The Ultimate End-of-Summer Food & Wine Pairing - No grill needed.

No matter the season, I live for food & wine pairing!

The Ultimate End-of-Summer Wine & Food Pairing: No Grill Needed!

Yes, Virginia, the knock-your-socks-off end-of-summer pairing is a no-heat, no meat even, match with Napa Cabernet, or really any favorite red wine with some grip and spunk. As I’ll reveal, tomatoes+basil+Cabernet=music for your mouth. Read on!

Of course you were thinking grilled burgers and red Zin. Or maybe shrimp on the barbie with Chardonnay, but my pairing trades on seasonality of the ingredients – basil and tomatoes – rather than the technique, grilling. Yes, grilling is a rite of summer but with the heat we’ve had in some parts of the world, a literally no-sweat (no heat) pairing is just what you might be looking for. And because I live in Napa, I often have Cabernet open. Little did I expect that this match would be one of the best ever, truly worthy of classic status. Trust me, when you try it you will be amazed.

And the even nicer thing is there are several simple ways to pull this off. The easiest of all is the classic Insalata Caprese combination of fresh basil, fresh tomatoes, and buffalo mozzarella drizzled with olive oil. On my last visit to Tuscany, I learned to serve it on crunchy bread – think crostini or open-faced sandwich. Or, try adding soft scrambled eggs day for a brilliant light lunch dish (lots of cracked black pepper and finishing salt will put it over the top).

Another option is to make basil pesto and toss it with pasta and of course, the tomatoes. Or, toss the pesto with day-old bread cubes and lots of diced tomatoes, plus a little sherry vinegar, for a variation on panzanella, Tuscan bread salad. Whatever you do, add the best Cabernet (or maybe a Tuscan red) you can muster. The combination will make you swoon!

Andrea’s Basil Pesto – My variation on this recipe cuts down on the raw garlic which can be bitter and unfriendly to wine. I also add a bit of lemon juice to preserve the bright green color and pop the flavors. And finally, I use Spanish Manchego and/or Pecorino cheese instead of Parmigiano Reggiano, which is saltier and thus, doesn’t play as nicely with wine.

Ingredients

4 c loosely packed fresh basil leaves, washed and dried ~ 1 clove garlic, peeled ~ 1 pinch kosher salt ~ 2 tsp fresh lemon juice ~ 3 tbsp pine nuts, optional ~ 4 tbsp freshly grated Manchego or pecorino Toscano cheese (or a mix of the two) ~ 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Procedure – In a blender or food processor, combine the basil, salt, garlic and lemon juice. Add 2 tbsp of the oil and blend at low speed, stopping occasionally to scrape the leaves down around the blades, until you a achieve a coarse paste. Toss in the cheeses and pine nuts (if using), and the remaining olive oil and blend until the nuts are ground fine and you achieve a creamy paste. Serve promptly.

I hope you enjoy this pairing. Let me know what you think and what wine(s) you tried with it. My favorites were Groth Oakville Cabernet, the Monsanto Chianti Classico pictured, and Staglin (you can splurge on the wine when you haven’t blown your budget on marbled steaks!). Cheers!