Michael Austin – Page 19

Roasted red peppers from the cupboard and whatever soft cheese you might have in the fridge come together in a quick pasta.

Easy wines to wash down a quick weeknight pasta dish

June 9, 2018 at 4:30 a.m.

With holiday prep and cooking upon us, not to mention that whole shopping thing, you'll want dishes at the ready that you can whip together in no time with ingredients...

Surprise: Pair this rich fall soup with a light, bright white wine.

Simple butternut squash soup, even better with wine

June 9, 2018 at 5:47 a.m.

As the days become cooler and shorter, you want food and drinks that warm you up — soup and red wine among them. But this butternut squash soup has some...

This petit pinotage from Ken Forrester Wines in South Africa is among the bottles you'll want to try.

For your next bottle of wine, try a pinotage

June 9, 2018 at 5:49 a.m.

What do you get when you cross pinot noir with Hermitage? Pinotage. It's not a joke — it's what really happened in South Africa in 1925. A professor at Stellenbosch...

Call it grenache or garnacha, but order this wine when you want big flavor

June 9, 2018 at 7:21 a.m.

You most likely know grenache as the generally rich and fruity grape variety that is so readily relied upon as a blending partner in France's southern Rhone wine region, among...

Six wild Burgundian snails are the star of the wood-grilled escargot ($12) at Le Sud. The Roscoe Village restaurant's version of this dish is not hiding in a pool of garlic butter or served in a scalding hot dish. Presented on a skewer, the mollusks are brushed with olive oil infused with herbs de provence before they're grilled, absorbing a delicate smoky flavor that lingers in your mouth. Tender and buttery, the snails are served with a few generous pats of herb butter that melt, adding another layer of fragrance and lusciousness. A side of green salad dressed with olive oil, lemon and salt provides a bright contrast to the skewer and a hearty country bread serves as a foundation for assembling a makeshift toast point. The portion is small, so make your dining companions order their own. $12. 2301 W. Roscoe St., 773-857-1985, <a href="https://lesudchicago.com/">lesudchicago.com</a> — Grace Wong

3 wines to pair with a basic steak dinner

May 2, 2019 at 2:11 p.m.

Turn your dining room into a steakhouse in three easy steps: 1) Pick up two nice rib-eyes or strip steaks from your local butcher; 2) follow the 20-minute recipe below;...

When pairing wine with this quinoa dish, it's all about the type of blue cheese you decide to use.

You bring the quinoa, and I’ll bring the wine

June 9, 2018 at 9:45 a.m.

Quinoa is like the best mattress on the market — it makes a comfy bed for just about any guest, be it meat, vegetable, fruit or cheese. Whip up the...

You can score a likable bottle of soave for as little as $12.

Soave, anyone? New life for a wine people used to hate

June 9, 2018 at 8:46 a.m.

The list of wines that awaits you below has 10 bottles, all in a particular wine style that is delicious and usually priced much lower than it is worth —...

An Asian pear and blue cheese sandwich, already a spectacular combo, goes one better with hot pepper jelly. All you need is a glass of wine. See sommelier Rachael Lowe's suggetions below.

Pears with cheese, so much better in a grilled sandwich

June 12, 2018 at 3:46 a.m.

The classic pairing of fruit with cheese becomes dinner in this griddled sandwich of crisp Asian pear, creamy, tangy blue cheese and sweet-hot pepper jelly. The combo will welcome a...

Impress for less with wines from France's Languedoc region, including HB Picpoul de Pinet, from left, Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux, a brut sparkler, and Gerard Bertrand Corbieres, a blend of grenache, syrah and mourvedre.

Good French wine for as little as $10 a bottle

May 2, 2019 at 2:11 p.m.

When you hear those four simple words — "the south of France" — you think not only of a place but a lifestyle, a mood, an aesthetic. It is one...

Kale and ham are sauteed with onion, then flavored with red pepper flakes and bolstered by lima beans, for a hearty dish that satisfies on its own, but a fried egg on top wouldn't hurt.

Rich and salty elements meet their match in these wines

June 9, 2018 at 1:30 p.m.

Pork, greens and beans make tasty companions as each one complements the others. In this version, salty ham flavors the earthy lacinato kale as the starchy limas work backup. The...

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