Mediterranean Pizza and Red Bicyclette Syrah
I decided I wanted a pizza but I wanted something that I never had made before. When I was living in Turkey, I really developed a palate for Mediterranean meals. I loved breakfast with smoked salmon, pealed tomatoes, feta cheese, capers, kalamata olives and onions on flat bread. So I thought what the heck, let’s try making a Mediterranean pizza. I started by rolling out whole wheat dough. Instead of using tomato sauce, I covered the dough with a herbed feta cheese. Then I layered smoked salmon over the cheese and sprinkled chopped kalamata olives can capers over the salmon. I added chopped sundried tomatoes and finely chopped red onion and then a layer of plain feta cheese on top of it all. I baked it on a baking stone for 15 minutes at 450 degrees and when it was finished I added fresh squeezed lemon over the whole pizza. The pizza was fabulous! Be sure not to add too many capers because there is plenty of salt in the olives and feta cheese. Next was a good wine to pair with it. Normally I would have gone with a Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Noir, but since I used smoked salmon, I wanted something a little bigger. I pulled out the Red Bicyclette Syrah and to my surprise; it made the whole pizza POP. The power of the Syrah with its deep berry fruit flavors, spicy aromas and mature tannins cut the pungent and saltiness of the cheese and really brought out the smoke flavor of the salmon. What a great discovery. But isn’t that what wine and food are all about? The discovery is exciting and fun and when it Pops, you know you’ve happened upon something magical. Enjoy a bottle of Red Bicyclette tonight and create your own wonderful food pairing. When the magic in the bottle marries the magic in the food, your tongue will sing and dance the whole night long.