cork'd content: food and wine pairings

In lieu of today's Monday Meal Planning (I'm really, really, really sorry and I promise to make up for it this week) let's take Cork'd contributor, Nathan Scherotter's advice and get down with some classic Italian dishes and the wines that beg to be paired with them.

Pasta: The Perfect Pairings For Your Not-So-Typical Summer Meal

By Nathan Scherotter

With summer here, we always talk about what wines to pair with this hot season of the year. And while light, fun, crisp whites and easy-drinking fruity reds are normally the go-to during these next few months, at some point you have to sit down and switch it up a little. A long day out in the sun makes for a hungry, thirsty individual that just needs some gastronomic pleasure. Enter Italian comfort food – more specifically pasta!

Now we can go many different directions with this versatile grain. We can mix it with red sauce, meat sauce, and white sauce; with chicken, sausage, or various vegetables and oils. Pasta is filling, and when you want to lay back, relax, and replenish your system with carbs, it presents some awesome wine pairing options.

Below are some familiar Italian dishes along with the perfectly paired wine pick. Let the summer breeze blow and the good wine flow.

Scene One (not pasta but a great way to get ready for some):

The dish: An appetizer of prosciutto and melon

Ingredients: Unadulterated! Cured ham and ripe summer melon

The wine: Here is a really fun and light appetizer that brings together sweet and salty, all wrapped into a delicious way to wet your palate. Like any good meal should start, some sort of bubbly will be in order. The Italian Brachetto d’acqui is one of my favorite ways to kick off a meal; awesomely delicious and a touch of sweetness. Good acidity and low alcohol here will go perfectly with the melon and most certainly will hold up to the prosciutto. If you have any leftover after your first course (which is doubtful) it makes for a great after dinner drink too... [Read the rest at Cork'd]

weekend dinner fiesta

Image courtesy of Macy's

After the Cork'd Tasting on Monday night, I found myself in a cab flanked by two gents. Go, Kiira! One, an Arizona-native new to New York City, asked where he could find really good Mexican. The other, a Cape Codder, immediately exclaimed, "Dos Caminos!" To which, this Connecticut-raised girl responded, "It doesn't exist in Manhattan. Gotta go to the Red Hook ball fields." I then started to back peddle a bit as I reminisced about the fish tacos I had from Dos Caminos (which, by the way, are quite good), but eventually came to the decision that if you want a really good Mexican food experience, and a trip to Brooklyn isn't in your cards, you're going to have to pony up and do it yourself. And this weekend? You're throwing down a Mexican Fiesta.

The lack of fresh, authentic Mexican in New York City is a doggone mystery to me. For a cuisine so seemingly approachable, I can't understand how many places are serving up mediocre at best fish tacos. A piece of fish on a soft taco with shredded cabbage and avocado should always taste good. Because how could it not? Sadly, that's not always the case. But by making it yourself, well, your odds of success just increased infinitely.

shrimp ceviche with coconut milk, chile, and cilantro

watermelon-basil margarita

or: 2007 Chateau St. Michelle Eroica Riesling

grilled swordfish soft tacos with avocado, shredded cabbage, chipotle-lime aioli

peach salad with queso fresco

mexican street corn

2005 Clean Slate Riesling

dulce de leche flan

2005 Leonard Kreusch Beerenaulese

As for the wine pairings, Nathan Scherotter of Cork'd thoughtfully suggests the following:

"As a preface to the recommendations, we feel that Riesling, in general, is a great pair with all types of Mexican food. It compliments the flavors and combats the spices, making it a solid option. For the appetizer: 2007 Chateau St. Michelle Eroica Riesling. There has always been a lot of hype about this wine, but it's one of my favorites. Awesome lush, green apple and acidity make it a great way to start off the night. It will also work off of the lime and cilantro beautifully. For the main: 2005 Clean Slate Riesling. Our reviewers have loved this wine. It is a good change from the previous one--more of a mineral taste and very crisp and clean with some pear and peach action in there. I think this will really enhance the chipotle and peach flavors while not overpowering the fish. For dessert: Now let's get into some Late Harvest Riesling. The 2005 Leonard Kreusch Beerenaulese consists of apricot, honey, and pear with the needed acidity to match the texture of the flan. The flavors of the wine and dessert will go really well together."

And as always, if wine isn't your cup of horchata, feel free to throw a couple Coronas and Dos Equis in the cooler. They'll hold up just fine with this spread.

Now, andele! Start squeezing those limes. You're going to need a lot of them.

Shrimp Ceviche with Coconut Milk, Chile, and Cilantro

Adapted from a Tyler Florence Recipe, Serves 8

1-1/2 lbs. extra-large or jumbo shrimp, peeled

1-1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

3/4 cup finely diced red onion

2 cloves of garlic, grated

1 (or 2) serrano chiles, thinly sliced

1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped

salt to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil for the shrimp and add in a generous handful of salt. Add in the shrimp and allow to cook for 2 to 3 minutes, just until pink. Immediately transfer them to an ice bath to cool.

Drain the shrimp, pat dry, and cut into 1-inch size pieces. In a large bowl, combine the coconut milk, lime juice, onion, garlic, chiles, and cilantro and season with salt. Add in the shrimp and allow them to marinate, refrigerated, for about 1/2 hour.

Serve in martini glasses.

For the grilled swordfish soft tacos, I'd recommend picking up 4 or 5 swordfish steaks (to serve 6) and marinate them in fresh lime juice, fresh orange juice, fresh oregano, and garlic for an hour...no longer. Grill the steaks, about 4 minutes a side then transfer to a platter and cut into chunks for easy taco building. Whip up some chipotle-lime aioli by combining mayo with some chipotle in adobo, lime zest, and juice. Shred some green cabbage and slice some avocado. Tacos are ready for the table.

The peach salad could not be easier. Slice up some perfectly ripe (I prefer slightly under ripe) peaches, thinly sliced some red onion, add them to a bowl with a handful of baby arugula. Squeeze some fresh lime juice on top, a drizzle of olive oil, and toss. Crumble some queso fresco on top and serve.


(Watermelon-Basil Margarita, Mexican street corn, and dulce de leche flan recipes are linked above in the menu)