Give your unwanted Napa Cab some love with Uzbek plov

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The other day, Boris & Marina invited my family for an Uzbek plov (pilaf). I find Central Asian cuisine to be one style of food that allows me to unload all those Napa Cabs that I still have from the days bygone (when I was in Napa almost every single weekend, tasting, learning, buying). The sweetness, meatiness, and the spices of the Central Asian food go perfectly with the ripe, sweet, fuity, oaky, low-acidity, high-alcohol Napa that besieges my cellar waiting for an opportunity. (Like the 2005 Pine Ridge Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon on the photo below, from the days when I was a member. Oh man...) Plov offers that - sauteed onions and carrots with Basmati rice and classically lamb (but in this case, short ribs falling off the bone, because Rona doesn't like lamb). I am sure Uzbek, Pakistani, Iranian, Afghan, Indian would all work. Pickles of all kinds - my mom made pickled watermelon - go wonderfully with this sweet and pungent cuisine.



So head over to your neighborhood Central Asian restaurant and give a bottle of your unwanted Napa Cab some love!

The plov recipe is here.
Enjoy!

Comments

Sandy Crozier said…
Thanks for the recipe and the match with Napa cab. I still may have a few in my cellar too. I'd love the watermelon recipe when you have a chance. Sound fantastic.
August 2, 2010 at 9:24 AM
chris said…
GReat to see a food pairing with exotic foods (other than STEAK). However I must comment on one of my favorites the 05 Pine Ridge Rutherford Cab. Not sweet; dry. Balanced Oak, and good acidity. The fruit is powerfull but no residual sugar. A great food wine for many occations.
August 3, 2010 at 9:57 AM
Iron Chevsky said…
Chris, thanks for the comment. I suppose it's all relative. I compare "sweetness" and acidity to French and Italian wines. Obviously, by "sweet" I don't mean sweet as in dessert wine - it's still a dry wine, but it tastes riper, sweeter and fruitier than the old world wines I normally prefer. As for acidity, if you want to talk "acidity", try Ridge - their Cabs have it. Most other Cali wines are what I call "low-acidity".
August 3, 2010 at 12:58 PM
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