flair to it.  All that means is I added soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, chili pepper and a few other fun ingredients.

Hoisin pairs very well with our 2011 Renaissance by Reyes Winery Merlot. This is definitely a great year of a Merlot. That year we ended up having a frost in April and losing part of our crop. This particular wine we brought in grapes from another Vineyard up in Amador County.

This soft medium bodied Merlot has aromas of molasses, mocha and plums with notes of anise. On the palate you get intense ripe plum, a soft balanced acidity, silky tannins and a lingering finish of spicy toasty oak. The velvety ruby color and aromas will inspire anyone to have another glass. It has won a silver medal in the 2014 San Diego County Fair Commercial Wine Competition plus a Silver & 88 points in the 2016 Toast of the Coast wine competition. It pairs well with duck or with a coffee-crusted pork roast with a Merlot au jus. Through the years, I have paired this from trip to cupcakes. And now I have with paired this with this great dish.

Normally, General Tso’s is prepared with fried chicken, I have my twist. I do love fried chicken and this week my dad and I have been talking it about an awful lot, but we usually don’t do fried anything. This dish was named after a real general except no one in the region he was from ever heard of this dish. There are different stories as to who created this dish, one is from Taiwan and another from New York. All I know is that I love this sauce.

Directions for the Osso Bucco

Ingredients

• 1lb of Osso Bucco
• 1 tsp flour
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Freshly cracked pepper and salt
• 1 cup carrots, shredded
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup of 2011 Renaissance by Reyes Merlot
• 2 cups of beef or vegetable broth, low sodium
• 2 bok choy, chopped
• 1 green onion, sliced thinly

Directions

1. In a 3 ½ qt cast iron pot, on medium heat, add olive oil to heated pan.
2. Add flour, salt and pepper to shallow pan, like a pie pan. Coat the meat with the mixture.
3. Then sear the meat on all sides.
4. Add onions and continue to cook for about 5 minutes until the inions are translucent.
5. Add the 2011 Renaissance by Reyes Merlot, cook for a few minutes.
6. Add the broth and carrots.
7. Cover and place in 300-degree preheated oven and cook for 60 minutes.
8. Then make sauce below.
9. When the meat is done and falling off the bone, drain liquid. (It can be used later for a broth for a soup)
10. Mix in sauce
11. Add bok choy and green onion.
12. Close lid for 5 minutes. Do not continue to cook. The heat from the pan will cook it on its own.
13. Serve on top of rice and with a glass of 2011 Renaissance by Reyes Merlot.

 

Directions for the sauce

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• ¼ cup soy sauce, low sodium (I found one that is 120mg)
• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• ¼ cup chicken broth (low sodium/no salt added)
• ¼ guava juice
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more depending upon how spicy you like it)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

Directions

1. In a medium pot, add all the ingredients and whisk to combine.
2. Place it over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until it starts to simmer.
3. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken.
4. Once the sauce is thickened, remove from heat.