Like many others, I am missing traveling, dining indoors wherever I please, and patronizing a friendly local pub. Consequently, I find myself transporting to more exotic environs via the mind and the belly (and good wine, obviously). I recently reminisced about a wonderful visit to New Orleans a couple of years before Katrina devastated that area. While there, we were thrilled to dine at Paul Prudhomme’s K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen. When I came upon a New York Times Cooking recipe for Gumbo, I enthusiastically began getting what we needed and enlisted my wife to assist me in tackling this recipe from Paul Prudhomme. It is for Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.
While I gathered the ingredients, I was thinking that this dish might be a little challenging to pair with wine. The suggestions I read often included a Pinot Noir (or other red low in tannins) as a red to try, while the most popular white wines recommended were Riesling and Gewurtztraminer.
Two of the keys to pairing a wine with gumbo are: 1. Are you using the chicken and sausage recipe or a seafood version? 2. How spicy is the broth base? Ours was deliciously seasoned, but not “hot spicy.” While we loved the result and are still eating the leftovers, we both agreed that we will try an easier gumbo recipe next time (perhaps with seafood).
Somehow, while folks have been looking everywhere, in vain, to find chicken, we were lucky to find enough chicken to do the gumbo and dish below and still have some to freeze for future use. My wife and I also collaborated on this much simpler dish this week: Rishia Zimmern’s Chicken with Shallots. We decided to skip the rice, but still keep it simple with baked potatoes on the side. This is another dinner recipe from the New York Times Cooking App. Delicious and not such a difficult process. The results are shown below.
The Wines
- Cape May Winery 2020 Pinot Noir-A light and fruity Pinot that did not overpower the gumbo, nor was it overpowered by it. Smooth tannins and good acidity made this pairing work. The rich earthiness made a great marriage.
- Standing Stone 2019 Gewurtztraminer-(not a NJ wine, but I didn’t have a NJ Gewurtztraminer in my cellar)-A beautiful bottle of this unique wine, with the familiar flowery scents, but a bit too sweet for this pairing. I love this wine on its own and it might pair better with a spicier rendition of gumbo. No worries. It won’t go to waste.
- William Heritage Winery 2019 Pumpkin Hill Chardonnay-One of our favorite New Jersey Chardonnays! It is a medium+ bodied Chard with a creamy mouth feel and notes of Meyer lemon and brioche. This paired remarkably well with the chicken and shallots dish.
New Jersey Uncorked: A Snob-Free Taste of NJ Wine – Download your copy for just $8.99 now!
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Coming Attractions
- Tonewood Brewing-Now in Barrington, too!
- Train Wreck Distillery (in Mount Holly)
- Chocolate & NJ Wine & Beer (Just in time for Valentine’s Day)
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