Food & Wine: Lentils

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and today is food and wine pairing day. I have an affinity for lentils of all kinds and one reason is because they go so well with wine!

Yes lentils, lentils are versatile and they are a great match for red wine. It is one of those food items with which you could create a meal for a vegetarian and serve it with some of the biggest red wines you own. There are so many different types of lentils and they do cook up a bit differently. My choice for making lentil burgers and loafs is brown lentils are. Loafs, just like a meatloaf, but a lentil loaf.  Think Cabernet Sauvignon. The round blue black French lentil is my choice for both warm and room temperature salads, also side dishes or as base to sit a piece of perfectly grilled fish, like salmon or sturgeon. Think Grenache based wines or Rhone style blends. Yellow lentils are delicious and eye appealing when prepared with chunks of tomatoes in a soup, salad or side dish. Yellow lentils are very nice with Italian reds such as Dolcetto. Now although I adore lentil soup and everyone seems to have their own recipe think about stewing meats or creating a dish with lots of seafood and sausage. Then add a cup of French lentils and cook until they are tender. This creates a combination to be served over rice or on top of polenta. Serve with Rioja or Syrah. Lentils the possibilities are endless. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me  on today’s Vine to Wine.