Red Sauce with Spicy Sausage ---- Curt Dahl

Curtis Dahl  

Watchung, NJ

Marital Status:  Married to Maria

Curt has a 6 year old son, Matthew and a 3-year old daughter, Nicole.

Curt and  Maria are expecting another baby in February 2011.

Occupation: Cellar Builder

Principal. Design & Cellar Concepts.

Joseph & Curtis Custom Wine Cellars & Humidors

We design, build, stock and manage.

http://www.josephandcurtis.com/

Prior to opening Joseph and Curtis Custom Wine Cellars, I was a trader for 15 years.  I met Joe Kline at the Chicago Merc in 1990 and we became good friends. In 1996, I left Chicago for New York where I opened my own firm which I eventually sold in 2000. That is when Joseph & Curtis began.

My passion for wine drove me to find a 12' x 13’ room in my basement where we built our first “wine cellar” in 2000 …the rest is history!

At http://www.josephandcurtis.com/, we specialize in wine cellar build outs, wine racks, cooling systems, wine fridges, design consultation, humidors, (both walk-in and desk top) and of course, cigars!

Cellars are often much more than wine storage – they are a gathering spot in a home… a place to sit and enjoy your family and friends, a place to tell stories.  For many people, it’s more like a family room, or as we like to call them, “adult play rooms”.

We’ve been building cellars for 9 years and love what we do!  Most of our customers have a passion for wine, it’s exciting and creates great memories!  The trip my wife and took to Napa Valley was the best trip I’ve ever taken!  I  loved it and remember every detail about it. Even now, I can pull a bottle out  of our cellar and remember everything about the winery and the great times we had there.

When it comes to building cellars, we can do it all, soup to nuts. We design it, do our own millwork, and make our own cabinets, for both residential and commercial buildings. We work primarily in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania but we design for people all over the country.  We can ship it to them or if they want us to, we’ll even go and install them.  We build our own cooling units and design our own cellar doors. We also do walk-in humidors as well as desktop styles from the $10 humidor to the $5,000 humidor.  Additionally, we sell cigars through our web site.

Hobbies 

Wine, Karate, all sports, woodwork and the NY Yankees

Q: What wine would you pair with your recipe?

A:  A big red from Charles Smith, the winemaker from Walla Walla or Bodega Chacra "Treinta y Dos" or Peter Michael Les Pavots . 

 

Q: How would you define your culinary style?

A:  Healthy… I like to cook healthy foods.  When I lived in Chicago, I was single for 8 years and started doing a lot of cooking for myself. I come from a family who cooked and my wife’s family enjoys cooking.  I try to focus on healthy recipes and cook mainly Italian foods.

Q: What do you enjoy most about cooking?

A:  It’s relaxing!   When you cook your own food, you know what’s in it, it’s healthier. I especially love to see the look on the faces of the people who eat my food, they light up, you can tell they are enjoying it.  I especially love the look on my son’s face, he really likes my cooking.

Q: At what age did you start cooking?  Who inspired you?

A:  I started cooking on my own at the age of 10 and haven’t stopped.

I grew up sitting in the kitchen watching my mother and grandmother in the kitchen. My grandmother was a great cook, she was Czechoslovakian and like to talk to me about what she was making.  I loved to watch them and they made it fun.

Q: What culinary training have you received?

A:  I’ve never taken a class or had any formal training. I like to try new things, add a little of this or that, be creative.

 

Q: Who cooks in your home?

A:  My wife does most the cooking at our house, she is a great cook.  I cook when I can, often on Sundays.

Q:  If any chef in the world could prepare a meal for you, who would it be? 

A:  The first person who comes to my mind is my mother-in-law, Filomena.  She is the best cook in the world!  She’s phenomenal and makes an outstanding tiramisu!  My wife’s family makes their own sauce, jar tomatoes, jar pepper, pizza, and even their own wine.  It’s a great wine too!

If you’re looking for a professional  chef, it would be Tom Colicchio, from N.J., he just lives in a neighboring town and James from Italian Wine Merchants.

 

Q: Do you select and buy the ingredients yourself? Where?

A:  We try to buy natural foods or those that are as organic as possible or those that are locally grown, it’s just healthier.

Q: Is there a website or blog where we can see something about you and your cooking and/or wine?

A: No

Q: Cooking Experience – Novice, Intermediate, Experienced, Pro ?

A:    Intermediate  to Experienced, somewhere in there.

Q: What would you say to a novice in the kitchen to help them get over their fear of cooking?

A:  Follow the recipe to exactly. Take your time, plan it out.  Make a grocery list and buy everything on the list while you’re at the grocery store. Then come home and wash and chop your vegetables and put them in separate bowls so it’s accessible and easy to grab when you need it.

Q: What is your favorite cooking gadget?

A:  Without a doubt, a wooden spoon, it’s so versatile – you can use it to cook or if the kids act up…, well, you know! 

 

Q: Do you have a signature dish?

A:  Yes, Red Sauce with Spicy Sausage

Q: Who are your biggest fans?

A:   My kids… my son, Matthew and my daughter, Nicole,

Q: Do you clean up after yourself?  (If not, here’s your opportunity to thank whoever does that messy job)

A: My wife, Maria loves to clean, thank God!  Thanks Maria!

WINE

Q: Favorite type of wine to use for cooking? 

A:   I often use one our homemade wines and find that cabs often work the best.

Q:  Wine Experience?

A:   I grew up in a family that drank wine, we always had it around, it was part of a meal.  In fact, I don’t consider a meal without wine, a meal. My family always served wine with food but never in excess.

Q:  What is your Favorite Winery -  Why?

A:  That’s a tough one  but my favorite wine is whatever I’m drinking. I have the luxury of tasting some amazing wines.  Quintarelli Amarone is on top of my list!

Q:  Are you affiliated with wine industry in any way?  If so, how? 


A.  No,  but we build custom wine cellars, so  only in the fact that we build wine storage for both homes and restaurants.  Please check out our hospitality tab on our web site

Q.  How did you get interested in wine? Where did you learn about wine? 



A:   As I mentioned, my family always served wine, I grew up with it. I’ve always had a passion for wine.  My passion for wine is something I had in common with Joe, so much so that it lead us to build wine cellars where we don’t just build a wine cellar, we learn how a client will use it ( simple storage, showpiece, etc) and then we design it. We treat what we do as an art because it is.

Wine cellars are a great place to go and get away from the TV so you can slow down and interact with the people in your life who are most important to you. In the cellar you don’t just interact, you create memories. People who have wine cellars soon find out, it’s the place where everyone wants to be… the destination area of the home.

Q: What advise would you give to someone who is new to wine and may not know much about it?

A: Don’t just go by the point system. There are lots of wines out there, try everything. Only by tasting will you learn what you like.. then buy what you like! 

I’d also recommend  WineLibrary TV it’s a great web site – all about wine. Gary, the host, is a great guy and he’s helped a lot of people with his passion for wine.  I can’t say enough about him, he has a wealth of knowledge and he shares it.

Definitely, go to tastings, they’re a  great way to  meet new people who also have a passion for wine.

Q: What is the best way for our readers to find out more about your cellars, humidors, cigars etc.?

A:  Our blog, our web site,  as well as  our Twitter and Facebook page

Visit us on  the web www.josephandcurtis.com   
Be sure to click on our hospitality tab - this is where we have guest chefs offer food/wine pairings on weekly basis.

Red Sauce with Spicy Sausage

2 carrots sliced up

1/2 onion, diced

extra virgin olive oil in pan...pinch of sea salt (heat all)

Once cooked remove all into dish...add 5 sausage (I like turkey sausage) 3 hot  and 2 sweet and cook in same pan

Once sausage is cooked add carrots, onions back into pan with cup 1/2 dry red wine

Once liquid is evaporated place the entire contents of the pan into the  food processor and pulse several times.

In same pan have 2 cans tomato sauce (we jar our own sauce) simmering...once food processor is done pour contents into sauce and let simmer 20 min

Cook rigatoni style pasta

Add cooked rigatoni to dish enjoy!

A tavola non si invecchia.

(At the table with good friends and family you do not become old.)