Alcohol free red wine food pairing

Do you need some delicious meal ideas this week to pair with your alcohol free red wine? Red meat and pasta dishes will go perfectly.

Let’s have a look at some healthy meal sauces and recipes this month on the Wellness wine hub.

The sauce is such an important aspect of wine pairing. A great match with sweet and tangy Asian dishes like Korean BBQ pork ribs would be a slightly sweet Lambrusco, a bold and fruity South Australian Shiraz or a South African Pinotage.

Sweet steak marinade

• 2 cups soy sauce
• 4 tbspn apple juice
• 4 tbspn brown sugar
• 1-2 tspn ginger
• 3 garlic cloves

Marinades are a fantastic, easy, and healthy way to add a ton of flavour to meat. ‘Soy-ginger rump steak’, combines soy sauce (or tamari, to keep it gluten-free), ginger, garlic, a touch of sesame oil, and a dash of crushed red pepper for a hint of heat. For maximum flavor, allow meat to marinate for 24 hours before cooking. 

Soy-ginger rump steak

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 500g rump steak
• Salt

Directions

1. Make marinade by combining soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, red pepper, and black pepper in a shallow baking dish or large resealable bag.
2. Add flank steak and flip a few times to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24, flipping meat once or twice.
3. Remove steak from refrigerator and let rest for about 30 minutes before cooking. This will help meat cook evenly.
4. Remove steak from marinade. Discard marinade and season both sides of steak with salt and pepper.
5. Heat a large cast iron pan or grill pan over medium-high heat. Add steak and sear for about 7 minutes per side for medium rare or 10 minutes per side for medium.
6. Remove steak from pan and let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Shiraz works well with rich pasta dishes, also nicely with pesto and rich creamy pasta sauces, if you are going to put meat in your pasta, choose red meat, or possibly chicken or turkey.

 Broccoli pesto pasta  

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. broccoli
• 1 lb. pasta
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Grated Parmesan, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, chop the broccoli crowns into florets. Use a vegetable peeler or knife to remove the tough outer skins of the broccoli stems, and chop the stems into ½-inch discs. When the water is boiling, add the broccoli and boil briefly just until fork-tender, about 3-4 minutes. (Or, you can place a steamer basket above the water and steam the broccoli until fork-tender.) Remove broccoli to a bowl, leaving the water in the pot.
2. Maintain the water at a boil. Add the pasta to the pot and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 ½ cups of the pasta water and then drain the pasta; set aside.
3. Return the pot to the stove. Add the butter and olive oil to the pot over medium-high heat, heating until the butter is melted. Add the onion to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and cook 1-2 minutes more. Return the cooked broccoli to the pan and cook 1-2 minutes more to heat through. Season with pepper to taste.
4. Transfer the broccoli mixture to a food processor or blender. Pulse in short bursts, scraping down the sides as needed, until the mixture is finely chopped. Add in the Greek yogurt and process until smooth. If needed, add some of the reserved pasta water a little bit at a time just until the sauce is smooth and creamy (be careful not to add too much or the sauce will be watery). Season with freshly ground pepper to taste. In a large bowl or the pot, toss the pasta with the sauce. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.

Creamy Cauliflower 'Alfredo' Sauce

8 large cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium-to-large head of cauliflower

6 cups vegetable broth

2 teaspoons salt (more to taste)

½ teaspoon pepper (more to taste)

~1 cup milk (the bigger the head of cauliflower, the more you will need)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese  

Melt the butter and olive oil over low heat. Add the garlic and sauté until it is soft and fragrant but not browned and put the whole mixture into a large blender.  Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a large pot. Lower the temperature to medium-low and cook the cauliflower, covered, until the cauliflower is fork tender (about 7 minutes). Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cauliflower pieces to the blender. Add 1 cup of the cooking liquid, salt, pepper, and milk. Blend or puree for several minutes until the sauce is very smooth, adding more broth or milk if you need to thin the sauce. Add the parmesan and blend. Serve hot on pasta, rice, vegetables, etc.  

Mexican foods, like enchiladas or nachos, are perfect for pairing with Shiraz wine. Mexican foods are full of cheese and spices complimentary to Shiraz wine. Shiraz will not work with fish as because of its medium, bold body it will overpower seafood. Fish is delicate and requires a lighter wine, such as a Chardonnay or Riesling. When you are pairing wine and food you generally want to think about balance.

So here you have some fantastic foodie inspiration to pair with your Edenvale Shiraz, Cheers!

Source: bbcgoodfood, greatest.com, lifeandkitchen.com, kristineskitchenblog, mademan.com