Parings

Been a while since I came up with anything new, apologies on that one but the days off have been few and far between lately (and the last one full of cleaning...) But I thought I would resume with a post about pairing wine and food (which is I guess the basis of my job?) But I thought I would take it a bit of a different way...usually I spend my days off cooking some elaborate meal, but lately am having more fun with putting together a few smaller simpler dishes to enjoy (at a significant saving!) So heres what were having tonight.

Mini Smoked Chicken Panini's: my favorite part of this is the smoked chicken, a 1/2 chicken smoked for three hours with hickory wood and mesquite spice (it currently smells amazing) I then pair this with sharp cheddar, caramalized onions, and mixed greens. Add a light bbq/chipotle mayo and grill in the panini press. To pair: I suggest a Graham Beck Chardonnay Voignier (South africa, about 12$) The chardonnay smoke will blend well with the chicken while the zest of the voignier will cut the cheese and mayo.

Grilled Garlic Pita Chips with Caramalized Onion Dip: simple dish great as a snack, side or munchie. Slice onions and caramalize in butter salt and pepper on low for an hour until deep brown, meanwhile grate garlic and poach in butter on very low temp for 45 minutes until golden. Cool the onions and stir into a ratio of 3 parts sour cream 1 part cream cheese until you have the desired consistency. Brush the pita with the garlic butter and grill until crisp, serve with the dip at room temperature. To Pair: Beer! a great snack deserves a great pint, one of my favorites? Tecate- the beer of mexico with a german eagle as its logo. Not overly hoppy or agressive it is a great beer to enjoy with a simple snack.

Coconut Shrimp: 16-20 count shrimps, shaken with a combination of panko bread crumbs, unsweetened shredded coconut, flour, lime zest, salt, pepper and cayenne. Then shallow fry in peanut oil and serve with sweet chile sauce. People will think your a proper cook with almost zero effort....to pair Cava. I actually prefer Cava to a lot of proseccos and non-vintage champagnes. Slightly dryer then prosecco and at a better price point, try this dish with a glass of Segura Viudas Brut Reserve and you cant go wrong!

Total cost of food enough for 4 with leftovers: $21
Total cost of two bottles of wine and 4 tall cans (substantial leftovers!): $36

So for $57 you can put on a fun three part meal with pairings in a short afternoon of cooking!

Cheers