Washington winery, Walter Dacon, crafts some lush and decadent wines. One of our favorite wines that they’ve produced has been their Roussanne. Sadly, they haven’t bottled any in recent vintages. So when our good friend Vivian discovered a bottle of the 2006 and one of the 2007 vintages in the winery’s library, we planned a special pairing dinner. (more…)
What a tough day of food + wine pairing at NW Wine Academy looks like
As a student at the Northwest Wine Academy, finals in food and wine pairing classes involve creating and presenting our very best pairings. In Varietals I, a class focusing on white varietals, our friend Vivian prepared this “Magical Austrian Soup”. Our instructor, Chef Lenny Rede still waxes poetic about this warming wonder.
Many thanks to Vivian for her generosity and willingness to share this delectable recipe she adapted from Bernard Clayton Jr.’s The Complete Book of Soups and Stews.
There are many advantages to eating in. For one thing, we can substitute anything we like! For another, we can open any bottle in the house without paying a 50% or greater markup. It’s also a heck of a lot cheaper overall than I imagined.
When the hubby and I eat out, he always makes comments about how inexpensive the raw cost of ingredients must be for foods like pizza or pasta. He is an accountant after all! So, I did a little experiment and broke down the cost of homemade pizza for the two of us and compared it to what we paid the last time we went out for pizza in Seattle. (more…)
I had the good fortune to recently attend a dinner featuring Foster Farms chickens. As if it wasn’t enough that I got to spend an evening in good company while enjoying a fantastic meal, our hostess Anne Nisbet generously sent each guest home with fresh chicken stock. This is how I put that stock to use.
This dish was inspired by a recipe from The Bon Appetit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook. Authentic paella uses rice and takes longer to cook. This is one of those dishes I put together with ingredients in my pantry, hence the orzo. The end result is less time consuming and is still tasty.
Makes 4 servings
This is a great recipe not only because it is quick and easy, it’s also elegant enough to serve on an occasion such as Valentine’s Day. Your sweetie will think you spent all day on it! Plus, this versatile sauce can be served with a variety of different proteins from tofu to pork, whichever your heart desires.
Inspiration for this dish came from a recipe provided by the Neighborhood Farmer’s Market Alliance. Makes enough sauce for at least 4 entrees.
Prawns Poached in Cream Over Couscous
If you think being a student at the Northwest Wine Academy sounds like fun, you’re right! One of my current assignments is a group research project focused on a meal paired with wine. The “task” is to dine together with other students, then describe the meal, the wine pairings, and overall impressions of the meal. As luck would have it, my friends were planning a multi-course meal to celebrate my birthday in our traditional way. That meal has become fodder for this project. The topic happens to dovetail nicely into the theme for this blog, so I am sharing it here as this meal exemplifies what I consider the be the ultimate in food and wine pairing. (more…)
Pantry Ingredients for Thai Cooking
I recently had the pleasure of taking a cooking class from Chef Toby Kim of NuCulinary after I got a great deal for it on Living Social. This class is based on easy everyday Asian cooking. Every week over the course of the summer, Toby has visited a different Asian cuisine and offered pantry items and tips to make it an easy addition to the home cook’s repertoire. The week I attended we learned how easy it is to make Thai Red Curry with Chicken and Vegetables based on a recipe from Fine Cooking. This recipe is very versatile in that you can substitute the vegetables in the recipe for whatever is fresh at the market. You can also make it vegetarian by substituting tofu for the chicken. This is a great recipe to help us prepare for our Feast and Tweet Taste of Thai!
Thai Food Served On the Patio
We recently did a great food and wine pairing experiment with Thai food. While I had the best intentions of preparing some homemade dishes with recipes from our friend Naomi of NuCulinary, my plan derailed. Not to worry, my local Thai carryout restaurant saved the day.
All of these dishes were prepared with medium spiciness.
The varieties of wine we tasted with the food included Chenin Blanc (one from France and another from Washington state), Gewürztraminer, Viognier, and Torrontes. There were also a couple of white blends and a rosé. Here are the wines that our group of 5 tasters felt paired best with the food.
Quesadilla and a Glass of Salish
Okay, we’re not talking about someone getting lucky on the first date! We’re talking about a meal that’s light on the budget that you can put together in a snap – and pair with wine. A $10 bottle of quality Washington wine.
On the Menu
Shrimp Quesadillas with Mango Salsa
Northwest Totem Cellars 2008 Salish
Shrimp Quesadillas
Serves 2
Inspired by our recent tour of farmstead cheese makers, and trying to use up the excessive amount of cheese we purchased, I adapted this recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites cookbook. It’s quick and easy to put together, and pairs well with wine! Serves 8.
Mac and Cheese Goes Glam
