27 Wednesday Jun 2012
Tags
antinori, chateau ste. michelle, chicken with white beans and kale, col solare, pancetta, tuscan chicken, wine pairing, wine pairing with chicken
I wanted to create a healthy yet delicious weeknight meal and in my search, was inspired by another wonderful Cooking Light recipe. This dish of braised chicken thighs has a wonderful flavor base from pancetta and onions. I really think the combination of those two flavors can elevate many dishes to magnificence.
22 Friday Jun 2012
Tags
clos de los siete, malbec wine pairing, michel rolland wines, pancetta, stuffed chicken, wine pairing with chicken
I have made stuffed chicken breasts over the years, and have fallen victim to the pitfalls time and again. I decided to challenge myself recently to come up with a recipe and process to make super delicious stuffed chicken breasts with minimal pain and suffering.
21 Thursday Jun 2012
Posted in Wine
A couple of times a year I need to bring wine with me on a plane. This is most often because we have gone wine tasting in California and bought wine to bring home. A few other times though we have visited friends and family and brought wine to share and give as gifts. If you have ever carried a full case of wine, and are not crazy strong like The Incredible Hulk, you know that it can be heavy, awkward and basically a real pain. Enter the Wine Check carrier.
18 Monday Jun 2012
Since my husband went gluten free nearly two years ago, we eat a lot of rice in our house. For those most part, the rice on a typical weeknight menu is basic; light and fluffy white or nutty and healthy brown rice. Every now and then, I kick things up and bring out the arborio rice to make risotto. It is more work but it is so worth the extra effort.
Shrimp & vegetable risotto
15 Friday Jun 2012
Posted in Wine
I was recently in upstate NY (where I grew up) to visit my family and attend a few events. As I was driving along one of the main roads out to my parents house, I noticed a sign along the road for a winery. I almost turned around to drive by it again because I thought I must have misread the sign. I had no idea that there were wineries in this area. I was giddy and intrigued and rushed home to look for the website, which I found. Amici Vineyards is located in southern Washington County near Valley Falls NY (about a half hour north of Albany, NY). I emailed the owner and winemaker, Joe Messina, and made an appointment for a tasting.
14 Thursday Jun 2012
Tags
bricco manzoni, Italian wines, mushrooms and wine pairing, nebbiolo, portobello mushrooms, sausage wine pairing, stuffed mushrooms, wines from lange, wines from Piedmont
Portobello mushrooms are a natural fit for stuffing due to their size and shape. They are like little veggie plates. Some recipes for stuffed mushrooms are rich and decadent, while others are light and full of various chopped vegetables. I wanted to make a stuffed portobello that lived somewhere in the middle and could be served as a main course entree. This recipe could use any kind of sausage as the flavors really come from the spices in the sausage as well as the tomato based sauce. I used turkey sausage because it is lighter than pork and there was absolutely no sacrifice in flavor.
Sausage Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
12 Tuesday Jun 2012
Posted in Wine
I recently attended an Italian wine tasting at my favorite local wine shop, Tower Wines, and was blown away by the elegant Brunello wines that we tasted. The event was led by the incredibly charismatic Luciano Castiello of Castello Banfi and even if I had just listened to him and not tried a single wine, I would have fallen in love with the wines of Montalcino.
Castello Banfi wines from Montalcino
11 Monday Jun 2012
Tags
Do Bianchi, Hawk Wakawaka Wine Reviews, Italian Wine Geek, Kreativ Blogger Award, NJ Vinoman, Smitten Kitchen, Tablas Creek, the blissful adventurer, Veni! Vidi! Vino!
Paprika & Pinot was recently nominated for a Kreativ Blogger award by NJ Vinoman of Veni! Vidi! Vino! What a thrill and I am over the moon excited about this very cool honor. I regularly read the vivid and mouthwatering reviews of wines tasted by NJ Vinoman and often wish I could be there trying them as well! He really has some wonderful stories too about how he came to try the various wines that he writes about.
04 Monday Jun 2012
Tags
arneis, DeMarie wines, grilled polenta, mushroom gravy, pork chops, smothered pork chops, wines from Piedmont
I love the idea of pork chops. A healthy alternative to steak that cooks quickly and is a sponge for various seasonings and sauces. Successfully cooking pork chops is another matter though, as lean pork chops can easily be overcooked and become dry, tough and simply unpleasant. Since I like a good challenge, I wanted to make insanely delicious and juicy pork chops, with minimal effort. I am pleased to say it worked out well.
Pan Seared Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy over Grilled Polenta
