The sous chef at Willamette Valley Vineyards (Lake Oswego) shares a colorful spring dinner with pairings from the winery.
Photos by Will Hawkins
Angel Zapata has had a lot of great moments since joining the culinary program at Willamette Valley Vineyards. The sous chef, originally from Mexico, was delighted when he saw his elevated version of the humble beet salad—set off with pesto and pumpkin seeds—take off with the winery’s visitors (and stay on the seasonal menu for more than 10 months). “People just go nuts for it,” Zapata says. “Striking red, yellow, bright greens—I love thinking about color with food.” Here are a few of Zapata’s favorite colorful plates for a spring dinner with wine pairings.
Cured Rainbow Trout with Citrus, Capers, and Fennel
Paired with 2021 Domaine Willamette Brut Rosé
Serves 4
Ingredients:
• 2 lbs beet-fennel salt cure (below)
• Four 5.5-oz skinless, boneless rainbow trout filets
• ½ C thinly sliced fennel bulb (reserve fennel fronds for the cure)
• 2 C chopped shallots
• 1 grapefruit
• 1 blood orange
• 2 T capers, rinsed, drained, and chopped
• 3.5 oz. extra virgin olive oil
• Lemon juice, to taste
• Freshly grated horseradish, to serve
Beet-Fennel Salt Cure (makes roughly 2 lbs)
Ingredients:
• 2 ½ C salt
• 1 ½ C granulated sugar
• 2 T fennel fronds, chopped
• ¾ C grated raw red beet
• Zest of one lemon
• Zest of one lime
Preparation:
Mix all the salt-cure ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Place half of the salt-cure mixture in a tray of similar size to the fish. Place the fish, skin-side down, on the cure. Cover with the remaining cure mixture. The fish must be buried in the mixture for the best results. Wrap and place in the refrigerator for six hours. Remove after six hours and wash off the cure with cold water, then pat dry.
Place the fish in the freezer, not to freeze but to get them as cold as possible to make them easier to slice. Remove the fish from the freezer and slice as thinly as possible.
Combine the fennel slices and shallots in a bowl and mix well. Peel and segment the grapefruit and blood orange, removing any white pith and seeds.
Arrange the sliced trout on serving plates. Sprinkle the citrus-fennel mixture over the sliced fish.
Do the same with the capers and follow with the citrus. Garnish with lots of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and freshly grated horseradish, to taste.
Pearl Barley Risotto with Asparagus and Pecorino Salad
Paired with 2023 Tualatin Estate Chardonnay
Serves 4
Risotto Ingredients:
• 1 ½ C pearl barley
• 2 ½ qt (10 C) vegetable stock
• 3 ½ oz baby spinach leaves
• 7 oz wild garlic (when available)
• 2 T olive oil
• ½ C unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 medium shallot, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
Place the barley in a medium saucepan and add 7 cups of the stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, uncovered, until the barley is tender but still retaining a bite. Drain and set aside.
Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the spinach and blanch for 30 seconds, then use a slotted spoon to transfer the leaves to a colander. Rinse well under cold running water (this will help prevent discoloration), then squeeze out the excess moisture and set aside. Keeping the pan of water at a boil, add the wild garlic and follow the same procedures as the spinach.
In a saucepan, add 2 T olive oil, along with 2 T of the unsalted butter. Place over medium heat, add the shallot, finely chopped cloves of garlic, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until soft but browning. Add the thyme and bay leaf, pour in 2 C of the stock, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook for 10 minutes so the stock reduces down to a quarter. You should have about 3 ½ tablespoons left in the pan. Add the spinach and wild garlic and cook for a final 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and lift out and discard the bay leaf and thyme. While still hot, carefully transfer to a blender with ½ tsp of salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Blend, adding the remaining 6 T of diced butter a few cubes at a time, waiting until one batch has been incorporated before adding the next. Set aside.
Salad Ingredients:
• 2 1/4 T olive oil
• 4 portobello mushrooms, stems and caps thinly sliced
• 1 medium leek, thinly sliced
• 10 thick spears asparagus, woody stems trimmed
• ½ C pecorino cheese (not grated)
• 1 ½ t lemon juice
Preparation:
Add 2 T of the olive oil in a large sauté pan and place over high heat. Add the mushrooms and leeks and cook for 3 minutes, until softened but not colored. Leave in the pan and set aside.
To make the salad, run a vegetable peeler from the base to the tip of each asparagus stalk to make long, thin ribbons. Place them in a mixing bowl, then do the same with the cheese. Add these to the asparagus, along with a 1/2 tsp of the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix gently with your hands and set aside. Don’t make this salad too long before serving (it won’t improve with sitting around).
When ready to serve, add the barley to the pan of leek and mushroom and pour over the remaining 1C of stock. Mix well, then place over medium high heat and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add wild garlic and spinach puree and stir for a final minute to warm through. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix well and serve at once, with the asparagus and pecorino salad on top.
Chocolate Fondant with Raspberry Puree
Paired with 2020 Pambrun Chrysologue
Serves 8
Fondant Ingredients:
• 1 C unsalted butter
• 1 ½ C dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
• 5 whole eggs
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 C granulated sugar
• 1 C all-purpose flour (can be substituted with gluten-free flour)
• 1 pinch salt
• Room temperature butter for greasing
• Cocoa powder for dusting
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 355°F. Prepare 8 molds (they should be 4 to 5 oz. each). Generously grease them with butter and dust them with cocoa powder. Shake off any excess cocoa powder and chill in the fridge.
Place a small saucepan of water over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Set a heat-proof mixing bowl on top of the pan, making sure that the bowl does not touch the water. Add in the butter and chocolate, and melt them together. Stir in a pinch of salt.
In a separate bowl, using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, whisk together 5 whole eggs, 5 egg yolks and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the chocolate mixture to the eggs mixture and gently fold together. Sift in the flour and fold that into the mixture as well.
Fill the prepared molds two-thirds full and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Serve with raspberry puree (below) and your favorite spring berries.
Puree Ingredients:
• 1 C fresh raspberries
• 2 T granulated sugar
• Zest of 1 orange
Preparation:
In a saucepan add raspberries, sugar and zest, and cook at medium heat until berries have softened. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.
