Warming Up During Winter

White Bean Soup and 2007 Gnarly Head Pinot Grigio: 5/5

With sub zero temperatures right around the corner I thought it was time for some savory soup. Now I didn’t want to spend all day slaving over a pot, doctoring, and seasoning, and stirring. I just wanted to sauté, simmer, and serve. And If there is anything that follows those guide lines it would be a crock pot recipe.

When Brian and Lucy came over to dinner the other night, they decided to let me borrow their little pot of gold, Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything. From how to chop an onion, to how to prepare an artichoke, this book has it all: an overwhelming amount of recipes, great side notes, picture instructions on preparation, and a section dedicated to knife handling.

So as I was thumbing through the book, I found the soup section, narrowed my search to something main-course worthy, and settled on white bean and ham hock soup. But wait, white beans, don’t beans usually have to be soaked over night? According to Mark Bittman’s experiments, the only difference that occurred from soaking the beans over night was a reduced cooking time of a half an hour. Although he recommends buying beans that have not started to shrivel, and that are uniform in color, he does not say its necessary to soak. So I was willing to give it a shot.

While Bittman’s book does have a side note in the soup section about vegetables that can be added to soups that won’t effect the flavor, I wanted to make sure that the vegetables I chose were good ones. So I did some research online and found a recipe from the latest winner of The Next Iron Chef, Jose Garces, http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/white-bean-soup-with-bacon-and-herbs, which included celery, garlic, carrot, and for a little extra pork flavor, bacon.

Both Bittman and Garce’s recipes also said to prepare the soup on the stove, and seeing as I had to get to a magazine release party, I wanted to make the soup in the crock pot. So I decided to do a little modifying. 3 hours before I wanted the soup to be ready, I started preparing the ingredients. After sauteing the bacon and cooking the veggies in the bacon grease, I brought the beans, chicken stock, ham hock, and veggies, to a boil. Once to a boil I transfered everything to the crock pot and cooked on high until the ready to serve 3 hours later.

Based on the consistency of the soup, the lighter flavors of the chicken stock, and vegetables, I thought that a white wine would be the appropriate accompaniment. While a Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc, might have held up to the earthiness of the soup, I think the floral and melon like qualities would have been to light to really awaken the flavors in the dish. Now a Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio, with their heavier bodies, oaky undertones, and rich fruit flavors, would definitely prove an equal match for the soup. But what to choose.

Now when at a liquor or wine store that offers a large selection of wines to choose from, I try not to let the marketing of the wine get in the way, but I have to tell you, I am a sucker for a funny, evocative, or shiny label. So my rule is, when at the grocery store, letting my inner child choose a wine is just fine, as long it is going to pair well with the food.

So as I was meandering by the Pinot Grigio, an interesting graphic caught my eye. A semi impressionistic illustration of a grape vine with a vibrant background of oranges and reds called to me. Stopping to look at the bottle, a 2007 Gnarly Head Pinot Grigio from California, I was amused by the description, soaked in surfing simile. The wine offered flavors of ginger, pineapple, pears, and apples with a finish that “kicked out” with style and grace.

I was sold.

When it came time to eat, Michael was entrenched in the television, watching his beloved show, soon to be off the air, Dollhouse. And while I usually detest the television blaring during dinner, I decided to show a little compassion.

I ladled two servings from the pot, topped each with crispy bacon and a sprinkling of freshly chopped parsley. To soak up the left over soupy goodness, I had popped some garlic bread into the oven, which was now ready, sending tendrils of garlic butter through the kitchen.

As we sat, I corked the bottle and poured two healthy glasses of wine, admiring the symmetry of the table. Immediately my nose was blasted with the strong aromas of pear and ginger, with the subtly apple in the background. The wine’s body was a nice medium, with a presence that could be felt, but did not leave your throat burning without something to pair it with.

Although Mark Bittman’s recipe suggested blending our pureeing the soup, I decided to go with Garces recipe and leave everything whole. I like the flavors in my soup to be distinct and recognizable, instead of overly melded together.

With the freshness of the parsley, the earthiness of the beans, and the smoky flavors of the bacon and ham hock, the soup washed over my palate like a fleece glove on a sub zero day. The contrasting flavors were able to provide amazing depth to the soup, while maintaining the cohesive feeling that the ingredients just took a bath together for the last three hours. The beans were cooked beautifully, melting like butter in my mouth. I don’t know if I will ever soak a bean again.

Together, the wine was able to cleanse the palate, while adding a fruity note to the over all effect of the dish. The smooth finish was able to cool my throat allowing for a fresh warm swallow of soup every time, something we wouldn’t have gotten with red wine.