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Pairings & Recipes
Our northern-Rhone style Syrah has a fullness and persistency to its dark fruit and spice flavors that makes it particularly suited to stand up to robust foods. We’ve found the flavors and food combinations below to be some of our favorite pairings with our Syrah. We consider them to be ideas and suggestions rather than rules. Rules are no fun! Mix and match to discover your own favorites!
Recipes are furnished compliments of Owners E.J. and John.
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Bridge Ingredients: These help to integrate the connection between the food and the wine. Our favorites include black pepper, black olives, black figs, rosemary, sage, thyme, and allspice.
Cheeses: These cheeses have the character to pair with our Syrah and can be used as excellent accents when lightly grated onto some of the dishes. Try aged Gouda and Gruyere, sharp cheddar, and other alpine-style cow’s milk cheeses like Saint-Nectaire.
Vegetables: Roasted or grilled vegetables make great complements to the dishes below. Roasting and grilling brings out the rustic flavors that pair so well with our Syrah. Simple preparations where the vegetables are sprayed with non-stick cooking oil or brushed lightly with olive oil and then sprinkled with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper before roasting or grilling work particularly well. Try it on root vegetables (especially new potatoes), eggplant, mushrooms, and onions.
Other Accompaniments: Hearty breads (such as whole wheat walnut or olive breads) or wild rice and walnut pilaf. |
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SPRING
There is a centuries-old tradition in Europe of pairing wine and lamb as a celebration of the coming of spring. Fortunately, the meaty, rich, wild flavor of lamb is a perfect pairing with our meaty, complex Syrah. The vanilla-scented berry flavors of our Syrah also add a nice balance to lamb.
Spring Lamb
1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 clove minced garlic
2 pounds butterflied, boneless leg of lamb or 10 4-ounce lamb loin chops (fat trimmed)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Rosemary sprigs
Combine the rosemary, oil, ½ teaspoon salt and garlic. Rub the mixture evenly over the lamb, cover, and marinade the lamb in the mixture for two hours.
Sprinkle both sides of the lamb with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Grill the lamb for about 3 minutes total on each side or until you reach the desired level of doneness. Using a meat thermometer, 145 degrees will be medium-rare. Be careful not to overcook the lamb. Garnish with the rosemary sprigs. |
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SUMMER
Summer means cooking dinner ont he grill almost every evening.Life should be fresh, easy and simple during the summer. Perfect for Tri-Tip!
Rocinante Syrah and Beef Tri-Tip
2 cups soy sauce
1/2 cup good quality red wine
(Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah are the best)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine the first five ingredients in a bowl and add the meat. Marinate at room temperature for 1 and 1/2 hours (no longer). For medium-rare, barbecue on medium-high heat (approximately 450 degrees) for about 15-20 minutes or until it registers 135 degrees on a meat thermometer.
A full-bodied, complex Syrah like the Rocinante Palindrome Vineyard Syrah is a perfect match for beef tri-tip. The soy sauce combined with a dash of sugar creates a savory flavor that coaxes out all of the flavor profiles of our Syrah. Tri-tip is most popular in California, but is available nationwide. It's the leaner, boneless cut of meat from the bottom sirloin and is sometimes called a "triangular" roast because of its shape. If you don't see it, ask for it!
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FALL
The harvest season begs for robust food that can stand up to our robust Syrah. We like to break out the beef or venison casserole. Our Syrah is assertive and spicy enough to allow us to use an ample dose of freshly ground pepper in our casseroles.
Peppery Beef Casserole
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 tablespoons fresh ground pepper
½ cup olive oil
2 pounds cubed steak or venison
4 slices of chopped bacon
1 chopped onion
1 cup beef broth
2 cups Syrah
1 cup chopped tomatoes
5 cloves chopped garlic
2 bay leaves
butter boiled potatoes (for serving casserole over)
Combine fennel seeds, pepper, oil, and meat in a large bowl, stir well, cover, and refrigerate overnight to tenderize and flavor the meat.
Pour everything into a large pan and brown the meat over medium-high heat. Stir vigorously to be sure the meat browns evenly. Transfer the browned meat to a separate bowl.
Reduce heat to medium and sauté the chopped bacon for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the chopped onion and sauté another 3 or 4 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the beef broth and wine to the pan and stir well to make sure any browned bits don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the meat back to the pan along with the tomatoes, garlic, and bay leaves. Bring everything to a boil, stirring really well, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 ½ hour until the meat is tender. Pull out the bay leaves and serve over a dish of boiled potatoes that have been partially mashed with a dollop of butter (so that the potatoes are nice and chunky/hearty).
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WINTER
Cold winter nights call out for comfort foods to warm your insides. Nothing screams “comfort food” like the perfect combination of pasta, sausage, earthy mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese, and Syrah.
Winter Pasta Wonderland
3 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
1 pound Italian sausage (or other interesting sausage), cut into ½ inch slices
1 ½ cups chopped onion
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 cups chopped portobello mushrooms
1 teaspoon dried rosemary (crumbled)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 ½ cups Syrah
2 cans drained, chopped tomatoes (about 30 ounces or 3 ½ cups)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 pound penne or other small pasta
Garnish: shredded aged Gruyere cheese, chopped parsley
Re-hydrate and drain the porcini. Sauté the sausage for 6 or 7 minutes over medium-high heat until they are evenly browned. Remove the sausage and sauté the onion and garlic over medium-high heat for 3 or 4 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add porcini, Portobello, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper and sauté everything for another 3 or 4 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the volume is about half. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and simmer for another 8 or 10 minutes. Add the sausage back in and heat through.
Prepare the pasta according to the package directions so that it is al dente. After draining, return the pasta to the pot, add in the sauce with the sausage and mix thoroughly (heat the whole pot a little more if necessary). Split into individual servings and top lightly with the shredded Gruyere and chopped parsley. |
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