Thirsty Thursday: Simple Herb-Roasted Tilapia + Wine Pairing

This week we’re celebrating Thirsty Thursday with vino & Tamara from Bottle Rush! (If you’re detoxing check out this one or this one.)

When I asked Tamara to suggest a wine to pair with this Simple Herb-Roasted Talapia (get the recipe here) here answer was too good not to share verbatim, so here it is:

“I love the Mediterranean flavors you paired with the fish so I selected a wine that I would drink if I was eating it in a sleepy seaside town on the coast of Italy (A girl can dream). Gavi di Gavi.

Aside from Gavi being one of the best kept secrets of Italian white wines it's crisp acidity, almond & minerality notes make it the perfect pairing for oysters or white flaky fish.  

The wine I selected is La Scolca Gavi Di Gavi White label - it's excellent but might be hard to find.  A back up option is the Vigne di San Martino Gavi.”

Are you interested in seeing a specific dish you’ve seen here (or elsewhere) paired with the perfect wine? If so let us know by leaving a comment below.

Cheers!

Grilled Steak with Arugula, Parsley-Parmesan Salad

From time-to-time I cook steak for Chris. It’s true. I do. I found this recipe in Bon Appetit magazine & thought that it was a good marriage between the steak Chris likes to eat & the greens I’d like him to eat. I also think it’s a lighter option for steak eaters than a heavy creamed spinach side dish for steak - while yes it has greens it also has a ton of cream amongst other heavy ingredients. I amped up the original salad in this recipe with some arugula.  This salad is also great on top of chicken (how I ate it).

PS: We also had these potatoes, because if you have steak & you really should have potatoes!
PPS: Happy birthday to my beautiful friend Ashley!!! I love you :)

Gilled Artichokes

Artichokes were always a treat in our house growing up. Yes, a vegetable was a treat.  It always seemed like they'd make an appearance every now and then.  I'm pretty sure that their appearance would directly correlate to when they were in season (read: on sale).  Besides being a treat in our house they were also an event in themselves to eat because they make you work. Peeling the leaves, scraping with your teeth until you finally get to the coveted artichoke heart - the best part!  I found this recipe on The Cuban Reuben that gets some of the work out of the way in the prep and adds the grilling element that takes it to another level.

Grilled Baby Spring Veggies

Sometimes I buy things solely on the packaging - I'll always be a graphic designer and shopaholic at heart -  it's just natural (for me). I've come to the conclusion that mother nature is the best packaging designer I know.  Take these baby zucchinis for instance.  They pack a vibrant green punch in the cutest compact mini packaging! I had to have them as soon as I saw them.  In the same supermarket sweep I found these mini heirloom tomatoes.  Color. Cuteness. Sweetness. Done. Done. And. Done.  They all came home with me.

The best thing about these fresh spring veggies is they are in season and super tastey on their own.  I skewered them and grilled them naked (as in no salt, no pepper, no oil).  These are great served on their own or tossed with some greens.  They're so tender you don't even need a knife.

tip: When grilling veggies on skewers put like veggies on the same skewers as they have the same cooking time that way you're not over or under cooking any of them.