Easter Dinner and Wine

This past Easter Sunday I was having a difficult time trying to figure out what wine would pair well with our food.  My family is of Lithuanian origin, so in addition to ham, we also have kapusta, a greens dish (called lapiene), as well as homemade raisin bread (razino piragas); not to mention scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, ambrosia and a sweet jello-like loaf.  All in all a huge mish-mash of different flavors and tastes.

Since there weren't many wine drinkers at dinner, I knew that opening both a red and a white would be a bit odd.  So I opted, instead for a pinot noir we were saving in our fridge from a trip to Switzerland. It was a wonderful taste for the meal - the perfect balance of some body, without the butteriness of, say, a chardonnay.

We had this wine while staying in Switzerland with family, and it was absolutely delicious!  I am afraid, however, that it may have lost some of its flavor in the travel between countries. Still an excellent buy if you happen to find some over here. And it was a wonderful way to celebrate a special occasion!

The perfect VA day for a wonderful (surpise!) Virgina Red

For those of you not in the DC region - we've had our fair share of winter this year.  Here it is mid-April and we even had a few snow flurries earlier this week. About two months ago, during one of our winter storms I was thinking of what I could make for dinner that would warm the soul and heart - and make for a nice meal with my husband and I.  

I called up my Mom and asked for my Grandmother's Chop Suey recipe.  Interesting enough, I could not stand this dish when I was little - honestly because I had no idea what it is.  The recipe is relatively simple:

Ingredients:
2 onions
1 bunch celery
3-4 lbs of veal and pork
1 container fresh mushrooms
bean sprouts (optional)

The recipe - copied from my grandma's verbal instruction (hey she is 98 - she doesn't need recipes) is as follows:

Chop two onions
Chop celery 
Add the above to a pot, just cover with water (not a whole pot of water) and bring to a boil.  Simmer until celery is soft.

Brown meat in pan.  When meat is brown add to the above pot with veggies and continue simmering till soft (maybe 2 hours). If using fresh mushrooms, boil first for about 10 minutes and add to the mixture near the end. If using canned mushrooms add the can to the pot. Add bean sprouts at the end if desired. Add 1/2 bottle of soy sauce (more/less)to taste.

Serve with rice if you like.

Enjoying Narmada's Reserve Cabernet Franc on the
patio overlooking the vineyards

When looking through our wine for the right one to go with veal and pork I decided upon an unlikely subject: A 2011 Cabarnet Franc from Narmada Winery in Virgina.  Now, for those of you who aren't from the VA area, they do Cab Francs quite well - in fact I would recommend them over other regions.  They have a slightly mellow flavor that gives the ooomph of a red without the big body flavor.  Since most reds in VA are quite young, they too aren't quite as bold.  

At any rate, we were not disappointed. Narmada is a newer winery, owned by Pandit and Sudha Patil, who are retired Federal employees.  It is situated on a beautiful piece of land in the foothills of the Shenandoah valley. We happened upon it driving home from a late season camping trip in November. It was warm enough to be on their patio and enjoy some of their wine, as well as the fresh apples we had bought at a road-side stand nearby.  

Wine, sunshine and autumn - who could ask for more?

The winery is at once unique - decorated with Indian decorations - including their signature peacock on both their glasses and wine bottles. The food served at the winery is mostly of an Indian variety - which makes it a nice change compared to typical vineyard fare.  All in all, it is quite a lovely experience - one that was unexpected and made for a beautiful fall, and later on a wonderful spring evening warmed by chop suey, wine and love.