Volume 11, Issue 68 - October 4, 2006 |
Greetings Member,
 "Any good cook knows that the choice of wine (or beer!) can make or break the
meal. Nothing could be more disappointing to a cook than having your efforts
fall flat because of a misstep when it comes to pairing drink with food. In
compiling the wisdom of wine and beverage experts in WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT
YOU EAT, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg have done an amazing service for
all lovers of good food."
—José Andrés, chef-restaurateur and winner of the 2003 James Beard Best Chef:
Mid-Atlantic Award
Welcome back for Day 3 with our special guests Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page,
authors of the new book WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT: The Definitive Guide
to Pairing Food with Wine, Beer, Spirits, Coffee, Tea — Even Water — Based on
Expert Advice from America's Best Sommeliers.
We are addressing food and beverage pairing this week, which is a subject of
increasing importance to every chef. The more you know about different foods and
beverages, the better the matches you'll be able to make.
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Gnocchi with Lamb Ragu
Adapted from the recipe by
Nicola Marzovilla
i Trulli
New York, NY
www.itrulli.com
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 pound lean ground lamb
1 (28- to 35-ounce) can Italian tomatoes with their juice, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
salt to taste
freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
Preparation:
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for
10 minutes, or until the onion is tender. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Stir in the lamb and cook 15 minutes, stirring frequently to break up any lumps,
until it is no longer pink. Stir in the tomatoes. Add the tomato paste, bay
leaf, salt and pepper to taste.
Bring the sauce to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring
occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 1 1/2 hours.
Serve with gnocchi and grated cheese. (Gnocchi recipe follows.)
Serving salmon?
Look it up in WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT, and
you'll see that it's a peak pairing with Pinot Noir, and generally goes
very well with Chardonnay.
But if your dish features salmon with dill, you might consider serving
Sauvignon Blanc instead, since it complements dill so well. Or, if you're
serving the salmon rare (e.g. as sashimi or tartare), consider serving it with
Champagne or another sparkling wine.
WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT allows you to look up specific herbs,
spices and other flavorings (e.g. cilantro, cumin, garlic, lemon, rosemary,
etc.), and to discover which beverages best complement them.
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Gnocchi (Potato Dumplings)
Adapted from the recipe by
Nicola Marzovilla
i Trulli
New York, NY
www.itrulli.com
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds baking potatoes (about 4)
3 large eggs
3 teaspoons salt
pinch nutmeg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
Preparation:
Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling water until a fork easily pierces
the center. Peel the potatoes. (To make the peeling of the hot potatoes a little
easier, hold the potato with an oven mitt or kitchen towel and scrape out the
flesh with a spoon.) Pass the potato flesh through a ricer or food mill. As you
are ricing the potatoes, let them fall evenly in one layer onto a large pan,;
this helps the potatoes cool and reduces excess moisture. Let cool, about 15
minutes.
Transfer the potatoes to a clean workspace and pull them together, making a well
in the center. Crack the eggs into the center; add 1 teaspoon of salt and a
pinch of nutmeg. With your fingertips, work the potato and egg together to make
rough dough. Sprinkle 1 cup of flour over the potato mix and gently combine. If
the dough feels wet, add a bit more flour (up to 1 1/2 cups). Knead the dough
until it is smooth and uniform, 3 to 4 minutes. If you are uncertain about the
dough, pinch off an inch piece and boil it. If it is mushy you will need to add
a bit more flour.
Form the dough into a rectangle and cut it into 8 equal pieces. On a flat
workspace, roll each piece into a ropelike cylinder, about 18 inches long and
the width of your finger. This can be awkward at first, but glide your fingers
out over the dough, working it back and forth while gently pulling outward.
Lightly dust each piece with flour.
Place 2 lengths of dough horizontally in front of you. With a knife, cut across
the dough to make 3/4 inch pieces. Repeat with the remaining lengths. Spread the
gnocchi in a single layer on a tray so they don't stick together.
To cook the gnocchi, bring the water to a boil with the remaining 2 teaspoons of
salt. Gently add the gnocchi to the lightly boiling water and cook until the
gnocchi float back up to the surface, 2 to 3 minutes.
Beverage Pairing Recommendation:
Il Trulli's sommelier Charles Scicolone recommends serving this with
Aglianico del Vulture DOC Riserva 1999, Tenuta del Portale (Basilicata).
Adapted from
WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT by Andrew Dornenburg and
Karen Page.
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