Dinner With My Daughters

This week my daughter that does not eat beans was down at the Outer Banks in North Carolina, so I could make a dinner for my other two daughters that contained beans. I searched my vegetarian slow cooker cook book for something that would be great. My choice was a tamale pie. What a great dish, there was a thick soft crust that was on the top of the tamale filling, my girls and I all enjoyed it.

The crust on top was made with flour and corn meal not the traditional corn husk. Tamale, as you know, has a nice spicy flavor with a little bit heat which I added by using dried whole chili peppers. Now the dilemma, as always, what kind of wine to serve with this dish on a warm evening on the deck. I am lucky that most evenings we always have a cool breeze that comes off the lake, so it is not as hot. The wine I served was a Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Malbec blend called Eagle Eye Infatuation from Napa Valley. It had great fruit that stood up to the tomato, and the Malbec hammered out the heat to make it less obvious. Another great meal!

Jerry Hampel
Queen Anne Wine Specialist