Wine With…Steak Salad with
Avocado-Buttermilk Dressing
The taste
of this buttermilk-based green dressing is definitely divine, but it also can
boast more tang (and fewer calories) than the traditional Green Goddess
dressing it resembles. As long as
you can procure a good ripe avocado and some buttermilk there is nothing
ironclad about the rest of the recipe’s ingredients. Use what vegetables are in season and that appeal to you, but
do emphasize the veggies rather than leafy greens -- this salad is more about
crunchy textures and robust flavors than the delicacy of lettuce. While the wines we recommend here are
compatible with sliced steak, you certainly could top the salad with chicken or
salmon instead and adjust the wine selections accordingly.
Try for four
to seven different salad ingredients (fewer might be boring, too many more
could diffuse the effect by overwhelming the palate). On this particular occasion we used a
small amount of arugula along with fresh fennel, cucumber, scallions, a yellow
tomato, celery, and artichoke hearts. Alternate ingredients might include radishes, corn kernels,
beans (lima or garbanzo, for example), raw turnip, beets, minced red onion, red
or yellow bell pepper, and so on. Blue
cheese or shaved Parmesan would be a delicious alternative to feta. We used a skirt steak, but slices of
flatiron, hanger or flank steak would be equally tasty.
Steak Salad
with Avocado-Buttermilk Dressing
Serves 4-6
1 ripe
avocado
¾ cup
buttermilk
1 teaspoon
Dijon style mustard
salt and
pepper
4-6 cups
coarsely chopped fresh vegetables
½ cup
minced pancetta or crumbled bacon
½ cup
crumbled feta cheese
2
tablespoons minced fresh herbs such as parsley, chives and/or tarragon
1 pound
skirt, grilled or pan-seared
Peel and pit
the avocado and cut the flesh in chunks. Pour the buttermilk in a blender or food processor and add
the avocado and mustard. Puree
until the mixture is fairly smooth, season with salt and pepper, then
refrigerate until ready to use (may be made up to two hours in advance). Sauté the pancetta or bacon and drain on paper towel.
To serve,
toss the vegetables with the dressing and fold in the cheese. Cook the meat, cut it in slices against
the grain, and arrange them on the salad. Top with the pancetta or bacon and the minced herbs. Serve immediately.
* * *
A somewhat tricky dish to match with wine, this entrée salad’s rich and
creamy character goes well with equally rich, creamy whites, while the grilled
steak atop it cries out for a hearty red.
We tried a variety of different wines, representing different stylistic
types, and found that the best matches tended to be light-bodied but very
flavorful reds. We’re recommending
three that fall in this broad category, and then two outliers--a succulent
because buttery Chardonnay, and a full, fleshy Primitivo. All five prove that this somewhat
idiosyncratic dish benefits from an equally idiosyncratic wine selection. So feel free to experiment. The one
thing we’ll say with certainty, though, is that delicate wines, no matter the
color, won’t work, as both the salad and beef will prove overwhelming.
Selection
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Approx. Price
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Comments
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Neil Ellis, Stellenbosch (South Africa) Pinotage 2011
(Imported by Vineyard Brands)
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$21
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One of the best examples of Pinotage we’ve had in years, this wine exhibits an earthy depth that enhances its sweet, cherry-like fruit. That combination of an initial sweet impression followed by lingering non-fruit flavors is what enabled it to match well with both the salad and the beef.
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Chateau de Paraza, Minervois (France) “Cuvée Spéciale) 2010
(Imported by The Country Vintner)
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$13
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Similar in style to the Pinotage we’re recommending but offering a very different taste profile, this southern French red feels plusher and less forceful, with darker fruit flavors and less obvious earthy undertones. It nonetheless has plenty of personality so stands up proudly alongside the dish.
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St, Francis, Sonoma County (California) Chardonnay 2011
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$14
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Ripe, somewhat sweet fruit is enhanced here by echoes of butter, toffee, and popcorn. Though an obviously better partner for the salad than for the beef, it provides enough punch and energy to maintain flavor when sipped with the steak.
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Tormaresca, Salento (Italy) Primitivo “Torcicoda” 2010
(Imported by Ste. Michelle Wine Estates)
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$22
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A fairly powerful red wine, this southern Italian is just the reverse of the Chardonnay — fine with the salad and dressing, but superb with the beef. Less showy than many Primitivos, or for that matter, Zinfandels, it nonetheless shows a long briary finish and a core of sweet, satisfying fruit.
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Vina Pomal, Rioja (Spain) “Reserva” 2008(Imported by Aveniu Brands)
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$21
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Showing its age but not tasting at all tired, this traditionally-styled Rioja tastes sweet from extended aging in American oak casks but also earthy and smoky. That conjunction allowed it to shine brightly alongside this particular dish.
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