Wine Pairing: Spicy Stew

With Kathleen Powers Erickson

Brunswick stew is a popular southern dish, generally made of fresh summer vegetables, which typically include  corn, lima beans, bell peppers, onions, and sometimes okra or potato (as thickeners) cooked in a stewed tomato base  with chicken, and loaded with the southern spice (pepper).  There is some debate as to whether it originated in Brunswick, Georgia or Brunswick County, Virginia.  In the early 19th century. the stew was made with squirrel , but the more modern version using chicken is common from North Carolina to Virginia to Georgia.  Because southern cooks tend to use pepper liberally, the stew can be very spicy, especially if the traditional generous portion of cayenne pepper goes into the mix.  But I like to use the red pepper sparingly and pass a good hot sauce, like Tabasco,  on the side. 

The amount of spice or “heat” in the recipe is the single most important factor to consider when choosing the proper wine.  When I teach my 5-part wine series, I always use Brunswick stew in the food and wine pairing class, as it illustrates some very important facts about matching wines with food.  First, we have 6 wines chosen to go with the stew, three reds and 3 whites.  So, we can find a great match in either red or white wine.   This is where personal preference comes in; either red or white can work, but it still has to be the right red or white wine.  Also, the more “heat” the dish has, the less tannin the wine must have. .  When tannin and spice mix, they produce an unpleasant rusty metallic taste in the mouth, detracting from both the wine and the food.  Only very “soft, fruit-forward” reds, like Beaujolais, California Pinot Noir, and Spanish Garnacha will work with spicy dishes.  Also, the more spice in the dish, the more fruit (and residual sugar) the wine should have.   When I add a generous sprinkling of tobacco, I’ll reach for a sweeter wine, like a German Riesling to balance out the spice.
 
Wine Choices

Mark Bredif Chinon – ($22.99).  Cabernet Franc, with its distinctive notes of chive and bell pepper is almost always a good choice for a dish featuring fresh vegetables.  The Mark Bredif Chinon has the silky elegance of a fine Pinot Noir and works wonders with the less-spicy version of the stew.
Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir – ($22.99)  For whatever reason, I have found this Pinot Noir to be the absolute best Pinot for food.  It is slightly herbaceous and dry, but bursts with ripe blackberry and plum on the front of the pallet.  It mirrors both the sweet corn and summer tomatoes and brings out the earthy taste of the bell peppers and onions.
Chono Carmenere – ($11.99)  This wine is a great bargain, but people do not often think of Carmenere when choosing a wine for a meal.  It is big and luscious with dark cherry and cassis, but has a solid structure, so it even works quite well with red meat.  But, don’t choose it for the stew unless you use very little pepper and no Tabasco.
La Monaseca Verdicchio - ($21.99)  This wine, which come from a single village in Marche, Italy is my personal favorite choice for this stew.  It is dry, slightly salty and has a stony minerality that gives depth to the earthy flavors of the stew while contrasting elegantly with the sweetness of the corn.  It goes with everything from red meat to cheese and salad.  It is a great choice for antipasto and a wine everyone should have on hand.Domaine Pichot Vouvray – ($15.99)  This is one of my favorite expression of my favorite varietal, Chenin Blanc.  It is off-dry (meaning slightly sweet), with rich notes of baked apple, so this is the choice to go for when you have a hotter, more peppery version of the stew.St. Urbans-Hof Estate Riesling – ($16.99)  This is the wine to go for when you turn up the “heat.”  The sweet notes of Bartlett Pear and Macintosh apple play off perfectly against the cayenne pepper and tobacco.  Riesling is still the most versatile of all food wines.  Contrary to popular opinion, all Rieslings are not sweet.  There are many stunning versions of Riesling, especially from Austria and Alsace, that are bone-dry, but in this case a sweeter version, more common in Germany, is the best choice.

Ingredients

Brunswick Stew 1 3 - 4 pound fryer chicken, cut up  1/3 cup flour 1 tablespoon olive oil  2 or 3 medium onions, chopped  2 bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange), chopped  5 cups water or chicken stock (you may need more)  2 - 28 ounce cans of chopped tomato  1 - 6 ounce can tomato paste  2 cups edamame soy beans (already shelled) (or you can use lima beans, but they are starchier)  2 cups whole kernel corn (a 10 ounce bag or corn cut from 4 ears)  1 teaspoon salt (to taste – usually needs more)  1/2 teaspoon black pepper  ½ teaspoon white pepper 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (Typically, Brunswick Stew has as much a 1 tablespoon, but I use 1/2 teaspoon) 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (You can pass this with the stew for those who like it hotter) 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce  1 cup red wine

Instructions

1. Dredge chicken pieces and brown in hot oil.  2. Sauté onions and peppers in chicken fat and olive oil.  3. Stir in red wine and simmer until most of the wine evaporates.  4. Place browned chicken pieces with onions and peppers in stockpot. Add water (or chicken stock), tomatoes, and tomato paste. Simmer for 1 and 1/2 hours.  5. Remove chicken and strip meat from bones. Discard skin and return shredded chicken to stew. Add edamame beans, corn, and all seasonings. Simmer for another 1/2 hour. Note: This is traditionally a spicy stew with lots of red and black pepper, but I usually adjust the seasoning to be just slightly spicy and serve it with tobacco on the side. 
The stew is very good with biscuits, crusty bread or pumpernickel. A simple salad of almost any type makes a complete meal.
Recipe courtesy of Kathleen Powers Erickson, Savour Wine & Cheese Shop, 2011.

Kathleen came to her wine expertise serendipitously, while pursuing an academic career in the history of Christianity at the University of Chicago, beginning in 1978.  While writing her doctoral dissertation on Vincent van Gogh, she opened a catering business, called “Ambrosia” and taught cooking lessons to local students and faculty. After graduating with her PhD in 1992, she published her book, “At Eternity’s Gate: the Spiritual Vision of Vincent van Gogh” (1998). She then began research on another book, “Monks, Missionaries, Martyrs, and Wine,” detailing the relationship between the spread of Christianity around the world and the growth of the wine industry.  Her interest in the history and culture of wine sparked a curiosity about wine and food pairing in its cultural context.In 2002, she began working for the celebrity chef, Rick Bayless, at the 4-star restaurant, Topolobampo.  Here she gained expertise, not only in the wide variety of Mexican cuisines, but also in tequila and wine.  In 2005, she obtained her certification from the London Court of Master Sommeliers for wine knowledge and service.  She began her career as a wine specialist while working as a consultant and representative of the boutique-style Chicago distribution house, Maverick wines.  After leaving Maverick, she began working as a retail wine manager just outside Chicago, and then, most recently, as the Wine Manager at Seabreeze Liquors in Gloucester. 

She just became the co-owner of Savour Wine and Cheese at 24 Washington St. in Gloucester, Mass, along with her partner, Rockport native and attorney, Robert A. Morgan.  At Savour, Kathleen continues her passion for food, wine and education, by teaching wine classes and seminars, making the wine-buying decisions, and working with her cheese buyer, Krista Julian, to obtain unique and interesting cheeses to pair with the wines.  She will continue to develop her educational programs, to seek out artisanal, small-production wines, and to work on food and wine pairing (with the intent of offering chef tasting dinners) with Chef Matt Beach, who operates his catering service out of Savour’s kitchen.

The Wine PhD,  which is her website - www.thewinephd.com.  (There are also links to it on her Savour website www.savourwineandcheese.com).
 
"Remember - the Wine PhD says - No tannin with spice!"