The Melting Teapot

There’s a large school of thought out there that never pairs red wine with veggies, insisting that whites and roses are the only way to go.  I’ve even heard some wine experts say that vegetables just don’t pair with wine at all, unless there is added fat (butter or cheese) to cut the acids and tannins in the wine.

However, as a wine lover who eats “mostly-veg,”  I have found many vegetarian wine pairings that break these widely held beliefs. I encourage you to stray away from the familiar expectations and over-applied rules of wine pairing.  Try some new things – be adventurous as you explore food and wine!   You might end up stumbling into something as wonderful as I did two years ago.

Red Beets & Big Red Wines

This was initially a chance encounter for me. I wanted to have a glass of wine with dinner but wasn’t sure what to choose, since none of my recipe or pairing books mentioned beets. We were having a dark purple, very beet-filled risotto, made with roasted beets that are pureed and then stirred in with the last addition of broth.

I decided to go with the “similar flavors” style of pairing and pulled out a rather sweet and mineral-driven pinot gris from Alsace, thinking it might pair with the natural sugars and earthy notes of the beets. It did not work at all.  Together, they both became way too sweet, and the flavors buried instead of enhanced each other.

Luckily, we were decanting a petit syrah for later in the evening, a bottle of 2005 Jeff Runquist Petite Sirah "R" Enver Salman Vineyard.

Out of curiosity, I poured a glass of this to try with the beets. Amazing! This was a wonderful pairing. The beets toned down the edge of oak in the petite sirah, raising the fruit level and bringing out some extra herbal notes. In turn, the wine toned down the natural sweetness of the beets, bringing a nice earthy tone to the risotto. Serendipity led to a really wonderful pairing!

I have since successfully paired red beets  (in main dishes, and in salads) with many types of red wine – syrah, cab sauv, tempranillos, and a few Italian reds.  

Here is the recipe for my beet risotto dish (based on a recipe from Rachael Ray).

Red Beet Risotto with Sauteed Beet Greens

(serves 2-3 as the main dish)

Roast 2 or 3 medium beets: Scrub beets well to remove dirt. Trim off tops and bottoms but leave skins on. Reserve greens for later. Place beets in a square of aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Close the foil tightly, then place in 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes (until they're tender). When done roasting, let them cool enough to handle, then use paper towels to rub off the skin.

Ingredients:

Pre-roasted beets, chopped then pureed in a food processor or blender (or give them a good squishing with a potato masher)
2 cups veg. broth + 1 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1/3 cup white or red wine

Beet Greens, thick base stocks removed (but the thinner, higher ones are fine), chopped roughly

1. Bring stock and water to a boil in a saucepan. Turn down heat to keep broth simmering.

2. Place medium-large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, then onions and garlic. Saute until onions are tender, then add cup of rice to toast in the pan (about 1 minute longer).

3. To the rice, add wine and cook until liquid has evaporated. Turn heat down, to keep the rice simmering gently but not burning or sticking. Once the wine is absorbed, it is time to start the process of adding broth.

4. Add ladle of warm broth, stirring carefully but frequently until all liquid is absorbed (about 4-5 minutes). Add another ladle of broth, again stirring frequently until absorbed. And again. . . and one more time. With this last ladleful of broth, add the pureed beets.

Beet Greens: these take about 3-5 minutes (start them with the last ladle of stock).  Heat your sauté pan to medium high, then add a quick swirl of olive oil.   Toss in the greens and stir.  They will turn a darker color and wilt.  Add a pinch of salt & pepper, and/or finely grated nutmeg.


Serve risotto topped with Sauteed Beet Greens.

Optional (but not really necessary):   serve freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano on the side.