Good Things Come in Three
Last Sunday I composed another three-course meal for three of my favorite wine lovers. While I adore cooking and the world of possibilities for pairings that this set-up allows, it does require a bit of fancy footwork and less opportunity for chattng and relaxing. Plus, timing has never been my strong point in the kitchen. That and lively conversation made for no official tasting notes.
However, I want to share my dinner with you because I can still give you my impressions of the pairings. And because I’m proud of it….
To begin, I got to work on my mini-quiches, having made the little cups the prior night. Half were filled with red onion and mozzerella, to be topped with smoked salmon. The other half had garlic-marinated green olives and goat cheese. Both were salty and therefore went very well with the sparkling wine I poured as I popped them in the oven: the 2000 J Brut from Russian River Valley. This is a bottle I bought on my recent trip to J, without even tasting it, as it was from the library. You can read the tasting notes in the link, but just know that we were all pleased with it. You can never go wrong with J bubbly.
The second course is one of my best go-to dishes: Pasta Puttanesca. I’ve mentioned it before here and Sara had lovely things to say about it on her blog. With it, we consumed the 2005 David Noyes Tocai Friulano with fruit from the North Coast. A variety grown mostly in northeast Italy, it’s known for minerality and floral notes. I had seen the winemaker the night before at a tasting, where I gladly accepted a bottle from him. Also known as Sauvignon Vert, the wine’s crispness and hints of spice were a nice match for the acidity and heat in the pasta.
The last course was my favorite for several reasons. One is that I love meatball sandwiches. Made from my Nana’s recipe, they soaked in her delicious tomato sauce overnight. I vividly remember going over to her house on Saturday afternoons and making a beeline for the fridge to make myself a meatball sandwich, with barely time for a ‘hello.’
The other is that we drank the cellar rat’s very own wine: Bonfire Vineyards Fuel. Barbera is a great wine to accompany tomato sauce and meaty items. This one was no exception. I remember the wine disappearing from the decanter and glasses all too quickly, along with the food, my book for tasting notes long forgotten.
And sometimes that’s ok. Wine is meant to be enjoyed, savored, shared with friends. And even more fun to drink with the guy who made it. If I was too distracted to relay how I got raspberry, pepper, and cloves on the palate, but you know we consumed every drop… you can assume that the wine was fantastic and a great choice for the food pairing.
Cheers.
….Farley Walker
2000 J Brut, 2005 David Noyes Tocai Friulano, Bonfire Vineyards Fuel
May 29th, 2007 at 10:13 am
A truly remarkable and special evening. Thank you again!!
May 29th, 2007 at 10:27 am
The Bonfire Vineyards wine sounds delish, as do the meatballs. Are you willing to part with the recipe for the latter?? Meatball sandwiches are one of those guilty pleasures you never grow out of!
May 29th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
Dr.Debs,
It was and I am. I’ll try to type it up and email it to you sooner rather than later.
Sara,
Fun as always…more to come.
May 29th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
More often than not I find myself trying new wines with familiar foods, so this was a nice turn of the tables. Though the first two wines were new to me, what I enjoyed the most was trying new recipes (that I never would think to order or prepare myself) with the Barbera that I’ve come to know so well. Once again the Wine Pairing Queen pulls out another winner! I can’t wait to see what you’ll think of next…