Long Island Wine Country's HARVEST is back on August 23

Harvest East End is back for its fifth year, celebrating Long Island's bounty of the land, sea and vines. For the first time ever, Dan’s Papers, LLC joins the Long Island Wine Council to produce the bucolic food and wine event, newly re-titled Dan's Harvest East End. For those of you who have not attended this vinous and edible gala this is your chance. Get ready to sip wines from 50 vineyards who will pour more than 2,000 bottles of current release wines and barrel samples and to taste 30 top regional chefs dishes from the East End's local waters and farms. The event honors New York Times’ food writer Florence Fabricant and acclaimed Long Island restauranteur Tom Schaudel. And once again, the master of ceremonies is famed sommelier and wine expert Joshua Wesson. This will be my third year attending and I cannot wait to sip, nibble and mingle. You can read about my evening at last years 4th Annual Harvest East End here. Hope to see you there.

Event Details

HARVEST 2014 will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, August 23, at the McCall Vineyard and Ranch in Cutchogue. The event will benefit the Long Island Farm Bureau Promotion & Education Foundation and Peconic Land Trust. 

The Vin-IP Experience Early Access 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.; evening continues till 10 p.m.; $275 per person, $2,500 for a group of 10, or $3,000 for reserved seating for 10 and VIP signage Wine aficionados, collectors and connoisseurs can be not just VIPs but Vin-IPs at HARVEST. Come as individuals or a group and enjoy the Vin-IP space within The Festival Tasting which will include VIP seating. Enjoy an hour of private time with winemakers and chefs, a glass of sparkling wine upon arrival, premier parking and exclusive access to the Library Lounge, where older vintages and special selections of wine will be served. Vin-IP guests will also receive a special HARVEST gift bag and other perks. Click here to buy tickets.

The Festival Tasting (General Admission ticket level) 7:30 p.m. – 10 p.m.; $125 per person and at the door (if available). Join more than 40 local winemakers for current releases and barrel samples of their not-yet-released wines, and bid on large-format wines bottled just for HARVEST! Savor the locally sourced, seasonal dishes from more than 30 of the region’s finest chefs and food artisans. Click here to buy tickets.

HARVEST EAST END is a 501 (c)(3) charity and annual fundraiser organized by the Long Island Wine Council. This gracious event supports regional wine marketing efforts, and invests in the future of the region by giving to worthy charities that support and preserve our land and people now and for generations to come: Sponsorships may be tax-deductible, less the value of goods and services received. 

Linguini with Blue Crabs in Red Sauce

I have fond memories of midnight crabbing on the Quantuck Bay. This late night effort always meant a Sunday feast of my father’s linguini with blue crabs in red sauce.

He has been making this dish since I was a child, and it is the one time that we Lucianos, are all quiet around the table with sauce-splattered faces from sucking out the sweet meat.

You can read my What's in Season article, Crabbing at Midnight for Edible East End's, High Summer 2014 Issue. In the meantime, here is my father's recipe, happy slurping.

Linguini with Blue Crabs in Red Sauce

Ingredients: 

• 2 dozen crabs, cleaned
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 4 12-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes
• ½ cup of red wine
• 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley
• ⅓ cup sea salt for pasta water
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of cracked black pepper
• 2 pounds of dried linguini

Directions: Clean the crabs: 

1. Stun live blue crab by placing in ice water for five minutes.
2. Grasping crab by its legs and under the top shell spine, pry off the top shell using the shell’s spine for leverage. This instantly kills the crab.
3. Flip crab over and remove the apron and rinse under cold water, removing entrails.
4. Using thumb, twist off the mouthparts and remove spongy gills from both halves and rinse, set aside.

In a large stockpot sauté the garlic in olive oil over low heat for 5 minutes. Slowly heating the garlic infuses the garlic flavor into the oil; do not burn. Add the tomato paste and red pepper flakes, stir for 2 minutes. Then add the red wine to loosen up the bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the crushed tomatoes, oregano and 1 tablespoon of sea salt and cracked black pepper, stir to incorporate. Add the crabs. (If the legs fall off during the cleaning process simply add them in.) Give the pot a gentle swirl. Simmer the sauce for two hours with the lid closed. Check frequently to make sure it is not boiling. If the sauce is watery, set the lid ajar while simmering. Fill a large pot with water 3 inches from the rim. Place the ⅓ cup of sea salt in the pot. Seasoning your pasta water with salt is extremely important. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook until the linguini is al dente. Take the crabs out of the sauce and place in a large bowl. Once the linguini is done, drain in a colander and place the pasta back in the pot it was cooking in. Add 4 cups of the red sauce to dress the pasta, add the parsley and toss. Place in a large serving bowl.

Tools and wear: Crab crackers, a table lined with newspapers and a bib will be necessary as you will be cracking, slurping and sucking. Serves: 8 (with possible leftovers)

Grilled Pizza: Thinking Outside The Bun

Summertime is all about grilling. And on the East End of Long Island, backyard grills are in full-flame. Farm-to-grill is my thing this time of year. Farmers markets are bustling with just picked heirloom vegetables and juicy fruits. The finest selections of artisanal award-winning cheeses from goats and cows are being sampled by the summering masses and same day organic eggs are being gobbled up by the dozen. Long Island variety mushrooms are showing off their spores and craft beer is being poured into growlers. I get giddy. So much so, that I have been thinking outside the bun.

I am addicted to grilled pizza. It sounds novel but it is truly elementary. Imagine a Neapolitan thin crust style pizza that is perfectly soft and crisp, lightly-charred, with a nice smoky flavor that cooks in a flash right on your grill. The hardest part to making grilled pizza is figuring out what to put on top. Meander through the Hayground, Westhampton, Montauk and the up-and-coming Hampton Bays farmers markets and I am sure you will be inspired too. 

I made my own pizza dough with Montauk Brewing Company’s Driftwood Ale, however, store bought pizza is easy enough, right? When the ingredients are as fresh as they are on the East End anything goes. This is about thinking outside the bun, so give homemade pizza beer dough a chance and get grilling.

This past week, I experimented with different types of toppings: 

Catapano Goat Cheese with Long Island potatoes, leeks and caramelized onions

Browder’ Birds eggs, Long Island asparagus with ricotta, prosciutto, Amagansett Sea Salt East Hampton Blend

Shinnecock clams with Sang Lee Farms garlic scapes that I made into pesto

Shiitake Mushrooms from Long Island Mushroom Company with homemade sausage, caramelized red onions, ricotta, farm eggs and homegrown oregano.

Grilled Pizza with Browder’s Birds Eggs, Sang Lee Farms Asparagus with Ricotta, Prosciutto and Amagansett Sea Salt East Hampton Blend.

Beer Pizza Dough

Ingredients

• 1 can of room temperature Montauk Brewing Company Driftwood Ale Beer (or any favorite brew)
• 4 cups of King Arthur flour
• ¼ cup of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of sea salt
• 2 teaspoons of honey
• 1 packet of active dry yeast (or 3 tablespoons of your own sourdough starter)

Directions

1. Combine the flour, yeast, (or starter) and salt in a stand mixer with the dough hook. Turn the machine on and add the oil.

2. Turn the stand mixer on low to medium and add the beer a little at a time. Mix until the mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky to the touch. If it is still dry, add another tablespoon or two of the beer and process for a few seconds.

note: if the mixture is too sticky, add flour a tablespoon at a time.

3. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead by hand for a few seconds to form a smooth, round dough ball. Put the dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap; let rise until the dough doubles in size, 1 to 4 hours.

4. When the dough is ready, divide into 3 pieces. Roll each piece into a ¼-inch pizza shape of your choice.

Note: you can freeze the pizza dough for later use.

Grilling the Pizza

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• ½ pound of asparagus
• 5 pieces of prosciutto (more or less as you like)
• 1 cup of ricotta cheese, whipped 
• 1/2 cup of grated piave or grana padano cheese.
• Amagansett Sea Salt, East Hampton Blend
• Olive Oil
• Cracked Black Pepper

Equipment

• Grill
• Brush for oil
• Metal spatula
• Metal tongs 

Directions

Note: Make sure you prep all your ingredients before you start grilling as the pizza cooks fast and you want to make sure you have everything on hand and ready to go. The grill should be set to high.

1. Pre-grill the asparagus in tinfoil with a little bit of olive oil; cook until just tender. Whip the ricotta until smooth in a mini food processor.
2. Roll out the dough to a ¼ inch thick; an oblong shape.
   
   note: do not worry if the shape is not perfect, it does not matter, have fun.
    
3. Take the stretched piece of dough and place directly on the grill. Cook the first side with the lid shut for one minute. Then open lid and when dough puffs it is time to flip. Lower the temperature on the grill to low.
4. Flip the dough, and quickly brush the olive oil and then spread the ricotta cheese. Crack the 3 eggs evenly over the pizza.
5. Then place the asparagus and prosciutto.
6.  As the second side grills, the cheese melts, and the eggs begin to cook. When the egg whites are set the pizza is done. Sprinkle with Amagansett Sea Salt, East Hampton Blend, cracked black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.