deVine Table

Tyrus Evan Syrah - a house favorite

Last week Seattle Uncorked brought sexy back with the Sexy Syrah event at Salty’s on Alki. With over 58 Syrahs and Syrah blends the event definitely reminded us that Washington Syrah has many styles.  Some are bright and fruity while others are smoky or peppery. Whatever the style, Syrah is definitely a favorite around our house.

Additionally, Syrahs from other parts of the world boast a broad range of characteristics. When from France, the wine is often earthy and peppery. Known as Shiraz in Australia, the variety is often presented as big and fruity.  Keep the characteristics of the wine you’ve selected in mind when selecting your pairings.

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Sips and Bites at Canlis Seminar

The food and wine pairing seminars at Taste Washington offer more than just a lecture on what to pair with chicken or steak. They offer guidance from a well-qualified and engaging panel, questions from an inquisitive audience, and the opportunity to actually taste several pairings. The Canlis Food and Wine Pairing seminar offered last Saturday was no exception.

With custom food creations by executive chef Jason Franey, and wines hand selected by wine director Nelson Daquip, the Canlis team offered up captivating pairings. Jordan Mackay from San Francisco Magazine joined Chef and Somm on the panel (I like a guy who says that he and his wife treat wine pairing like a team sport at home). Sara Schneider of Sunset Magazine moderated.

The seminar was peppered with useful comments and suggestions regarding food and wine pairing: Read the rest of this entry »

For those of you heading out to Taste Washington today, here is a quick rundown on some of my favorite food and wine pairings from yesterday. Note that my wine picks aren’t always at the table right next to where the food is being served. However, I’m a believer that if you take the time to find the right wine, you’ll enjoy your food so much more!

Ray’s Boathouse Bay Shrimp Cocktail with Treveri Cellars Extra Brut.

Act 3 Catering Smoked Salmon Mac + Cheese Poppers with Tranche Cellars Pink Pape Rose.

Tulalip Bay Fine Dining Dungeness Crab Cakes with Karma Vineyards Methode Champenoise Brut de Brut.

Last but not least, don’t forget dessert. Just be sure to have it last because you don’t want to drink dry wines right after consuming so much sweetness.

The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co. Pancakes and Bacon (uh huh a cupcake that tasted like, well…) with Tieton Cider Works Tieton Frost (actually a cider, not a wine, but every bit as wonderful).

Andouille Pasta for Malbec

Here’s an update on a classic Italian dish made to pair with Malbec.

This makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 teaspoons oil
• 2 links turkey Andouille Sausage (I get mine from the butcher counter at Whole Foods)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry red wine (preferrably the wine you will be drinking with dinner)
• 1 750 g box of pureed tomatoes
• 2 dashes cinnamon
• 1 squirt agave syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces cooked spaghetti

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Giardiniera Salad

This recipe came about while I was preparing material for an Italian wines class. Inspiration came from the latest issue of Food Network Magazine. I’ve simplified the recipe  because I needed to easily feed a crowd. In fact, quantities can be doubled or quadrupled to do just that! So next time you’re hosting a casual spaghetti night or pizza night dinner, consider including this in the mix. It’s not expensive, and it takes just minutes to put together. Read the rest of this entry »

The Finished Pesto

Pesto is wonderful for it’s versatility. It can be used on pizza, sandwiches, and pasta, for example.

Tweaking traditional pesto recipes also means that different wines will work with your meal. So why not play with your food? If you don’t have any fresh basil on hand you can substitute parsley, spinach, or even kale. Or, if you don’t want as many green notes in your pesto, the Sun Dried Tomato Pesto recipe from the blog Closet Cooking is a good alternative.

My friend Vivian helped me with the ratios on this version of pesto, and for that I’d like to give her a shout out here!

This recipe makes enough for a batch of pizza or pasta. Read the rest of this entry »

Basil Pesto and Ingredients

Some people might not consider this a true pesto due to the omission of Parmigiano and pine nuts. Since I like to use this sauce on dishes such as pizza or pasta where cheese is added anyway, I find that I don’t miss the Parmigiano in this recipe. The end result is a more balanced dish.

There are two reasons that I no longer use pine nuts in pesto. The first is that I have experienced a reaction to pine nuts resulting in  everything I ate and drank tasting chalky like Tums. There’s a great post about this phenomenon on Pinch My Salt.

The second reason I don’t use pine nuts in my pesto is that walnuts are great for cutting through tannin in wine.

This recipe makes just enough for a batch of pizza or pasta. Read the rest of this entry »

Every year the hubby asks me if I want to go out to dinner for Valentine’s Day. Every year my answer is the same. “I’d rather stay home.” Wouldn’t you? I mean, really, any place you eat at is going to be charging a premium for a limited menu and wants to rush you out the door in order to turn your table. That’s not my idea of romance.

Why not take that money you would spend on dinner out and splurge on some really great wine and some decadent ingredients? Now, that is romantic! Read the rest of this entry »

Squash Fritters with Chimichurri Paired with Malbec

Trying to come up with of a way to reinvent some leftover spaghetti squash, I recalled a recipe for fritters in Greg Atkinson’s book, “At the Kitchen Table.” His version is based on parsnips, but I can’t get the hubby to eat those. Besides, we were in need of a side dish to pair with a Malbec.

So, after a few tweaks, this is what I came up with. When I asked the hubby what he thought of the Spaghetti Squash Fritters he replied, “There’s spaghetti squash in there? I couldn’t tell; they’re delicious.”

Makes 8 fritters

• 3/4 cup cooked spaghetti squash
• 1 tablespoon Cilantro Chimichurri, plus extra for serving
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons butter

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The food and wine pairing classes I’ve taken at Northwest Wine Academy have had an ongoing influence on me. In Varietals II where red wine is explored at great length, we were tasked with serving a dish to pair with Malbec. I’m now obsessed with pairing food with Malbec. All the time. Seriously. Read the rest of this entry »