Balistreri Winery Welcomes Corporate Appreciation

Corporate Appreciation

 Balistreri  Vineyards & Winery welcomes Vertafore Software Company for an evening of  great food, wine and music! 

A beautiful evening for a personalized wine tasting and winery tour from Julie and her dad, John the wine maker. As guests made their way over to the outdoor pizza oven for an array of custom home made pizzas; the rain came! A mad dash indoors to quickly escape the downpour.  The rain passed and guests were still able to enjoy the night sky.  

Blackbelly serves up some delicious grub! BB Farm’s pork “porketta” – Smoked beef brisket – “Nate” made (BB Sous Chef) BBQ sauces – smokey beer & green chili – fennel slaw and house made pickles!  Seasonal sides – Fire roasted corn salad & kale, almond, apple salad. Keeping it local and organic - Munson Farms,Red Wagon, Isabelle , Ela; just to name a few. 

Guests raved about the sweet treats! Decadent tiny treats by Jessica Scott. Her website is coming soon! Follow her on twitter: jessicascott1. 

Welcome Back Zeal Optics & Blackbelly Catering at Shannon Red Barn

 Welcome back Zeal Optics and Blackbelly Catering with Hosea Rosenberg at Shannon Red Barn Farm. Pour some wine from around the world, thanks to Mike Joyce with Natural Wine Company and add a little Bluegrass with a whole lotta bass and you have the makings of great fall evening! 

To start, butternut squash soup with pecans, apple and sage – Blackbelly Farms own homemade Andouille with grain mustard – grape pistachio and goat cheese “truffles”, to mention a  few. As the sun starts to set,  guests make their way to the second floor of the barn for a family style dinner. Seasonal salads – green beans and almonds – winter squash with balsamic – heirloom tomatoes with Haystack Mountain Queso de mano cheese. Entree platters of grilled organic Poussin with figs, lavender honey – Colorado Rack of Lamb with polenta, garlic and rosemary – Slow roasted Blackbelly Farm Pork with Colorado cherries. 

A subtle illumination of candles, the lights dim and the band plays happy birthday for Chelsea; a great night! 

Zeal Optics Farm Dinner

The Pig Chronicles: Part 1 – The Ham Hock

In this blog series I would like to take you through our adventure of raising pigs, watching them grow into hogs, and the many ways that we can bring them to your plate.

The Pig Chronicles are for all of you lovers of the tastiest “other white meat” around. Blackbelly Catering is officially using our own farm raised Berkshire Pigs. The Berkshire pig is different from your average. It is a heritage breed of pig originally from England. The Berkshire is considered a very rare pig due to its fast and efficient growth cycle, excellent marbling, and efficient reproductive abilities.

The wonderful thing about these little piggies is the endless amount of preparations that you can create from them. In this edition of the Pig Chronicles, I would like to discuss a part of the pig that goes unnoticed: The Ham Hock.

Most people in the culinary world know of the ham hock and have most likely used it at some point in their career. But for the common patron, there is a good chance that they have never heard of it and are overlooking an excellent component of the pig that contributes some amazing flavor.

The hock is the lower leg portion of the pig right above the ankle and around the calf region. It is surrounded by tendons, ligaments, and skin, and has very little fat. The meat surrounding the shank can become very tender as the collagen breaks down during a slow braising process.

Ham hocks are commonly used in a southern country style of cooking. We used our first ham hock in a batch of slow cooked collard greens along with crispy pig’s feet, roasted eggplant, and heirloom tomato salad. The hock added a perfect amount of salt, smokiness, and an overall richness to the tender greens.

Pigging Out

At our most recent dinner, Chef Hosea was requested to prepare a feast inspired by all things “Pig.” What better way to showcase this than at the next dinner in the Dorsia series appropriately titled “Char’s Web.” We have been raising our own Berkshire pigs and this was the first dinner that featured our tasty pigs in every course. The plates included portions of the belly, the loin, the hoof and even our own ham hock used to enhance the flavor of collard greens. Each course was paired accordingly with beers from a bevy of local breweries. The event was a huge success and a monumental evening for both Blackbelly Catering and our guests. Here is the menu!

HORS D’OEVRES
Tete de Cochon
Pork & Lamb Meatballs
Coppa-wrapped Corn Custards
Melon, Basil, and Prosciutto
Lardo & Peach Toasts
Spicy Cracklins

FIRST COURSE
Crispy pigs feet, smoky collard greens, eggplant, tomato

SECOND COURSE
Fresh cavatelli carbonara, pancetta, poached egg

THIRD COURSE
Spiced pork belly, sweet & sour beets, kale, apricot agrodolce

FOURTH COURSE
Pork tenderloin, corn puree, porcini sausage stuffed squash blossoms, chimichurri

DESSERT
Bacon donut bread pudding, roast peaches, honey lavender gelato

Thank you Char for sharing this night with us!

Visit our gallery for more pictures from the evening.

Trains, Planes, and Automobiles

Blackbelly catering was recently invited to cater a fundraiser in support of the Colorado Music Festival. The theme for the event was Trains, Planes and Automobiles and was hosted by the lovely DeLuise family and Mr. Stephen Tebo. Mr. Tebo showcased a part of his extensive car collection and the DeLuise family showcased their airplanes and more all in the family’s private hanger. The setting was gorgeous and couldn’t have been a better evening for a barbecue. The evening started with passed Hors d’oeuvres and was followed by a buffet style barbecue consisting of a variety of sausages, pulled pork, pulled chicken, and brisket. The meats were accompanied by a bevy of cold sides and grilled vegetables. It truly was a feast. The evening ended with a wonderful piano performance and desserts created by the talented Jessica Scott.

Please visit our gallery for more pictures!