Earlier this a.m., I posted this on another forum which has just started a wine forum and a gal was wondering if matching side dishes was important in choosing a wine. After I posted the below, I got to thinking maybe we here on C@H would enjoy some wine talk. So, I'll lead it off here with my ramblings....
Stimson Estate Cellars is a wine put out by Chateau Ste. Michelle of Washington and sells for under $10.00. We quite often buy their Cab and Merlot in 1.5 liters. But, one day, since I really prefer the combination of these two wines, we combined two bottles and this has become almost our 'house' wine lately. It's a wonderful combination.
The reason of this post is Highlands asked about side dishes matching wines. Last night, I cooked pork medallions in a cider sauce (just apple cider, dry white wine & cider vineger - a little pepper, thats all).
For sides, I had a Fettuccini mixed with lemon zest, a little olive oil, minced garlic and just a tad of parmesan, but the flavor really came from the flavored pasta. 2-3 years ago, in Windsor, CO I had picked up some Curry-Leek pasta and I've just been slowly using it up. What a wonderful combination.
Now, to add to the fusion confusion of this silly dinner, I sauteed some bok choy, cabbage & red bells with a little sugar, salt & pepper and fish sauce. finished with just a dash of sesame oil.
By now, you must know I just felt like playing in the kitchen yesterday!! when we managed to get a little of each on a fork and taste together and then taste the wine, oh my, what a wonderful experience. Even each dish alone was very good with the Cab/Merlot mixture.
So, I guess the idea of this long tale is - how fun it is to match the side dishes, but also fun to play with blending and matching wines together.
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Stimson Estate Cellars is a wine put out by Chateau Ste. Michelle of Washington and sells for under $10.00. We quite often buy their Cab and Merlot in 1.5 liters. But, one day, since I really prefer the combination of these two wines, we combined two bottles and this has become almost our 'house' wine lately. It's a wonderful combination.
The reason of this post is Highlands asked about side dishes matching wines. Last night, I cooked pork medallions in a cider sauce (just apple cider, dry white wine & cider vineger - a little pepper, thats all).
For sides, I had a Fettuccini mixed with lemon zest, a little olive oil, minced garlic and just a tad of parmesan, but the flavor really came from the flavored pasta. 2-3 years ago, in Windsor, CO I had picked up some Curry-Leek pasta and I've just been slowly using it up. What a wonderful combination.
Now, to add to the fusion confusion of this silly dinner, I sauteed some bok choy, cabbage & red bells with a little sugar, salt & pepper and fish sauce. finished with just a dash of sesame oil.
By now, you must know I just felt like playing in the kitchen yesterday!! when we managed to get a little of each on a fork and taste together and then taste the wine, oh my, what a wonderful experience. Even each dish alone was very good with the Cab/Merlot mixture.
So, I guess the idea of this long tale is - how fun it is to match the side dishes, but also fun to play with blending and matching wines together.
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Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
www.achefsjourney.com