The Silk Road of Wine

What's for Dinner: Mushroom Chicken Fricassee with Edamame

A super-easy weeknight meal from my favorite cookbook "Simply Ming One-Pot Meals". Just brown chicken legs and thighs, add mushrooms, garlic, red onion, tarragon, tomatoes and edamame and bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. You can omit the edamame if you want to make it 100% paleo; substitute a vegetable with a bit of crunch thrown in for a couple of minutes in that case, but it is tasty either way.

Ming recommends an Oregon Pinot Noir. None was on hand, but I had good luck with a super-Tuscan of all things (the 2006 Cavalli Tenuta Degli Dei).

What's for Dinner: Pork with Leeks & Cauliflower Fried "Rice"

Fast, easy and stunningly delicious. The pork marinates for 30 minutes while you julienne the leeks (and have a glass of wine ...). Might as well brown the bacon and cook the cauliflower fried "rice" while you are waiting as well - top with chopped cilantro and sliced Serrano peppers for extra flavor. The results are stunning and every bit as good as anything you'll find in a restaurant.

The pork and leek recipe comes from "Simply Ming One-Pot Meals" and the cauliflower rice from the excellent blog Jen's Gone Paleo (tip of the hat to my buddy Muya for turning me on to her site!).

Try pairing with a 2007 Andrew Murray Syrah (Thompson Vineyard) from Santa Barbara.

What's for Dinner: Seared Curried Cod with Warm Olive Chutney

Another winner from "Simply Ming One-Pot Meals" that only takes 15 minutes from start to finish. A light coating of curry powder goes on the fish before sauteeing. Remove the fish and sauté minced olives, tomatoes, shallots, cilantro and the juice of one orange for 2 minutes to make a "chutney" - serve the fish over the chutney for a super tasty and super quick meal.

Ming recommends a chenin blanc but i didn't have any on hand so I paired with a 2007 Calcareous Tres Violet (grenache/syrah/mourvedre) from Paso Robles, and it worked well with the flavors.

What's for Dinner: Kung Pao Chicken with Cauliflower Rice

A winner of a recipe from "Simply Ming One-Pot Meals". I used the called-for cornstarch to coat the chopped chicken thighs, though I'm sure you could omit or substitute with something like a light dusting of coconut flour if you wanted to make it 100% paleo.

Simply sauté the chicken with a pound of chopped baby carrots and a bunch of cashews (my replacement for the recipe's peanuts) in a big wok. Steam the cauliflower florets while you do this, run them through a food processor for a second or two and voila - cauliflower "rice" for your paleo palate. Enjoy!

What's for Dinner: Pork Kimchee with Mung Bean Noodles

Stir-fried pork with kimchee is a classic Korean dish, and this one comes from Ming Tsai's "Simply Ming One-Pot Meals". Thinly-sliced pork tenderloin is marinated for 30 minutes and then stir-fried with pungent kimchee, red onion and zucchini. An optional but recommended addition are soaked mung bean noodles for flavor and texture.

I was at a loss as to a wine pairing so I fell back on the "spicy is as spicy does" rule. I'm not sure that is a real rule but hey ... I paired it with a spicy 2007 Calcareous Reserve Syrah and it went well.

What's for Dinner: Chile Pork Fillets with Garlic Brussels Sprouts

An awesome dish from Ming Tsai's "Simply Ming One-Pot Meals". Sweet pork fillets are marinated in brine for 4 hours and then coated with ancho chile powder and garlic before sautéing. The garlic flavor of the dish is taken up a notch (OK, two notches!) by removing the pork from the skillet, tossing in a few more cloves of chopped garlic, 2 pints of halved Brussels sprouts and 2 tbs ponzu.

Put the pork fillets on top of the Brussels sprouts mixture and roast in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. I have to say, this is hands-down one of the most flavorful dishes I have ever made and really highlights how creative Ming's recipes are - highly recommended!

He calls for a big buttery California Chardonnay but I went with a Paso Robles syrah and it was a perfect match with the heat of the chile powder.

What's for Dinner: Moroccan Rolled Flank Steak with Leeks

Toasted bread crumbs, garlic, wilted spinach and ras el hanout (a Moroccan spice blend which loosely translated means "top of the shop" or the best a merchant has to offer) are stuffed into butterflied flank steaks, which are rolled, tied and roasted in the oven on a bed of sauteed leeks. What an amazing taste sensation when you slice the steaks crosswise and serve over a bed of the leeks!

What's for Dinner: Japanese Curry Beef with Sweet Potatoes and Onions

Another super recipe from one of my new favorite cookbooks, "Simply Ming One-Pot Meals". This is a mild Japanese-style curry that uses Madras curry powder and braises everything together to blend all the flavors (I made the night before to further enhance the flavors with a day in the fridge).

I couldn't locate the hanger steak he calls on short notice so i substituted grassfed beef stew meat and didn't skip a beat. I also made a few substitutions to make the dish paleo, swapping Hannah (white) sweet potatoes for the recipe's russet potatoes and using cauliflower "rice" in place of the real thing - I like the paleo version just as much!

Pair this with a California or Washington red blend. Ming calls for Orin Swift "The Prisoner"; I went with a 2007 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate from Washington, a tasty blend of Cab, Merlot and Cab Franc.

What's for Dinner: Black Bean Scallops and Zucchini

Easy peasy, from Ming Tsai's excellent "Simply Ming One-Pot Meals". It takes 10 minutes from start to finish, uses only four ingredients (black bean paste, scallions, zucchini and scallops) and, while not 100% paleo due to the black beans, it is exceptionally tasty.

I paired with a Paso Robles syrah - the earthiness and pepperiness of the dish (from the black beans and the scallion greens thrown in at the end) demand a wine that can stand up, and it was a pretty good pairing. Other pairings might be better depending on your taste.

What's for Dinner: Salt-seared Burger with Red Wine Reduction Sauce

A new way to cook burgers, and a delicious one that will be my new go-to technique. This comes from the excellent tutorial cookbook "Good Meat" by Deborah Krasner. I customized by using half venison and half grassfed beef for my burgers.

Heat a dry cast-iron frying pan over high heat. Pour 1-2 tsps of coarse sea salt into the pan - once it begins to pop, cook your burgers for about 3 minutes per side for a seared crust and medium center (let them rest in the oven for 5 minutes while you make the sauce, as I described in my post on how to make a great burger at home).

To make the sauce, pour 1/2 cup red wine into the hot burger pan, scrape up the browned bits and reduce by about half (3-5 minutes). Remove from heat, add 1 tbsp butter to the sauce and pour over the burgers on individual plates.

I drank (and used for sauce) a super-Tuscan, the 2006 Cavalli Tenuta Degli Dei - good tannins and round fruit worked well with the burgers.