European Rose

I'm still feeling Rose, so I'd like to make another suggestion...How about some chicken salad and a nice 2006 bordeaux rose....This rose will be a little dryer than drinking something like the American Sutter Home that I suggested in my last post. As I said, American rose's are usually sweeter and not so pricey. They give good bang for the buck.

Make up a batch of chicken salad...add a hunk of french bread and voila.......lunch on a sunny autumn afternoon....

My favorite chicken salad comes from the Wildflower Cafe, which is located in Mentone, Alabama. I was there a few years ago, travelling with my sister. I've updated the recipe a little for my own tastes, but not much..

This chicken salad makes a delicious luncheon salad served on lettuce leaves with sliced avocado, or fill sandwich rolls with the mixture.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shreaded chicken
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 cup seedless green grapes, sliced
• 3 green onions, with some green, thinly sliced
• 1 rib celery, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  
• Salad greens, optional
• Shredded raddiccio, optional
• Sliced avocado, optional

Preparation:

Combine the shreaded chicken with 1/3 cup mayonnaise, sour cream, sliced grapes, sliced green onions, sliced celery, walnuts, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Stir in more mayo, if needed. Serve the chicken salad mixture on salad greens and raddiccio and garnish with sliced avocado. For sandwiches, line sandwich rolls with lettuce leaves and fill with chicken salad.
Serves 4 to 6.

If you'd rather have a different wine...try a beaujolais, or your favorite red....or if you'd prefer a white...a chardonnay-which leaves you open to just about anything..because as the french say-"it's all chardonnay, cherie..

Or maybe a chilled sauvignon blanc...

salud!

© 2008; Jo Anne Moore, JAM Publications

Salud!

I call myself a connoisseur of fine wine. I do collect, sometimes, laying some bottles down in the dark to age a little bit. I enjoy reading about wine and visiting vineyards and wineries. I've been drinking long enough to have definite tastes and favorite wines. I've spent enough throughout the years to justify my self titled "connoisseur label."

I even have a prized possession, a 1955 Chateau Lafleur Bordeaux, that I plan to drink if Obama wins the presidency. If he doesn't win, I will drink it sometime in 2010 because that's when it will have reached its time....

I love the ambiance of grape. I like having my friends ask me for tips, or advice when they're wining and dining their latest conquests under the candlelight.

But I have to be honest......I just love a good glass of wine...with or without food. Food is always good...but it's the grape that makes the meal.

And that's why I started this blog...to talk about what I like....Wine and the food that sets it off.

A couple of times a week I'm going to talk about wine and then I'm going to give you a recipe. I'm not going to go gourmet on you...I'm going to keep it simple...It's about enjoyment...not snobbery.

So let's fire up the stove and pop that cork!

It is officially fall in my neck of the woods, and while the weather has turned cool, I'm still in a summertime kind of mood, so today, I'm thinking Rose wine or Blush as it is sometimes called..

Rose wines are the light pink wines that many people drink over ice, kind of like adult kool aid. That's because it can be a sweet wine, like white zinfandel. European rose tends to be drier.

If you'd just like a glass....go buy a bottle of Sutter Home white zin...it's cheap and refreshing. Remember, the price of the bottle doesn't mean that what's inside is any good. Sutter Home works.

If you're going to pair it with food, I've been happy with grilled chicken or even barbecue ribs, depending on the sauce.

I've paired white zin with a burger and fries and a green salad. Simple, filling and refreshing.

If you would prefer a little pricier rose, then look for a french rose...drier and made for pasta and shrimp...



Shrimp with Lemon Basil Pasta

Servings: 4 Preparation Time: 5 min. Cooking Time: 10 min.

Ingredients:

1/2 Lbs. linguine or other pasta 3/4 Lbs. cooked shrimp, thawed and drained 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice 1-1/2 tsp. basil leaves 3/4 tsp. garlic salt 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking Directions:

Cook pasta in a large pan of boiling water 10 minutes, or until al dente. Add shrimp and drain immediately. Return pasta mixture to pan. Combine next 5 ingredients in a bowl. Toss with cooked pasta and shrimp. Sprinkle cheese over pasta and serve immediately. About: 380 calories * thanks Nubella for the recipe... ©2008,JoAnne Moore,JAM Publications