Wine

By Leigh Pomeroy

Food and wine for winter

Great red options abound to complement winter dining

As I write this, it's below freezing outside and snow is on the ground. This is quite an adjustment from the weather in Newport Beach, California, where I was just a week or so ago. Yes, we are entering the guts of Minnesota winter, and my thoughts turn from whites and rosés to hearty reds.

During this season I regret losing the option to visit the Mankato Farmers' Market every Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday. But fortunately, during November through March, the market is open 9 a.m. to noon every first and third Saturday at Bomgaars in Mankato.

Another consequence of winter is that I've had to put away my Weber barbecue, so I'm forced, not so unhappily, to concoct intriguing pasta sauces on my stove.

They always start with plenty of quality virgin olive oil (I prefer Greek Diamond from Bill's Imported Foods in Minneapolis), in which I brown onions or shallots. If I want meat, I add ground lamb, beef, pork, chicken, turkey or sliced sausage.

Then I put in fresh mushrooms (preferably from Rebel Rooster Farm in Good Thunder, available from the Mankato Farmers' Market or the St. Peter Food Co-op), bell peppers (red, yellow or green), crushed garlic, and fresh or canned tomatoes.

Once this mixture is bubbling gently, I add a medley of herbs from my herb pots in the sunroom, generally basil, parsley, rosemary, sage and oregano, plus (of course) red wine and salt and pepper to taste.

I select a pasta, which I cook al dente and then, after draining, toss it with butter or olive oil.

With this meal I can pair any number of hearty reds. Italian selections, of course, are preferred. Good reasonably priced choices come from southern Italy, including Primitivo (the Italian name for Zinfandel), Negroamaro, Nero D’Avola, Salice Salentino or Etna Rosso.

Other Italian options include Sangiovese-based reds from Tuscany, like Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Rosso di Montalcino or, if budget is no object, Brunello di Montalcino.

Some wines from northern Italy can fit as well, most notably Barbera and Nebbiolo (particularly Barolo, if you can afford it) and a few reds from northeastern Italy like Valpolicella Ripasso or (for special occasions) aged Amarone della Valpolicella.

Southern French reds work terrifically as well. Good choices include southern Rhônes like Gigondas,

Lirac and Côtes du Rhône, or the intense, opaque offerings from the Languedoc and Roussillon.

From the U.S., Zinfandel, Sangiovese and Barbera all possess the right stuff to match my hearty sauce.

Certainly, one does not live by pasta alone. I also like to prepare Crockpot meals. (OK, so I haven't invested in an Instapot yet.) The only downside is that these take all day to cook, so start early in the morning.

I begin by pouring a generous amount of olive oil in a skillet and then add stew meat, preferably lamb or beef that I've bought at the Farmers' Market, then brown it on all sides with salt and pepper. At the same time, I put in the Crockpot tomatoes, chopped onions and crushed garlic. To this I add diced potatoes. Sometimes I also add peppers (whatever color is on hand) and mushrooms.

Once the meat is browned, I put it in the Crockpot with the tomato mixture. If I'm using lamb, I often add canned lentils or black beans, because beans go so well with lamb. Again, I go to my herb pots and select a medley to add to the stew.

Some eight hours later when the stew is done, I'm ready to open the wine. Here is where a California or Washington Cabernet Sauvignon or even some hearty Pinot Noirs from the Russian River Valley or Edna Valley, such as those made by Mankato native Stephen Dooley under his Stephen Ross Wines label, go well. Zinfandel, Sirah and Grenache blends are also good bets to match the flavors of the stew.

Other wines that match well are hearty reds from Italy, the Rhône Valley and other regions of southern France, Spain (Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Castilla y Leon or Catalonia) and Australian Shirazes.

I love centering dishes on tomatoes because I like the flavors they impart. But also tomatoes are very healthy for you, and cooked tomatoes, many nutritionists say, are even more healthy than fresh.

Either way, one thing I know for sure is this: Tomato-based dishes combined with hearty, gutsy reds are a great way to make the Minnesota winter cruise by.

Leigh Pomeroy is a Mankato-based writer and wine lover.

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