Portobello Mushrooms with Couly-Dutheil Chinon Blanc Wine
I love to grill and cook sometimes the dishes are amazingly wonderful but other times things don’t turn out the way I expect them to. I know exactly why this is; I think of recipes as starting points, suggested road maps that should be as enjoyable to work and play with as the final destination, enjoying the finished meal. This thought process sometimes leads to over flavored seafood or wonderfully creamy decadent white cream sauce with chicken. As I’ve grown to appreciate wine over the past several years I have also come to appreciate balance. Things don’t have to be HUGE to have a big impact on a meal.
The Meal:
Last night I made a dish inspired by two different recipes, stuffed mushrooms and Portobello mushroom cap pizzas. Delicious (and yes that word was even used by my husband Steve when it was finally ready at 8pm!) I love stuffed mushrooms but sometimes they can get a bit heavy with meats, butter, breadcrumbs and strong cheeses. I recently read a recipe for Portobello mushroom pizzas that caught my interest. I had always been under the impression mushrooms were mostly water so worried with all that marinara sauce they might get soggy and the texture of the meal would be unappealing. So I decided to try combining parts of the Portobello mushroom cap pizza and stuffed mushrooms.
First I made a marinade to brush on the tops of four large Portobello mushroom caps. This marinade included: Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinaigrette, a few cloves of garlic, pepper, thyme and a very small pinch of salt. I blended this in my small food processor. It took a few tries to get the right balance of item;, don’t be afraid to taste your sauces! I placed the mushrooms gill side down on a baking sheet, brushed them with the marinade and put them in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 15 – 20 minutes.
Filling:
I wanted something fresh and light for the filling. Spinach, tomatoes, roasted tomatoes seasoned with a little more thyme sounded perfect. I cooked frozen chopped spinach and drained out all the water I could. Returning to the food processor I removed the liquid leaving a small coating with the pepper, garlic and thyme bits. To this I added about 2 tablespoon of the cooked spinach, 3 chopped roasted red tomatoes, half of a chopped tomato and a little more thyme. (I think tomatoes and thyme go so well together!) I blended this and had just enough to cover a thin layer on top of the gills of the four large Portobello mushroom caps. This worked as the sauce, for the toppings I used a few more fresh diced tomatoes, the rest of the cooked spinach and toped with just a sprinkle of fresh grated parmesan cheese. I put the mushrooms back into the oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese started to brown slightly.
The Wine:
Portobello Mushrooms have very big and meaty texture; as I’ve recently learned this becomes more pronounced the longer they are cooked. The tomatoes provided some nice acidity and the spinach had leanness to it in this dish. People often jump to red wine first when thinking about meat pairings but there are so many wonderful rich white wines that have the acidity and body to stand up to this texture. A Sauvignon Blanc would provide some great citrus notes but I was looking for something a little different. I wandered over to the French section of the store and immediately decided on the Couly-Dutheil Les Chanteaux Chinon. This is a white wine 100% Chinon Blanc from Loire region in France. In this region the grapes tend to be lighter, crisp in style with citrus flavors and often have a creamy texture. Everything I was looking for!
The first pairing was a raging success! Steve had been a little skeptical about the lack of meat in this meal but we both found the Portobello Mushrooms were filling and tasty. The ingredients really worked well together. Great balance of acidity from the fresh and roasted tomatoes a freshness in the thyme and leanness in the spinach. The Portobello’s stayed much firmer than I expected. The wine was elegant, rich and worked really well with all the components of the dish. The wine and the meal really complimented each other nicely and we can’t wait to share this one with friends!
I hope you enjoy this pairing as much as we did – if you have any questions or comments please write, call or stop in! I’m here six days a week! Cheers!
Emily Link
6/16/10
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