[Guest Post by Jason Fortenberry - suburban home chef, hoopster and wine connoisseur with skillz]
M&T leek, fennel, sweet potato and squash soup
Soup and Cabernet. Sound like a winning combo? Maybe. Maybe Not. Its January. It’s cold. The low in so-called ‘Hotlanta’ is 18 degrees. 18 degrees!!
As our friend Joe (suburbanwino.com) mentioned recently, a lot of us are in the midst of a hearty, winter-weight wine fetish. For many that means big cabs. And on the food front, a warm and filling soup hits the spot as well.
Here are some recommended recipes that have made my rotation, and are especially tasty during these chilly winter days:
- Seafood Chowder http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Shellfish-Chowder-107342 – I add mushrooms, little cream, white wine, extra cayenne. Big fat sea scallops really soak up the flavor.
- Chicken Tortilla Soup http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-chicken-tortilla-soup/Detail.aspx. – I substitute black beans for the green peppers and replace the water with 2nd can of broth.
- Cioppino http://www.thegutsygourmet.net/cioppino-rec.html – There are lots of ways to prepare this simple and tasty recipe and the #1 – San Francisco style is a good start. Basically throw a boatload of seafood and seasonings in a tomato-based sauce. It’s messy. Be sure to soak it up with some crusty bread.
- Potato Leek Soup – http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/leek-potato-soup-recipe/index.html. Not an obvious choice but worth a try.
- Chili – I like to just keep it simple and healthy – throw in some spices, diced tomatoes, dark red kidney beans, sliced grilled chicken, salsa, & beer in a pot. Here are some links from Atlanta favs EatItAtlanta and Suburbanwino. There may be another chili cookoff soon!
- Muss & Turner’s SOTD [Ed's addition]: Muss & Turner had a soup special a few weeks back that consisted of leeks, fennel, sweet potato and squash… phenomenal
Please share any tasty soup recipes. I’d love to have a good gumbo recipe. What kind of wines would you pair with these also?
For chili, I always like a nice Zinfandel. The only exception is if the chili is scorchin’ hot, then I might go with something fruitier and softer, as the heat from the chili can amp up the alcohol in the Zin. I’d probably have an unoaked Malbec in that case or maybe a nice Beaujolais.
For seafood chowder, I crave a nice crisp Vouvray or Chablis.
Muss & Turner soup sounds like a good candidate to have with Gewurztraminer or Viognier.
Potato leek soup…hmm…perhaps a South African or Chilean Sauvignon blanc.
Now I’m hungry.
I’m coming to your house!
Hey, thanks for the name drop! Definitely soup and stew weather out there.
One of my absolute favorites this time of year is a good, homemade split pea soup. Super easy to make, filling, hearty, and great with a hefty white like Semillon, Viognier, Macon-Village, Mersault, or Aussie or California Chardonnay (which can all be warming too)
Thanks for sharing this article.That’s very helpful and interesting.
Glad to help Vino B… thanks for stopping by and commenting!