Curried Pumpkin and Squash Soup Paired with 2010 Fox Run Vineyards Finger Lakes Riesling

With the onset of cooler weather comes pumpkins and all the fine squash family members.  The cooler weather also proclaims the start of soup season...at least in my mind.  Although I love the refreshing cold soups of summer, the luscious soups of fall and winter are always welcome on my table.

Today I made curried pumpkin soup from a couple of pumpkin varieties and a little help from an acorn squash.  Curried pumpkin (or squash) soup is easy, makes the house smell wonderful, and is quite rewarding when paired with a beautiful Riesling like the 2010 Fox Run Vineyards Finger Lakes Riesling.  Using a curried approach to pumpkin makes the wine pairing easy.  Just ask any of your Indian friends and you will find that Rieslings and Gewurztraminers are routine.

Making this soup is easy.  Start by selecting a pumpkin, or a couple of varieties as I did.  Clean the pumpkin then cut into cubes about two inches square (rectangles are fine too!).  Cut enough to completely cover two sheet pans then slice two onions to fill in any remaining holes.  The pumpkin should be placed skin side down.  Season with salt and pepper and place in a 400 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes.  Switch positions (top to bottom) of the sheet pans, and continue to roast for another 25 minutes.

When done roasting, the pumpkin should be fork tender.  Harvest the flesh from and add to a 4 or 5 quart soup pot (including the roasted onions).  Add 32 ounces of chicken broth (vegetable broth works fine as well), 1 tablespoon curry powder and a can of coconut milk.  Stir and bring to temperature over medium heat.  Finally, puree the mixture with a submersion blender, adjust seasoning, ladle into bowls, and garnish with finely sliced scallions.

Now you are ready to enjoy the wonderful magic of Riesling and curry.  For this pairing, I chose one of two successful approaches; medium sweet with good acidity.  The 2010 Fox Run Vineyards Finger Lakes Riesling is delightfully balanced with a touch of sweetness and healthy acidity complementing the citrus, honey, and stone fruit flavors.  This wine has a wonderful nose of apricot and tropical fruits that make it difficult to delay a first sip.  It is inviting to say the least.

When pairing with curry, Riesling reigns.  However, be careful of Riesling that are too sweet.  Either a dry Riesling with strong acidity, or a medium sweet would be a good choice.  The 2010 Fox Run Vineyards Finger Lakes Riesling offered the best of both worlds - mild sweetness and refreshing acidity.  Just right.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig

Braised Pork Belly Coconut Curry Noodle Soup Paired with 2010 Bin 106 Twisted River Germany Gewürztraminer

Had I not conceived of this recipe and was simply reading it, I would not be able to resist.  Pork belly – gotta love a pork fat foundation!  Curry – yes!  Then the we arrive at the holy combination of curry and coconut milk.  Add to this a beautiful suite of textures, and I am sold.

I realize that Christmas is just a few days away, and this menu and pairing has no resemblance to anything you may be considering for your Christmas feast.  On the other hand, many of my friends and relatives have holiday traditions that include atypical routines for Christmas Eve and New Year’s celebrations.  This may give you some inspiration for your non-traditional, er, holiday traditions.

With the principal flavors coming from the curry, cumin, and richness of the coconut milk and pork belly, the clear choice of a pairing was an off-dry white to balance the strong spices and sufficient acidity to balance the richness of the coconut milk and pork belly.  In this case I chose the 2010 Bin 106 Twisted River Germany Gewürztraminer.  This wine adeptly met our acidity requirements and offered intense pear and apricot flavors that complemented the dish nicely.  The bright fruit and light sweetness balanced the intense flavors of the curry nicely and made for a wonderful pairing.

I don’t have much of a history with Gewürztraminer, but found that the 2010 Bin 106 Twisted River Germany Gewürztraminer lived up to my expectations of big aromas, off-dry, and intense fruit flavors.  When thinking of Asian cuisine, Riesling comes to mind immediately and almost always provides a good pairing experience.  I will now add Gewürztraminer to my decision process – particularly when looking for more prominent fruit flavors.

I may post again before Christmas, but if by chance I do not, I would like to wish you a very merry Christmas.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 pounds pork belly
• 3/4 pounds pork chop (or other cut of pork - your choice)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 diced onions
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 cup (or so) chicken stock
• Japanese noodles (we used Chuka Soba, but any noodle such as rice noodles or udon noodles will work equally well
• 1 red bell pepper
• 4 ounces fresh bean sprouts
• Cilantro
• Sriracha Chile Sauce
• 4 tablespoons hot madras curry powder
• 1 can coconut milk
• 4 cups julienned napa cabbage
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 dup crushed peanuts
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• Dash of fish sauce
• Green onions (2 bunches)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in a braising pot or Dutch oven - sear pork belly and pork chop. Remove and reserve.
2. Brown one diced onion, and 2 cups napa cabbage with cumin, ginger, and curry, and 1 tablespoon minced garlic in braising pot over medium-high heat.
3. Return pork belly and pork chop to braising pot, add mushrooms and chicken stock to just below the top of the meat.
4. Cover and place in preheated oven at 220 degrees F for three hours.
5. Remove pork from the braising pot and set aside.
6. To the braising liquid, add 1/2 red pepper (chopped), 2 cups napa cabbage, and let cook over medium low heat for 20 minutes.
7. Strain liquid and put back in braising pot with coconut milk. Adjust seasoning as desired.
8. In a small sauce pan, add soy sauce, fish sauce, mirin, and brown sugar. Reduce by 1/2 over medium-high heat.
9. Brush pork belly and pork chop with the soy reduction and place under broiler for two minutes.
10. Remove pork from broiler and cut the pork belly into 3/4 inch cubes. Shred the pork chop.
11. Cook noodles according to directions for the noodles you choose.
12. In a large bowl, add the noodles and the strained braising liquid. Add the pork, then top with bean sprouts, green onions, julienned napa cabbage and red pepper.
13. Cover bowl and let steam for five minutes.
14. Garnish with cilantro and peanuts, serve with sriracha chile sauce on the side.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig

Curry Seared Chicken with a Curry Ginger Orange Reduction Paired with 2010 Fox Run Vineyard Finger Lakes Riesling

I wandered to the kitchen and found a bag of oranges leftover from our Thanksgiving feast and wondered what should I do with all those oranges.  Chef Sue regularly makes a concoction of juice including any number of green things and fruit resulting in an evil brew with the flavor of alfalfa and a hint of fruit.  I knew a bag of oranges far outstretched her juicing needs, so I began to think of what productive use I could find for them.

It took only minutes to decide on a curry ginger orange reduction to drizzle over something – but what?  The second inspiration came from a recent preparation of chicken breasts created by Chef Sue.  She took a couple of chicken breasts, coated them in a mixture of cayenne, paprika, chili powder, and whatever else was within reach.  She then seared them in a heavy skillet to seal the juices and encrust the seasoning.  The uncovered skillet then went into a preheated 350 degree F oven until the internal temp of the breasts reached 125 degrees.  The skillet was then removed from the oven and the breasts allowed to rest (in the skillet) for 20 to 30 minutes.  The retained heat from the skillet and the chicken continued to heat and cook the center while resting (it must be a heavy skillet). The result is the most tender and juiciest breast you will ever taste.

It is important to note the chicken will not achieve the USDA recommended temperature of 165 degrees.  If you choose to use this approach, do it knowing that you are not complying with the USDA recommendations.  I am personally ok with this, but it is your decision to follow my example.

Back to our story – I used Chef Sue’s preparation but changed the seasoning to include curry powder, coriander, cumin, ground ginger and salt.  With this substitution, the seasoning for the chicken mimicked the seasoning in the orange reduction that included fresh squeezed orange juice, orange zest, minced garlic, fresh ginger, curry powder, and chili powder.

Knowing this would be a curried flavor bomb, I decided on a 2010 Fox Run Vineyard Finger Lakes Riesling.  I knew I would need the sweetness of a Riesling to balance the strong curry component.  A semi-dry wine with tropical fruit aromas and flavors of peach, citrus, and honey, the 2010 Fox Run Vineyard Finger Lakes Riesling was a perfect choice.

I was drawn to this Riesling not only for the characteristics I was looking for, but also because it comes from the Finger Lakes region of New York.  I had not yet tried a wine from this region and was anxious to give it a try.  I was not disappointed.  At $12, this wine is a crowd pleaser and an exceptional value.  I am looking forward to sampling more wines from Fox Run Vineyards and the Finger Lake region.

Recipes

Curry Seared Chicken

Ingredients

• Chicken breasts
• Curry Powder
• Coriander
• Cumin
• Ground ginger
• Salt

Preparation

1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper
2. Coat chicken with a mixture of the spices and salt.
3. Sear chicken breasts on high heat.
4. Remove from heat and add six orange slices per chicken breast
5. Place chicken in preheated oven at 350 degrees until internal temp reaches 125.
6. Remove chicken from oven and let rest for 30 minutes uncovered. Leaving it uncovered is important. If you leave it covered, the steam will tighten the grain and the breast will be less tender.

Curry Ginger Orange Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
• Zest 1/2 orange
• Slices from one orange (cut the rind down to the meat, then slice out the orange segments leaving the membranes on the carcass)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 ounces fresh grated ginger root
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Heat small sauce pan to Medium-High
2. Add minced garlic to sauce pan and toast until just turning brown
3. Add ginger to pan for about one minute.
4. When ginger is starting to look toasty, add orange juice to pan along with salt, curry, and chili powder.
5. At just under a boil, reduce by 1/2 or until you achieve a consistency you like being careful not to burn the sauce.
6. When you achieve the desired consistency, add the butter, stir until melted, taste and adjust with salt. If you taste the sauce prior to adding the butter, you may be surprised by the orange zest and strength of the spice flavors. The butter will sweeten the sauce and even out the rough edges.

Plating

Place chicken over a bed of basmati rice and drizzle with sauce.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig

Trinidad Doubles, Cucumber Chutney, Trinidad Pepper Sauce Paired with 2010 Cupcake Vineyards Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

At the time of this post, the most viewed pairing/recipe to date is “Curried Chicken and Potato Roti Paired with Chenin Blanc.”  The Roti post is so popular that it triples the next most popular post “Shrimp and Grits Paired with 2009 Cuvaison Chardonnay.”  The clear message is that there are a boatload of Trini food lovers out there.  With this in mind, I decided to press on with my next favorite Trini culinary delight – doubles.

For the uninitiated, doubles are a favorite street food among Trinidadians as well as the many visitors to Trinidad.  Next to roti, doubles are a bucket list worthy experience for anyone visiting Trinidad.  In my opinion, your gastronomic adventure in Trinidad must also include “shark and bake,” coconut water fresh from one of the Savannah vendors, corn soup, and cow heel soup.  Back to the double – doubles consist of two rounds of fried dough served with channa (curry spiced chick peas) and traditionally topped with cucumber chutney and the ever present Trinidad pepper sauce.  If you are visiting Trinidad and have not experienced the wonders of Trinidad pepper sauce, I recommend caution.  Doubles vendors will offer a slight, medium, or spicy option for your double.  I suggest starting with the “slight,” and work your way up the heat chain.  While on the subject of pepper sauce, it is interesting to note that Trinidad pepper sauce is a matter of national pride and every family has their favorite secret recipe for “the best” pepper sauce.  Sampling these highly guarded recipes is a sensational experience – in the truest sense of the word.

Like roti, doubles vendors pepper (pepper, get it?) the Trinidad landscape.  Although doubles are a relatively simple dish with little variation in the ingredients and preparation, ask any Trini and you will promptly be directed to their favorite vendor.  The origin and history of doubles are clouded in myth.  The apparent best accounts track doubles to the valleys of the Ganges in Northern India where many Trindadians can trace their roots.  Over the years, and as these East Indian laborers were released from indenture, small shops and stalls were established by entrepreneurs and the evolution of the double became a Trinidad staple.

Doubles are constructed by by placing two of the fried dough rounds (barra) on a piece of thin waxed paper, adding a serving of channa and topping with cucumber chutney and pepper sauce.  The waxed paper is then folded up at the corners bringing the double into somewhat of a taco type configuration, then expertly spun by the corners to hold everything together.  I have witnessed two primary methods for eating a double.  The first method involves carefully opening the waxed paper, using the waxed paper as a way to hold things together and eating the double in taco fashion.  The second method involves fully opening the waxed paper, removing the bottom barra and using it to scoop or pinch the channa while leaving the second barra to act as a kind of plate supported by the waxed paper.  When you are done with the bottom/scoop barra, enough of the channa sauce will remain to accompany the remaining barra.  Clear as a rainbow leading to a pot of gold, right?

As you might expect, the flavors in a double are dominated by the curry, tumeric and piquance of the pepper sauce.  These are supported by the deep buttery flavors of the chick peas and barra and a nice cool freshness of the cucumber chutney.  For such wonderfully simple food, this combination of flavors results in a wonderful layering for which each component can be readily discerned – as long as you use the pepper sauce in moderation.  Heavy use of the pepper sauce tends to overwhelm the other flavors and tips the balance in favor of the piquance.  This is not a bad thing – it just depends on whether you are in the mood for some serious heat, or desire a more balanced flavor profile.

Like many of the spicy foods I have written about and paired, doubles require attention to overall balance in acidity, sweetness, body, and alcohol content.  In choosing the wine, I not only wanted to account for these characteristics, but also pay homage to the casual, street food heritage of the double.  In other words, I needed to find a wine with the right profile and keep it casual rather than something more pricey, complex, or extravagant.  For these reasons, I chose the 2010 Cupcake Vineyards Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc – a staple for many of my friends who look for an inexpensive wine they can enjoy regularly in the summer heat of Washington DC.  Here are the tasting notes from the winemaker:

“It’s the long cool season that allows the grapes to mature slowly, giving them levels of complexity and a vibrant zing, reminiscent of a lemon chiffon cupcake. It’s made up of integrated flavors of Meyer lemons, Key limes and a finish that awakens the appetite.”

This wine features bright citrus flavors with lemon taking the lead role.  The citrus flavors are supported by healthy acidity which in combination makes this wine both very refreshing and a piece of cake for wine pairing.  It is not as sweet as many Sauvignon Blancs.  While not critical, a touch more sweetness would have helped balance the piquance of the Trinidad Pepper Sauce and the cucumber chutney.  Overall, the pairing was a rousing success.  Doubles remind me of standing in the streets of Port of Spain Trinidad – in temperatures not unlike our DC summers – and enjoying some doubles at one of the many stands.  The crisp freshness of the 2010 Cupcake Vineyards Sauvignon brought a cool invigoration to the memory of Trinidad, and the heat of the doubles. 

Recipes

Trinidad Pepper Sauce

The following recipe for Trinidad Pepper Sauce is very similar to others you will find around the web.  The big difference with my interpretation is using a variety of peppers.  I did this with the intent of adding some depth of flavor to the intense heat.  I think I succeeded, but I won’t really know until my tongue grows back.  Unless you are Trini through and through, this recipe makes enough Trinidad Pepper Sauce to last several years, if not a lifetime.

Ingredients

• 5 Scotch Bonnet peppers
• 5 Serrano peppers
• 5 habanero peppers
• 5 Jalapeno peppers
• 5 Hot cherry peppers
• 3 heads of garlic
• 2 cups vinegar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 2 bundles fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Separate and clean garlic.
2. Wash and coarsely chop cilantro, removing large stem pieces.
3. Add garlic, cilantro, and 1 cup of vinegar to a blender. Blend until nearly smooth. Pour into bowl and set aside.
4. Remove stems from peppers and add to blender with one cup of vinegar. Blend until nearly smooth.
5. Add pureed peppers to garlic and cilantro mixture. Add salt and mustard; stir until thoroughly combined.
6. Pour into a clean bottle or jar, cap, and store in a cool place or the fridge. Don’t forget to label with "XXX," skull and crossed bones, or a toxic warning sticker. This stuff if potent and could do untold damage in the wrong hands.

Cucumber Chutney

Ingredients

• 1 large cucumber
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon finely diced fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon Trinidad Pepper Sauce
• 4 cloves garlic finely diced
• Juice from 1/2 of a freshly squeezed lime
• 1/2 teaspoon - brown sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Julienne cucumber. If it is a long cucumber, cut to lengths of about two to three inches. Do not discard the center section with the seeds - julienne this as well - it will add moisture to the chutney.
2. Place cucumber in a bowl and add garlic, cilantro, Trinidad pepper sauce, and chives.
3. Adjust flavor with salt, pepper, brown sugar, and additional Trinidad pepper sauce. I would recommend using a light hand with the pepper sauce - you can always add more later.

Barra

Ingredients

• 4 cups - all purpose flour
• Dash of saffron powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric root powder
• 3 teaspoons - yeast
• 1 teaspoon - brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon - salt
• Canola oil for frying

Preparation

1. Put 1 cup of lukewarm water in a small bowl, add sugar and stir to dissolve. Sprinkle yeast over water and let sit until the yeas has activated and formed a thin cohesive mound over the surface of the water.
2. Combine flour, salt, saffron, 1 cup of water, cumin and yeast in a large bowl or the bowl of your Kitchen Aid.
3. Mix into a slightly firm dough - it will be plenty sticky. Adjust with water or flour to arrive at a consistency a bit less firm than peanut butter. Cover and let rise to double original volume.
4. Form dough into balls just a bit larger than golf balls. Coating your hands with oil will ease the process.
5. While assembling your golf balls, put a pot of oil (just an inch or so deep with oil) on to heat.
6. After you have assembled your golf balls, pat and roll the balls into thin circles roughly four inches in diameter. The thinner, the better.
7. Fry in hot oil, turning once. The dough turns a nice golden brown quickly, so pay attention.
8. Drain on plate with paper towels and cover to keep in the moisture. Stacking as you produce the barra is acceptable, and even encouraged.
9. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Channa

Ingredients

• 1 (16oz) can of chick peas or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric root powder
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium sliced onion
• 4 cloves finely diced garlic
• 2 tablespoons finely diced fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon Trinidad pepper sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Sautee onions in the vegetable oil over medium high heat until translucent.
2. Reduce heat to medium and add all remaining ingredients. Stir until thoroughly combined.
3. Add water to cover the chick peas by about one inch, then raise the heat and boil chick peas until soft.
4. Remove about 1/4 of the chick peas and crush with a potato masher. Recombine and stir to incorporate. This should leave you with mostly intact chick peas, with the small part that was mashed becoming a thick sauce.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig

Udon Noodle Soup with Thai Curry Paired with 2008 Frei Brothers Reserve Russian River Valley Chardonnay

For the faithful followers of my humble little blog (thanks to all of you!), it will come as no surprise that I speak frankly about the recipes, wines, and pairings.  This honesty unquestionably extends to the less than pleasant surprises as well as the happy coincidences.  I do this in the firm belief that we learn as much from our failures as we do from our successes.  And with that prelude, on with the story.

This pairing occurred on the Friday night of Memorial Day weekend 2011.  Chef Sue was able to get away from the office early so we could extend the holiday weekend.  Chef Sue was able to leave DC for our secret Potomac lair a day in advance of my arrival.  Before I left DC, I selected four wines from the Cavernous Corl Wine Cellar, thankful I could remember the cypher lock code and my DNA had not been altered since the last update of the biometric security system.  I called Chef Sue and gave her my selections and asked that she consider some pairing dishes.

Chef Sue was inspired and decided on a Japanese – Thai fusion of udon noodle soup mashed up with a thai red curry coconut sauce with chicken.  This dish was selected for pairing with 2008 Frei Brothers Reserve Russian River Valley Chardonnay.  When Chef Sue announced the pairing, my mind started quietly raising the red flags – silently of course.  In general, Chardonnay does not have the big fruit, sweetness and acidity to stand up to a spicy dish.  Further, I remain convinced that mixing oaked wines with spice can work on the rare occaision, but can also introduce some undesired flavor surprises – I prefer to avoid food and wine surprises.

With the red curry paste and coconut milk certain to dominate the palate, wines with tropical notes like pineapple, mango, peaches, apricots, would pair well with these strong flavors.  A balancing acidity is also important to standup to the acidity of this dish, and sweetness balances the heat nicely.  I would have chosen a Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio, a dry Rosé, or a Proseco.

The wine did not turn out to be a train wreck.  Quite the opposite, it was very enjoyable.  The 2008 Frei Brothers Reserve Russian River Valley Chardonnay was opened while Chef Sue was cooking…thirst took over.  This Chardonnay is soft and complex with dominant flavors of green apple, a buttery feel, and toasted nuts.  In other words it can be likened to a freshly baked apple crisp in a bottle.  Nice.  Unfortunately when faced with the daunting aggressiveness of the Thai red curry, the Chardonnay became a wall flower.  It added nothing with respect to the pairing – not the fault of the wine, but rather a faulty choice (sorry Chef Sue).

The pummeling of the wine was made worse by a tragic wrong turn with the recipe.  When preparing this dish, Chef Sue followed the directions on the tiny little can of Thai red curry paste (you’ve seen those little 4 oz cans slinking around the international section of the grocery) that directed the use of all 4 ounces of the paste.  Oh my!  Maybe a translation error (and there were a few of those on the can)? After a few bites Chef Sue and I looked at each other with the mutual knowledge that the nuclear waste level heat of this dish was sure to conclude with unpleasant consequences.  Don’t let the pretty pictures fool you.  The piper will be paid!

Oddly enough, as we sat down to enjoy this fire festival, Man vs. Food was playing on the television – an episode which required the host to eat a dozen chicken wings lathered in “shut up” sauce, complete the challenge in 10 minutes, and keep it down for another 5.  You know things are going bad when you have to don a pair of latex surgical gloves to eat a meal.  I’m happy to report that he suffered far more than we did.

Have no fear my friends.  The recipe at the end of this post has been recalibrated to the human palate.  We have not yet gone back to the kitchen to validate it, but I am confident the rebirth of this fusion plate will be quite enjoyable.  I stick with my wine pairing recommendation.  Save the 2008 Frei Brothers Reserve Russian River Valley Chardonnay for another day – it has potential and is a good value.

Between crabbing, cookouts, sailing and other traditional Memorial Day weekend festivities, we will be doing more cooking and more pairing.  I hope to report some great success rather than lessons learned.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 packages (8oz) precooked udon noodles
• 1 large onion sliced
• 8 oz. shitake mushrooms
• 1 chicken breast (about 8 oz.) sliced into 1/4 inch strips laterally
• 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/2 gallon chicken broth
• 4 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3/4 chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup miren
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 3/4 cup sliced green onions for garnish
• Olive oil for sauté
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. In a large skillet or medium pot, add the curry paste, coconut milk and chicken broth. Allow to simmer while the balance of the recipe is prepared. Stir occasionally. The mixture should be brought to a boil just before adding to the rest of the ingredients. At about the 5 minute mark, add fish sauce, cilantro, ginger and miren.
2. Sauté sliced onion in a skillet with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. When translucent yet firm, place in a large bowl (the bowl needs to be large enough to fit everything in the recipe).
3. Sauté shitake mushrooms in the same skillet as the onions. When done, add to the bowl with the onions.
4. Sauté chicken in the same skillet once the mushrooms are done. Add to the bowl with onions and mushrooms.
5. Add precooked udon noodles to the bowl.
6. With any luck, your curry paste - coconut milk - chicken broth is at a boil now. Don’t let it boil long - just get it to a boil, and you are done.
7. Add the broth mixture to the bowl, cover and let sit for five minutes.
8. Plate to bowls and garnish with green onions.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig

Curried Pumpkin Risotto with Chicken and Peas Paired with 2008 Cuvée De Peña Viognier

Photo Buddy John (John Andrew Downey II Photography) was in town this week so of course we decided to have some fun with a wine pairing.  And with John in the house, we had a guest photographer for this pairing.  While it is always fun to cook, pair, photograph, eat, and drink, it is a much easier endeavor when I can cook while John shoots.  This pairing presented a couple of interesting surprises, but not to worry, gastronomic joy was experienced by all.

The Food

I love curry.  If you take a minute to look through some of my past posts, you will find a bunch of pairings and recipes featuring curry – curried duck, roti, curried chicken, curried butternut squash soup and on, and on.  I offer no apologies – I love curry.  Throw in some coconut milk with all that curried goodness, and I get emotional.

Pumpkin risotto is a bold dish that combines sweet earthy flavors with rich, creamy textures and a coconut enhanced spicy lingering on the palate at the end of each bite. The pumpkin adds a heft to each morsel that takes this from being just another rice dish to becoming marque worthy.

This dish is another example of the curry smile that appears on my face when the sweet aromas begin to fill the house.  In addition to the holy marriage of curry and coconut milk, pumpkin (like butternut squash) introduces another flavor that marches comfortably in unison with the precision of a military parade.

The first surprise from this recipe was the way in which each component stood out as a distinct flavor.  Often, many components become lost in the combination like an oboe lost in an orchestra.  Clearly, the dominance of the curry was a feature flavor, but the cinnamon, cayenne, turmeric, chicken, pork belly, parmesan cheese, cilantro and coconut each had their moment in the spotlight.

This was my first attempt at risotto.  The risotto played the perfect role as the foundation on which all the luxurious flavors were built.  However, I have to admit that while certainly enjoyable, the risotto was slightly on the al dente side.  Live and learn.

The Wine

The wine for this meal came from my monthly purchase of a mixed case from Schneider’s of Capitol Hill.  Honestly, the pair was inspired by the wine.  I had the wine in the rack, and said “what would work will with this bottle of 2008 Cuvée De Peña Viognier?”

With a light sweetness and flavors of citrus and mango, I hoped this Viognier would stand up to the bold flavors of the curried pumpkin.  I will talk about the pairing in a moment, but on it’s own, the 2008 Cuvée De Peña Viognier was very pleasant and enjoyable.  At $10 – $12, this wine is a reasonable value and an easy drinking wine.

The Pairing

And now on to the second surprise – the pairing was not as successful as I had hoped.  Although we (Photography Buddy John, Chef Sue and I) all enjoyed the wine, it did not stand up to the intense flavors of the curried pumpkin dish.  The wine seemed to lose all flavor in the face of such a daunting opponent.  These strong flavors demand a wine that is equally bold in either sweetness, HUGE fruit, acidity or a combination of these three.  Of these components, high acidity is most important – fight power with power!  If I were to do it again (which I will!) I would look to a big fruit and high acidity Sauvignon Blanc.  As a side note, be careful of high alcohol wines which cause problems with the big spice of a curried dish such as this.

Final Words

This dish is a delightfully indulgent trip into big flavor.  I highly recommend it, and will be back for a better pairing soon.  Be careful and bold in your selection of wine with this recipe.  Finally, I can’t promise I will lay off the curry, but will do my best to offer you some new and exciting options in the near future.  With crabs now in season, I see some seafood in our future as well as a culinary trip to Venezuela.  Stand by for a few of my favorites.

The Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb cubed chicken breasts
• 6 oz smoked pork belly (cubed to 1/2 inch) - alternatively use country bacon, or just plain bacon - it's all bacon and oh so good.
• 6 oz. butter
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 quart of chicken stock
• 1 cup of water
• ¼ cup sherry
• 1 finely chopped shallot
• 15 oz. canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling – just plain puree)
• 1 1/2 cups risotto rice
• 1 bag of frozen peas
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated fine
• 2/3 can coconut milk
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh cilantro (garnish)

Preparation

1. In a sauté pan over a medium-low flame, render smoked pork belly until firm. About mid way through the rendering, add the cayenne pepper and season with salt. Increase the heat to medium, add the curry, and turmeric, and sauté the chicken with the pork belly and pepper mixture, until browned on all sides. Set aside.
2. Pour the chicken stock and one cup of water into a pot and bring to a simmer.
3. Whisk 10 oz. of your 15 oz can of pumpkin puree into the warm stock.
4. When you are ready to make the risotto, place a medium size pan over a medium heat. Add two ounces of butter.
5. Once the butter melts, add the shallots, a pinch of salt and allow the shallots to sweat.
   When the shallots have sweated and begun to turn translucent, add the rice and stir.
6. Increase heat to medium and continue to stir vigorously for two minutes but don't let the rice take on color or brown.
7. Add the sherry and stir it into the rice until it cooks off.
8. Return the flame to medium-low and add the last half (6 oz.) of pumpkin puree and the cinnamon. 
9. Stir to combine completely and add your first ladle full of stock. As the stock reduces and the mixture turns creamy, continue to add stock (one ladle at a time - about 12 minutes to incorporate) continuing to stir for a total of 18 minutes. I recommend you have a glass of wine at the ready - this is tedious.
10. At 18 minutes, add the peas, chicken, bacon, coconut milk, and 1/2 of the cheese, and stir in completely and taste on the minute until the rice is done. There are lots of variables here, so you have to use your judgment on when you feel the rice is done.
11. Season with salt to taste and plate with cilantro garnish and cheese.

Curried Duck with Ginger and Mango, Seared Duck Liver with Plum, Turnip Puree, Duck Gizzard and Heart Salad Paired with 2007 Mayo Viognier

This meal is all about making the most of the rest of the duck.  Recently I wrote about a duck breast pairing “Glazed Duck Breast Quinoa, Cipollini Onions, Black Trumpet Mushrooms Paired with 2006 ZD Carneros Pinot Noir.”  The pairing under consideration in this post is a result of the rest of the duck.  I had carcasses (including legs and thighs intact) and all the other bits and pieces so decided to use every quacking piece.

My results were mixed.  As I have always promised, I will share the good and the bad – even when the “bad” is my own doing.  So lets get on with the blow-by-blow.

The Food

With all the bits and pieces of duck, I decided on a three course meal.  To start, a salad of sautéed duck hearts and gizzards over mixed greens with a plum vinaigrette.  This was followed by seared duck liver over sliced plum and a plum caramel sauce.  And finally, curried duck with ginger and mango accompanied by a puree of turnips.

The salad was very tasty, but the texture was horrible.  I was not able to get the gizzards soft enough – no, they were just plain chewy.  So we pushed aside gizzards and enjoyed the hearts, greens and plum vinaigrette.  I will include the preparation instructions when I get it right.  If you can make gizzards sufficiently tender, you have a winner.

The seared liver was very nice, and the caramel plum sauce and bed of sliced plums added a bit of sweet contrast with the plum flavors swimming in unison with the seared liver.  Unfortunately, you will have to take my word for it; Chef Sue is not a fan of liver and politely declined my offering.

The curried duck with ginger and mango was really all I needed.  The rest of the meal was just taking up space.  This was seriously good, and perfect use of the unused duck.  The dominant flavors came from the mildly gamey duck, curry spices, coconut milk, slight hints of ginger, and sweet fruity mango.  Surprisingly, the flavors were well balanced.

Finally, the turnips.  Just stinking awful.  I have prepared turnips plenty of times.  These were fibrous and nearly inedible.  This was a real disappointment because I enjoy turnips.  I can’t say for certain, but I believe it was the turnip and not the cook.  But in the end, I was enjoying the duck and the wine sufficiently to completely forget about the turnip abomination (as a matter of fact, I almost forgot to write about it).

The Wine

The 2007 Mayo Family Winery Russian River Valley, Saralee’s Vineyard Viognier comes from our membership in the Mayo Family Winery wine club – a recent delivery.

I found the description on the back label of the bottle entertaining, and I thought you might enjoy it as well.

“Consider this wine a real showoff…with a secret.  It’s the aroma that makes the statement.  The wine is explosive and exotic.  Perfumed aromas of honeysuckle, ripe apricot and sweet summer peaches will knock your socks off as this is not a typical, cloying Viognier with a simple sweet greeting.  Once on your palate, you’ll love its fresh, crisp structure not usually found in Russian River Valley Viognier.  Balanced on its well-structured frame is an array of peach, lemony and floral flavors that finish forever.”

I may not be quite as energetic as this description, but I honestly cannot disagree with it – this is a wonderfully intense wine that leaves you with thoughts of “wow, where did that come from?”  The parts that stood out for me were certainly the apricot and peach aromas, a well balanced sweetness, nice crisp acidity, and the peach flavor taking center stage.  This is a great wine for food.  The sweetness, acidity and pleasing peach – apricot flavors will stand up to demanding and highly spiced foods such as Indian and Thai.  At $35, this is a fairly priced wine.

The Pairing

This was a roll your eyes back in the head palate dislocating intense experience.  No kidding.  Forget about the salad (tasty, but lets just give it an honorable mention).  Forget about the seared duck liver with plum caramel sauce (super tasty and the sweetness melded perfectly with the wine) - just a warm-up band for the main event.  The curried duck came out of its corner punching with big flavors of duck, coconut, and curry supported by a ring crew of sweet ginger and mango.  This is a heavy weight contender.  They Mayo Viognier is no light weight and returned the punches with matched intensity.  Oddly, after the first punches were thrown, they both decided to dance and sing rather than fight.  The fruits fused.  The sweet notes sang in harmony, and the acidity of the wine balanced the spice of the curry. 

Final Words

This was a prize fight match contrived by Don King, fought by the iconic heavyweights, and concluded with a Broadway musical.  This was not my plan, but I liked it!

Recipes

Plum Seared Duck Liver

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 sliced plums
• 3 duck livers

Preparation

Over medium heat add butter and sugar to a sauté pan and heat until caramel forms. Add basalmic vinegar and plums. Cook until beginning to thicken. Remove from heat and leave at the ready for plating with the duck liver.

Heat pan over high heat, and add livers seasoned with salt and pepper. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Place plums on plates, top with seared liver and drizzle caramel around plate.

Curried Duck with Ginger and Mango

Ingredients

• Six legs and thighs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, diced
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 inches fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 large mango cubed
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• Garnish with Fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Season duck legs and thighs with salt and pepper.

2. After taking the breasts off your ducks and using them in another recipe (see Glazed Duck Breast Quinoa, Cipollini Onions, Black Trumpet Mushrooms Paired with 2006 ZD Carneros Pinot Noir) season the balance of the duck with salt and pepper and place in a roasting pan and into a preheated oven (350).  Remove from oven when internal temp reaches 160.  Alternatively, oil a sauté pan over high heat, add duck and brown on both sides.  Either way, the legs and thighs need to end up in the sauté pan.

3. Blend one onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, vinegar, cayenne, turmeric, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water in a blender until smooth.

4. Add one onion and a large pinch of salt to the sauté pan with the duck drippings on medium heat . Sauté until soft. Add the product of your blender sidetrack and cook for two minutes.

5. Add coconut milk and 2 cups water, and bring to a simmer. Add mango, brown sugar, and duck. Bring to a boil, cover and turn heat to low and simmer for one hour turning the duck every 15 minutes. Turn duck again, and let simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

6. Plate with fresh cilantro as garnish and serve.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig

Thai Chicken in a Peanut, Coconut, Red Curry Sauce Paired with 2008 Koonowla Riesling

Last week I was craving Thai chicken in a peanut, coconut, red curry sauce.  After a bit of research and a pair of attempts, I have satisfied the craving.  Selecting a wine for the pairing was quite easy although many people seem to have challenges pairing wine with Thai food, or more generally with Asian food.

As a final introductory comment, I want to tell you that the recipe (included at the end) is ridiculously easy, and this is literally a 30 minute prep – including the time to pour your self a glass of wine to quench your thirst while slaving away in the kitchen.  When you are craving flavor and don’t have much time or energy, I would put this recipe at the top of your list.

The Food

Following my normal routine for preparing a recipe, I started by considering what other people are doing.  I looked at half a dozen recipes to provide a foundation, then selected the flavors I wanted to emphasize.  In this case I wanted clearly be able to distinguish the peanut, coconut, curry, and balance this with a moderate level of heat (picante).  The recipe is quite successful in forming this balance that allows each of the flavors to shine through.

This dish would go equally well over rice, but I had not prepared rice noodles before and wanted to give it a go.  I’m glad I did – the rice noodles added a wonderful texture to the dish.  Another great thing about this dish is that it is equally good, if not better, the next day.  I ate some for breakfast this morning (hey, it beats the hell out of oatmeal), and found the noodles held up well, and the flavors seemed to be completely saturated.  Oh, and I finished off the leftovers at lunch.  I just can’t get enough of this stuff!  Yum!

The Wine

I decided to take two approaches to wine pairing.  During a test run of the recipe I went the sweet, big fruit, low acidity route, and on round two with a less fruity, dry Riesling with ample acidity.

The first round wine was the 2009 Chateau Ste Michelle Columbia Valley Harvest Select Riesling.  As I said, this wine is sweet, big fruit flavors of peach and apricot, and relatively low acidity.  This wine is a hoot to drink particularly if you are in the mood for something sweet.  At $10 per bottle, this wine is an exceptional value.

The second wine, a 2008 Koonowla Clare Valley Reisling (Australia) filled the role of less sweet and high acidity with less dominant fruit.  We really enjoyed this wine as well.  Mild sweetness is well balanced with fresh citrus flavors and strong acidity.  This is a great food wine and a good value at $20 per bottle.

The Pairing

This pairing is the most complicated I have done yet.  Not because it is impossible to pair wine with Thai Food as some people would leave you to believe, but because we had the same recipe two nights in a row paired with different wines.  To complicate things even more, for the second round of pairing, Golf Buddy Steve and Formerly of Austin Dawn brought another bottle of the 2009 Chateau Ste Michelle Columbia Valley Harvest Select Riesling.

So here is the blow-by-blow.  The first attempt with the 2009 Chateau Ste Michelle Columbia Valley Harvest Select Riesling went exceptionally well.  The sweetness cut through the heat and spice of the curry and chili paste and danced a minuet with the coconut milk.  The bold peach and apricot flavors also played very nicely with our Thai Delight.  Overall, this was an excellent pairing.  With a bit more acidity in the wine, it would have been ideal.

For round two we started with the 2008 Koonowla Clare Valley Reisling.  The combination of citrus flavors and high acidity (and a little help from the mild sweetness) was perfect for the Thai chicken recipe.  The acidity balanced the heat and spice splendidly and the sweet citrus complimented the coconut and peanut flavors with nothing but refined manners.  Chef Sue then commented that she thought the 2009 Chateau Ste Michelle Columbia Valley Harvest Select Riesling from the prior evening was a better pair because of the sweetness; she did not see the acidity argument as compelling as I did.  So sure enough, we broke open the bottle of 2009 Chateau Ste Michelle Columbia Valley Harvest Select Riesling brought by Golf Buddy Steve.  We all did some side by side tasting, assessing it alongside the food and came to the conclusion they both worked extremely well for two very different reasons.

This was a nice discovery and a good example of why general guidelines for wine and food pairing can be misleading.  In this case, it would be perfectly reasonable to suggest pairing a Riesling with Thai Chicken Curry.  However, as we experienced, different Rieslings will react quite differently with the same dish.

Final Words

As a final thought, I would like to share my generalized conclusions on pairing wine with spicy Thai food.  Here are a few things too consider:

1. Stay away from high alcohol wines; the alcohol can intensify the heat.
2. Strong acidity is good.  The strong flavors of Thai food need the acidity in the wine in order to go toe to toe.  A less acidic wine will fade behind the big spicy flavors.
3. Skip the tannins.  Tannins combined with spicy food can result in some off color flavors.  This is not true in all cases, but in general, you will not be pleased with the result.
4. Go sweet, but not too sweet.  Sweetness balances the spicy flavors.  More spice and more heat = more capacity to carry a sweet wine.
5. Pass on the Oak.  With all the fun exotic spices in Thai food, I don’t see the vanilla notes common in oaky wines playing well. Here is an example.  I think a bright, citrus laden acid hound of a Sauvignon Blanc would work great with this recipe.  Make that an oaked Sauvignon Blanc, and the result may be less desirable.
6. White wines tend to work best as a rule, but light bodied, low tannin, fruity reds can be equally enjoyable.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 package of rice noodles (8 ounces)
• 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
• 3 tablespoons red curry paste
• 2 tablespoons chili paste (sambal oelek if you want to be authentic)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 cans (13 ounces each) coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• crushed peanuts
• 1 lime

Preparation

1. Bring pot of water to a near boil (enough water to submerge the rice noodles).  Remove water from heat and add rice noodles. Let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Heat sesame oil In a large sauté pan or pot and add red curry paste, garlic, and chili paste. Keep on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the chicken and cook until all sides are browned.
4. Add coconut milk, fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and peanut butter.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Strain rice noodles and combine with the chicken and sauce. Stir and turn until noodles are well bathed in all that coconut curry goodness.
7. Serve in a bowl and sprinkle with crushed nuts and garnish with lime wedges which can also be used to fine tune the acidity.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig