The winter season is fully upon us, which means big sweaters along with big flavors in your food and wine!
Winter Time Food is Comforting
When the weather is frightful, look for slow cooked foods with heavier sauces. When cooking at home, an easy way to accomplish this is to use a crock pot. Throw all your ingredients into the slow cooker and let it do its job!
Here’s where you can find slow cooked foods on Spuntino’s menu:
- Short Rib braised with turnip puree and micro greens
- Pork Belly with balsamic barbecue sauce, crispy Brussels sprout leaves and roasted organic fingerling yams
- Short Rib Pappardelle with fresh, homemade pappardelle, braised short rib, ricotta salata and basil
Seasonal Produce is Always your Best Bet
It is always best to stick with seasonal products no matter what the season is! During the winter months, stick with hard skin squash, root vegetables, potatoes, and onions. One type of produce you may not automatically think of is citrus, but this is the perfect time for it!
Here is where you can find winter produce on Spuntino’s Menu:
- Shaved Root Vegetable Salad with shaved candy beets, carrots, parsnips, and turnips, goat cheese, hazelnuts, parsley and Riesling vinaigrette
- Burrata with maple roasted butternut squash, garlic chili oil, and balsamic glaze
- Beet & Watercress Salad with roasted red and golden beets, watercress, crumbled goat cheese, candied pistachio, fresh horseradish, and herb vinaigrette
- Spaghetti Squash with roasted spaghetti squash, olive oil, and fried sage leaves
Cold Weather, Rich Flavored Wines
To go along with these big flavors that usually accompany winter meals, you need a full bodied wine! When looking for a white wine to pair well with a winter meal, look for wines that have high acidity so that the wine cuts through the richness of the meal. When you are looking for a red – look for a big red with lots of earthiness.
Here are a few wines that work well during a winter’s meal on Spuntino’s Wine List:
- Sauvignon Blanc, Quivira (white wine)
- Fiano, Li Veli (white wine)
- Pinot Nero, La Vis (red wine)
- Brunello di Montalcino, Mocali (red wine)
- Meritage, Chappellet Mountain Cuvee (red wine)
What are your favorite winter ingredients?
