sybaritesauvage   Uncorking a Mind Twisted by Wine, Food, Love & Remembrance

This little guy doesn’t have a guilty bone in his body.  Neither should you.  Every Wednesday (though it could be Tuesday or Thursday) I will write-up a wine that I feel delivers good value for drinking in the middle of the week.  Aside from quality, my only other criteria is price.  To start, less than $15, but ideally less than $10, for a 750 ml bottle. 

I will also add any recipes that I paired with the wine.  I hope to leave you with a recipe that you can use to match up with a wine of your choice if you can’t locate the one I recommend.

No-Guilt Wednesday is not about compromising on quality.  It’s about all about drinking good wine that does not break the bank, eating good food and of course, it’s about sharing with the ones you love.  

Back in 2006, I had a dinner at La Pentola Dell Oro Osteria in Florence, Italy.  Scrolling through their menu earlier today, I came across the following menu item:

Risotto al Verde

Mantecato al burro con spinaci e pecorino toscano

I never had this dish when I was last there, but the thought of a risotto tonight was just more than I could resist.  And  spinach laced risotto would hit the spot.  Now La Pentola’s version has cream and butter.  We’re trying to cut back on calories, so held off on that.  My version has a sautéed spinach blended into a mushroom broth that is used to prepare the risotto.  Filling and satisfying, serve this as a first course before a roasted/grilled meat.  And maybe I will add the butter and cream next time. 

Domaine Sainte-Eugenie Le Clos 2009 ($9). From Languedoc, this blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan and Grenache felt a little flabby to me since the acidity was just a tad too soft making it a not so great food wine.  Still, this does have some elements that recommend it: baked cherry pie and cedar notes on the nose which played out on the palate.  A short to medium finish with medium tannins.  It would have been so much better though with slightly higher acidity.  Still, I enjoyed this enough that I would have it again.  Rated **

Green Risotto with Pecorino 

Ingredients

• 1 cup of dried mushrooms reconstituted in 4 quarts of boiling water, creating a mushroom broth.  Season with a smal amount of salt (1/2 tsp.)  Remember the Pecorino brings a natural saltiness to the dish at the end.
• 3 tbsps EVOO for the spinach
• 3 cups of baby spinach
• 3 tbsps EVOO for the onion
• 1 Medium sized White Onion finely diced
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
• 1 1/2 cups of grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Directions:

1. Boil dried mushrooms in 4 quarts of boiling water, creating a mushroom broth
2. While the mushroom broth is being prepared, saute the spinach in 3 tbsps of EVOO  until wilted and shrunken in size.  Set aside.
3. Add spinach to the mushroom broth and blend with a hand blender (or use a regular blender being careful not to scald yourself with the hot broth– ie., use the lid of the blender)
4. Saute the White Onion in 3 tbsps of EVOO in a frying pan until soft, but not carmelized
5. Add the arborio rice and stir with the onions for 3 minutes over medium heat
6. Using a ladle, add enough of the broth to cover the rice and turn heat down to low
7. Gently stir the rice adding the spinach-mushroom broth as you go along until the rice puffs up and is fully cooked.  Be patient, this could take 20+ minutes.  (cooking tip: keep a glass of wine with you during this part of the meal prep)
8. Once the rice is fully cooked (a little al dente), stir in the Pecorino
9. Serve immediately

Serves 2-4

Sybarite Sauvage ©