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There is little better than a hearty meal paired with a good glass of wine and someone you love, a good book, or a favorite TV show. (Hey, I love spending time with others, but I adore my “me time” just as much!) It’s even better when said hearty meal is simple and whipped up from what’s in the fridge. On a dreary recent evening, I took advantage of a few fine ingredients in the house to make a one-skillet meal that included some delicious Spanish wine, in the meal as well as in the glass.

food and wine pairing

This skillet was all about the ingredients. I don’t generally buy tomatoes in the winter, but I had a major tomato craving and went for these beauties from Backyard Farms, a company I came to know through a blogger event a couple of summers ago.

Backyard Farms tomatoes

The other ingredients? A red onion, chorizo, white beans, and whole wheat couscous. I started off by heating the chorizo and onion on medium until sizzling and browning an then added in the chopped tomatoes and white beans, letting everything simmer until combined.

chorizo skillet

In a separate pot, I cooked up the couscous. I just love pearl couscous; it’s a cozy touch to a meal.

whole wheat couscous

The final piece of the skillet was a glug of good Spanish red wine by Pena do Lobo. The grape the wine was made with is Mencia. The wine was lush and fruity with a slight herbal note to it, and it was a nice little addition to the skillet.

Pena do Lobo wine

When all was said and done, we had a nice little bowl of white beans, chorizo, and tomatoes and a soul-warming red wine. Add in a fire, and the night was complete. Meals like this, with a little music for kitchen dance parties, make me want to cook again!

Happy Friday! Do you have any fun weekend plans? In addition to more work around our new house and some projects on the condo we are selling, I have a birthday outing and a brunch outing. Bring on the weekend!

Tags: chorizo, comfort food, cooking with wine, Food, food and wine pairing, food and wine pairings, recipe

Just in time for the cold’s latest arrival, I have been spending evenings in one of my favorite ways, sitting in bed with lots of pillows and cook books, bookmarking recipes and getting myself a meal plan in place. We have gotten pretty darn bad with the takeout, frozen food, and snacks as dinner, and I am determined to stop that, especially since we had a recent family health scare.

While browsing through one of my magazines, I found a recipe for broccoli and cheese risotto, and I thought the idea sounded brilliant. I love any recipe that lets me sneak a vegetable in while also incorporating indulgent tastes like wine and cheese.

arborio rice

Now I rarely cook risotto the same way twice, and I definitely cook it by eye. If you are not comfortable doing that, following a recipe, especially when it comes to liquid measurements, is always helpful.

I always start my risotto by toasting the arborio rice in oil with a little onion or shallot, before I begin the process of slowing stirring in liquids. In this case, I got a pot of chicken stock boiling next to my risotto, reduced it to a simmer, and then started stirring it into my risotto, ladle by ladle, stirring until each grain soaks the stock up. About halfway through, I start adding little bits of wine, this time around a Shannon Ridge Chardonnay, until I have used about a cup of wine.

Shannon Ridge Chardonnay

The stirring and adding liquid part of making risotto lasts for a good long time, so be sure to pour yourself a glass of that wine too!

Once the risotto is getting tender, it’s time to add in other ingredients. This is when I added in chopped broccoli, then continued stirring and adding liquid in.

broccoli florets

Kerrygold cheese

When the risotto was to my liking, texture-wise, I added in a grated Kerrygold Dubliner cheese and served the risotto with a cold glass of Chardonnay.

broccoli and cheese risotto

This meal isn’t perfect, when it comes to eating “clean” or healthy, but it was complete and filling and a step in the right direction. Next time I would add a side of steamed spinach or a light salad to get in a little more nutrition.

Now that we are planning on moving to a new home, I am getting excited about holiday decorating and good wine and food at home. Tis the season to be a bit of a homebody, and I am definitely ready!

Tags: cooking, Food, recipe, risotto, vegetarian recipe, wine

A couple of weeks ago, the folks from Chateau Ste. Michelle came to town to host their #MyChateau event at the Innovation District’s (Fort Point?) Space with a Soul.

Chateau Ste. Michelle My Chateau

The event’s intention, in addition to letting Bostonians enjoy Chateau Ste. Michelle’s delicious wines with food pairings from local chefs, was to celebrate Boston, our love of food and wine, and our unique, awesome culture. You can’t beat that! Here’s a little more about the event and Chateau Ste. Michelle:

The people of Boston have spoken and identified their Chateau as innovative food paired with wine and music. Chateau Ste. Michelle is excited to bring Boston’s Chateau to life. The winery will be featuring a local celebrity chef and live music from a Boston-based band.

Chateau Ste. Michelle also shares a passion for food and music. The winery’s own culinary team, based in Woodinville, WA, pairs Chateau Ste. Michelle wines with Pacific Northwest ingredients, hosts dinner events and shares seasonal recipes. The culinary team also prepares food for every show of Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Summer Concert series, one of the winery’s favorite traditions.

Chateau Ste. Michelle wine

Tables with Chateau Ste. Michelle wines were posted around the space, making it easy to browse the wines and tasting notes as well as to taste. While I already knew I liked Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling, I discovered I loved their Columbia Valley Chardonnay and Merlot. One of the things I love most about all of the wines we tried is that they were all complex, really delicious, and very affordable, all under $20 per bottle.

Chateau Ste. Michelle wine

Chefs like Louis DiBiccari and Rebecca Arnold were serving up small bites to go with the wine, and guests were treated to live music that really set a festive mood.

Chef Louis

Space with a Soul was, overall, a great location for an event. The fact that we had to get there by elevator was the only snafu; it made for a bottleneck as people were waiting in the lobby and making it difficult to get inside.

Space with a Soul

But the views, vibe and lighting made up for it! The event planners did a great job in setting the mood, and the crowd was definitely enjoying themselves. As with any free event, there were definitely some pushy free wine vultures as we call them, but  I think that’s unfortunately to be expected whenever free food and drinks are involved!

Space with a Soul

As a wine lover and a winery lover, I thought it was great that Chateau Ste. Michelle made their way out to Boston with an event just for us! Hopefully they enjoyed themselves just as much, and they will come to visit again.

In the meantime, I REALLY need to plan a Washington and Oregon wine tasting trip!

Tags: Boston, Chateau Ste. Michelle, events, food and wine pairing, wine, wine tasting

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