The premise of today’s culinary stroll is simple. I have been searching for three recipes well suited to late summer and early fall dining and intend to match them with wines a step or two off the mainstream. Follow me.
ITALIAN CLAM AND BEAN SOUP
Eight servings
In Italy, while the quality of white wine has been improving, no one would raise an eyebrow if you poured a red with this bean and clam combination. An increasingly popular source of wines of either color is the island of Sardinia. Progressive winemakers are producing easy-to-drink wines that are considerably lighter and fresher-tasting than in the past. One name to look for is Sella & Mosca, a winery that produces white terre bianche and red tanca farra.
1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/2 cup white wine or dry vermouth
1 bottle (10 ounces) clam juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 or 3 large shallots, peeled, thinly sliced
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 dozen clams, Manila preferred, scrubbed
2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed under cold running water
Salt, pepper, additional olive oil and thyme, optional
1. Combine 1/4 cup parsley, wine, 1/2 cup water, clam juice, oil, shallots and thyme in a large, non-corrosive pan. Bring liquid to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain. (Recipe may be done ahead to this point.)
2. Reheat broth and add clams. Cover pan and cook until clams are open, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove clams, discarding any that are still shut. When cool, remove clams from shell.
3. Add the beans to the broth only long enough to warm them. Divide beans among eight warm bowls. Add six clams and 1/3 cup broth to each bowl and garnish with remaining parsley and optional salt, pepper, olive oil and thyme.
ASIAN CHICKEN SALAD
Four servings
For some time now, gewurztraminer has been the panacea for those who want to drink wine with Asian food. Aggressively perfumed, it is vinified dry in Alsace (with special late-harvest exceptions) and off-dry in California. Another approach is to pour sauvignon blanc, one that is crisp and herbal (grassy to the naysayers), not a pseudo-chardonnay. To offer a wine made as close to Asia as great wine gets, consider the excellent sauvignons coming from New Zealand. Wairau River 1997 is a fine example.
For the salad:
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
1 small carrot, peeled and shaved in thin strips with a vegetable peeler
1 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) bean sprouts
1 medium rib celery, cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch pieces
4 ounces rice stick noodles *
For the dressing:
2 red or green serrano chilies, split, seeds removed and minced
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce*
3 limes, minced peel and juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 green onions, chopped
2 cups shredded lettuce
Fresh coriander leaves (cilantro) to taste
* Available at Asian markets and some supermarkets
1. Prepare the salad. Poach the chicken breasts in water to cover, about 10 minutes. Drain and, when cool, shred the meat. Set aside.
2. Combine the carrot, bean sprouts and celery in a bowl. Cover with water and add several ice cubes. Refrigerate. Soak the rice noodles in warm water to cover for 20 minutes. Drain.
3. Prepare the dressing. In a mortar or small bowl, combine chilies and garlic and pound to a paste. Add the fish sauce, lime peel and juice, sugar, black pepper and green onions. Mix well, then set aside.
4. When ready to serve, combine the chicken, drained vegetables and rice noodles in a bowl. Add the dressing and toss. Arrange the lettuce on a large plate or platter, add the salad and top with coriander.
APPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
Eight servings
Tasters find hints of apple in several types of wine, but no varietal delivers more delightful apple aromas and taste than the riesling. Sweet rieslings, grouped in the late harvest category (auslese in Central Europe), can be a dessert in themselves. Serve them in small portions with desserts like this that are not cloyingly sweet. Imports from Austria are finding favor in restaurants, while California and Washington state bottlings are good domestic choices. Arrowood (the source of this recipe) and Chateau St. Jean produce California gems, while the Hogue Cellars, Columbia Crest and Chateau Ste. Michelle wave the flag for Washington state.
For the topping:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For the cake:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder,
1/4 teaspoon each cinnamon, nutmeg, salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
Whipped cream, optional
1. Heat an oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 10-inch pie plate or cake pan.
2. Prepare the topping. Pour the melted butter into the pie plate. Sprinkle brown sugar and pecans evenly over the butter and arrange apples evenly over all. Sprinkle lemon juice over the apples. Set aside.
3. Prepare the cake. In a bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a second bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk to the creamed mixture. Spread batter over apples.
4. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.
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Adapted from “Recipes From the Vineyards of Northern California,” by Leslie Mansfield
