The Silk Road of Wine

What's for Dinner: Royal Chicken Cooked in Yogurt

A few tweaks to this delicious recipe from Madhur Jaffrey's "Quick & Easy Indian Cooking" were in order based on what I had on hand, so it became somewhat akin to an Indian-North African fusion dish. The dish as called for is simple - grind some cumin and coriander, add cayenne pepper, chopped cilantro and salt and pepper and add to yogurt. Then brown the chicken pieces in a pan along with bay leaves, cloves, cardamom pods and a cinnamon stick before adding the chicken and then the yogurt - cover for 20 minutes at a simmer and you are done.

My tweaks - I didn't have the golden raisins called for, so I substituted chopped Turkish apricots. I also didn't have the slivered almonds called for, so I used Spanish marcona almond butter - hence the north African twist with these two substitutions.

I paired with a Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedre from Australia (the 2008 Oxford Landing Estates) to accentuate the Indian (and North African!) flavors.

What's for Dinner: Asian Sloppy Joes

Ming Tsai's mother's Asian twist on his favorite dish from childhood, as related in his excellent "Simply Ming One-Pot Meals". Traditional ground beef, pork and tomatoes are livened up with hoisin sauce for sweetness, ginger, garlic and a bit of sambal for heat. Delicious, especially when paired with a fruity Pinot Noir from California or Australia.

Make extra and put it in freezer bags for fast weeknight warmup meals!

What's for Dinner: Vietnamese Pork and Eggplant with Cinnamon and Star Anise

A style of hot pot cooking that is very common in the cold northern part of Vietnam, this absolutely fantastic dish comes from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, "Balancing Flavors: East and West" by the chef Tom Kime. The dish is basically layer after layer of hot, sweet, complex caramelized flavors enlivened by the pungent tastes of ginger, star anise, cinnamon sticks, lime, fish sauce and chopped cilantro. Yum!

I paired with a 2008 Pinot Noir from Annapolis Winery on the Sonoma Coast.

What's for Dinner: Beef and Olive Stew with Scented Red Wine

A hearty beef stew perfect for a raw and windy spring evening from the great cookbook/educational resource "Good Meat" by Deborah Krasner. Marinate cubes of stew beef overnight in red wine, orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaf and a few sprigs of thyme.

Remove the meat from the marinade and blot it dry before browning it on all sides. Remove from the pan and cook 1/4 cup diced bacon in the Dutch oven you will use for the stew until it renders its fat, then sauté chopped carrots, onion and celery until soft. Add the beef back in along with the marinade and enough beef stock to cover the beef; bake for 1.5-2 hours in a 325 degree oven until tender.

I would serve with a red wine with enough oomph to stand up to the "scented" flavors of the stew; a Paso Robles syrah or a lighter Zinfandel would work quite well.

What's for Dinner: Grilled Chicken Breasts with Spicy Coconut Sauce (Frango Naufragado)

A delicious Portuguese-Mozambican dish from the excellent "The New Portuguese Table" by David Leite. The original recipe using coconut milk and fiery piri-piri peppers was tweaked along the way as it made its way through various Portuguese colonies around the world (including Macau in China and Goa in India, leading to the Asian accents in the dish), leading to the name frango naufragado, or "shipwrecked chicken".

After marinating the chicken all day in a mix of coconut milk, onion, ginger, garlic, lemon juice and peppers, you simply grill them up while making a simple sauce with a similar ingredient list (plus tomato paste) on the stovetop. Let the chicken rest for a couple minutes after cooking, slice each breast into 3 pieces on the bias and top with the sauce - pass the piri-piri sauce around the table for more authentic flavor.

I paired with a light Pinot from Willamette Valley in Oregon (the 2009 Coelho Pinot Noir).

What's for Dinner: Lamb Shanks with Oranges and Ginger

Want to do very little prep yet have a wonderful meal waiting when you get home from work? This recipe is for you. Meaty lamb shanks (look for hind shanks which are bigger than foreshanks) are browned and then tossed into the slow cooker. Deglaze the pan with a big batch of chopped onions, celery and carrots - don't worry about cutting technique, just hack 'em up - and a bottle of red wine.

Reduce the mixture by one-quarter to one-third, about 8 minutes. Then add 4 quartered oranges, sliced ginger, thai bird chiles, soy sauce and brown sugar (it was a little sweet with the brown sugar so you could substitute fish sauce or coconut aminos and maybe some sweet potatoes if you wanted to make it paleo-compliant), stir to combine, and dump the whole mixture into the slow cooker on top of the shanks. Let it cook for 8+ hours, until the meat is falling off the bones; you really cannot mess this up by overcooking it.

The basic recipe came from "Simply Ming One Pot Meals," though I customized it by using a slow cooker rather than the 3+ hours in a Dutch oven on the stovetop as he calls for.

This dish has a lot of great flavors in every bite; go for a wine that can stand up to it. A new world syrah or perhaps a Zinfandel on the lighter end would go very nicely.

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: 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.