Wednesday came home from looooong day (reminder to self- never under
any circumstances agree to speak on Staten Island midday again) to
find Betsy making puttanesca sauce. Not a wine flatterer, that's a
signal to me for the least expensive red with good acidity in the
house (though actually white is just as.....uh....good a match). The
2004 Masciarelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo was quite a pleasant little
wine, bright with red cherry fruit and just a hint of spice. Not much
in the way of tannins, a nice bistro quaffer. Not exciting, but well-
priced and I wouldn't mind picking up another bottle for the next
puttanesca (or pizza, or the eggplant Parm recipe that the NYT
recently suggested for MdA). B/B-

Tonight's dinner was a stirfry of beef, with baby bok choy,
mushrooms (anyone know what the big mushrooms in Asian markets are
that look a bit like huge matsutakes, though these are quite cheap?
taste is definitely not matsutake), and ginger; plus soba in a veggie
broth. I opened a 375 of the 2002 Jadot " Chouacheux " Beaune 1er.
Tight, but some
raspberries and black cherries show through, some earth, some tannic
grip.Not bad. I only had about 3 ounces, as I was driving to take a
group from Hunter on a trip around city. Just returned, poured a
glass. Very very different. Fruit has opened up and softened, a much
more expansive nose, with a little cocoa, some smokey notes, and a
minerally zing to finish. I don't think it shows the class and length
of a top Beaune premier cru like a good vintage of Ursules (or Baby
Jesus or Lafarge Greves, etc). But a very satisfying and classic Burg
that cost a pittance on release. B++

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

"DaleW" > wrote in message
...

>
> Tonight's dinner was a stirfry of beef, with baby bok choy,
> mushrooms (anyone know what the big mushrooms in Asian markets are
> that look a bit like huge matsutakes, though these are quite cheap?
> taste is definitely not matsutake),

Are you familiar with portabello mushrooms?
Dee Dee

>
> Are you familiar with portabello mushrooms?

PMJI,
The portabello mushroom is a champignon de Paris (Agaricus silvaticus) that
has been left to grow big.
The matsutake, oddly, is also found in Northern Sweden, and is Tricholoma
matsutake in latin.
Personally, I don't find matsutake and portabello very similar, but I may be
mistaken - matsutake is not common in the market place here, as, apparently,
everything is exported to Japan.

Cheers

Nils

On Nov 21, 1:13�pm, "Dee Randall" > wrote:
> "DaleW" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
>
>
> > Tonight's dinner was a stirfry of beef, �with baby bok choy,
> > mushrooms �(anyone know what the big mushrooms in Asian markets are
> > that look a bit like huge matsutakes, though these are quite cheap?
> > taste is definitely not matsutake),
>
> Are you familiar with portabello mushrooms?
> Dee Dee

Definitely not portabello.
I believe I found it (thanks to Chowhound).
The king trumpet, aka "chicken drumstick mushroom" or eryngii:
http://goldengourmetmushrooms.com/oyster.html

Quite inexpensive, good flavor

On Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:13:01 -0500, Dee Randall wrote:

> "DaleW" > wrote in message
> news:31b1666f-1816-4c65-87ce-
...
>
>
>> Tonight's dinner was a stirfry of beef, with baby bok choy, mushrooms
>> (anyone know what the big mushrooms in Asian markets are that look a
>> bit like huge matsutakes, though these are quite cheap? taste is
>> definitely not matsutake),
>
> Are you familiar with portabello mushrooms? Dee Dee

Intimately ;-) I caress them with soft bristles, and then commit them to
the flames in my Olive Oil burnished saute pan. Then, comes the cherished
moment of oral orgasm.

Godzilla

"Godzilla Monster" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:13:01 -0500, Dee Randall wrote:
>
>> "DaleW" > wrote in message
>> news:31b1666f-1816-4c65-87ce-
> ...
>>
>>
>>> Tonight's dinner was a stirfry of beef, with baby bok choy, mushrooms
>>> (anyone know what the big mushrooms in Asian markets are that look a
>>> bit like huge matsutakes, though these are quite cheap? taste is
>>> definitely not matsutake),
>>
>> Are you familiar with portabello mushrooms? Dee Dee
>
> Intimately ;-) I caress them with soft bristles, and then commit them to
> the flames in my Olive Oil burnished saute pan. Then, comes the cherished
> moment of oral orgasm.
>
> Godzilla


Tee Hee -- I've never been that close-up-and-personal to them.
Dee Dee

"DaleW" > ha scritto nel messaggio
...
> Wednesday came home from looooong day (reminder to self- never under
> any circumstances agree to speak on Staten Island midday again) to
> find Betsy making puttanesca sauce. Not a wine flatterer, that's a
> signal to me for the least expensive red with good acidity in the
> house (though actually white is just as.....uh....good a match). The
> 2004 Masciarelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo was quite a pleasant little
> wine, bright with red cherry fruit and just a hint of spice. Not much
> in the way of tannins, a nice bistro quaffer. Not exciting, but well-
> priced and I wouldn't mind picking up another bottle for the next
> puttanesca (or pizza, or the eggplant Parm recipe that the NYT
> recently suggested for MdA). B/B-
>
If you find it, try "Villa Gemma" wine of Masciarelli: I drunk recently the
1997 an it was fabulous.

I prefer white wine with Pizza, it matchs better. Masciarelli's white wine
is good too.

ciao,
A.M.