October is #Merlotme month and you are invited to participate! All you have to do is drink merlot (um, easy), tell your friends, and if you want to share selfies, food pics, and label pics (you know you are doing this anyway).
Our #winepw (Wine Pairing Weekend) bloggers group, lead this month my Jeff Burrows at Food Wine Click, is joining in with recipes paired with Merlot samples. Here’s what has been happening in Tasting Pour’s kitchen.
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut very small
- 2 Italian sausages, cut into 3rds lengthwise then chopped small
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 heaping tsp cumin
- 1 heaping tsp coriander
- 1 heapting tsp epazote
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup dried black beans, soaked overnight
- 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 TBS chopped chipotle in adobe source
- salt to taste
- olive oil to coat pan
- Brown meats in big pot, remove to bowl an set aside.
- Saute onions and garlic, add spices. Once softened add broth and beans.
- Cover. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 50 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, meat, chipotle. Simmer covered 30-60 minutes more, until beans are cooked through. Salt to taste.
Pedestal 2013 Columbia Valley Merlot – This Merlot based Bordeaux style blend is the collaboration of Pomerol famous vintner, Michel Rolland, Washington state wine visionary, Allen Shoup. Super ripe raspberry, black bramble fruit, cooked red fruit, spice, great acid, long fruity finish, and integrated tannin. Pairing with the dish brought out a wisp of greener notes – herbs and peppers – like from the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in the blend.
Make sure to check out these posts for more Merlot wine pairing recipes and stories. And stay tuned for more #merlotme posts (like this one for Baked Apple Squash filled with Pear Soaked Merlot, during October here on Tasting Pour.
Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Merlot Shows Its Versatility and Goes +1 With Cheese, Meat, and Chocolate”
Amy from Cooking with Amy shares “Mushroom Parmigiano Pasta Recipe”
David from Cooking Chat shares “Garlic Thyme Crusted Tuna Paired with a Merlot”
Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “#MerlotMe Trifecta for #WinePW”
Michelle from Rockin Red Blog shares “Welcoming Fall with #MerlotMe and #WinePW”
Jennifer from Vino Travels – An Italian Wine Blog shares “#MerlotMe with Sausage Baked Ziti”
Sarah from Curious Cuisiniere shares “Exploring Merlot Wine Pairing with Bolognese Sauce”
Lori from Dracaena Wines shares “Hello, Can you #MerlotMe?”
Jill from L’Occasion shares “Evenings with Merlot”
Lauren from The Swirling Dervish shares “Mercy Monday and Merlot”
Gwen from Wine Predator shares “#MerlotMe with savory simple fall foods”
Jade from Tasting Pour shares “Chipotle Chicken Stew and Merlot”
Cindy from Grape Experiences shares “Wine and Dine: Merlot with Eggplant and Polenta Parmigiana”
Jeff from FoodWineClick! shares “A Love Affair with Merlot and the Grill”
What a tasty pairing! Your stew looks so comforting!
Interesting. I would think the spicy heat of chipotle might overly accentuate the alcohol, but it sounds like it worked out just fine.
Another delicious pairing! The recipe sounds pretty easy to execute on a week night, so my husband and I are going to try it. Great photo, too!
I love chiptole anything! I love how food brings out different characteristics within the wine!
That thick savory stew looks amazing.
This is so exciting, spicy & rich & fun!