Friends have invited us over for dinner on Sunday night. Plan is to open a Sea Smoke and David Bruce PN to go with veal chops done on the BBQ. I have to bring the sides. What do you think???

Doing veal chops tonight and am pondering the same issue!

Leaning toward two of these three choices:

Green Bean Salad with Radishes and Prosciutto

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms (basil and balsamic, a little bit of garlic)

Roasted new potatoes, seasoned with fresh rosemary

Probably will go with the first two, as I'll start with a pasta dish and that's enough starch for the night.

We're going to pair everything with some barolos or barbarescos. If I was pairing with Central Coast pinots, I might consider flavoring my side with a dash of cinnamon or clove, because I sometimes get those kind of secondary notes in pinots from that region. Might work in some pureed white beans. Just a touch, though. Don't want to overpower the wines.

Good luck!

Cheers,

Otis

It's already too late for your dinner on Sunday night, but I found a recipe I like in Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home. Braise some chopped red cabbage in butter and red wine, seasoned with crushed juniper berries and a dash of vinegar. Reduce the braising liquid. Sear/saute the veal chops and serve them atop the cabbage. Reduce the braising liquid and drizzle generously over the chops. Equally good with a burgundy or a bordeaux.

Thanks Java, that sounds fantastic. In the end I went with Otis' suggestions and did the green bean salad and the grilled portobellos. They were a nice touch and complimented the wines wonderfully. Thanks so much for the suggestion Otis.

Glad it worked out, mgs!

Javachip: gonna have to try that Trotter cabbage sometime. Sounds like a lot of good flavor.

Cheers,

Otis

Otis, the complete recipe calls for some other things, including sugar in the braising liquid. Refer to the cookbook for the detailed recipe. Or have Charlie cook it for you, since you're in the same town.

Make a batch of polenta early in the day, and add parmesean, butter, S&P. Pour the polenta into a lightly oiled baking dish and spread it evenly. Allow the polenta to cool, and place it in the refrigerator. Later that day, make a mushroom ragu of some sort (shrooms, shallot, thyme, maybe some madiera or cognac, cream). Slice the now hard-set polenta into squares and grill them to get a nice grill flavor and to warm up. Top grilled polenta squares with the mushroom ragu. Enjoy.

Better late than never?

When I saw the PN's, I just had to throw out my new fave PN accompaniment and maybe my new fave starch:
Lentils, with Bacon, and Cider Reduction
yield: Makes 6 servings

Cider reduction
2 cups apple cider
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup chopped shallots

Lentils
6 whole cloves
1 medium onion, peeled
6 cups water
1 1/2 cups French green lentils (lentilles du Puy; about 12 ounces)
2 bay leaves

6 slices thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon, cut crosswise inch thick
1/4 cup chopped shallots

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

For cider reduction:
Place cider, vinegar, and shallots in heavy medium saucepan. Boil until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 30 minutes. Strain; discard solids in strainer. Return cider mixture to pan. DO AHEAD: Cider reduction can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
For lentils:
Press thin end of cloves into peeled onion. Place onion in heavy large saucepan. Add 6 cups water, lentils, and bay leaves. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Pour all but 3 tablespoons fat from skillet. Add shallots to skillet and sauté over medium heat until golden, about 2 minutes.
Drain lentils, discarding onion and bay leaves. Add reserved bacon, lentils, and thyme to shallots.

I've had this with scallops, halibut, salmon and most recently, with pork belly (I added a brunoise of apples to the lentils). Great with PNs,

brussles sprouts with pancetta or bacon

roasted root vegetables