Perfect Pairings

Hi guys! I am up in lovely Truro, MA enjoying a beachy weekend with the girls. Since my laptop nearly snapped in half and is in the hospital, I thought I would share with you a guest post I recently did on The Food Passport. It’s a great summer salad and wine pairing I think you will enjoy. And speaking of guest posts, I am seeking guest posters (and opportunities to guest post myself!) so if you have anything send me an email: traveleatlove (@)gmail.com. Have a lovely Sunday and I will be back tomorrow with beach, wine, and lobster filled posts! 🙂

Many people don’t know that New England has its own small but thriving wine industry that produces high quality wines from home grown grapes. Two summers ago I first visited Westport Rivers Winery on a trip to Horseneck Beach and became very interested in supporting local winemakers. Last year, we attended the Coastal Wine Trail kickoff event which brings together several coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island wineries for a day of food and wine. It was at this event that we first discovered Travessia Urban Winery, and we have been hooked ever since.

Travessia’s owner and winemaker, Marco Montez, recently sent me a bottle of his 2008 Pinot Grigio to sample, and I thought that my first Food Passport post would the perfect place to share it.

I wanted to create a recipe that was easily accessible without lots of fancy or expensive ingredients, so I used only items that I had in the house.

Recipe (Serves 2)

12 medium sized shrimp

3 cups sweet corn

2 cups sweet grape tomatoes

1 medium jalapeno, seeds removed

¼ cup finely diced red onion

Chopped cilantro to taste

3 TSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Ground black pepper to taste

This is the ideal recipe for a warm summer night when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen. I simply thawed a package of sweet corn at room temperature and once everything was diced and chopped, tossed the veggies together in a bowl. I did leave the EVOO off until the very end as I don’t like the salad to get bogged down and soggy from the oil.

I grilled the shrimp plain on our George Forman grill which only took about 3 minutes. You can sauté the shrimp in a pan, toss them on an outdoor grill, or if you feel like eating them cold, boil or steam and then chill them.

The flavors of the salad ingredients paired well with the Pinot Grigio’s slight acidity because the major ingredients in the dish leaned more toward sweet and balanced flavors. Had the tomatoes been an acidic variety, there may have been some competition between the food and wine, but this pairing turned out perfectly.

This year’s  Coastal Wine Trail kickoff was May 23 at Truro Vineyards in Truro, MA, and it was a wonderful event as it had been the year before. The Coastal Wine Trail is made up of 9 coastal New England vineyards, including Travessia, and they are all worth a visiting for a tasting, tour or special events.

Do you have a favorite annual special event in your area that you just love?