"eat this with…" Food and Wine Pairing Cookbook

Like wine? Like food? Like cooking? Ever wonder how to put food and wine together? Okay, okay, enough of the questions already, let’s get down to the issue at hand! We live right in the middle of some of the most amazing wine country in the world (no, we’re not biased at all) and there’s always a need to come up with good food to go along with all that good wine. Problem solved! Our good friend Lisa Pretty, owner of Pretty Smith Winery, writer, foodie, artist, etc. has just published an incredible cook book called “eat this with…“. The concept is simple and effective; make the recipe and then serve the dish with the recommended Paso Robles.

“eat this with…”

This cookbook has a ton of great recipes from appetizers and small plates to salads, main dishes, soups and desserts! In other words, everything you’d ever need to eat alongside a Paso Robles wine. I (Annie) decided to try a few recipes and, of course the wine pairings! To start this party off, I had to go with the Beef Bourguignon. In my book, this is the quintessential dish to pair with a rich Cabernet Sauvignon…and there were no disappointments here! The recipe is done along the lines of her royal foodliness, Julia Childs, but a little on the lighter side, which I appreciate! There’s a little more emphasis on the vegetables, and a little less on the butter, not that there’s anything wrong with butter…right?

Which wine do we eat this with???

As suggested in “eat this with…” we went the the DAOU Cabernet Sauvignon. There were several Cabs on the list, but we happened to have some DAOU in stock, and we also happen to really love their wines, so we went for it! You really can’t go wrong with beef, slowly simmered in red wine for hours with lots of garlic, seasonings and veggies. Then you throw a glass or two of an incredible Cabernet Sauvignon and you’ve reached some serious food and wine bliss. Want the recipe? It’s below…

Lisa Pretty really knows her way around wine and food, and the cookbook shows that. If you want to get one for yourself, we just happen to have a deal for you! Click here…enter “Matt2012” and you’ll get 20% off! Enjoy!!! Or, if you look over on the right sidebar, you’ll see our new ad for “eat this with…”. We love supporting things that we believe in, and we actually really dig this cookbook…AND Lisa, so check it out and impress people with your wine and food pairing abilities!

Beef Bourguignon – Serves 8

Ingredients:

4 pound chuck roast, but into 2-inch cubes

2 + 1 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon each, salt, course ground pepper, dried thyme

1 large onion sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 bottle dry red wine

2 cups beef broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried sage

3 dried bay leaves

2 pounds mushrooms, quartered

2 medium turnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Method:

Preheat oven to 450F.

Using a paper towel, dab beef pieces to remove moisture (making it easier to brown). Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large Dutch oven and over high heat, brown beef pieces on all sides. Work in batches to give the beef plenty of room. As the beef is browned, remove it from the pan and to a large bowl. Coat the browned beef in flour, salt, pepper, and thyme.

Using the same pot, saute the onions and garlic. When the onions start to soften, return the beef to the pot, remove from the stove top and place in oven, uncovered. After 5 minutes, remove from the oven and stir, return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes. This should form a light crust on the beef that will keep it moist and tender during the long cooking process. Remove from oven and reduce oven temp to 325F.

On the stove top, add the wine, beef stock, tomato paste, sage, bay leaves and stir. Once it reaches a slow boil, remove from stove top, place lid on the pot and return to the oven where it will slowly simmer for 3 hours.

45 minutes before the beef is ready, saute the mushrooms in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Once they begin to release their juices, season with salt and pepper, and saute for one additional minute.

Add the mushrooms, turnips and carrots to the beef, stir and replace the lid. Return to the oven to cook for the remaining 40 minutes. Prior to serving, taste and then season with additional salt and pepper as required. Serve in large bowls with a sprinkel of parsley for garnish.