Simple Pairings: Dinner Ideas with Red Wines

An additional note to our earlier post regarding pairing Fireside white wines with dinner menus: our recently released LaCrosse, made with Iowa-grown white grapes, would pair well with most of the suggested recipes from the June 10 blog. It is an off-dry white which pairs nicely with food and provides a refreshing respite from summer heat. 

BEVERAGE SELECTIONS

CoCo and Cordovan are both dry red wines made from grapes that cannot grow in harsh Iowa winters. Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are used for CoCo, and red Zinfandel grapes are primary in our Cordovan.

 

CoCo enhances the flavor of any red meat, but we have a recipe for rib eye steak you may not have tried before. Choose sides of potato halves and green beans with mushrooms to round out your meal.

Ribeye Steak with Red Wine Pan Sauce  (CoCo)

http://www.dadcooksdinner.com/2010/05/ribeye-steak-saute-with-red-wine-pan.html 

(if grilling is not an option, use ½ cup of CoCo for the pan sauce.) 

Baked Potato Halves 

1 potato per guest, scrubbed and halved lengthwise  Butter                                                                        Seasoning salt

Dried or fresh parsley                                  Parmesan cheese, if desired

Heat oven to 350 degrees (can be higher or lower to accommodate other dishes in oven). Melt enough butter to cover bottom of appropriately-sized baking dish. Sprinkle desired amount of seasoning salt and dried parsley over butter.

 
Arrange potatoes, cut side down, in buttered baking dish. Dot tops of potatoes with a little more butter. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes to 1 hour, depending on oven temperature, number of items in oven and rack location.

Remove when fork tender. Flip each potato over. Add cheese if desired. Just before serving, set oven to broil and brown the cut sides. Can serve with sour cream or ranch style dressing.

Green beans with mushrooms (or bacon or other favorite preparation) and the zucchini medley both make nutritious side dishes for the rib eye or the marinara dinner. The garlic bread loaf featured below is also a tasty accompaniment to either main course.

Marinara (Cordovan)
Use Cordovan for the red wine listed in this recipe. 

http://www.mommiecooks.com/2011/09/09/homemade-marinara-sauce/

Zucchini Medley

Zucchini            Fresh tomatoes             Mushrooms               Minced Garlic

Choose at least 2 other fresh vegetables to blend with the zucchini (carrots, green beans, onions, yellow squash, kale, spinach etc)

Sauté most dense vegetables and garlic first in small amount of olive oil. When they approach tender crisp, add at least 1 tomato with its juice. Add more tomatoes, mushrooms and squash last - unless you are using kale or spinach, both of which should be last - and cook until they have reached desired tenderness. Freshly grated parmesan can be sprinkled on top.

Garlic Loaf

1 loaf French or Italian bread, sliced in half lengthwise

Butter                                                              Minced garlic

Italian seasoning (optional)                             Cheese, if desired

Place loaf halves side-by-side on a cookie sheet. Butter them. Spread or sprinkle minced garlic over them. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning (optional). 

Put in oven to warm. Remove to add cheese if using it (parmesan, mozzarella, Italian blend, rounds of provolone). Cut into slices or chunks to serve.

Simple Pairings: Dinner Ideas and White Wine Pairings

Dinner suggestions for pairing with our wines offer both inside cooking and grilling options. Enjoy your Fireside wine while you prepare these recipes as well as during your meal!

BEVERAGE SELECTIONS

Seyval, made of Iowa-grown grapes, is our driest white wine and has a light, oaky goodness. It is very refreshing alone and pairs well with white and light meats and combinations with heavier sauces. For the palate that prefers a softer, yet light and crisp wine, pair our Riesling-style BLU with these same meals. If you are fortunate enough to have a bottle of Fireside Vignoles remaining in your wine rack, it would also be an enjoyable off-dry accompaniment for these recipes.

DINNER RECIPES (and pairing suggestions)

Photo by Jim Lamb

P. F. Chang's Lettuce 
Wraps with Chicken

(Seyval, BLU)

Chopping and mixing the chicken filling ahead of time can help make this entree come together quickly at meal time.

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/292/PF-Changs-Lettuce-Wraps-wit105082.shtml

Try dicing chicken in small pieces if ground chicken is not available.


Salmon with Dill and Caper Sauce (Seyval, BLU)

By Dash

This skinny skillet dinner is simple enough for a weeknight meal, requiring few steps, enabling you to enjoy a glass of Seyval while mixing the sauce.
http://www.dashrecipes.com/recipes/dr/s/salmon-with-dill-caper-sauce.html  

Peppered Pork Loin (Seyval, BLU)

Blogger Megan (writing on Brooklyn Farmhouse) presents this recipe as super easy, simple preparation with simple ingredients  - in other words, perfect as a recipe to pair with our wine on a weeknight or weekend.

Times Record News

http://www.brooklynfarmhouse.com/2008/11/30/pork-tenderloin-with-black-pepper/ 

 

Another simple and easy pork chop recipe has only 7 additional ingredients to add to the meat. 

Easy Pork Chops 

(Seyval, BLU) 

Grill 4 pork chops.

Melt 1 Tbs butter in skillet. 

Add 1 Tbs oil.

Add mushrooms and lightly saute.

Add 1 cup any flavor broth and 2 Tbs chives.

Stir to blend, then warm chops in the mixture.

Remove chops to serving platter and keep warm.

Add 1/2 cup light cream and 2 tsp Dijon mustard. Bring to a boil, stirring until reduced and thickened to taste, adding salt and pepper if desired.

Serve with noodles or rice.  

A tasty side for the above dishes is applesauce, so two options given below are ideas for homemade versions.

Crock Pot Applesauce

http://myfrugaladventures.com/2012/10/easy-crock-pot-applesauce-recipe/http://myfrugaladventures.com/2012/10/easy-crock-pot-applesauce-recipe/

Stovetop Applesauce 

Peel, core and chunk apples of your choices. Cook on stovetop on low with a very small amount of water. Watch, stir and add water as needed. When cooked down to your texture preference, add cinnamon or other spices to taste (red hot candies are a fun option, but need to be added earlier, allowing time to melt).  Serve warm or cooled as desired.

  

Fireside Winery offers guests covered and enclosed areas in which to enjoy our live music Friday nights, 7-10, and Sunday afternoons, 2-5. We have you protected rain or shine, so come on out to try our wines and listen to some wonderful groups and soloists! Find our events listing at www.firesidewinery.com/events.