Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Apple, Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad
Quinoa Apple and Cranberry Salad
Quinoa Salad with Dried Fruit, Nuts and Spinach.
Loads of great stuff that’s good for you, like edamame, pomegranate and pumpkin seeds.
Jijona Semi-Fredo with Dried Cherries, Marcona Almonds and Fresh Berries.
Oven Roasted Shrimp with Smoked Pimentón de la Vera and Duck Fat
Braised Beef Shanks in Red Wine Demi-glacé
1. Simmer gently with aromatics.
2. Transfer to roasting pan to cool overnight.
3. Remove all fat from surface.
Beef Shanks ready to serve after another 4 hours of slow oven braising.
Serve with Orange Ginger Rice.
And Oven Roasted Asparagus
Enjoy!
Cargamanto Bean Stew
You know you are loved when your best friend makes you an amazing dinner. This is a typical from Medellin, Colombia.
Cargamanto Bean Stew with avocado, pork cracklings, chorizo, fried sweet plantains and fresh cilantro to add to taste. Amazingly delicious.
Pontificis white wine blend of Viogner, Marsanne and Roussanne grapes from Pays D’Oc, in the south of France. Elegant and aromatic pairing with hints of apricot and white flowers. Light on the palate with gentle and crisp acidity.
Cuban Food and Wine
Cuban Ropa Vieja.
If you’ve ever wondered what wine to drink with Cuban food, in this case Ropa Vieja, you should give this wine a try.
Ropa Vieja, which translates literally to Old Clothes, is shredded beef in a sofrito of peppers, onions, garlic, etc. (I like to add a little chorizo and green olives) this Layer Cake Primitivo does the trick in a magical way. It is made with the intensely dark and rich Primitivo grape from Puglia, Italy, known as Zinfandel elsewhere. This particular Primitivo offers allspice and stewed black cherries on the nose, and added hints of dark caramel and butterscotch on the palate. Balances beautifully with the smokiness of the chorizo and the savory brine of the olives. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5. $16
Would you like the recipe?
RED WINE WITH MEAT? NOT NECESSARILY
RED WINE WITH MEAT? NOT NECESSARILY
When pairing any dish, it is important to consider all its components, from the protein, to the seasoning to the sauces.
When pairing this dish of Pan Roasted Pork Chops, one of the main components in addition to the meat, are the herbs that went into the marinade. the 48 hours of marinating in parsley, cilantro, thyme, rosemary in addition to garlic and onions adds complexity that should be mirrored in the wine. Another consideration is the fact that there was no acidity added to the marinade in the form of lemon juice or vinegar. This will play a key role in the selection of the wine. Mushrooms and asparagus were cooked simply. Extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. No butter or cream.
The only component with acidity in this dish is the quick mock béarnaise sauce. Mayo, whole-grain mustard, red vinegar, tarragon, olive oil, salt and pepper.
The advantage to a side sauce like this, is that each diner can adjust the amount of sauce to his or her own taste, or skip it all together.
So, we need a wine that is fresh without much acidity, medium body, not earthy, not oaky.
Chardonnay is a wine that meets this criteria, although a light red Beaujolais would also work.
The paired Pam’s Un-Oaked Chardonnay has a fresh golden delicious apple and slight citrus aroma, medium body and a welcome buttery texture in the palate. Although I found it slightly sweet, the sweetness is welcome as a counterbalance to the sauce. The wine should be properly chilled to about 50º F.
It bears mentioning that if the chops had been grilled over firewood, this would have added a layer of smokiness to the flavor profile and in turn it would have called for some oak in the wine, in which case a Pouilly Fuissé from the Maconnais region of Burgundy, or perhaps a slightly oaky California Chardonnay would have been a good option.
Please ask away if you have any questions.
LESSER KNOWN WINES THAT WILL SURPRISE YOU. Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano. #1
LESSER KNOWN WINES THAT WILL SURPRISE YOU.
Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano. #1
Slowly Braised Pork Chops with Tomato Jam and Basil. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano makes a very good pairing with this dish. Despite the name, this wine is different from Montepulciano d’Abruzzo which is actually made with Montepulciano grapes.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is made with Sangiovese grapes, from the Prugnolo Gentile strain to be exact. I find this wine has a body between Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino, both made also with Sangiovese. Usually, I am not very fond of Ruffino wines, but this particular Ruffino Tenuta Lodola Nuova Vino Nobile is truly a delight to drink. Dense aromas of ripe fruit and licorice permeate the air as soon as you open the bottle.
No need to wait too long for the wine to open up. The first sip grabs you with a good amount of acidity and soft tannins. Great value at about half the price of a Brunello.
AMARONE, RECIOTO AND WHY ARE MY LEGS WOBBLY?
The Veneto is one of the Italian regions producing some of the richest and best known wines in the world.
Two of these wines are Amarone and Recioto della Valpolicella.
One of the key steps in making Amarone is the drying of the grapes on straw mats under special conditions for a period of about 120 days after collection.
This process called raisining, concentrates the flavors and aromas, as well as the sugar in the grapes. The higher proportion of sugar in the grapes, the higher resulting alcohol content. Usually 15% or higher in Amarone.
Recioto della Valpolicella wine, starts life pretty much the same way, although the grapes may remain longer on the straw mats for even higher concentration.
The main difference however, is that the fermentation process is stopped before all the sugar in the wine is converted to alcohol. At the right time, the wine is subjected to a temperature cold enough to kill the yeasts that convert the sugar into alcohol.
This process leaves just the right amount of residual to balance the alcohol, usually about 13٪
Obviously quality varies among producers, but a good Amarone will be a revelation, and an excellent Recioto will leave you literally speechless with its unexpected richness and intensity. If you are not familiar with Recioto you will likely be puzzled about the sweetness and acidity underlying powerful aromas and taste of sun-baked ripe fruit that feels like a jolt of flavor in your mouth, and I swear some of you might feel your legs wobble.
I recently spoke to Dennis, the owner of Tenuta Lenotti while tasting some wines at Whole Foods. His wines are delicious and show the care and effort behind the producer.
He assures his Amarone and Recioto will be available at Whole Foods soon.
Cantine Lenotti Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Classico $50
Intense aromas of ripe fruit mirrored on the palate with a good amount of acidity and velvety tannins.
Amarone will pair very well with roasts and Game but also pairs beautifully with chunks of Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese.
Cantine Lenotti Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG Classico $40 for 500ml.
Wonderfully intense with a great balance of acidity and sweetness. Excellent after dinner or with dessert. Or, pair a small glass of Recioto della Valpolicella with some good quality dark chocolate. And remember a little goes a long way.
Salute!
GASTRIQUE, THE FRENCH SWEET AND SOUR, AND THE CREATIVE PROCESS OF WINE AND FOOD PAIRING.
How do you approach wine pairings when you have limited resources and want to open that specific bottle of wine you have been waiting to try.
For dinner, I wanted to use a couple of NY Strip Steaks and a bottle of Brouilly Chateau de La Chaize that I had not tried before.
Brouilly is from one of the 10 village areas of Cru Beaujolais in South Burgundy, France. I wanted to make something simple and did not want to grill the steaks as I had done the night before.
I decided to sample the wine first.
Color: beautiful intense and bright deep ruby.
Nose: fruity and slightly floral.
Palate: matching the nose in floral and fruity, but the acidity was fairly intense.
Beaujolais wines are usually enjoyed young. They are made with the thin-skinned Gamay grape using a Carbonic Maceration technique that keeps the wine light and lively. This particular 2012 vintage, had slightly more depth and character than a Beaujolais Villages, although in my opinion, it could benefit from a couple more years of holding. Nevertheless, besides the acidity, the wine was promising.
The acidity of the wine and the fresh fruity undertones reminded me of sweet and sour. Sweetness and acidity are two of the characteristics in a wine that should be mirrored when pairing with food.
My background in cooking pointed me immediately to gastrique. In its simplest form, gastrique is a French term for caramelized sugar deglazed with vinegar.
In addition to this, the flowery aromas could be mirrored with some Herbes De Provence. See what is going on here? French wine, French technique, French flavors. At least that was my plan.
First, I started by browning the cubed meat with a minced clove of garlic in olive oil. Removed the meat, added a little butter and heated until it stopped foaming. I then added 1 teaspoon of all purpose flour and cooked it on medium until slightly browned. This would be the roux to thicken the sauce.
Meanwhile, I dissolved 2 teaspoons of brown sugar with 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and 1/4 cup of the Brouilly wine.
As soon as the flour started to brown I added the sugar, vinegar and wine mixture and let it cook slowly until thickened. I then returned the browned meat to the pot and heated it gently.
Steamed vegetables finished in browned butter, seasoned with a pinch of Herbes de Provence and a little sea salt, finished bringing the dish together.
The pairing result was delicious. The intensity of the gastrique tamed the acidity of the wine, and the richness of the sauce was balanced by the lightness of the wine which I served slightly chilled to about 58ºF.
I hope you will try this technique and share it with your friends.
Questions, comments and suggestions are most welcome.
winefoodthought 