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Wine Country Women of Napa Valley
Wine Country Women of Napa Valley and Their Favorite Recipes
Forbes said it best, Michelle Mandro was at the forefront of placing a spotlight on women in wine country when she released her first lifestyle book Wine Country Women of Napa Valley in 2017.
One might not know that nearly three years earlier, Michelle had the same idea but in the form of a lifestyle television show. At the time, Karen MacNeil, Lydia Mondavi, Heidi Barrett, Dalia Ceja, Lisa, and Ariana Peju supported her vision and rode the wave as she pursued this endeavor.
Michelle generated interest from production companies and producers, but her timing wasn’t right. Everyone challenged her show concept, comparing it to mainstream television’s popular reality shows, saying there just wasn’t enough conflict to succeed. Now, with more viewing platforms and successful shows like Chefs Tables, the timing is better, especially when senior executives from Sony Entertainment and other major production houses have expressed interest. In the meantime, Michelle continues to build her book series, which now includes Wine Country Women of Sonoma County and, most recently, the second-edition of Wine Country Women of Napa Valley. She also hosts a weekly Wine Country Women podcast where she hosts casual and intimate conversations with inspirational women whose stories reveal anyone can live in wine country.
For those familiar with these beautiful photography-driven coffee table books, which double as a cookbook, they offer a glimpse inside the lives of a diverse group of extraordinary women who live in these wine regions. Each woman is featured with a favorite family recipe, her suggested pairing, and an explanation of why she thinks the two go so well together. Michelle describes the books as a snapshot of the wine regions through the eyes of the women who live there, which is what each book does so well. With a primary focus on women in the beverage and culinary industry, these books offer their readers a virtual trip to wine country and the chance to whet their appetite without gaining a pound.
Napa Valley Life is pleased to be able to present our readers with a few of our favorites from the esteemed Napa Valley second-edition in this special section of our 2022 Food & Wine Issue.
For more information or to purchase a book, visit www.winecountrywomen.com
CHELSEA HOFF
PROPRIETOR/ WINEMAKER, FEARLESS WINES
Photo by Dona Kopol Bonick
After graduating from US Davis, Minnesota native, Chelsea Hoff did a harvest internship at Château Smith Haut Lafitte outside of Bordeaux, France, followed up with another harvest internship in Australia’s Barossa Valley at Charles Melton Wines, and, most recently, returned to California for her first harvest internship at the family’s Fantesca Estate & Winery.
With this whirlwind of global harvest work, Chelsea started Fearless Wines in 2016, her first wine project under her creative control. Her transition to her own wine brand mirrors her personal transition from nomadic globe-trotter to Napa Valley winemaker. But no matter where she is, one thing is for sure: She is setting her own course.
AMARETTO PRAWNS
12 shell-on prawns (about 1 pound)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup brandy
1/4 dry white wine, such as Fantesca Estate & Winery Chardonnay
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1⁄3 cup amaretto
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
Rinse the prawns in cool water and pat dry. Using a small, sharp knife, without removing the shell, split each prawn down the back and remove the dark center veins.
In a frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the prawns and cook, turning once, until opaque throughout, about 11/2 minutes per side. Using tongs, divide between 2 plates and set aside.
Pour out all but about 1 teaspoon of the melted butter from the pan. Return to medium heat and add the brandy to the pan. Using a match, light the liquid in the pan. (Be very careful when flaming alcohol, as the flame ignites very quickly and can shoot up quite high.) When the flame goes out, add the wine and orange juice and stir to mix well. Bring to a simmer and cook until syrupy and reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
Add the amaretto, cream and orange zest. Simmer until it reduces and thickens a bit, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour the sauce over the prawns and serve.
Serves 2 as a main course
SHAHPAR KHALEDI
CO-FOUNDER, DARIOUSH WINERY
Photo by Dona Kopol Bonick
When asked for words that describe herself, Shahpar Khaledi hesitates. “I think I’m blushing as I try to answer this; I try not to talk about myself too much,” she answers. “I do like to make people feel comfortable around me.”
Shahpar’s description is apt—if not an understatement. As half of the founding team of Darioush winery, she has made a career of treating her clients and guests well. And a word for this philosophy exists: Tarof. Tarof is the Persian art of social etiquette, the art of politeness—to make your guest feel more at home than home itself. For Shahpar, who is originally from Iran, it is more than a cultural tradition; it is a way of life—and one she has infused into Darioush hospitality. “I love to entertain,” she says. “It’s the place that I am able to create an atmosphere for my guests— where celebrations happen and memories are made.”
CHICKEN BRAISED with UNRIPE GRAPES
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds chicken leg quarters
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Ground turmeric for dusting
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons saffron threads, dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
2 cups unripe grapes (or jarred in brine, drained)
Steamed rice for serving
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute longer.
Dust the chicken generously with salt, pepper, and turmeric. Add to the pan and cook, turning once, until the chicken is nicely browned on both sides, 5 to 8 minutes per side. Add the chicken stock, lemon juice, and saffron mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
Add the grapes, reduce the heat to low, and cook about 30 minutes longer until slightly thickened. Serve over rice.
Serves 6
RYAN MACDONNELL
OWNER/CEO, ROUND POND ESTATE
Photo by Jason Tinacci
“I love being connected to the earth through harvest and all that it brings us. I love seeing the seasons change and the different cycles of growing,” Ryan MacDonnell says of living and working in Napa Valley on the MacDonnell family’s Round Pond Estate. “I love that our community shares an industry of agriculture; it creates a feeling that we are all on the same team, rooting for each other’s victories. I love the sheer beauty that we are lucky enough to wake up to every day.”
Her words capture a glimpse of her life in Napa Valley, the things that are important to her, and her place in the whole of it. Ryan, a Bay Area native, grew up on the peninsula, south of San Francisco. In the 1980s, her parents, Bob and Jan MacDonnell, bought the first parcel of land of what would become Round Pond Estate, and it changed life for the family. “We started coming to the Napa Valley when I was just six years old, eventually spending summers and weekends here, so Napa has always felt like home,” says Ryan.
SMOKED SALMON CANDY
1 pound kosher salt
1 pound brown sugar
1 cup pure maple syrup
5 pounds skin-on salmon collars, bellies, or fillets, cut into strips about 2 inches thick
In a large bowl, mix the salt and brown sugar together. In a large food-grade plastic bucket or buckets, spread a layer of the salt-sugar mixture about 1/4 inch deep. Arrange a layer of the salmon pieces on top, skin side up, making sure the pieces do not touch. Cover the salmon with another layer of the salt-sugar mixture, also about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat until all the salmon is packed in the mixture. Continue to be careful the salmon bits do not actually touch, and be sure there is enough salt-sugar mixture to separate and cover each piece.
Cover the bucket tightly and let cure in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours. The longer it cures, the saltier it will be (we generally cure it for 2 hours).
Once the curing is done, take each salmon piece out of the bucket, rinse completely, and lightly pat dry with paper towels. Place the salmon pieces on drying racks, skin side down and again not touching. Let dry for about 6 hours. If you have a fan available, turn it on the salmon to speed up the process.
(This drying step is very important, as it allows the “pellicle,” or coating of proteins, to form on the salmon, which helps the smoke adhere properly. Wait until you see the beautiful pellicle, which looks like a glossy white sheen on the fish. Don’t skip this step!)
Once the fish is dry, prepare a fire in a smoker. (I use a Little Chief with alder or applewood chips.) Spray the racks with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the salmon skin-side down on racks. Brush the flesh side of each salmon piece with the maple syrup and place in the smoker.
Cook until the salmon is fully smoked, typically 4 to 6 hours, depending on your preferences for flavor and consistency. (I typically smoke our salmon for about 6 hours, brushing it with more maple syrup every 2 hours.) Return the salmon to the drying racks again and brush it one last time with the maple syrup. Let cool to room temperature before storing.
Salmon candy will last up to 1 week in the fridge, longer if vacuum sealed. I normally vacuum seal ours, date them, and put into the freezer to use throughout the winter when wild salmon isn’t an option.
Makes 3 pounds
SARAH SCOTT
EXECUTIVE CHEF. OPUS ONE WINERY
Photo by Dona Kopol Bonick
To hear a renowned chef say she has a weakness for Kentucky Fried Chicken makes her seem oh so approachable. A Southerner by birth, Sarah says California is her true home and that she “is glad of it.” She considers herself an introvert by nature and relishes a chance to recharge in her library, which is appointed with floor-toceiling bookshelves and is home to her extensive cookbook collection. And while she never formally studied cooking, she notes, “I have had the tremendous fortune to work with and learn from all my heroes including: Robert and Margrit Mondavi, Julia Child, Jacques Pépin, Thomas Keller, Alice Waters, Paul Bocuse, Daniel Boulud, Jeremiah Tower, Marcella Hazan, and others. This eclectic and immersive education in wine and food and the opportunity to work with the best wineries and vintners in Napa Valley forged a dream career I could never have imagined all those years ago.”
LITTLE CORN CAKES with SMOKED SALMON & CRÈME FRAÎCHE
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup fresh corn kernels
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fine-grind cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg, beaten
2 green onions, finely minced
Vegetable oil
FOR SERVING
1/2 cup crème fraiche
1 pound sliced smoked salmon, slivered
2 bunches chives, finely minced
In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the corn and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and melted butter, then whisk in the egg. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, whisking together just until mixed. Gently stir in the corn and green onions.
Coat the bottom of a large nonstick sauté pan with a generous film of vegetable oil and place over medium heat. When the oil is hot, using a tablespoon or small scoop, portion the batter into the pan. Work in batches and be careful not to crowd the corn cakes.
Cook until golden brown on one side, about 2 minutes, then turn and cook until puffed and golden brown on the second side, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack set on a baking sheet as they are finished and hold in a warm place.
When all the cakes are done, to serve, top each corn cake with a small dollop of crème fraîche, some slivered smoked salmon, and a sprinkling of chives.
MAKES ABOUT 40 SMALL CAKES: SERVES 20
EMMA SWAIN
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER ST. SUPÉRY ESTATE VINEYARDS & WINERY
Photo by Dona Kopol Bonick
“You are never finished improving.” So says Emma Swain, chief executive officer of St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery. Although she is talking about her work in the wine industry and, specifically, at the winery she has led since 2009, this philosophy, it seems, could be seen as extending into much of what she does—and how she does it.
“I am blessed with being able to follow my dreams,” says Emma, noting that she loves everything she does. “I enjoy my day working, and my personal life. I am so fortunate to work with an incredibly talented team [at St. Supéry] where every day we do something fun and meaningful together. Every day it’s changing, and every day together we’re making something great!”
HEIRLOOM BEAN & ARUGULA SALAD
2 cups dried Heirloom flageolet beans, rinsed and soaked in water to cover overnight
10 to 12 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground, multicolored or black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil 1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
8 cups lightly packed baby arugula
Juice of 1 Meyer lemon
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Drain the beans, rinse well, and drain again.
To cook the beans in a pressure cooker, put them in the cooker and add fresh water to cover by 1 inch, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the bay leaf, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook according to the manufacturer’s directions. Once the pressure cooker starts to steam and the top rattles, cook for 11/2 minutes longer and then allow to depressurize.
To cook the beans on the stove top, put them in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add fresh water to cover by 1 inch, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the bay leaf, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
When the beans are almost done, in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil with the minced garlic and heat gently, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Drain the beans thoroughly and place in a large bowl. Add the garlic oil to the beans and toss to coat.
Put the baby arugula in another large bowl. Drizzle with the Meyer lemon juice and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and scatter the 1/2 cup Parmesan over the top. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to mix and coat well.
To serve, arrange the beans in the center of a serving platter or divide among individual plates. Surround with the arugula salad. Finish with more grated Parmesan and serve.
SERVES 8
