deVine Table

Earlier this year Chef Sabrina Tinsley of Osteria la Spiga taught a cooking class at PCC that I was delighted to attend. One of the dishes she introduced us to that evening was Zuppa di Finocchio e Noci – also known as Fennel Walnut Soup. It’s easy to prepare, vegetarian, and pairs well with wine.

I recently prepared this soup for a dinner party we hosted at which we were serving Merlot. Ed claimed that this dish along with the Northstar 2002 Columbia Valley Merlot created his absolute favorite pairing of the evening.

This recipe is reprinted with the kind permission of Chef Tinsley.

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Cherry and Basil Salad on the deVine Table

When we went to the Wine Bloggers’ Conference in Walla Walla, I knew we’d come back with more wine. I just didn’t think we’d come back with as much as two cases. Two cases on its own really isn’t that much for a household that regularly consumes wine and entertains guests. It’s just that we don’t have room to store any more wine. So, we decided to host a dinner for friends in an effort to alleviate our “storage problem.”

Our friends also happen to be wine bloggers from Washington State Wine and Beer and Washington Wine Report.  So what wine do you serve to wine bloggers? Bubbles are always a great way to start any party. As if the drink isn’t festive enough, Argyle Winery makes a unique red sparkler from 100% Pinot Noir that is a beautiful intense red. It always starts a conversation on its own. Then we moved onto Fumé Blanc for the appetizer. For the next course we selected two Merlots to drink side by side – one from Washington and one from California. That’s right, we served these Washington winos some California juice! Terroir vs. terroir. Following that, we served two Bordeaux blends made with grapes from the same vineyard but at the hands of different winemakers. Winemaker vs. winemaker. For dessert, a late harvest Gewurztraminer that I promised Ed we’d open the next time he joined us for dinner.

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Risotto Topped with Mushrooms

I resisted making risotto for years, thinking it would keep me tied to the stove all day. After a cooking lesson with Johnny Zhu, I discovered that’s not the case and have been making it ever since! It’s a great dish for a dinner party because the day before your event you can cook it half way, put it on a baking sheet to cool, cover, and refrigerate it overnight. When your guests have arrived, put the remaining stock on the stove and bring it to a simmer. Put the risotto in a large pot, and finish the dish.

This is what I call a great “base” dish. Start out with the risotto, then combine it with something that will help it pair with a wine. For example, top the finished risotto with some sauteed mushrooms and maybe a drizzle of truffle oil, and you have a great dish to match with a Pinot Noir. This recipe is adapted from Nick Stellino’s Glorious Italian Cooking.

• 3 cups chicken stock

Bring the chicken stock to a boil, then reduce the heat to low to keep it warm. You will be adding it to the risotto later.

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggianno cheese
• 3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese (shhhh, Johnny says this is the secret ingredient!)

In a large pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and butter. After the butter has melted, add the minced onion and cook until it is translucent. Reduce heat to low and add garlic, cooking until it is fragrant. Add the rice and stir about 2 minutes so that it gets coated by the oil. Increase the heat to medium high and add the wine and salt. Stir until the wine is evaporated. Add a ladle full of the warm stock, and stir until almost evaporated.Continue to add a ladle full of stock at a time until the risotto is cooked. You can take a test bite after about 15 minutes to see if it’s still too tough, in which case you would add more stock. When the rice is tender, take the pot off the heat and stir in the cheeses. Let the risotto rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Wine Pairings

The best approach here is to first decide what wine you plan on serving, and then figure out what herbs or sauces will create a “bridge” between the food and the wine.

To enjoy this dish with a Merlot, add Herbs de Provence during preparation, then top the finished risotto with a braised fennel sauce. We like this preparation with Northstar Merlot.

Prefer a white wine? Top the finished risotto with langoustines or prawns that have been sauteed in garlic and butter, then serve with a Chardonnay such as Rulo Winery’s Birch Creek Chardonnay.

Top the risotto with Fairbank’s Portabello Pieces and serve an earthy Pinot Noir alongside.

Feel like drinking a Cabernet Sauvignon? Pair your cab with risotto cakes made from leftover risotto, and a romesco sauce for dipping. Simply form risotto into patties using a 1/4 cup measuring cup (I use the measuring cup like a mold). Dredge each patty in breadcrumbs then refrigerate for about 15 minutes. Fry the patties on each side in about 1/4 inch of oil until golden, drain on paper towels, and serve with romesco alongside.

Have fun experimenting with different pairings.  You could even make a party of it! Select several different bottles of wine,  make one pot of risotto, and pass around several sauces or bridge items for your guests to try on top of the risotto. Your guests can help you decide which pairings work best. What a fun, easy dinner party!

Olive Puffs

My first class at the Northwest Wine Academy was Food and Wine Pairing with Chef Lenny Rede. One of our challenges was to create a pairing to share with our classmates. I wanted to pair something with a big red wine, making the task all the more challenging. This recipe came about as a result. It is adapted from one of my dear late mother’s 1960′s cookbooks, The Sunset Appetizer Book.

• 1 cup shredded aged Manchego cheese
• 3 T butter, softened
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• cream or milk, as needed
• ½ cup flour
• 1 T finely diced salami (for vegetarians, either omit or substitute cocoa nibs)
• 24 colossal garlic stuffed green olives
• ½ cup crushed hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together cheese, butter, and mustard.  Blend in flour and salami, adding cream or milk as needed to form dough.  Take approximately 1 tablespoonful of dough (you need just enough dough to cover the olive). Flatten the dough and wrap it around an olive, covering completely.  Repeat for each olive.  Roll each covered olive in crushed hazelnuts.  Bake for about 15 minutes.

Wine Pairing

I made the Olive Puffs to pair specifically with Northstar Winery’s 2005 Petit Verdot, a truly fantastic wine. Not many grape growers are up to the challenges posed by these late ripening grapes. Therefore, Petit Verdot is usually blended in to other wines and not many people have tasted the variety on its own. This pairing works because the cheese, butter, cream, and salami help cut through the big tannins associated with this robust red wine. The hazelnuts create even more of a bridge. This non-traditional pairing is bound to become a new classic!

Or stick with an old classic and try these puffs with a sparkling wine. Experiment, and let me know which pairing you prefer.