Summer Sardines and Bone Dry Riesling

Before Summer gets away from me and it’s too late, I want to share a few recipes from Saveur’s First Annual Summer BBQ, eats we imagined when sampling them out on Chelsea Pier last month in New York that would pair wondrously with our wines. So no, we have not actually had this food with our wine, not yet. Why not, you ask? Well, it’s not like we could bust out our bottles at the fête (although I had considered the idea, some guerilla marketing, but then someone suggested it might be, well, tacky), and really, we gotta sell our wine, not just sit around drinking it – although we HOPE those days will soon be here.

Back to this recipe – the whole Saveur event showcased some of the best chefs from across the country, this one from four-star Italian restaurant chef Tony Mantuano of Spiaggia in Chicago. We’d want to drink our bone dry Leroy’s Finest Riesling with it.

Marinated Sardine Crostini with Salsa Verde and Fennel with 2009 Leroy’s Finest

Scott’s 2009 Leroy’s Finest tasting impression: Color: Pale straw. On the nose: citrus oils, pine resin. In the mouth: mouth-watering acidity, lime peel, menthol, stuffed green olive. Bone dry.

The recipe | Serves 8 – recipe copied exactly from Saveur Summer BBQ Cookbook, 2010.

SALSA VERDE

½ cup minced fresh tarragon

½ cup minced fresh chives

1/3 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 hard-boiled  egg, peeled and chopped

½ tsp. Dijon mustard

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 ½ tbsp. capers, rinsed, drained, and chopped

SARDINES

4 fresh sardines, deboned and filleted

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup fresh orange juice

½ cup white wine vinegar

1 bulb fennel, trimmed

Juice of a ¼ lemon

8 1-inch-thick slices ciabatta bread, halved (in NY, Tony used bread with raisins in it)

SALSA VERDE (makes 2/3 cup)

In a medium bowl, combine the tarragon, chives, parsley, egg, mustard, olive oil, and capers. Stir to mix thoroughly and let stand for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend. The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to a week.

SARDINES

1. Meanwhile, marinate the sardines: salt and let stand for 10 minutes. In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, and vinegar. Put the sardines in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over. Marinate for 30 minutes. Remove sardines from the marinade and lightly pat dry. Set aside until ready to use. 2. Using a mandolin, thinly shave the fennel into a medium bowl. Dress with lemon juice and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

CROSTINI

1. To make the crostini, lay out the slices of ciabatta on a cookie sheet. Toast under the broiler until brown, about 1 minute. Flip the slices over and repeat. Remove from the oven. Alternatively, you can grill the bread over an open flame. 2. To assemble, spread a teaspoon of salsa verde onto each crostino. Top with a sardine fillet and some shaved fennel salad. Serve immediately.

If any of you out there make this, would love to hear what you think of it. And if any of you want to try it with our Riesling, we hope to have our e-comm site up soon. Or, be brave! Step out! And email us for more information: requests at thegrandedalles (dot) com. We would LOVE to hear from you!