HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - Chef Patrick Evans Hylton shares some great food and wine finds here in Hampton Roads!
CHEERS TO WILLIAMSBURG WINERY
2019 WESSEX HUNDRED VIOGNIER
We love Williamsburg Winery and the offerings from winemaker Matthew Meyer. One of his vintages is the 2019 Wessex Hundred Viognier. This wine is 100 percent Viognier grapes.
Matthew says it has classic elements of a pineapple upside cake in conjunction with a lemon cream pie. Other notes to look for include apricot, plum, mandarin orange, grilled pineapple, and a berry mixture. Matthew adds the wine is well balanced, lingering with a cake-like creaminess and a bright acidity just poking through. I’d pair with shellfish, including raw and steamed clams and oysters, as well as steamed shrimp. It’s also great with grilled chicken or grilled fish. The wine is wonderful to enjoy on its own, as well, while sitting out on the back patio. We like to keep our white wine chilled, especially when out on the patio, by adding a few green grapes that have been frozen. This allows the wine to stay cool without diluting it with melting ice. Plus, its a nice treat to enjoy when the glass is empty. To prepare, add grapes which have been separated from the stems on a small plate evenly spaced apart and freeze for several hours. Keep frozen grapes stored in the freezer in a ziptop bag. If you’d like our TOP 10 WINE TASTING TIPS, email Patrick@VirginiaEatsAndDrinks.com with “Wine Tasting Tips” as the subject.
Wine comes from Williamsburg Winery; visit www.WilliamsburgWinery.com
FABULOUS FALAFEL FROM AZAR’S
WITH PEH’S HOMEMADE TZATZIKI SAUCE
We love falafel, a classic Mediterranean/Middle Eastern dish that can be eaten as an appetizer, entree, or snack. Falafel is ground chickpeas, or sometimes fava beans, that are ground, seasoned, shaped into balls or patties, and fried golden, brown, and delicious.
One of our favorite places to grab falafel in Coastal Virginia is Azar’s, which has two locations in Virginia Beach.
Falafel can be served with a number of sauces, including taratoor crafted from tahini, and tzatziki, a yogurt-based sauce. We’re sharing recipes from Azar’s from falafel and taratoor, and our tzatziki.
FALAFEL
From Azar’s
Notes: fava beans can be used instead of chickpeas, or you can use a mixture of half and half. Use rice flour instead of regular flour to keep the recipe gluten-free.
Ingredients
1 pound dry chickpeas, soaked over night on the counter or refrigerated
1 medium onion peeled and quartered
2-5 cloves of peeled garlic, to taste
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 tablespoons salt
1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper, optional
2 cups fresh parsley, optional
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
Vegetable oil
Method
After soaking chickpeas overnight, drain and rinse. Add chickpeas, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne, and parsley and flour in a food processor and blend until the mixture is smooth. Add baking powder and blend until all ingredients are well incorporate. Let mixture rest for about 15-30 minutes.
In a large skillet, add enough oil to cover bottom and preheat to 350F. Use a 1-ounce scoop to portion out falafel and add to oil in small batches, turning occasionally and frying for about 3-5 minutes until golden.
Yields approximately 16 falafel
TARATOOR
From Azar’s
Ingredients
1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt, to taste
1 garlic clove
Method
Place tahini, water, lemon juice, salt, and garlic in a blender and process until creamy smooth.
Yields approximately 3/4 cups
TZATZIKI
From Virginia Eats + Drinks
Note: in place of parsley, use fresh dill or mint, or a combination.
Ingredients
1 cup fat-free, plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cucumber, finely grated and slightly drained
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt
Mix yogurt, cucumber, garlic, parsley, and salt together in a bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour. Stir before serving.
Method
In a medium bowl, add yogurt, cucumber, garlic, parsley, and salt to taste. Stir to mix well, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Stir before serving. Garnish with a sprinkling of additional chopped parsley.
Yields approximately 1 cup
Today’s falafel and taratoor comes from Azar’s, www.AzarFoods.com [azarfoods.com]
FABULOUS FOOD FIND
TASTE OF THE DMV WITH THE WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM
We were honored to be on the Flavors of the DMV Showcase Tasting Panel at Washington Football Team’s FedEx Field on June 14. The event helped determine who will be an official FedEx Field gameday vendor for the 2021 season.
We tasted and voted on scores of dishes from almost two dozen different restaurants and vendors from the District, Maryland, and Virginia along with former Washington Football Team players, LB Eddie Mason, WR Josh Morgan, PK Mark Moseley, CB Fred Smoot and TE Doc Walker, Team Executive Chef Connor Maguire and others.
Dishes were evaluated based on food quality, including taste, appearance, and texture; ease of prep and service; overall presentation; uniqueness of the product, and local connections. Participating Virginia businesses were Casa De Avila Tacos of Northern Virginia, Chic’n Crave of Richmond, Phantastic Poe’s Elixirs of Richmond, and Soul Rebel Food of Northern Virginia.
Winners will be announced in the coming weeks and we'll have all the delish details
For more, www.VirginiaEatsAndDrinks.com
FOR MORE VIRGINIA EATS + DRINKS
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