fennel pairing ideas?

If the fennel is going to be cooked, the flavor will be pretty mild. In combo with the pork, Riesling would be great. Pinot would work well for a red.

i actually like a GSM blend if i dont feel like a white or a whimpy pinot.

the sweetness/lushness of the grenache i find blends well with fennel

quote:

Originally posted by g-man:
i actually like a GSM blend if i dont feel like a white or a whimpy pinot.

the sweetness/lushness of the grenache i find blends well with fennel

Nice one.

I'll go along with G-man's vote!

Seems perfect with a Provencal red like Tempier.

This is a no-brainer. A dryish Austrian Muskateller. Austrian Riesling, Alsatian or Alto Adige Gewürztraminer, Alsatian Muscat, off-dry Loire Chenin Blanc, and Austrian Gruner Veltliner would all work as well. If you have to go red, a top notch Cru Bojoulais (probably a Morgon) would be my choice. But still, Austrian Muskateller would be easy # 1.

I figured Riesling would be a home run. I almost just went with beer.

I was thinking pinot might work but in the end went with something that I thought would be a little more robust - a Gigondas.

It was fine, but this was one of those meals where the food was so good, I forgot there was something on the table to drink.

quote:

Originally posted by winetarelli:
This is a no-brainer. A dryish Austrian Muskateller. Austrian Riesling, Alsatian or Alto Adige Gewürztraminer, Alsatian Muscat, off-dry Loire Chenin Blanc, and Austrian Gruner Veltliner would all work as well. If you have to go red, a top notch Cru Bojoulais (probably a Morgon) would be my choice. But still, Austrian Muskateller would be easy # 1.

why not an austrian zweigelt?

What Whiner said...

Though your more classically made Cotes du Rhones would also work well with this dish in lieu of Bo-jolly.

I made this Jamie Oliver roast pork belly recipe tonight:
http://www.jamieoliver.com/rec...pes/pork-belly-roast

I liked it quite a bit - fennel is a great accent for pork belly - but my wife absolutely loved it. She thought it was in our top 10 dishes. I opened a Mourchon CdR Villages. It escaped me that it's entirely Syrah but it was still pretty good as a pairing, perhaps a little serious. (As a side note, my wife is much better with wine than I am. When I asked her about it she said, "it really reminds me of a Syrah.")

I've been looking for the last half hour, though I can no longer find the recipe which I had printed on a piece of paper, but years ago I used to make an appetizer of quartered fennel bulbs braised in chicken stock with a bit of chopped onion and chopped figs, and then topped with parmiggiano curls. It was a great appetizer, paired with Rosé Champagne.

The recipe came from the Wine Spectator Buying Guide from long ago, maybe late 1980's, the one in the large thick magazine format. Still, if you have reasonable cooking skills, you can probably replicate the recipe from what I've described above. It was a killer appy that I'd completely forgotten until I saw this thread.

Late eighties
S, I now picture you as one of those people with piles Gourmet and Readers Digest mags covered in post-it's waiting for the perfect time to cook that recipe from the mid to late eighties. Lol

Sorry that's my (amazing) father in law.

just needs to set up the braising liquid as an aspic on the serving plate to tie it all together.

for the strawberry risotto

and a side of grilled raddichio

You forgot the appetizers! Spinach dip in a pumpernickel bread bowl, 7 layer dip and a cheese ball.

The fennel does pair very well with blackened chicken or fish. Try it with a white zin spritzer.

Ah, you lads remind me of a gentler, more civilized time, when cholesterol didn't exist and a bit too much salt was just about perfect.

And for the record, I never saved Readers Digest but it took quite a bit of nagging from my beloved wife before I got rid of many years worth of Wine Spectator, Bon Appetit, and Architectural Digest, along with a few dozen cookbooks that hadn't been looked at in years. I confess to being a terrible packrat.

quote:

Originally posted by winetarelli:
This is a no-brainer. A dryish Austrian Muskateller. Austrian Riesling, Alsatian or Alto Adige Gewürztraminer, Alsatian Muscat, off-dry Loire Chenin Blanc, and Austrian Gruner Veltliner would all work as well. If you have to go red, a top notch Cru Bojoulais (probably a Morgon) would be my choice. But still, Austrian Muskateller would be easy # 1.

a big +1 for Muscat/Muskateller or (more risky) Gewürtztraminer, same white wine style as for an asparageous pairing, imho.