Food and Wine Pairing: Farfalle with Chicken, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Spinach & Goat Cheese, and Alfredo Roca Pinot Noir 2008
I consider this a recipe “fail.” What happened was this: I was all set to make Farfalle with Chicken, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Spinich and Goat Cheese — because there is something magical and oh-so-delicious about the combination goat cheese, tomatoes and spinach — but when I opened the jar of sun-dried tomatoes that I’d used on a previous occasion, there was an ugly black mold inside. Dang it!! I had my heart set on this very pasta dish for dinner, this one and no other, and now I didn’t have sun-dried tomatoes.
The thing is, it really needed something tomato-related in there, otherwise it was going to be too pedestrian and dull. So I looked through what I had on hand and found a can of Hunt’s basil, garlic, and oregano tomato sauce, which I added at the end, before adding the chicken, spinich and goat cheese. But it turned out just ok, not great. Sun-dried tomatoes would have taken it to the next level.
I’ll still include the recipe and talk about the wine match here though, because this dish is super-easy to make and very tasty, provided you have 4 oz. of non-mold begrimed sun-dried tomatoes. And for my vegetarian friends, it’s also great without the chicken.
Wine Notes
Alfredo Roca Pinot Noir 2008
San Rafael · Mendoza · Argentina
Alfredo Roca Pinot Noir 2008
Good and tasty Pinot Noir for about $12 retail (Wilmington). You can find it locally at both locations of Temptations.
Winemaker’s notes, from rocawines.com:
100% Pinot Noir. Soft red shades. Intense aromatic expression with sweet flowery, cherry aromas and a slight presence of oak. Berries and ripe plum flavors. In spite of its softness, ripe tannins and balance give it great structure.
Do go to rocawines.com and check out the website, the music there is just lovely! (The site will be in Spanish, there is a “translate” tab to view it in English.)
This Pinot Noir is a good sipper all by itself, and also pairs well with a wide variety of dishes. Its versatility makes it a good candidate for the holiday table, and at this price, for how utterly lovely the wine is, it would make a great candidate for a case purchase.
Recipe: Kimberly’s Farfalle with Chicken, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Spinich and Goat Cheese
Ingredients
· 1 box Farfalle pasta
· Chicken from ½ rotisserie chicken breast, shredded, chopped or however you like it
· 4 ounces goat cheese
· 4 ounces oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
· 5 ounces (1 box) organic pre-washed baby spinach
· Salt and pepper
Preparation
· Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil
· Add the farfalle and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, about 12 minutes
· Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid
· Add chicken, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese, toss to combine.�
· Toss the pasta with enough reserved cooking liquid, ¼ cup at a time, to moisten
· Season with salt and pepper to taste
· The end
Tips:
No tips to report on this one, girls and boys. It’s easy as pie. : )
Bon Appétit!
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