Chianti the Winning Match for Fettuccine with Chicken

Fettuccine is popular in our house, as noted here recently. But one can only have the alfredo version so much, so I was ready to make a new version. So far I've been pleased with what I've made from Giada De Laurntiis' Everyday Pasta and her Roman-Style Fettuccine with Chicken is no exception. In this dish, chicken breasts and a bit of thigh meat gets braised in a sauce comprised of sauteed bell peppers (see photo), pancetta, garlic, tomatoes, wine and herbs. Served over fettuccine, the result is quite tasty.

I had the opportunity to try two different wines with the dish. My instinct is typically to serve Italian wine with a pasta dish, but was down to just one bottle of Chianti in the cellar with a lot of pasta in the food plan for the week. So I thought I'd try an alternative--was looking for something medium bodied and perhaps a bit rustic. But the 2006 Centeilles Minervois, a Languedoc red blend, just didn't work too well--though it has a nice finish and mouthfeel, there's a touch of gaminess to the taste that was a bit overpowering for the dish. I do recall I liked it quite a bit when I first tasted it at the shop. I suspect I probably first had it paired with sausage or something hearty like that, which would be a better match.

The simple 2008 Banfi Chianti Classico ($10) we had, on the other hand, served as a good example of the benefits of pairing wine and food from the same region. Granted, this wasn't a classic Italian dish (they don't really tend to combine pasta and chicken) but the essential flavors of the tomato and pepper sauce married very well with the Chianti. The wine had enough acidity to stand up to the tomatoes, medium body and a pleasant cherry fruit. Just the right combination to enhance rather than overpower the dish.

Chianti is the preferred option for this one I'd say, from my sampling, but I'd anticipate a Barbera would also be good.

Cilantro & Lime Two Ways, with a Rosé

After a slow summer, ready to get blogging more again--including some simple recaps of good food and wine experiences. Last night I put together two simple dishes based on cilantro and lime together, for one tasty meal. Now, I don't get credit for either recipe--but should get some props for putting them together, especially on a Monday night after a long day of training.

The Farfalle with Feta and Chipotle is a regular weeknight go-to dish in our home. It has a lot of flavor from the cilantro, lime and chipotle sauce (no cooking required for the sauce); balanced by the rich feta and crunchy pumpkin seeds. We often have this farfalle as the main course along with a salad, but thought it would also go well with the Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa. The chicken gets marinaded very briefly in a cilantro & lime juice concoction, then is topped with the tasty avocado and tomato salsa.

I don't know if it's every kid's cup of tea, but our five year-old loves the combination of cilantro and lime combination. And we were definitely on the same food wave length this week. At Whole Foods, I had him smell the cilantro to get his distinct aroma. He took a deep breath, and said, "When are you going to make that chicken that has this on it and is dipped in the lime juice?"...His lucky day, that's what I was getting the cilantro for!

I guess I passed on to my son the appreciation for the fresh, clean flavor of cilantro and lime together. I definitely enjoyed these two dishes together, along with a side of sauteed spinach. I realize though that featuring it prominently in two dishes on one plate might not work for all; if you're just a mild fan of these ingredients you might just pick one of these to try first!

Wine pairing: I had to pause to consider what would go best with the avocado salsa, I thought that would be the toughest element to match. After getting the ingredients for this meal, I headed to the Saturday tasting at Pairings and sampled a delicious little Rosé, Les Trois Chenes, produced by Sas Gerard Duffort, just north of Provence. As I suspected, this Rose was a good match for the lively flavors of the meal. It has a gentle fragrance, with a floral element to the taste along with peach fruit. And it's a steal at $10, never mind the discounted price at the tasting!

Fettuccine, A Meal of Memories

Certain dishes carry emotional weight that transcend its taste qualities. For Proust, the taste and smell of madeleine evoked powerful childhood memories. In our family,the creaminess of fettuccine is one of those memory laden meals.

It's the first dish I cooked for Jodi when we were first dating. At the time, it stretched my culinary skills. Now, it's a great option when I want to cook something relatively simple that is still special. Which came in handy the other day. For B's first day of kindergarten, I asked him what he'd choose for me to make to mark the special day. Without hesitation, he quickly requested "Fettuccine!".

My basic method for making the dish is pretty similar to the first time I made it--I think I was following a box top recipe. I know there are more "proper" ways of making the dish...I know the fettuccine we enjoyed on our honeymoon in Venice wasn't made this way! But this is quick, easy & tasty, a combination not to be tampered with. However, I do now adjust the recipe so that our son with his food allergies can enjoy a dairy free version--yes, that's right, dairy fre

e fettuccine, is pretty tasty! Below I present the regular way to make it along with the dairy-free adjustments.

Ingredients

1 lb fettuccine

3/4 cup olive oil

3/4 cup of grated parmesan or romano cheese*

1 cup heavy cream (or substitute Silk Soy Cream or So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer)

1 bunch broccoli, chopped

3 carrots, sliced

Pepper & parsley to taste

Begin boiling water to cook the fettuccine. Meanwhile, steam the vegetables in an inch of boiling water--add the carrots first, broccoli about 4 minutes later. Carrots take about 10 minutes; don't overcook. Drain and set veggies aside.

Cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain fettuccine. Quickly proceed to adding the cream ingredients. Typically I'd stir in cheese followed by oil then cream. But to make 1 non-dairy portion, I first add the oil and non-dairy cream, then pull out a serving of noodles and combine them separately with the non-dairy parmesan cheese; and then add the dairy cheese to the rest of the noodles.

After stirring in cheese, oil & cream, and getting it to a nice consistency, stir in the veggies, pepper and parsley. If you're using the non-dairy cream, I'd be especially generous with the pepper as the non-dairy cream is a bit on the sweet side (though less so with the coconut milk).

Serve, enjoy and add your own memories!

*Notes: We really like the Galaxy Nutritional Foods Vegan Grated Parmesan Flavor Soy Topping. Unlike most nondairy cheeses, which I find taste like plastic, this adds pretty good flavor. It is pricey though, so even though I like the taste OK, we just make the 1 non-dairy serving with it and use regular cheese for the rest. Take care on soy cheese products if you are trying to be dairy free; many still contain dairy milk proteins.

As to the dairy cheese, for most things I like to get a block of parmesan or romano and grate my own as I needed. But for this dish, the consistency works better if you get the kind that is already ground to a fine consistency.

Wine pairing: We often have a Chardonnay to go with the creaminess of the dish--I like the Russian River versions that tend to have a touch of the butter and oak without overdoing it, plus a hint of minerality. Another we paired with this dish recently is the Vega Sindoa Chardonnay from Spain's Navarra region. A white Rhone based on Roussanne and/or Marsanne also has the body to stand up to this dish if you want something different.

Cape Food & Wine Notes

Vacation means a break from many things, but not from enjoying good food and wine! Up early before the rest of the crew this morning, thought I'd share some of what we've been tasting.

The "chefs" in my generation of the family each do at least one night of serious cooking on the vacation, at a Harwich cottage my parents rent and share with us. We arrived early Saturday evening. While many people were still enjoying the beach, my brother in-law was busy making homemade pasta. That wound up being served with a spicy grilled steak. The main course was preceded by a lobster bisque Doug started by cooking up a lobster's shell for a few hours to create the base stock. Nice to arrive to such good eats!

I was up for the next day's meal. I visited a local farm on Bank St., Harwich, and had a chance to chat for awhile with the farmer, hearing about how he has been picking apples for several weeks already due to our hot summer. I grabbed some great tomatoes that served as the basis for a Caprese salad, which was the first item I served, followed by some scallops seared in garlic & oil. For the main course, I made this Spicy Lemon-Rosemary Pork Tenderloin, though I grilled it rather than using the oven. The pork was well received, though probably got even better feedback on the side dish of Mushroom Farro, prepared similarly to this recipe without the beef. A vegetarian at our table ate this as a main course.

I figured bringing wine from the shops I know back home would be a good way to have some tasty, good value wines to go with our food. Seaglass Sauvignon Blanc, Viu Manent Malbec from Chile, Tres Picos Garnacha, and Lesec Costieres de Nimes have all fit the bill very nicely.

Rest assured, we have let local restaurants do some of our cooking too. A spontaneous lunch at Brax Landing was a nice way to eat with a view of the harbor. For dinners out, we've been seeking places that have good quality food without being too tough on the wallet. Del Mar Bistro in Chatham was a good spot for some creative pizza along with a nice salad; and I enjoyed chowder and salmon last night at Marley's. Both are good family spots.

***Well, we're hunkering down now for Hurricane Earl...well supplied with food & beverage to get us through the storm!