Just two weeks ago, everything was blossoming into spring, we had just added two talented chefs onto the WineSalon team, and we were preparing the most epic member pick-up party culminating in a winemaker dinner featuring none other than Steve Matthiasson.
We worked hard – researching, tasting, and scouring local farmer’s markets for the best spring ingredients to pair with both Kanpai and Matthiasson’s wines. We were proud of all the new innovative dishes, content, and food and wine pairing philosophies that we came up with. Here at WineSalon, we pride ourselves on pushing the envelope when it comes to thinking deeply about why we drink wine and eat food. The spring season – typically associated with optimism, bloom, brightness, and ambition – was abruptly turned on its head.
Everything that we had worked on suddenly seemed to be a misfit for the current times. All of the optimism and ambition that Spring typically brings has been replaced with a need for comfort and familiarity. Ambitious food and wine pairings have taken a backseat as we shift to working with what’s available. As they say, necessity is the mother of innovation!
Here at WineSalon, we felt the need to pause and change direction and think about how we can help others during this time. From now until June, we will donate 15% of all proceeds from the sale of all Kanpai Wines and every new WineSalon membership to support local food banks and healthcare workers.
For every bottle of Kanpai Wines sold, we will donate 15% of the proceeds to support food banks and healthcare workers.
To start out our series of food and wine pairings that focus on comfort, familiarity, and availability, we went to local markets and tried to make the best of what’s available, which we found a lot more challenging than we had anticipated! We’re kicking things off with an Italian favorite that only requires the bare essentials from a kitchen pantry- pasta carbonara. In the meantime, we hope that everyone stays safe and alert but more importantly, that you still find the time to celebrate life with good food and a nice bottle of wine.
Pasta Carbonara
Ingredients
8 oz. of spaghetti, bucatini, or linguine (honestly, whatever is available at the market)
1 cup grated Parmesan, Parmigiano-Reggiano, or Pecorino cheese
8 oz. guanciale, pancetta, or bacon
2 tbsp black peppercorns
4 egg yolks
- Kosher salt
Recipe
Step 1
Step 2
While you are waiting for the water to boil, grind your black peppercorns on the coarsest setting on your pepper grinder. Alternatively, use a cleaver to chop the peppercorns down to a very coarse grind.
Step 3
Cut your bacon into lardons about ¾ of an inch wide. In a sauté pan over medium heat, slowly cook your bacon for about 10 minutes or until your bacon reaches your desired level of crispness. Strain out the bacon lardons but reserve the bacon drippings for the sauce later on.
Step 4
In a metal bowl combine 1 tbsp of the black pepper, ¾ cup of the grated cheese, and 4 egg yolks. Over the simmering water, whisk the ingredients together until just slightly thickened. The egg yolk will just ever so slightly start sticking to the bowl.
Step 5
Bring the water to a rolling boil and cook your pasta according to the package instructions. Using tongs, transfer the pasta into a metal bowl while making sure to reserve the pasta water.
Step 6
With your tongs, start combining the pasta with the egg yolk mixture. Adjust to the desired consistency by slowly adding the bacon drippings and pasta water. How much of the bacon drippings versus pasta water you add is up to your own personal preference.
Step 7
Once the desired consistency is reached, mix in your crispy bacon lardons and transfer to a warm plate. Garnish the top with additional black pepper and cheese as desired.
Don’t forget to enjoy with a chilled glass of Kanpai Wines Hi No Tori Rosé of cabernet sauvignon!
Cheers—
Peter Chiang & The WineSalon Team