A Pinot Party

This year our holiday party at Fox Trot Farm is going to be a "Pinot" party. Of course we love to entertain during the holidays and have our friends and neighbors share the season with us, but this year the theme is partly out of desperation.

We must have lost track of how much Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris we purchased at the wineries during our October wine tour of Oregon, but were reminded a couple of weeks after our return when UPS and FedEx made daily visits to our front porch and the bottles of liquid bliss overwhelmed our wine console! Oh, what a dilemma!

I've been in the kitchen developing recipes to pair with our wonderful wines and thought I'd share one with you here. Maybe you'll enjoy a bit of Oregon Pinot during the holidays, too!

Meatballs in Pinot Noir Sauce

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs (not the dry from the box)
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 eggs
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Pinot Noir Sauce (see recipe below)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a large shallow baking dish or pan.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, celery, onion, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, and pepper: mix well. Shape into 24 (1 1/2-inch) balls. Place in one layer in prepared baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile make sauce (see recipe below).

Remove meatballs from pan and discard fat. Place meatballs in bowl and pour sauce over. May freeze or refrigerate.

Before serving heat in microwave at 70% power, stirring frequently, until heated through. Place in a heated chafing dish or a slow cooker and keep warm while serving. Serve with appetizer toothpicks.

This is also great served over rice as a meal.

Pinot Noir Sauce

1 (16-ounce) can whole cranberry sauce
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup Pinot Noir
2 teaspoons hot Chinese mustard

In a medium-size saucepan over medium heat, add cranberry sauce, brown sugar, pinot noir wine, and Chinese mustard; stir to combine. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat; set aside.