Comments on: Red Wine & Fresh Tomatoes: What’s The Answer?

By: christopherwatkins

christopherwatkins — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:51:48 +0000

All great reminders, thank you!

By: Anne

Anne — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:58:00 +0000

It’s critical to not forget the toasted sliced almonds. Put 1/2c in a microwave-safe bowl & cook on high for 1-2 minutes or until light brown, stirring every minute. Sprinkled on top, they add a fantastic crunch to the dish!

Also, on the zucchini – I like to cut them into big matchsticks, about 1″ x .3″ x .5″. And then I usually chop up the core & add it too. I just like the way it looks this way.

And finally… I’ve found it necessary to prep everything before starting to cook. Otherwise the veggies end up cooking too long while I chop.

By: christopherwatkins

christopherwatkins — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:51:54 +0000

You know, you just may have a deal there! Let’s see, you’re in Belmont, is that correct? That’s not too far a jaunt to Monte Bello, maybe you’d be interested in doing a little wine and food tasting up here? Good be good fodder for our respective blogs … Let me know your thoughts, and let me ruminate on it a bit, and we’ll see what we can do …

By: Tim Beauchamp

Tim Beauchamp — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:27:10 +0000

Give me a call! I would be happy to try it again (For the sake of science of course!)

Tell you what; You bring the wine, I’ll bring the Caprese.

By: christopherwatkins

christopherwatkins — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:03:35 +0000

Wow, brilliant! So much in here to commend:
-LOVE whole wheat penne!
-Snapped green peas, wouldn’t have thought of that, nice touch!
-Have to rememebr to core zucchini, nice tip!
-Anytime kalamata olives and basil are in the same sentence, I’m a happy, happy person!
-MMMMM, sliced toasted almonds …
-The grenache, eh? We’re actually pouring the new 2004 Lytton Estate Grenache at our First Friday event this evening; I may have to bring a bottle home and have a go at this.

Thanks so much!

By: christopherwatkins

christopherwatkins — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:00:55 +0000

I love it! Stand up and shout it! Let me get an amen! Seriously, good on ya for sticking to your guns. And of course I’m THRILLED that you enjoyed the ’04 CMB with your Caprese. I think I’ll have to go test that myself, just to see what’s going on. Thanks so much for your comment! Amd for what it’s worth, I agree there is a lot of outdated convention out there about wine and food pairing that simply needs to be discarded. But that said, I still find fresh tomatoes and red wine a challenging pairing. But I look forward to more thoughts on the matter!

By: Anne

Anne — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:55:12 +0000

Boil 1 lb whole wheat penne pasta until done. While it cooks, in a large frying pan, saute 1/2c finely chopped onion & 4 cloves minced garlic in a small amount of olive oil. When softened, add 1c snapped green beans + 1 c zucchini (cored & then chopped) plus a small amount of water & cover; cook for 4-5 min. Then add 1c sliced snap peas, 1c pitted and halved kalamata olives, and 1/4c chopped basil. Stir & cook for 1-2 min. Add in 1-2c halved cherry tomatoes, stir, and cook until tomatoes are warmed through.

Stir 3/4c parmesan into the hot drained pasta, then stir in the vegetable mixture. Serve with more parmesan, toasted sliced almonds, and a Ridge Red (we like the Grenache with this).

By: Tim Beauchamp

Tim Beauchamp — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:46:30 +0000

I think that the problems isn’t that it is hard to pair your delicious wine with fresh tomato dishes. The problem is that the culinary press and talking heads have bought into this overly simplistic formula of how to pair wine and food.

At least we have moved beyond the very simple but overly restrictive meme of white wine with white meats (including fish) and red wines with red meats.

These rules are usually as useless and unreliable as finding a mate based on your Zodiac signs.

Your 2004 Monte Bello Cab was fantastic with Caprese, and I won’t let you or any website tell me otherwise.