 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
 Gnocchi and Portobellos
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
This is another in our series of quick mid-week meals served with great wines. This is a great light summer meal for those warm evenings when a heavy meal is just too much. The wines selected, made from the Sangiovese clone, Brunello, are very diverse in pairings based on their acidity and good tannic structure . We were looking for something that would work well with the spicy earthiness and fruit in the wines and portobello mushrooms with some sweetness from red onion, tomatoes and yellow peppers worked beautifully. The acid worked well with the cheese and gnocchi, keeping them from feeling too heavy on the palate. Any vegetable with a bit of earthy taste to it would work well with this meal, like carrots or zucchini. We choose a sauteed summer squash with olive oil.| Foods: | Paired Wine: |
Gnocchi: Topped with porcini oil and . These Italian version of a potato dumpling have a great texture when cooked just to done, but can fall apart or become sticky if overcooked. It is great topped with porcini olive oil and cheese, which gives it a nice nutty, earthy flavor that works well with a good earthy wine. Mushrooms Topping : Mushroom with tomatoes - The mushrooms and sweetness of the tomatoes and peppers pair beautifully with the Brunellos, matching the acidity levels as well. These wines need a food with a good bit of body, and the portobello mushrooms supplied that perfectly. The red wine added to the sauce works as a bridge as well, but works best if it is some form of Sangiovese or Chianti. We served this on the side of the Gnocchi, but you could serve it over the Gnocchi as well. |
Wine 1: 2001 Van der Vijver Sangiovese, Sierra Foothills: This is a fairly full bodied, smoky flavored wine with good oak and fruit characteristics. Not overtly fruity, this has some great cherries with cooking spice from the oak aging and a bit of tea. There was a lovely satan mouthfeel with some pretty decent, but not high, acidity. It paired beautifully nicely with the mushrooms, and was fine with the Gnocchi, but not quite as good as the La Selvaccia. Wine 2: 2000 La Selvaccia, Brunello di Montalcino : This is full bodied, slightly earthy wine with some great spice, licorice and just a bit of black fruit. This wine has a great mouthfeel with a long finish of tea and fruit. This went very well with the mushrooms, which complemented the earthy wine flavors and worked nicely with the Gnocchi, cutting the tendency towards blandness in this potato dumpling. |
|
Portobello Mushrooms and Tomatoes |
Heat skillet, add Olive Oil and heat. Add onion, peppers and garlic; cook roughly 5 minutes until onions are tender being careful not to burn the garlic. Add mushrooms, tomatoes and spices. Cook until mushrooms start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cook until reduced roughly in half, about 10 minutes. |
| Gnocchi 1 package gnocchi with mushrooms 1 Tbsp canola oil infused with porcini mushrooms (a good extra virgin olive oil would work as well) 1 Tbsp chopped chives Parmesan cheese, grated Salt & pepper to taste |
Bring a large pot of water to boil water and add gnocchi. Return to a boil and cook until Gnocchi begins to float on the top, about 5 minutes. Do not overcook or it will become sticky and chewy. Drain. Place in large bowl, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on plates, top with cheese and chives. Either top with Mushroom dish or serve on the side. |
