Shrimp Risotto Paired with 2010 Delaplane Cellars Indian Springs Barrel Fermented Chardonnay

The last month was a real wine inspired eye opener for me.  Not being impressed with the local (Maryland and Virginia) wines for quite some time, recent finds have changed my mind.  I am always open to revising my views based on new information, and Delaplane Cellars did just that.

Chef Sue and I recently embarked on an impromptu trip to the Shenandoah to visit the annual balloon and wine festival.  After making the trek West from DC, we found the winds to be unsuitable for balloons (steady 20 knot winds with gusts above 30 – based on my well calibrated thinning hair).  With diminishing expectations of seeing the balloons, we short stopped our trip and decided to visit a few wineries.

We were not particularly impressed with a couple of the wineries, but one was a true standout – Delaplane Cellars.  We tasted five wines and were entertained in the beautiful tasting room by Jacqui.  We enjoyed two Viogniers, a Chardonnay, a Cabernet Franc, and a blend.  We enjoyed all five wines tremendously, bought several bottles, and immediately joined the Delaplane Cellars wine club.

My clear favorites were the Viogniers – some of the best I have ever tasted.  Period.  In short order, I will be constructing a pairing with one of the Viogniers.  However, today we are featuring the 2010 Delaplane Cellars Indian Springs Barrel Fermented Chardonnay paired with Chef Sue’s Shrimp Risotto.

Shrimp risotto is a wonderfully rich and creamy dish with full flavor of the shrimp at center stage.    We are always searching for the perfect complement between food and wine, and this is a particularly wonderful example.  At first bite and sip, Chef Sue and I met eyes and nodded in approval.  The pairing was spectacular.

The 2010 Delaplane Cellars Indian Springs Barrel Fermented Chardonnay is a small batch wine (200 cases) made from whole cluster Chardonnay grapes from a single vineyard – Indian Springs.  The wine was fermented in small French oak barrels and aged for 10 months before bottling.  This wine starts with a pleasant herbaceous nose and hints of peach and melon.  Slightly off dry, the wine features flavors of ripe stone fruits, melon, grass, and subtle notes of vanilla supported by a well balanced acidity.  The creamy mouth feel is pleasantly contrasted with a lingering yet crisp finish.

If you remain in search of good wine from Virginia, look no further.  Run, don’t walk, to Delaplane Cellars to enjoy wine by a serious winemaker producing serious wines.  Now that we are wine club members, you are sure to find future pairings featuring great examples of the winemakers in Virginia can aspire to.

Recipes

Shrimp Risotto

Ingredients

• 12 extra large shrimp peeled and deveined (save the shells to make stock)
• 1 diced onion (save the skins and extra bits for stock)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 threads saffron
• 1 cup risotto
• Four cups shrimp stock (see preparation instructions)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 3 ounces grated parmesan or romano cheese
• Scallions for garnish
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. Peel and devein the shrimp (save the shells).
2. Place shrimp in a small bowl, add garlic, and two tablespoons of olive oil. Coat the shrimp by tossing and allow to marinade while you prepare the shrimp stock.
3. In a medium sauce pan, brown onion skins and shrimp shells in a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat.
4. When the onions begin to caramelize, add 6 cups of water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, five threads of saffron, and one bay leaf. Cover and let reduce for about one hour over low heat.
5. Strain the shrimp stock, and put the liquid back on low heat and reduce by 1/3 - to approximately four cups. If you reduce too far, add enough water to make up four cups.
6. In a sauté pan, sauté shrimp for one minute on both sides after lightly coating the pan with olive oil (they will not be cooked through). Remove shrimp and set aside.
7. In the same sauté pan, add 1 tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil and heat. When the butter is melted, sauté the risotto, mushrooms and onion until risotto turns pearl like.
8. Deglaze with 1/2 cup white wine. Turn heat to low. From here on, you must continuously stir the risotto.
9. When the liquid (wine) is absorbed, continue to add shrimp stock 1/4 cup at a time as the liquid is absorbed. Continue this process (and continue stirring) until the risotto is a smooth consistency and is cooked through.
10. Humidity and altitude will determine the time and amount of stock necessary. At sea level, it should be about twenty minutes and between three and four cups of stock.
11. With the last addition of stock, add peas.
12. When the texture of the risotto is "right" add shrimp, cover, and take off heat. Allow to rest for five minutes.
13. After five minutes, add parmesan cheese, stir, check to see if more stock is necessary, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
14. Garnish with chopped scallions.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig

Vinegar Chicken and Duck Fat Fried Garlic Parsley Potatoes Paired with 2009 Cornarea Estate Bottled Canale D' Alba Italy Roero Arneis

I am a fan of gifts – particularly when I am on the receiving end.  It is better to give than receive?  Ha.  I don’t think so.  Just this week I received one of those surprise gifts  - it made my day.  This particular gift came from good friend Christina Princess of the Desert.  Like many gifts from Christina Princess of the Desert, this one came with a catch.  Christina sent me an Italian recipe for vinegar chicken as a challenge for pairing with wine.

Vinegar chicken?  My bulky wine pairing muscles began to spasm.  Vinegar is a natural rival to wine.  When faced with the strong flavor of vinegar, many wines will taste sour, or flat at best.  Although I have prepared dishes using vinegar, a common approach to raising the acidity of a dish and bring balance to the composition, I had previously not prepared anything that featured vinegar as a principal ingredient and this appeared to be just the challenge Christina intended.

After taking a deep breath and running through a dozen or so yoga positions, I began to think more rationally about the challenge of pairing.  To avoid having the wine appear sour when faced with the vinegar, I concluded the wine must be clean and bright with ample acidity.

The recipe Christina provided has its origins in Italy.  I decided to run with the Italian theme and choose an Italian white.  Italian whites are generally known for healthy acidity, so this narrowing of the universe of wines was a good place to start.  I also wanted to stray from the typical wine varieties most popular U.S. stores.  I made a quick jaunt over to Schneiders of Capitol Hill and found a 2009 Cornarea Estate Bottled Canale D' Alba Italy Roero Arneis.  The good folks at Schneiders introduced this wine as having the strong acidity I was looking for as well as healthy minerality.  Perfect.

To accompany the vinegar chicken, I pan fried potatoes, sliced thin on a mandolin, in duck fat and garlic finished with Italian parsely, salt, and pepper at the end of the fry.  The vinegar chicken was delicious and surprised me a bit because the vinegar was not as prominent as expected.  The vinegar flavor certainly existed, but it was subtle, pleasant, and brightened the flavor of the chicken.

When first tasting the chicken, my fears of the wine pairing were relieved.  With only subtle vinegar flavors remaining when plated, I knew the pairing would work.  The 2009 Cornarea Estate Bottled Canale D' Alba Italy Roero Arneis delivered the bright acidity as promised and featured flavors of peach and apricot with grapefruit lingering in the crisp finish.  This wine is a medium bodied white with noteworthy hints of minerals.  It is a delightful wine and a good value at $20.  The pairing was a success.

Recipe

Vinegar Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 chicken thighs, 2 drumsticks, 2 wings [or whatever pieces you want]
• Vegetable oil
• Flour, spread on a plate
• Salt, black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 3 anchovy fillets
• 1/3 cup tablespoon red or white wine vinegar

Preparation

1. Heat a thin layer (1 or 2 tablespoons) of vegetable oil in a frying pan.
2. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, and fry on a medium heat until golden and crisp, turning once. Do this in a couple of batches, if necessary.
3. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate. Season with a little salt, and pepper according to taste.
4. In same pan [wiped of all flour/residue], warm the olive oil, rosemary, garlic and anchovy fillets.
5. When the anchovies have dissolved/ [garlic starts to exude nice little odor], put the chicken into the pan, turn two or three times, add 1/3 cup vinegar, turn again, cover, and cook over a very low heat for about an hour, turning the chicken pieces from time to time.  
6. Fiddle with the liquid if you have to -- our chickens here are super tiny so they don't really need a full hour.  I usually serve this with pan-fried potatoes in olive oil, butter, and mashed anchovies (you don't actually taste the anchovies in either, so it's not as redundant as it seems).

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig

 

 

Mineral