Chicken Stroganoff with Stellenzicht Pinotage.

Only begging for a glass of decent red wine.

I read the tasting notes for this Pinotage from Stellenzicht and they got my taste buds flowing.

‘What’, I wondered, ‘would I cook to accompany this wine?’ I do it backwards like that. A racy Sauvignon Blanc during the summer will have me thinking of salads and light currys, or a plummy peppery Shiraz will have me spending two days cooking a stew.

Here are the notes;

Colour: Bright, crisp ruby with hints of youthful purple around the edges.
Bouquet: Initial wafts of cedar and toasty oak are balanced out by hints of ripe, red berry-fruit. Fresh Mulberry and Raspberry nuances also with a touch of sweet vanilla in the background.
Taste: Clean, crisp and elegant, this vintage tends to be slightly leaner than its predecessors but with the same integrity of pure Pinotage fruit. The tannins are wonderfully ripe and integrated and result in a very friendly, unobtrusive and lasting finish.

Very nice, wouldn’t you agree?

So I thought Chicken Stroganoff. Why not? Plenty of flavours and depth to compliment the fruit and sweetness of the wine.

And here’s my recipe. It serves four.

Ingredients.

4 Chicken breasts, free range from Woolies if you can get them.

2 tbsp olive oil.

1 thinly sliced onion.

1 Crushed Garlic clove.

2 tsp paprika (smoked if you like)

200g sliced mushrooms.

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce.

200 ml chicken stock.

125g sour cream.

To Serve – Pasta.

Pour yourself a large glass of the Pinotage and take a good sip.

Preheat the oven to R180 and golden up the breasts of chicken in half of the oil.

Place breasts in a baking dish and add remaining oil along with onion, garlic and mushrooms. Cook, stirring all the while, until the onion has softened.

Add paprika and stir in for one minute.

Add the Worcestershire sauce and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.

Pour in the stock and cook for three minutes. Remove from the heat and add sour cream. Season with plenty of black pepper.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and place in the oven.

Cook for 20 minutes, turning the breasts to make sure they are cooked through.

Serve with al dente pasta, share the wine and the food with some friends in front of the telly and chill out.