Tag Archives: umami

Wine with Mushrooms Makes A Fun-gi!

I was at my local farmer’s market this past weekend and there was a mushroom vendor selling a variety of fungi, some of which looked like they came from another planet! I simply couldn’t resist buying some. I love that rich earthy, umami character of sautéed mushrooms, especially when cooked with garlic, onions and butter – yum!

There are over 2,000 edible species of mushroom in the world, so how the heck do we even start to figure out how to pair all of this variety with wine? Luckily, there are only a small handful of mushrooms that commonly make their way onto our plates, and we can fairly easily divide these into two categories.

  1. Delicately flavored mushrooms such as lobster, enoki, maitake, oyster, and button mushrooms. These are best paired with creamy white wines, such as Chardonnay, Viognier, and white Rhone blends. They can also work well with lighter reds, especially those that have an earthy character, such as Pinot Noir. For something a little different, you can even open a bottle of Champagne for its yeasty, earthy note and acidity that contrasts with the savoriness of the mushrooms.
  2. Hearty, earthy mushrooms such as truffles, shiitake, portobello, porcini and morels. These bolder and meatier mushrooms can definitely stand up to bigger red wines. Again, look for big reds that have an earthy character, such as Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Bordeaux and Syrah.

So, my local mushroom vendor at the farmer’s market inspired me to make a mushroom risotto for dinner. I tend to prefer a blend of various mushrooms in my risotto that combines both delicacy and boldness. As a result, I chose shiitake mushrooms, a maitake mushroom (commonly known as Hen-of-the-Woods) and dried porcini mushrooms. As a side note, dried mushrooms reconstituted in hot broth will add a very bold pop of umami flavor!

Click here to check out my recipe for Mushroom Risotto!

As for the wine pairing, I chose a 2005 Corino Vigna Giachini Barolo from Piedmonte, Italy that has been maturing quite nicely in my cellar for more than a decade. It could have remained in the cellar for a few more decades, but I knew it was going to be perfect with this dish, so Carpe Diem! I was not disappointed.

This wine had that telltale pale, brick red color of Barolo with pronounced aromas of earth, dried leaves, roses, sour cherry, smoke and leather. Its high acidity and high tannins not only allowed it to age so well, but provided brilliant structure to the fruit. The finish went on and on, both lingering and evolving on the palate. The wine’s earthiness perfectly complimented the savory mushrooms, while its high acidity cut through the creaminess of the risotto. Barolo and mushroom risotto is a match made in gastronomic heaven!

Recipe: Pappardelle with Scallops

This recipe is filled with umami flavors! Umami is the “fifth flavor” in addition to sweet, salty, sour and bitter. It is that earthy, savory flavor you find in monosodium glutamate (MSG) – think miso soup, cooked mushrooms and soy sauce.

Umami is not an easy flavor to pair wine with. It tends to make wine taste more astringent and bitter, especially wines high in tannins (big red wines). The typical suggestion is to pair umami dishes with white or sparkling wines. However, salt is a magical pairing agent for wine. If you add sufficient salt and salty ingredients (in this case, parmesan) to your dish, you can easily pair umami flavors with red wines with delicious results!

I chose to pair this recipe with a 2014 MACHETE by Orin Swift. Not only does this wine have the most bad-ass label EVER, it is wine is bursting with rich, ripe black fruit flavors – blackberry and black cherry all over the place. It is so fruity that it works beautifully with this rich, umami dish, cutting those earthy flavors with gorgeous berry flavors. Yum!

Ingredients

1 pound large sea scallops, patted dry

1 pound pappardelle pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon sea salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon

2 cups mixed chanterelle, oyster, trumpet, mushrooms, thinly sliced

3 black garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more for serving

3 cups arugula

2 tablespoons white truffle oil

2 ounces best quality Parmesan, shaved

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of salt.
  2. Rinse and pat dry the scallops. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt.
  3. Prep all of your ingredients and have them at ready, then cook the pasta according to package directions.
  4. While pasta is cooking, in a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, add the scallops, cook for 2 minutes then turn over and cook another minute. When scallops are just cooked, remove from heat and set aside, keeping them warm.
  5. Add the mushrooms to the scallop juice in the pan and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Add in the reserved scallops, half of the truffle oil and the parmesan. Add in the drained cooked pasta, then the arugula and gently toss or stir to combine.

(Recipe courtesy of Guy Fieri)