When you read an article about wine pairing you see adages like “red with meat and white with fish” and “a cup a day keeps the blue cow away.” You never hear “don’t artichoke without a glass of dry rosé nearby” or “white with raw and red with roasted.” But you should, because when you’re framing your dish around the veggies, you still need to properly pair. Check out these 4 amazing vegetarian recipes and then take a look at our 10 Tips to Pairing Food & Wine post to get even more wine pairing knowledge.
La Rambla Cava and Tempura Veggies with Miso-Mustard Sauce
For the sauce:
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup white or yellow (aka mellow) miso
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoons unrefined cane sugar
For the batter:
- Canola, grapeseed, or peanut oil, for frying
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, chilled
- 1 cup rice flour, chilled
- 2 1/3 cups ice cold seltzer water or pale ale beer
- 1 red or sweet onion, cut into 1-inch slices and separated into rings
- 1 large sweet potato or yam (about 8 ounces), sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 8 ounces green beans, ends trimmed
- 8 ounces broccolini, ends trimmed
- 1 head fennel, quartered and cored
- 15 sprigs fresh Italian parsley
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Directions:
For the sauce:
- Whisk everything together, taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use. (Sauce can be made up to 4 days ahead.)
For the batter:
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels then fill a large saucepan with at least 2 inches of oil (about 6 to 8 cups oil). Insert a deep frying thermometer and heat the oil to 350°F over medium-high heat.
- Meanwhile, prepare the batter. Combine flours in a medium bowl then nest it in a second bowl of ice water (to help keep the batter as cold as possible). Add the cold seltzer or beer to the flour and whisk until just combined. (There should be a few lumps left – if you over whisk it will get gummy.)
- Place a handful of the prepared vegetables in the batter and toss to coat. Remove vegetables one by one and let excess batter drip off. Place carefully into heated oil and cook, stirring a few times, until just beginning to color, about 1 minute for the thinner vegetables and 3 minutes for the thicker vegetables. Remove to paper towels, season with salt, and repeat to cook all vegetables.
- Serve hot or warm with dipping sauce, lemon wedges, and extra salt.
2012 Willow Crest Riesling and Golden Beet Salad with Pistachios and Goat Cheese
For the salad:
- 4 cups baby arugula
- 3 medium-sized golden beets
- ½ cup pistachios, roasted
- 3 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
For the dressing:
- Whisk lemon juice, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until combined.
- Continue whisking while slowly drizzling olive oil into bowl until emulsified. Set aside.
For the salad:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Wrap beets in aluminum foil and roast for 1 hour. When cooled, remove skin and slice the beets into ¾ inch wedges.
- In a medium bowl, dress arugula leaves to taste. Divide arugula among four small plates. Top each salad with beet slices, pistachios, and goat cheese. Drizzle with additional dressing if desired.
2011 La Pinot and Mushroom and Kale Risotto
- 7 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups oyster and shitake mushrooms, chopped
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 bunch kale, chopped
- 2 ½ tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups Arborio rice
- ¾ cup brandy
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- fresh ground pepper
Directions:
- Heat broth in medium sauce pan until simmering. Reduce heat and keep warm.
- Heat butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the shallot, mushrooms, kale, and salt, reduce heat to medium, and cook until translucent, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Add rice and stir to combine, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add brandy. Cook, stirring, until liquid is almost evaporated, a few minutes.
- Add ½ cup warmed broth to skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until broth is almost absorbed. Repeat, gradually adding broth ½ cup at a time and stirring, until rice is tender but still al dente and sauce is creamy. The process should take about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Stir in ¾ cup Parmesan cheese. Continue to stir until combined. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan cheese.
2010 Sant’ Elena Chardonnay and Grilled Zucchini and Corn Tostadas
- 2 avocados, chopped
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
- 2 ears of sweet corn, husk removed
- 3 small zucchinis, cut in half lengthwise
- ½ cup cotija cheese
- 6 soft flour tortillas (taco size)
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush tortillas with olive oil and use a fork to poke little holes in the tortillas so they don’t puff up in the oven. Bake on a cookie sheet for 4-5 minutes, turn, then bake for 3-5 minutes more until golden brown and crispy.
- Preheat grill to medium-high. Lightly brush zucchini and corn with olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Place on grill and cook for 7-10 minutes, until charred and just beginning to soften. Remove, let cool, and then chop zucchini into pieces. Use a sharp knife to remove the corn kernels from the cob.
- Place zucchini, corn, green onion, cilantro, and avocado on tortilla, squeeze over lime, and top with cheese.
