Pinot Noir Pairings

Braised Pork Shoulder

So one of the things I’ve done is a slow braised pork shoulder with (surprise) Asian flavors. This means that I use soy sauce, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, star anise and just regular H2O. With these sauces you don’t have to add salt because of the salt content in them. This takes about 3-4 hours on a slow braise. I love to serve this over polenta. It goes really well with the earthiness of the Bacigalupi.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

I love to mix a few crazy things so here we go. I recently grilled pork tenderloin that was marinated in a plum preserve (you can use any dark fruit preserve and homemade is always the best), Soy sauce, sesame oil (just a little) and a pinch of salt ( reserve some of the marinade in a bowl for basting). Leave in the fridge for about 2 hours. Baste the tenderloin while you are grilling and when done, let rest for 10 minutes. This goes great with the Bacigalupi Pinot Noir.

Miso Glazed Fish

Mix together a couple of spoonfuls of red miso, soy sauce, brown sugar and lemon or lime. I use Salmon or Halibut so put it in a zip lock bag, pour mixture in the bag and refrigerate for an hour or two. Remove the fish from the bag and pat dry with a paper towel. Heat a pan with about a tbls of Vegetable oil and sear fish on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Serve over rice and maybe some roasted carrots coated with honey or brown sugar, salt and herb de Provance.

To serve with your Thanksgiving turkey paired with Pinot Noir:

Potatoes au Gratin

I do have a twist for potatoes au gratin. You’ll need 2 Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes thinly sliced, one onion thinly sliced, 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced, 2 cups of either chicken or vegi stock, fresh thyme and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Heat pan to medium and sauté onions until translucent, add garlic and when you smell the garlic, add stock and bring to a boil . Layer potatoes in a high sided Pyrex and pour boiling mixture on top of the potatoes and spread the onions and garlic around. Bake at 350 for about 1 1⁄2 hours and you will have an amazing, healthy side dish alternative.

Flaky Brown Butter Fish

For something lighter after all of the heavy meals try this. Get some flaky white fish. Sautee in butter and olive oil until done. Then add a little more butter and sage and thyme leaves to the butter and cook slowly until the butter is brown. Pour over fish and serve with:

Sautee Green Beans

Fine chop a shallot and sautee in olive oil for about a minute, then throw in the green beans and toss with shallot and add white wine. Cook down the wine until it’s gone and serve with the fish.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

To continue with the grill theme, let’s go with pork with Pinot Noir. I love to mix a few crazy things so here we go. I recently grilled pork tenderloin that was marinaded in a plum preserve (you can use any dark fruit preserve and homemade is always the best), Soy sauce, sesame oil (just a little) and a pinch of salt ( reserve some of the marinade in a bowl for basting). Leave in the fridge for about 2 hours. Baste the tenderloin while you are grilling and when done, let rest for 10 minutes. This goes great with the Bacigalupi Pinot Noir