FOOD & DRINK Food & Wine with Chef Mimi

food Food & Wine with with Chef Mimi

The creator of The Black Food & Wine Experience tells a holiday story

BY CHEF MIMI

It is part of my story that the holidays are my favorite time of the year. It’s a time when family and friends get together to enjoy each other. Food and drinks are on the top of the list and who is bringing the mac n cheese is always a topic. Here, I’m sharing some of my unconventional recipes, introducing one of my favorite Black women owned wines and recommending some tasty cocktails for you to enjoy in your home this season.

So let’s get this party started:

Wachira Wines NV Brut With aromas of candied apples, mangos, pears, tangerines, melons, pineapples, lemon peel, raspberries and red cherries, this sparkling is vibrant and youthful, but with a dry finish and medium acidity. Notes of bread dough and lychee on the palate. A perfect aperitif or pairing with breakfast, brunch and pastries – it’s a friend to mimosas.

Chef Mimi’s Vegan Greens

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided ½ cup chopped onion 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 pound collard greens, chopped 3 cups vegetable stock or water hot sauce, to taste salt Old Bay seasoning salt or whatever seasoning you like freshly ground black pepper 1. In a large pot over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Once hot, add onion, bell pepper, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for one minute. Add greens and cook for another minute. 2. Add remaining oil and vegetable stock or water, cover and bring to a simmer. Cook until the greens are tender, about 10 minutes. Add extra seasoning such as hot sauce, salt, Old Bay and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Chef Mimi’s Holiday Short Ribs

Serves 6

5 pounds boneless beef short ribs, cut crosswise into 3” pieces kosher salt, to taste freshly ground black pepper, to taste garlic powder, to taste Lawry’s seasonings, to taste 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 ½ medium onions, chopped 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped 3 celery stalks, chopped 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 750 ml bottle red wine by Wachira (preferably cabernet sauvignon) 2 sprigs thyme 2 sprigs oregano 2 sprigs rosemary 3 fresh or dried bay leaves 3 cloves garlic 1 cup low-sodium beef stock ¼ cup butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Season short ribs with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Lawry. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, brown short ribs on all sides, about 9 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate. Pour off all but 4 tablespoons of drippings from the pot. 2. Add onions, carrots and celery to pot and cook, stirring often, until onions are browned, about 6 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste. Cook, stirring constantly, until well combined and deep red, about 3 minutes. Stir in wine, then add short ribs with any accumulated juices.

Bring to a boil; lower heat to medium and simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 25 minutes. Add all herbs and garlic to the pot. Stir in stock. Bring to a boil, cover and transfer to the oven. 3. Cook until short ribs are tender, about 2½ hours.

Transfer short ribs to a platter. Pour sauce from the pot into a measuring cup. Spoon fat from surface of sauce and discard; season sauce to taste with salt and pepper, and add butter. Stir until well combined. Serve with grits, mashed potatoes or mac n cheese.

Short Ribs Wine Pairing: Wachira Cabernet Sauvignon The Rhino of our #winesafari. A light-bodied Cabernet, bottled young with grapes from three wine regions in California – Napa, Lodi and Paso Robles. With its soft integrated tannins, this wine is incredibly well balanced. Youthful and fruit forward in presentation with blueberry and blackberry notes on the palate and hints of black raspberry crumble, vanilla and cocoa on the nose.

Chef Mimi’s Holiday Stuffed Meatballs Serves 4-6

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided ½ cup chopped onion 1 clove garlic, minced 1 12 ounce bag fresh spinach 1/3 cup cheese spread (ricotta, feta or vegan option) 4 ounces shredded cheddar (about 1/2 cup) or vegan option 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 pound ground beef, turkey or Impossible Burger Old Bay or cajun seasonings, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Add oil to medium skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add spinach and stir 2-3 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.

Add cheese spread, cheddar, salt and pepper. Stir until combined. 2. Season meat with Old Bay or cajun seasonings and roll into medium sized balls. Place on a tray. Press your finger into each meatball, making a hole ¾ of the way in. (Don’t push all the way through.) Spoon spinach cheese filling into each hole and seal meat tightly around it. Re-roll into ball shapes. 3. Heat a large skillet over medium. When hot, add remaining olive oil and swirl the pan to evenly distribute it. Carefully add the meatballs, cooking 3-5 minutes on each side until brown, being careful not to crowd the pan. (If you try to turn the meatball and it sticks, wait a bit longer.) Transfer meatballs to a nonstick baking pan. Cook in the oven for 7-10 minutes, or until meatballs are tender and cooked through.

Stuffed Meatballs Wine Pairing: Wachira Chardonnay The Buffalo of our #winesafari. This is not your typical buttery, oaky, style California Chardonnay. Wachira’s love of blending resulted in a marriage of exceptional fruit aromas with carefully balanced acidity capturing the best qualities of the cool Central Valley regions of California. Warm pear, green apple, peach, butterscotch, ripe banana as well as citrus notes tinged with the scent of baking spice and toasted oak are highlighted in this crisp, dry wine. Also pairs well with Chef Mimi’s Quick Holiday Vanilla Yams.

Chef Mimi’s Quick Holiday Vanilla Yams

4 large yams (sweet potatoes) ½ cup salted butter (1 stick) 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon honey salt

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a nonstick pan into the oven to heat. Peel yams and slice into circles 1-inch thick. 2. Mix butter with cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Set aside. 3. Place yams on the preheated pan. Bake 5 minutes each side, until brown. Toss together and bake for an additional 7-10 minutes, or until tender. Top with vanilla butter, drizzle with honey, sprinkle with salt and serve. Vanilla Yams Wine Pairing: Wachira Black Label Sparkling Wine The lion of the safari. A very tasty sparkling white from Lodi, California with delicate bubbles; the effervescence is not overwhelming. The best part is its distinctive aroma at first nose. Hints of candied apples and tangerines. Ripe fruit with a good bit of lemon peel, pear, raspberries and red cherries.

Chef Mimi’s Holiday Cocktail

1 ½ ounces Patron silver tequila 2 ounces fresh pineapple juice Wachira Black Label Sparkling Wine Cherry or dehydrated orange, for garnish Add ice to a highball or wine glass. Pour in tequila and pineapple juice and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a cherry or dehydrated orange slice.

Chef Mimi’s After Dinner Drink

After being stuffed and full, sit back and enjoy the smooth taste of an anejo tequila of your choice, neat or on the rocks.

“A party doesn’t start until you have a holiday toast with some bubbly. Before we get into the dishes and wine pairings, we will toast to the good life.” About Chef Mimi

A proud Oakland native, Aminah “Chef Mimi” Robinson-Briscoe is the Founder of Chef Mimi LLC and signature event, The Black Food & Wine Experience. She is passionate about bringing Black culture and tasty food, cocktails and wine together for the most amazing culinary experiences. For more than a decade, she has focused on the often overlooked intersection of food, social justice and entertainment.

Through Chef Mimi LLC, she has brought to life three distinct brands: The Black Food & Wine Experience, an interactive annual event that bridges food, beverage, education, health and Black culture, “Bringing It to The Table,” the first culinary competition show highlighting the talent and passion of Black chefs, and Chef Mimi Catering, a boutique catering company that services Bay Area tech companies such as Facebook, Slack, Twilio and Lyft as well as non-profits and cultural events like The Coalition of Black Excellence and more.

A graduate of the California Culinary Arts Academy in San Francisco, Chef Mimi is an active board member of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce and Diablo Valley College’s culinary and wine program. Most recently, she was recognized on the list of 2021 Forbes Next 1000, which highlights entrepreneurial heroes who are redefining what it means to build and run a business today. She was also named a 2022 Wine Enthusiast Top 40 entrepreneur and game changer.

About The Black Food & Wine Experience

The Black Food & Wine Experience is a mission-driven event created to bridge food, beverage, education, health and Black culture. It aims to provide a space where hospitality and Black excellence are cultivated, celebrated and explored by all. Through its Black Food & Beverage Summit, The Black Food & Wine Experience invests in educational programs and initiatives to support Black & indigenous owned food & beverage entrepreneurs to create the next generation of hospitality leaders. Since 2016, the Black Food & Wine Experience has supported more than 150 Bay Area businesses, impacted over $1 million in sales, created and placed over 50 jobs, provided structure to new businesses and revenue to the City of Oakland through hotel stays, airfare, transportation, restaurant visits and wine tastings.