Sure, this dish is spicy, but it’s also starchy — like gesso on a canvas, against which to paint the “color” of a spectrum of wines. A tad of acidity in either red or white will help lift the flavors that the preparation renders. If wine is red, watch not to use one that’s highly tannic. There isn’t enough fat or oil here to play against lots of tannin. Keep the red smooth and soft.
The food:
Beans and rice with andouille
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a saucepan; add 4 cloves chopped garlic and 1 chopped onion. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add 11/4 cups long-grain rice; cook, stirring, until rice is lightly colored. Pour in 1 can (15 ounces) chicken broth and 1/2 cup water; stir in 1 teaspoon thyme. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook until rice is tender, 15 minutes. Meanwhile, brown 12 ounces sliced andouille sausage in a skillet. Add 1 can (16 ounces) seasoned black or chili beans, a pinch cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste; cook until hot. Serve sausage and beans over rice, sprinkled with chopped cilantro. Makes: 6 servings
The wines:
2009 Hugel et fils Gentil, Alsace, France:
Almost half Gewurztraminer, with dabs of four other white grapes for a straightforward, juicy, nicely scented and crisp table white. Gulpable, not to be sipped with out-pointing pinkie. $15
2009 Dashe Zinfandel Dry Creek, Sonoma:
I love the elegance of Dashe zins that do not shirk on power (buckets of fruit; succulent, rich texture). Less a wine than a sauce. $24
2009 Beckmen Le Bec Blanc, Santa Ynez Valley:
A blend of Rhone white varietals — marsanne and rousanne, mostly — for the opulent juiciness they bring, tarted up with acidity from 16 percent grenache blanc for a frame on all that juice. $18
— Bill St. John, Special to Tribune Newspapers
