Dining and wining with Persian kitties. Paring padrons and Riesling.
My friend A.C. is an urban gardening queen. In her back yard and in a rented plot in a community garden in Santa Clara she grows enough organic veggies to feed a small army. Once a year she throws her famous tomato taste-off . She is as passionate about tomatoes as I am about wine. And her second most favorite vegetable has got to be padron pepper , pan seared with a little olive oil and sea salt. Tangy, piquant and usually not hot, this delicacy is a favorite finger food amongst the Bay Area's discerning foodies. There is an occasional spice-bomb in the mix that hits you like a chunk of wasabi. In a situation like that, a chilled off-dry German Riesling (Kabinett level, like a Donnhoff Kreuznacher Krotenpfuhl from the solid 2008 vintage ) is just what the doctor ordered - a highly recommended pairing. Even her two championship Persian kitties are enamored with the veggies - I guess it runs in the family. Followed by her signature sausage lasagna, loaded with home-made tomato sauc...