Lodi wine country Thanksgiving recipes and wines

Jahant-Lodi farmhouse in November.

'Tis the season for family traditions, starting with Thanksgiving.

Over the past decade and a half a number of local Lodi vintners have contributed favorite family recipes served, almost religiously, at each and every Thanksgiving celebration.

This year we are recapping some of the more interesting recipes, along with thoughts on ideal Lodi grown wines for the dishes. Happy holidays!

Turkey at the old Phillips Farm at Michael David Winery.

The Mettler family's Thanksgiving stuffing

Mettler Family Vineyards GM Kim Mettler admits that her family enjoys both Merlot and Pinot Noir⏤not exactly Lodi specialties (although produced and bottled here)⏤at their Thanksgiving table. Be that as it may, any classic Lodi Zinfandel would make an ideal match for turkey stuffed with the Mettlers' favorite dressing: The cherry perfume and peppercorn spice of Zinfandel (particularly Mettler Family's vineyard-designate bottlings sourced from their HGM and Steacy Ranches) are natural matches with the dried cherry taste and mix of pungent herbs in the following recipe... 

1921 photo of the Mettler family  with old vine Zinfandel (Henry George Mettler in foreground, Carl Mettler to right).

9 cups half to three-quarter inch pieces French bread cubes without crust (from about 12 ounces bread)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
4 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped celery
2 1/4 cups dry Sherry
3/4 cup toasted pecans
1 1/4 cups dried tart cherries (about 6 ounces)
1 1/4 cups dried figs and/or dried apricots (about 6 ounces), chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage)
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)
1 1/4 cups chicken stock (or canned low-salt broth)
3 large eggs, beaten to blend

French bread stuffing. freshapron.com.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Place bread cubes in very large bowl. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery to skillet; sauté until vegetables are tender and golden, about 10 minutes. Add Sherry, cherries, figs or apricots, sage, thyme and rosemary; cook until fruit is tender and liquid is reduced to 1/3 cup, about 7 minutes. Add to bread cubes; stir to blend.

Stuffing mix can be prepared 1 day ahead (cover and refrigerate.). To finish add stock to stuffing; season with salt and pepper. Mix in beaten eggs. Transfer stuffing to prepared baking dish. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top begins to crisp, about 25 minutes longer. Sprinkle with toasted pecans and serve.

David and Mitra Lucas, The Lucas Winery.

The Lucas family's Zinfandel cranberry sauce

Mitra Lucas—daughter of The Lucas Winery (currently Lodi's oldest independent winery) founder David Lucas—contributed this Lodi style cranberry recipe incorporating Zinfandel and an exotic touch of fresh ginger. Naturally she suggests The Lucas Winery Zinstar Zinfandel: Not just as a classic old vine Lodi Zinfandel in terms of its own exotically spiced red cherry/berry/cranberry fragrance, but also because of this wine's distinctive profile, marked by a restrained, almost "French" sense of balance and zestiness⏤a contemporary style of the varietal, in fact, recently being adapted by an increasing number of other Lodi Zinfandel specialists (look for those of Sandlands, Perlegos Family, Christopher Cellars, Stonum Vineyard, PRIE Winery, Haarmeyer Wine Cellars and others).

Fresh cranberries. 1889mag.com.

2 (12 oz.) packages fresh cranberries
1 ¾ cup dark brown sugar
1 cup Lodi Zinfandel
3 tablespoons honey
2 slices (half-inch thick) fresh ginger, grated then smashed
1 pinch of salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper

Over medium heat combine all ingredients (except the pepper) together and let  simmer until most of the cranberries open and the sauce is thick and syrupy (20-30 minutes). Add the pepper. Allow to chill before serving

Cheese Central's Cindy Della Monica. Lodi News-Sentinel.

Cindy Della Monica's cranberry horseradish relish

Cindy Della Monica is the owner of Downtown Lodi's Cheese Central, which is where practically all of Lodi goes for the finest selection of handcraft specialty cheeses from around the world. Cindy, of course, is also a wine connoisseur of the highest order, although she has never been snobbish about it. Her recipe for cranberry horseradish relish is more than worth the effort because of its unusual spiciness⏤not too hot, but pungent enough to suggest all the spice varietal reds grown in Lodi (besides Zinfandel, look for bottlings of red Grenache or Garnacha, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Cinsaut and the rare, delicate yet profoundly perfumed Mission).

1 bag fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
Grated zest of one orange
1 bottle of Beaver Extra Hot Horseradish

In food processor, pulse together the raw cranberries, sugar and orange zest until finely chopped. Scrape mixture into a small bowl, and stir in half the bottle of horseradish. Taste for strength of horseradish flavor and adjust with more for a zestier relish. Keeps well for up to one week (if it lasts that long!).

Fresh horseradish. healthline.com.

The Lange Family's wild rice & caramelized onion sauté

Like that of many of Lodi's winegrowing families, the Lange family's holiday celebrations are multi-generational (the Langes have been farming in Lodi since the 1870s!). Charlene Lange (wife of founding co-owner Randall Lange) says that Thanksgiving is when "the doors to the wine cellar are opened" and "almost anything can happen." 

These days the top-of-the-line LangeTwins Family Winery bottlings are their estate grown vineyard-designate wines. We strongly recommend their eminently food-worthy, zesty Montepulciano, Nero d'Avola or Barbera, although their spiciest and most fruit-forward specialty red wine of all (and spicy, fruit-forward reds are ideal with Thanksgiving dishes) is probably their recently released Redtail Vineyard (an amazing blend of Nero d'Avola, Primitivo and a rare, pungent Italian variety called Ancellotta).

Multiple generations of the Lange family. LangeTwins Family Winery & Vineyards.

2 cups chicken broth
½ cup brown rice
½ cup wild rice
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 medium onions (sliced in thin wedges)
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)
½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest

Wild rice with cranberries. lakewinds.coop.

Combine chicken broth and both rices in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 45 minutes, or until rice is tender.

Melt butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and brown sugar. Cook 6 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, and onions are soft and translucent. Reduce heat to low. Slowly cook onions, stirring for 25 minutes or until they are caramel in color. Stir in dried cranberries. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until cranberries swell  Fold cranberry mixture and orange zest into cooked rice. Makes 4-6 servings.

Stama Winery's French born winemaker Franck Lambert.

Franck Lambert's Gigot à la Provençale (traditional leg of lamb in the style of Provence) and cauliflower gratin

The French are not so much into turkey. This is no surprise because the classic American holiday bird is almost impossible to buy across the Atlantic. This is probably why Franck Lambert, Stama Winery's French born winemaker, looks forward to preparing a Provence style leg of lamb every Thanksgiving. 

Monsieur Lambert's dish is food-versatile: Many wine lovers prefer a good Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot with lamb, although this recipe incorporates Chardonnay, and Chardonnay is one of the few white wines full and meaty enough in body and texture to taste great with a leg of lamb. If you are unsure, I'd go with bottles of both Chardonnay as well as red wines, and find out what you like best by trying them all!

Leg of lamb with garlic cloves.

Leg of lamb

5 lbs. boneless leg of lamb
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 medium sized white onions
8 carrots
10-15 garlic cloves (keep 3 cloves aside to add while simmering) for stuffing in the leg of lamb
Salt & pepper to taste,
Half-bottle Lodi Chardonnay
Bouquet garni (assembly of herbs tied in a bouquet⏤stem of thyme, a bay leaf, handful of parsley and 5 stems of celery)
3 eggplants
12 bell peppers
6 tomatoes

Bouquet garni. reluctantgourmet.com.

Leg of lamb: Prepare the leg by stuffing the garlic at equal intervals throughout the leg of lamb before searing it in a deep pan or Dutch oven. Pour olive oil into pan, and when it starts to get hot add the lamb leg and sear, browning both sides.

Slice onions and carrots; sear and add to the lamb leg. Add half-bottle of Chardonnay and half-quart water. Then add salt, pepper and the three garlic cloves that were set aside. Just before covering, add bouquet garni and let it simmer; covered until internal temperature reaches 140 F.

Vegetable bed: Peel and slice eggplants. Slice bell peppers and tomatoes. In a separate pan, add 3 tablespoons olive oil; when warm, add bell peppers followed by eggplants. Stir a few times and add the tomatoes. When vegetables are well seared, add to the simmering lamb leg. Flip leg of lamb while cooking; add garnish when done.

Gratin of cauliflower. eatingbird.com.

Cauliflower Gratin

One 3-lb. cauliflower cut in large florets
Salt to taste
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups teaspoon hot milk
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¾ cup fresh grated Gruyere
½ cup fresh grated Parmesan
¼ cup fresh bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Cook the cauliflower florets in a large pot of boiling salted water for 5 to 6 minutes until tender but still firm.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture and stir until it comes to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, or until thickened. Off the heat, add 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper, nutmeg, ½ cup of the Gruyere, and Parmesan.

Pour a third of the sauce on the bottom of an 8 x 11 x 2-inch baking dish. Place the drained cauliflower on top and then spread the rest of the sauce evenly on top. Combine the bread crumbs with the remaining ¼ cup of Gruyere and sprinkle on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over the gratin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Anaya family in 2014—Don Victor Anaya (seated) with (from left) Gerardo Espinosa, and Armando, Gerardo, Leticia and Ramon Anaya.

The Anaya family's pollo manchamanteles (with pork loin)

The Anayas represent two generations of Mexican-American winegrowers. Gerardo Espinosa, son of Leticia Anaya, is winemaker/owner of Lodi's Lodi Crush. 

If you are interested in a Mexican style Thanksgiving in the style of Leticia Anaya, Mr. Espinosa recommends the following adaptation of pollo manchamanteles (adding pork loin together with chicken), synthesized from two different Mexican cookbooks: Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz’s The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking (Ballantine Books, 1985) and Roger Hicks’s Mexican Cooking (Quintet Publishing, 1995).

Although Espinosa crafts highly structured, intense styles of Petite Sirah and Nebbiolo under his Anaya Vineyards label, this past year he has come out with a fantastic "Semi-Carbonic Tempranillo," an organoleptically sultry, curvaceous wine that positively sings with chile spiced meat and stews such as the following. Pineapple is an important part of manchamanteles, but do not fear the pineapple—the tropical fruit is surprisingly good at adding a spark to medium as well as full bodied red wines, especially in savory stews. The recipe...

Dried chiles. isabeleats.com.

8 ancho and/or pasilla chiles
One 2-pound boneless pork loin
1 roasting chicken
1 thick slice fresh pineapple
1 small plantain (or 1 large slightly under-ripe banana)
1 jícama (or 1 large tart apple)
Low-sodium chicken broth as needed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or lard
24 whole almonds (with skin on)
Two 2-inch cinnamon sticks
8 unpeeled cloves garlic
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
4 sprigs fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses or tamarind paste (optional)
1 cup fresh or frozen peas (optional)

To prepare the dried chiles, wash them in cold water. Remove the veins, stems and seeds and tear the flesh into big pieces. Place the pieces in a bowl, cover with hot water and set aside to soak for about an hour.

Manchmanteles. pinaenlacocina.com.

Cut the pork into 1½ inch cubes. Cut the chicken into serving pieces, removing the skin from the breast and thigh pieces. Cut the thick rind off the pineapple slice and cut it into cubes, removing and discarding the core. Peel the plantain or banana and cut into 1-inch pieces. Peel and dice the jícama or apple.

Put the pork cubes in a saucepan with just enough cold water to cover. Cover the pot, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes. While the pork is cooking, heat the oil or lard over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven and, working in batches, brown the chicken on both sides. Remove the browned chicken and set aside on a platter. Remove the pork from the cooking liquid after 25 minutes and set aside on the platter with the chicken. Strain the stock and measure it. Add additional chicken broth as needed to make 5 cups of liquid.

Add the almonds and stir-fry for a few minutes until toasty smelling (the skins will start to rub off). Remove with a slotted spoon and put in a blender. Add the cinnamon sticks to the oil and fry, turning, for a minute or two until fragrant. Remove and place in the blender.

Heat an ungreased skillet over high heat and add the garlic cloves, with their skins on. Cook the garlic, turning the cloves with tongs occasionally, until the skins are blackened and the garlic is soft. This will take about 15 minutes. Remove from the skillet and let cool a bit. Slip off the skins and add the garlic to the blender.

Drain the chiles and add to the blender along with the tomatoes and cilantro. Add about ½ cup of the pork cooking liquid to the blender. Purée the contents. This is your mole; it will be quite thick and grainy. Pour it into the Dutch oven with whatever oil remains in the pot, and cook, stirring and scraping constantly, over medium-high to high heat for 3 to 5 minutes. The sauce will be thick and the color of dark chocolate. Add the remainder of the cooking liquid and bring to a simmer. Add the pork, chicken, pineapple, plantain or banana and jícama or apple. Add the salt and stir gently.

Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover the pot and simmer until the pork and chicken are very tender, at least an hour. Taste the sauce and add more salt, if desired. Stir in the pomegranate molasses or tamarind paste and cook for a few minutes to blend the flavors. If you are adding peas, put them in about 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with corn tortillas to sop up the sauce. Serves 8-10.

Clements Hills-Lodi barn in November.