Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Cooking explorations with wine! Antoniolo Bricco Lorella Rosato

Cooking explorations with wine!

Rejuvenating my lost passion for cooking, I have decided that I’ m taking over the kitchen from my wife and putting my ability --- or inability --- to cook to the test.

 Against the very critical palates of my two daughters (the oldest being 12 and the youngest, 7) and my wife’s, I choose a new  bottle or two of wine, a few nights a week, pick a meal that I believe will pair with it  and take over the kitchen.

 

Tonight’s wine choice:

The Bricco Lorella from Antoniolo, Coste della Sessia Rosato 2008: This Nebbiolo from Gattinara has a beautiful raspberry and strawberry aromas. Light and refreshing on the palate with a nice, clean finish.

****/5 Stars

 

Tonight’s menu:

 

 

 

 

Chicken thighs with smothered parmesan green beans. Recipe from Gourmet Magazine, March 2009

Bulgur Pilaf: Don’t ask!  This is my mom’s recipe.  Unless you borrow her special ‘teacup’ and ‘spoon’ to measure with, you will have to experiment by yourself till you get the proportions right.

In a nutshell, though, you sauté ½ cup of finely chopped onions with 2 medium-sized chopped tomatoes, then add a “good bit” of broken up vermicelli pasta.  Continue to simmer until the pasta is brown.  Add the bulgur and the chicken stock and simmer on low for ____  minutes (till you think is ready).

 

Pairing Success:

The wine worked perfectly with the pilaf, but when it came to the beans, the chicken and the sauce, it simply wasn’t working.

Cheers

Costas