Santa Margherita Wine

There is such a wonderful attraction to pairing foods and wines now. Everywhere you look on cable television 24/7 and throughout the internet blogging world, and splashed into the food magazines is now this push for more and more people to treat food and wine matching as a very personal endeavor.

So here’s a delightful Indian Chick Peas with Mushrooms dish that you will fall in love with.

Listen as we discover why the recipe pairs so well with the Santa Margherita.

Remember, all of the semi finalists in the 2010 Great Taste Challenge want you to watch their entries and to vote! So open a new bottle and prepare yourself to watch some rather amazing new recipes!

When you run a wine and food contest, you get a lot of great entries. In fact, you get some amazing ones.

Then you get the ones that take your breath away…

This just may be one of those…

The voting for the 2010 Great Taste Challenge Finalists ends soon. We need your votes now!!!!

As in every great contest, things reach a point where they just start to heat up. And in this food and wine event known as The Great Taste Challenge, that time is right now!!!

People everywhere are voting on their favorites and they are voting like mad this year. And we just love how “American Idol” this has gotten…because honestly, the voting now has gotten laser focused and the lead horses are neck and neck!

So without any more fanfare, here’s a great semi finalist…a chicken/pasta dish with a flare…and a FLARE IS WHAT WE LOVE!!!!

Vote if your love it.

We do!

Oh, and wait just a minute…if you think this one is amazing (it is btw) check out all the other semi finalists of The Great Taste Challenge and vote every day on the ones you want to see make it to the next step!!!

How fun is this?!?

In the 2009 Great Taste Challenge, Andreann Geise created a food and wine recipe that took our breath away. Her Mint, Fig and Chianti Glazed Lamb with Spaghetti in a Lemon Chianti Cream Sauce would go on to win!!

So we wanted to know what Andreann thought about winning the contest, ONE YEAR LATER.

In her own words, these are her beautiful thoughts…

“Winning the Santa Margherita Great Taste Challenge was such an honor. I still remember my heart pounding in my chest as they announced the winner. One by one each judge told each of us (the finalists) what the liked about our dishes and what they would change.

I am truly thankful from the bottom of my heart.”

Andreann Geise

If you have a passion for pairing great recipes with Santa Margherita wines, we want you to have a chance to win the 2010 Great Taste Challenge. We want you to experience what Andreann did!!!

Cheers!

The Santa Margherita Team

The never ending search for a tremendous food and wine experience reaches new heights with a red pepper salad topped off with a delightful Pinot Grigio from Santa Margherita.

On a never ending search to find the perfect recipes and how they pair with the perfect Santa Margherita wines for that culinary “moment,” we take this search for finding these gems VERY seriously. LOL.

So grab your apron and your favorite corkscrew and let’s get to it!

RED PEPPER SALAD PAIRS WELL WITH SANTA MARGHERITA PINOT GRIGIO

4 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano
2½ cups fennel
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
8 cups baby arugula

Vinaigrette:
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 Tbsp. lemon juice, fresh squeezed
2 tsp. honey
Salt and black pepper

Using a vegetable peeler, shave off 4 ounces of Parmigiano-Reggiano and set aside. Slice fennel using mandolin to about ¼-inch thickness. Toss sliced fennel with olive, sugar, salt and pepper and roast in a 400°F oven until light brown. Cool completely. Combine vinaigrette ingredients and season. Lightly dress cool fennel and in separate bow, lightly dress red pepper.

Rinse arugula and pat dry. Toss arugula with fennel and create the base of the salad on the 8 plates. Top arugula/fennel with the red pepper, make sure you can see some of the fennel on the top of the salads. Add a few drops of pistachio oil and a tiny pinch of fennel pollen.

This salad is nicely complemented by SANTA MARGHERITA PINOT GRIGIO.  The red peppers in the salad have an earthy flavor that is balanced by the lighter fruit flavors in the wine.

The salad is nicely complemented by SANTA MARGHERITA PINOT GRIGIO.  The red peppers in the salad have an earthy flavor that is balanced by the lighter fruit flavors in the wine.

Recipe courtesy of Bon Appétit Chef de Cuisine Jonathan Lindenauer
©2008 Condé Nast Publications

Suggested wine pairing: Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio.

Now, to see what else your kitchen prowess and your passion for wines can do for you, and how you can turn a food and wine experience into even more, check out how to enter the Santa Margherita Great Taste Challenge! And show off your wine and food pairing skills!!!