Pinot Evil and The Possible Pesto Terror

Early one evening last week Brian and I were talking about what to have for supper. I had some Pinot Grigio (pronounced pee-no gree-jhee-oh) in the fridge I had bought a couple nights before. I'd seen it on Beverage World's $5.99 table and picked it up. The name of it was Pinot Evil and there were three cute monkeys on the label. How could I resist? Plus I couldn't remember if a wine I’d sampled about a year ago and enjoyed was Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. I realized when I got home that day it was Sauvignon Blanc.

I of course considered the wine in the fridge before deciding what to cook for supper. I considered the ingredients I had and decided some sort of pasta would pair best with Pinot Grigio. Once researching pasta, I realized pesto was a key ingredient in many of the pasta recipes. Every pesto recipe, however, called for fresh basil. Well I didn't have fresh herbs (although hopefully by the end of the summer there will be some on my balcony)! I even tried to find recipes for dried basil pesto. No luck. They all wanted fresh…

I decided to make my own semi-pesto. Recipes I’d read called for pine nuts or walnuts- I used pecans. They wanted fresh basil- I used dried. I figured this was my first pesto ever- if it was bad I’d throw it out. I used bow-tie pasta as the base of my meal. I baked seasoned chicken tenderloins to chop and mix in.


After rubbing four chicken tenderloins with some extra virgin olive oil (EVOO as Rachel Ray would say) and a few spices (salt and pepper are in the gnomes, olive oil in the bottle that looks like wine, the others are the always-present Old Bay, Grill Time Chicken Rub, and a Cajun seasoning), I popped them in the oven as the directions say. After a few minutes I started my heat my water for the noodles. With the water on the stove, I got out ingredients for my pesto. I added a small amount of onion and jalapeño because they are two ingredients I love.

For the pesto I combined 2 ½ garlic cloves, 1/8 cup of pecans, a few small slices of onion, one large slice jalapeño, and ¼ cup EVOO. I mixed half of all my ingredients in a small food processor. At about this point I decided to pour my first glass of Pinot Grigio. The pesto mix looked good so I added the rest of my ingredients. Then I realized my pesto doesn’t look like pesto- I’d forgotten about the basil!! I then added about 1/8 cup of dried basil to the mix. It looked good and tasted, to the best of my knowledge, somewhat like pesto should. My only problem was that I now knew why the directions called for fresh basil- it is more leafy, earthy, and tender than dry herbs. The dried basil gave the mix more of a hard, chewy texture when it should have been somewhat creamy. It wasn’t bad, but it certainly was not of chef quality.

The Pinot Grigio was a tart flavor accompanying me in my cooking. Upon first sip one eye wanted to twitch, but the flavor was now growing on me.
The water in the pot began to boil, and the chicken (as far as the directions read) would be done in a couple minutes. I added the bow-tie noodles and oven timer went off. The chicken was still pink. I set the timer for another ten minutes after flipping each piece. Ten minutes would be the maximum time needed for the chicken to be done. This actually worked in my favor. The noodles needed to boil for another ten minutes, so it seemed everything would work out on time.
Once the noodles were done, I checked the chicken again. It looked questionably done, however it did not have the browned and herb-crusted finish I was looking for. I figured anther few minutes and the chicken would be good. I rinsed the pasta in cold water and waited. ‘Why not make good use of my time?’ I thought. I got the onions and peppers back out and sautéed just a small amount in some EVOO. I added the extra half of a garlic clove from earlier to the mix. Once the mix looked nice and flavorful again, I checked the chicken. Still wasn’t the crusty brown I was looking for!!! My noodles at this point were room temperature- I’d have to heat them up again to create my meal.

I turned the noodle pan and the sauté pan burners on low. I waited for my chicken. When it finally looked about done, I began preparing the plates. The pesto was a little clumpy and didn’t seem to cover all the noodles equally, so, as you can see in the picture, I added a spoonful of Cheesy Ragu Roasted Garlic Parmesan to each plate. It is an awesome sauce!!

Sorry if the sleeping cat distracts you!

Garlic was certainly a prominent flavor since it was in my sauce, in the veggie side, and in the pesto. It was good, but I will probably use a little less in the future. I could taste the acidity in the wine cutting through the simplicity of the pesto. It was a subtle, delightful taste… at least up until I mixed in the onions and peppers. I had added the onions and peppers because they are two of my favorite ingredients. They go good with- and add flavor to- so many things. But with this dish, the side of wine was feeding my taste buds such acidity that the acids in the onions and peppers were overkill.

Since I used the dried basil, it seemed more little pieces got stuck in my teeth than would have of I’d used fresh basil. With all that said, I give you a word of advice: 1) never use dried herbs when ALL recipes for that specific item call for fresh and 2) when using dry herbs, check your teeth after eating!!

Chili with Shiraz, Anyone?

The chili was great... as always (not to brag). And the Shiraz, well, wasn't terrible.

Brian and i had finally stocked up on all the ingredients for chili, which is the dish we cook most often. We'd been planning on cooking it for a while, and since we were both off today we had plenty of time make it. We do not follow a recipe, but i can tell you some of the ingredients: ground turkey, chili seasoning packets, chili beans (kidney), red beans (dark and light),diced tomatoes (zesty chili style), sweet golden kernel corn, chicken and/or beef broth, rotel, tomato paste, fresh jalepenos, fresh celery, and almost one whole large onion, lots of various spices, almost in abundance.

We combine all of the ingredients and simmer for a bit, then cook on low for another couple of hours (until both the celery and onions have lost most of their crunch).

Chili is not something i think of as wine-compatible, but i decided to do a little research before going to buy a strainer, thinking i may just pick up some wine to go with our bowls of yumminess. There were a few wines said to pair well with chili- i decided to buy one i had not tried before. I passed up the "sweet Shiraz", which i really wanted, and settled on Lindeman's Bin 50 Shiraz. It was reasonably priced and sounded questionable. If i plan on becoming a seasoned wine connoisseur- i can't keep buying only sweet wines. When i returned from my trip to Kroger and Beverage World, our roommate Rimmer was home from work. He was delighted because he'd planned on coming home and eating Ramen.

The chili was now simmering on the stove, and i couldn't wait two or so hours to try the wine. I opened it up and poured a glass. Rimmer, stating he would try a sip, poured just enough into his glass to cover the bottom. Brian took a sip of mine as Rimmer tried his. "Uh... this is awful!!" Brian exclaimed.
"Awful?" i asked. "It is bad," replied Rimmer. I, now fearing the worst, took a sip. It wasn't bad or awful, but it wasn't necessarily good, either.

I decided to keep drinking, because they say wine is an acquired taste. The wine wasn't so bitter i made a face, and it wasn't so dry i couldn't stand it. It actually, very slowly, gained it's own semi-sweetness in my mouth. The sips that tasted the sweetest were the ones i drank after taking bites of onion and celery from the pot to see if the chili was ready.

It finally was ready- and i had two bowls, both topped with sour cream, cheese, and oyster crackers. The first bowl i added Tabasco to, the second i added Tapatio. The Tapatio hot sauce goes very well with chili, in case you were wondering. The Shiraz, on the other hand, went with it okay. I personally would have preferred a nice cold Dr. Pepper. The sweetness i had tasted after trying the onions and celery had long gone, and in comparison to the great taste of chili, the wine was not up to par. I did, however experience new flavors when drinking the wine with the chili- pepper. The label of the Shiraz said something about plum and spices, which all sounds nice, but usually i cant taste all of those flavor and aromas- i either like the wine or i don't. But i guess the spices in the chili brought out a bite in the wine. I finished the glass of wine after my chili. I have to say- my last sip tasted a lot better than my first.

So i am not yet a pro at pairing - i would recommend beer or soda with chili- but i am slowly learning about different wines. My final decision on Shiraz is not so final. I do not plan on buying it soon, but i would not go so far as to say i will never drink it again. iI just have to remember wine is an "acquired taste."

Three terrible and tasty things with Heritage Moscato

Tonight I made bacon wrapped lil' smokies. Yum! I had not eaten, or even thought of them for that matter, in years. I was only recently reminded of their wonderfulness in late January , when I ate one at my aunt's house for a birthday party thrown for my mom and cousin. These were one of the many snacks along the table, so I only placed one on my plate. When I finally bit into it, I decided it was the yummiest item on my plate. I have been dying to make them myself since. Tonight I Googled a simple recipe to get me started, then I got busy. First, I cut bacon into thirds, then wrapped each each smokie with a third of a piece of bacon. Hold the bacon in place and pierce a toothpick through the entire piece to keep it together. Then place them in a single layer in a pan and sprinkle with a generous amount of brown sugar. Cook at 325 degrees for 40 minutes (brown sugar should be bubbling at the bottom). Viola! Bacon wrapped smokies!!

I paired this, for no rhyme or reason as far as pairing goes, with Almaden Vineyard's Heritage Moscato. I'd tried this wine once, when Brian and I visited his friend in Chicago. We had never heard of the brand and we knew we like Moscato. This time I bought it because the Beverage World was out of the wine we usually sip on, and this box, close to the hole on the shelf shined up at me as if to say,"Hey! Do you remember me. The wine from Illinois!!"

This wine comes in a yellow and black box. Even if you think boxed wines are cheap and unclassy, please consider that the packaging is better for the environment and the absence of glass allows the wine to be sold at a less expensive price. That's classy in my book! My first thought about the specific brand itself was that the company should have chosen a different pour spout. If you are a drinker of boxed wine- you know what I am talking about. Some have the button and some have the twist... this had a twist spout, and did not have an extension at the opening to allow the wine to drain easily into the glass. But enough about the spout... it's what's beyond the spout that I'm here to tell you about.

The wine first hit my lips with the sweetness of a sugary white grape juice; It was smooth. At the point of swallowing I felt a tangy burst of slight carbonation. The acidic fruitiness of the wine was pleasing. It is definitely a wine for sipping, as the sweetness can become overpowering as more is consumed. I don't think I'll drink much tonight, but since it has the airtight spout, it will stay good for up to six weeks in the fridge. I am sure it will all be consumed soon enough...

As for the smokies- they were good! I didn't follow the recipe's brown sugar amount since I had broken the batch into two: a few in small pan for me and Brian tonight, and even more in a larger pan in the fridge for when we have company. The brown sugar and the bacon grease do indeed mix for a pleasant sweetness. The tops were just crispy enough and the bottom were moist (but not soggy) from sitting in the bacon grease. The only thing I plan to change for next time is how I sprinkled the sugar. I just used my hands tonight to allow chunks of brown sugar to rest on top of the appetizers. When they came out, the brown sugar clumps sat almost like candy on top of the bacon. Had I used a sifter, there would have been a smooth sweetness over all of them, instead of clumps here and there.

I would call my adventure tonight a success, both the wine and the dine were good. I hope you will join me for my next wine and dine at home experience!


simple recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/bacon-wrapped-smokies/

my picture of the wine box: http://pinterest.com/pin/112660428148384644/

smokies before the oven: http://pinterest.com/pin/112660428148384639/

after the oven: http://pinterest.com/pin/112660428148384642/