Vegetarian [Heart] Bordeaux?

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Ian Fitzsimmons

Ian Fitzsimmons
Does any manner of vegetarian dish pair reasonably well with B'x? I still have some residual cases, and red meat is becoming increasingly marginalized on our domestic menu.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
Vegetarian [Heart] Bordeaux?Does any manner of vegetarian dish pair reasonably well with B'x? I still have some residual cases, and red meat is becoming increasingly marginalized on our domestic menu.
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How aged is your Bdx, Ian? Older bottles IMO don't go well with red meat (aside from goose, if you consider that red), but work better with a good roast chicken or the aforementioned goose. If you want to go totally veggie, though, grilled Portobello mushrooms are considered a good match for Bdx. I've also liked certain hard cheeses (Parmagiano Reggiano, Neal's Yard Cheddars) with Bdx and Cabernet-based wines, so how about something like a white pizza using a good hard cheese and topped with things like grilled onions, the meatier mushrooms and herbs.

Mark Lipton
 
Thanks Mark, chicken is good, and so is pizza, though I have an irrational phobia concerning Portobello mushrooms. My B'x is mostly 2000-2002, so it's really just coming around now. I wonder if there are any real vegie-filled vegie dishes that work with these reds; or should I just resign myself to drinking a lot of Gruner Veltinger over the next 20-30 years.
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
I beleve the guy that owned (maybe still does) Mouton said mac and cheese was the best dish with Mouton.
Best, Jim
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With the right cheese, I wouldn't disagree. A little shaved truffle on top wouldn't be unwelcome, either. As for the ownership of Mouton, I believe that the majority (outright?) owner is a she, and a 4th cousin of mine as it happens.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
Vegetarian [Heart] Bordeaux?Does any manner of vegetarian dish pair reasonably well with B'x? I still have some residual cases, and red meat is becoming increasingly marginalized on our domestic menu.
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Sure. Toss halved shitake mushrooms, cubed and peeled parsnips and large cloves of garlic with some olive oil, salt and rosemary, then roast them at 400 until done to taste.

Marinate mushrooms, bell peppers and scallions in olive oil and marjoram, then grill them.

Cook some potatoes, peel them and sear them in duck fat or olive oil and butter with garlic and generous handfuls of parsley and some ground up dried porcini.
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
I beleve the guy that owned (maybe still does) Mouton said mac and cheese was the best dish with Mouton.
Best, Jim
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Oh cool. This way I can also finally cook the same meal for us and our son.

Chris - thanks.
 
French lentils, Lentilles de Puy, cooked in porcini stock, combined with a mirepoix glazed with red wine and served with a crusty bread go very well with Bordeaux. Also, working with porcini stock allows for all of the benefits of earthy mushroom flavor without the texture issues (if that's what you don't like about mushrooms). Also, an eggplant and tomato gratin is a hearty choice.

Brad
 
Excellent, thank you. I should have thought of lentils. Yes, it is the texture that fends me off.

I thought tomatoes, in general, tended to degrade the flavors of better wines, because of their acidity.
 
originally posted by Brad Widelock:
French lentils, Lentilles de Puy, cooked in porcini stock, combined with a mirepoix glazed with red wine and served with a crusty bread go very well with Bordeaux. Also, working with porcini stock allows for all of the benefits of earthy mushroom flavor without the texture issues (if that's what you don't like about mushrooms). Also, an eggplant and tomato gratin is a hearty choice.

Brad
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Very good choices for anything red, and especially Rhones, in my book.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:

I thought tomatoes, in general, tended to degrade the flavors of better wines, because of their acidity.
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Not if they are cooked into sweetness. I like using roasted/slow cooked tomatoes as a flavor component to make things red-wine friendly.

Then again, I've also been told that because I am a vegetarian I will never understand Bordeaux.
 
I can never tell when you're having me on Joe, but I'm okay with porcinis. I was traumatized by a bad portobello experience a few years back, and I suffer from vertigo now when I see them on a plate.

Thanks for the tip Rahsaan. We use slow-roasted tomatoes on pizza, so I can build on this idea. FWIW, in my view, b'x's 'sinister bite' does match about ideally with cooked cow and lamb.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons: FWIW, in my view, b'x's 'sinister bite' does match about ideally with cooked cow and lamb.
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I wouldn't know. But I have enjoyed Bordeaux, and Loire Cabernet Franc as well in even greater depth of exploration, so I don't think my lack of excitement for Bordeaux is just because I don't eat meat. But let's not discuss lack of excitement for Bordeaux too much and drift the thread down already-tread paths...
 
I defer to your wisdom, though I don't really know what you're talking about. B'x has its moments, good and bad, like wines from other places.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
I defer to your wisdom, though I don't really know what you're talking about...
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Just the general wisdom that Bordeaux needs meat to be appreciated and therefore since I don't eat meat I must be gastronomically challenged in my appreciation of it. But I don't think that's the case since I do enjoy some Bordeaux even though I haven't gotten around to making it an area of priority.
 
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