Wine Pairings For A Valentine's Day Dinner At Home

February 11, 2020

Whether this is your first or your fiftieth Valentines, a home cooked dinner is a classic romantic gesture. This might seem daunting, but we are here to help you make an easy and quick Valentine's dinner. Not only are we providing a fool-proof menu, but we have also partnered with Christopher Nicolson of the Red Hook Winery to add wine pairings. 

Let’s keep your menu simple, yet elevated: a seared flat iron steak with a side of oven roasted turnips, potatoes, and carrots — this weeks Local Roots haul should make grocery shopping very minimal. 

Pulling off a romantic meal is more than just making a tasty dish. It’s about the experience.  Set the table, dim the lights, light some candles, and of course don't forget the wine. Impress your date with not only the perfect wine for your meal, but also some pairing notes to make you seem the romantic of Nicholas Spark’s dreams. Don't worry Christopher of Red Hook Winery has provided you with a simple cheat sheet. 

Red Wine (Light)

“”A root vegetable side dish will pair well with a light-bodied red wine. Preparing the potatoes, carrots, and turnips with just salt and really good olive oil, I would suggest our 2016 McCall Vineyard merlot, a single property on the North Fork of Long Island. The wine was made in an extremely light-bodied style with zero oak influence. It is keen-edged with bright, small red fruits dominating in the mouth.”

 

Red Wine (Full)

“A thicker, heartier (more tannic) red for a pan-seared beef steak sounds like a good match: of our wines, I’d suggest a 2013 merlot that we made from the farm at Jamesport in Cutchogue.”

 

White Wine 

“For the white wine, I suggest textured white as a good match. Of our our wines, I’d suggest a 2017 Sauvignon Blanc that we made from the Macari farm in Mattituck.”

 

You have the ingredients, you have the recipe, you have the wine — now set the mood and impress your S.O. with a romantic home-cooked Valentines dinner. 

Try our Steam Roasted Orange and Ginger Carrot recipe which isn't your ordinary roasted carrot dish! The steam retains moisture in the carrot and the roasting gives it a nice crispy texture. Also try one of the below recipes for your special dinner at home.

 

Oven Roasted Root Veggies 
Inspired by Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients:
1lb of cubed potatoes and turnips, and chopped carrots
2 tbs of olive oil 
1 small red onion peeled and quartered
Sea salt and pepper to taste 
Herb of choice: thyme + rosemary or a 5 spice blend (optional)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Add potatoes, carrots, turnips and onions to a large bowl.  Drizzle evenly with the olive oil, sprinkle with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper, then toss gently to coat all of the vegetables (being careful not to break up the onion chunks, if possible).
3. Spread the vegetables out evenly on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle evenly with a little extra salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and cooked through, flipping once halfway through cooking.
5. Serve warm.

 

Seared Flat Iron Steak
Originally featured in Gluten Free Homestead 

Ingredients:
1 lb flat iron steak
1 tbs avocado oil
salt and pepper to taste

For marinade:
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons gluten-free Dijon mustard
3 scallions chopped

Instructions
For marinade
1. Mix wine, oil, garlic, dijon mustard and scallions in a shallow dish.
2. Add steak, cover and marinate for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator. You can leave it to marinate for as long as 12 hours.

Cook
1. Pat steaks dry with paper towels. Pound with a meat tenderizer. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
2. Now, heat oil in your skillet until it is very hot. Place steak on the pan for about 4 minutes.
3. Flip the meat and cook for another 4 minutes. Check the temperature and continue cooking until the inside temperature reaches 140℉. (You may have to turn the heat down a bit and cook another 1- 2 minutes on each side). Let your meat rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Thinly slice steak against the grain.

Contributed by Local Roots NYer Drew Carlin

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