Paul is one of the best chefs I know so whenever we have friends and/or family over for dinner he has a full meal planned. For the first time since moving into our humble abode, we invited both sets of our parents over for a homecooked meal and quality time spent together.
I knew I wanted to break out the Hyde Estate Merlot so Paul and I started to brainstorm a good pairing. We wanted something warm to contrast this chilly weather we’ve been experiencing here in Boston and his dad requested ravioli. With that in mind, we picked up fresh spinach & cheese ravioli and decided on a Chicken Carbonara as the main dish.
The Wine
Hyde Estate was a beautiful vineyard we visited in Los Carneros during our time in wine country. We got to meet the owner Larry Hyde who founded the vineyard in 1979 and taste their four estate-grown wines at the casual tasting bar. Their Merlot was my personal favorite.
The Food
The Chicken Cacciatore Paul made was loosely based on this recipe but we used half breasts and half thighs. He also added a few special ingredients to the sauce so it would be more flavorful and removed the mushrooms from the recipe altogether. We swapped out the spaghetti for the fresh ravioli to make a delicious flavor combination.
Both of my parents are on the Paleo Diet right now so I made a bag of riced cauliflower and plated their chicken over it. The consistency is so similar to rice and it absorbs all the flavor of the sauce so it’s a great alternative for family and friends you know who are eating healthy.
Stay tuned for more wine & dine pairings here on the blog. We have a whole bunch of incredible wines to share with you all!
