Monday, January 24, 2011

You be the Sommelier

I found myself alone in the house on a recent evening, and starving. There wasn't a whole lot in the fridge though, just a hodgepodge of leftovers. Carrots and rutabaga that I roasted with a chicken earlier in the week and forgot to eat, a slice or two of brisket and a bit of the braising liquid, some rather dry leftover white rice, and other random items.

The plan took shape - leftovers soup. The braising liquid could be the broth, and if I added the juice from a can of San Marzano tomatoes, it might be only reasonably beefy, as opposed to tremendously beefy. Sauté a bit of onion with a sprinkle of pimentón, add the rice and some salt and toss well, add the carrots and rutabaga. I pushed the combined braising liquid and tomato juice through a sieve and added it to the pot, brought that almost to a boil, added the chopped brisket pieces, simmered for a minute, and that's it. A soup of leftovers, and deeply satisfying too.

So that's the dish - beef soup with rice and vegetables. Please, you be the sommelier. What would you serve with this dish? Leave your ideas in the comments and in a few days I'll share what I drank and whether or not it was a good match.

21 comments:

Nicola said...

It seems earthy and meaty, so maybe a Chinon or some other cab franc from the Loire.

Henri Vasnier said...

Beef and root veggies: a winter-weight Rhone, whether from France or elsewhere, preferably with a little age on it because primary fruit likely isn't going to sing with the stock. We had a nice 2000 Gigondas from Perrin the other night that would have worked, although for this specific dish I might try something with a higher proportion of syrah and/or mourvedre.

LeifJuice said...

Easy one - old school Rioja, lighter model. An aged Bosconia or perhaps an Ardanza from La Rioja Alta.

Anonymous said...

Maybe a langhe (Sottimano is my fave), because it has enough fruit to stand up to the stock and enough acid to take on the brisket.

Aaron said...

I like this one; the dish would go well with so many hearty reds from Aglianico to Zweigelt, so your readers draw from their own preferences and project them upon this wide-open canvas. As the man sitting behind you writing furiously might say, "very interesting..."

I'll pony up: Chinon would be great, I'd also maybe opt for Crozes-Hermitage or St. Joseph, nothing too oaky. Or because of the tomato influence, I'd also think strongly about a bright, un-spoofed Tuscan Sangiovese, like Felsina or Montevertine.

That just scratches the surface, though. Curious to see what you decided.

Weston said...

Cab Franc came to my mind too, mabye a Tuscan Cab Franc?

Daniel said...

Why not a (maybe semi-sweet) German Riesling?

Cliff said...

Zweigelt sounds right.

Clotpoll said...

Really good, authentic Beaujolais (not the carbonic travesty of Duboeuf's style): Dalicieux's Villages cuvee, or a Trenel. Grapy and refreshing.

Barbera d'Alba or Asti would do well, too. Scarpa and Grasso come to mind.

Wicker Parker said...

My first thought, Rhodaniennes syrah, would be good, but on second thought I'd opt for Loire gamay - or, if more esoteric options are handy, grolleau or cot.

Anonymous said...

Verset 2000

-Adam

viNomadic said...

Either a Barbera or a traditional Jumilla, Monastrell- Tempranillo blend...

Jeff and Mandy said...

You've probably dived in already, but thought for certain a Nerello Mascalese would have been perfect, for about 50 different reasons. Azienda Agricola Graci's Mt Etna Quota 600 came instantly to mind given your pictured dish/ingredients.
2006 or 2007, no matter. What a stunning wine, and what immaculate transmission of terroir.

bill lundstrom said...

a glass of stout. old rasputin from north coast brewing.

i have never liked the match of still wine and soup. i like some bubbles to contrast with the liqiud of the soup broth.

Winey The Elder said...

Montepulciano d'abruzzo, barbera d'asti or Occhipinti frappato.

Sean said...

I'm siding with the Cabernet Franc lovers this time: Bernard Baudry, Chinon, les Granges, 2007.

If you make it again next year: Bernard Baudry, Chinon, les Granges, 2009.

Beyond that, my crystal ball gets all soup-stock cloudy...

Peter said...

The first thing that came to my mind was Hilberg-Pasquero's Vareij, a brachetto-barbera blend.

Anonymous said...

Marcillac or Gaillac. Get some Fer Servadou in there! Savory with savory, you know?

Anonymous said...

My first inclination was to go with a Loire red, Gamay, Cab Franc or Cot because of the meat, however I think the best match would be an Alsatian white, specifically Meyer Fonne’s Edelzwicker (1L bottle—a blend of 60% Pinot Blanc, 15% Muscat, 15% Chasselas and 10% Riesling). The key for me in choosing this wine is that the stock would marry well with a bone dry, floral wine that has a touch of sparkling acidity. Also a 100% Pinot Blanc would work. A Riesling maybe a good option too depending on how spicy you made the soup. Looking forward to what you actually chose!

Brooklynguy said...

I waffled on thus one. First I thought a red but I couldn't devoid on one whose tannins wouldn't conflict with th soup. Then white but again, I had trouble deciding. The Alcase idea is one I wish I had thought of. I drank Gutierrez Colosia Amontillado and it honestly was fantastic with the soup.

Thanks for all of the ideas.

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