“Mushrooms and Oregon Pinot Noir:
A Kiss of Culinary Perfection”
By Christina Kelly

Pinot Noir is the perfect wine for dishes that include mushrooms, especially in the spring and early summer with morels and in the fall with chanterelles.

There is something about combining the earthy, smoky flavors of morels with the berry, spice and velvet earthiness of Pinot Noir. As my aunt used to say, “it is like the anticipation of a culinary kiss.”

Picking morels isn’t easy. The best places I’ve found are usually in an area where a forest fire occurred, a year or so later, where the charcoaled remains hold on to sandy soil.

In a recent trip, I took a knife, pillowcase and Pixel, the trusty mushroom dog, to forage through a burnout near the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in Central Oregon.

We searched for hours, and found just enough morels to make a meal. Pixel, a Yorkshire terrier born blind at birth, came back looking like a Scottish terrier, covered in soot and charcoal. My pants were streaked with black soot, and what were once white tennis shoes were now covered with black coal.

I knew the meal would involve lamb and fresh greens. It was a dilemma picking the right Pinot Noir to compliment the meal. Four of us brought four different Oregon Pinot Noirs to try with the meal.

We served Ken Wright’s 2000 Guadelupe Vineyard Pinot Noir, Domaine Drouhin 1999 Pinot Noir, 2000 Archery Summit Red Hills Pinot Noir and Patty Green’s 2001 Balcombe Vineyard Pinot Noir.

The recipe that follows is an approximation of what I made. The seasonings are based on the taste of the cook. Taste frequently and use spices you like. Dried morels will work just fine, but if you don’t want to spend the money, use brown mushrooms. You won’t get the wonderful smoky flavors, but it is a satisfying meal just the same.

This recipe is neither for the faint-of heart, nor anyone counting calories nor on restricted diets. It is total decadence, and absolutely wonderful.

My preference was Ken Wright’s Pinot Noir, although all of the wines served worked well. Experiment with your favorite Oregon Pinot Noir.

This meal was served with steamed brown rice and sautéed Red Kale (with just a little garlic and olive oil.)

It was the kiss of culinary perfection. The first bite, with a taste of Pinot Noir was almost sensual. No one spoke a word for the first few minutes of the meal, but once the flavors mingled, we were brought to our knees.

And Pixel, the mushroom dog, got the bones.

Christina Kelly is a wine writer for www.avalonwine.com and other Northwest publications.

Pan Roasted Lamb Chops With A Ragout of Morel Mushrooms:

Ingredients:

6-8 Lamb chops, 1-1.5 inches thick
½ cup of olive oil
2-4 Tablespoons of freshly minced garlic
2 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
Liberal sprinkling of Montreal Steak Seasoning (Costco sells it)
A small amount of the Pinot Noir to be served with the meal

Mix the ingredients thoroughly and marinate lamb for at least an hour before cooking.

Sear the lamb chops on high heat, for both sides, then cook about five minutes, depending on preference. I cook lamb medium rare.

Remove from pan and keep warm.

Morel Ragout:

Sauté morels and any other mushrooms with ½ cup of shallots or fresh green onions. (The more mushrooms, the better, I say.)
Deglaze with 1-cup of red wine and 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar.
Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and black and white pepper to taste.
Allow it to reduce by half.
Add demi-glace (below)
Let simmer 10 minutes.
Add 2 tablespoons of red and yellow bell pepper for color
Spoon the sauce on a plate, then place the lamb chops on top.
Add more to cover the chops.

Demi-Glace

This is not the usual demi-glace. Ordinarily, you should strain these ingredients and end up with just the liquid. I, however, keep it all together. You can do either with great flavor.

¼ to 1/3 lb. of finely chopped bacon
½ medium chopped white onion
2 small carrots, finely chopped
¼ cup of flour
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Bay leaf, crumbled
Thyme to taste
2 cans of beef stock
Butter to taste (1-2 teaspoons)

Cook the bacon in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots, stirring for about five minutes. Sprinkle with flour and continue cooking for about 10 minutes. If sauce is too thick, add butter.

Add tomato paste, bay leaves, thyme, and beef stock. Simmer over medium heat until sauce is reduced by nearly one-half.

Add the demi-glace to the ragout along with peppers for color.