12/22/05 Food and wines - Vegetable side dishes

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. Today is food & wine pairing day and I am having a great time making vegetable side dishes with all of the great seasonal veggies. I want to share two of my favorite recipes and of course the wines that go with them. Let me begin by saying that the easiest tastiest way to eat vegetables is by doing as little to them as possible. I love a big pan of roasted vegetable. Cut an assortment of squashes potatoes parsnips carrots and maybe beets into pieces about the same size. Toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper and place them in a baking dish to roast in a 375 degree oven until done  about 45 minutes. This is great with dry white or red wines that have enough body to support the savory texture of the vegetables. Next I have never really like brussel sprouts until I found this recipe. Shread the brussel sprouts by slicing them in fairly thin slices. They fall into a feathery mound. Fry some bacon or prosciutto ham in a large frying pan. When it is nice and crispy remove it from the pan drain off and discard all of the excess grease. Add 1 Tblsp. of olive oil to the pan and heat it. Add the brussel sprouts and cook until just limp. Add the bacon and toss it over the heat until it is evenly distributed drizzle a tsp. or so of balsamic vinegar and toss it through the sprouts. Serve warm with Sauvignon Blanc or Dolcetto. Enjoy your veggies and thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.