I know post-competition binge was what I used to do, but now I am not young anymore. I was in Cinderella time after my last fight on 7/26th. One week after a fight is my “happy“ time when I allow myself to eat whatever I want. My friend, Will and Mary gave me organic wine they cultivated and made in Umbria, Italy. What a gorgeous gift! I was super excited to cook for their wine. Let’s see what I made!

Before cooking anything, I always enjoy its process, like thinking about what I should cook, where I should get ingredients, etc. Of course, all vegetables are from my favorite farmers market in the South End. My wife and I visited the Blue hills state park in Milford MA before our Sunday farmers market routine. We accidentally found a wild berry on the top of the hill. Fruits and vegetables were amazing, and I loved what I made.

A good friend of mine, Mr. Onishi, the owner of "Tsurumen ", Davis square, Somerville, MA, gave me his hand-picked organic dried matsutake mushroom. He has been seeking something local and tasty ingredients and told me his story of matsutake hunting trip. Matsutake mushroom, the most loved mushroom by the Japanese and It is the most highly prized kind of fungus in Japan, held in high regard for its fragrance and unique flavor. It has the same sort of position that is held by truffles in European cuisine. I made stock from dried matsutake and use it for risotto. Less cheese and more shroom flavor! You know where the sweetest spot is!
Tatekitchen is always filled with adventure because I am curious about games and unconventional meat/fish for my dishes. According to Jackson Hole Buffalo Meat co, buffalo meat contributes significantly more iron to your diet than beef, with higher vitamins and minerals, and twice as much Beta-carotene as strictly grain-fed meats. Because buffalo has very little fat and more protein than beef, it doesn't shrink in cooking, and it's more satisfying to eat. I ordered a bunch of different parts of meats, including organs. Buffalo spleen is pretty different, isn't it?

I prepared buffalo spleen the same as cooking Italian lampredotto. Cooked a broth by roughly chopping the vegetables and adding them to the water in a large pot with a generous amount of salt and the peppercorns. Bring to the boil and allow it to simmer for about a few hours. The meat came out nice and tender. To make a special addition, my wife baked lovely sourdough made of local ancient rye 100%. Sourdough bread - here’s why it’s one of the only bread I eat> The Acute Impact of Ingestion of Sourdough.

Buffalo's heart is inexpensive and flavorful meat that does not taste like organ meat. It is a hard-working muscle, so it is not squishy like spleen or liver. The heart has quite a bit of gristle and fat. Overall, this is very lean meat, so I added ground beef and organic pork bacon 50/50, which gives more fats and texture to keep “ball“ shape when I make meatballs. food pictures look a little bit dried, but meatball was very juicy. Citrus salad freshens the mouth and keeps your appetite going.

Pottarello translates into “little kid” in the Umbrian dialect. Created using Sangiovese (80%), Malvasia Nera (10%), and Colorino (10%). The Sangiovese used in our Pottarello is picked from vineyard rows 46 to 75, where our Sangiovese is particularly thin clustered and with much smaller berries than those of its more common Sangiovese siblings. Smaller berries mean more skin, which translates into more extraction of color and polyphenols.

The wine undergoes alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks and remains in contact with skins for about 3 weeks. It is during this time that we perform the classic manual follatura (mixing and stirring of juice and skin). After separation of skins, the finished wine is transferred into tonneau (500 liter/150 gallon French oak barrels), where it ages for about 12 months, before resting another 9 months in bottle. This is a full-bodied wine: the Sangiovese provides structure and tannin, while Malvasia adds notes of wild berries and the Colorino, just a hint of spice.

Wii and Mary, thanks a lot!! It was amazing and never forgot its taste and priceless time with my best dishes and you guys’ wine. Life is good!