Creative Thanksgiving Wine Pairings #WinePW

This month's theme for Wine Pairing Weekend hosted by David Crowley of Cooking Chat is Creative Thanksgiving Wine Pairings.  You can find his invitation post right here and find out how you can join us for next month's wine pairing weekend.

We usually have a full house for Thanksgiving.  We invite family, friends and strangers that have nowhere else to spend Thanksgiving.  We give thanks that we have been so blessed and that we are able to share those blessings with others.

Because there are so many of us with so many different tastes we offer a variety of beverages, alcoholic and non alcoholic, and we let each person choose what they would like to drink.  We offer a dry white, a light red, a sparkling wine and a sweet wine.  We offer a variety of beers and also soft drinks, juices and water.  For those who prefer, we offer cocktails of all sorts.

So when faced with this challenge I started thinking about what wine Frank and I would drink and it is usually different with each course, however, when it is just he and I and we are sitting down to Thanksgiving leftovers then we will only open one bottle to share.

I have decided to share with you one of our regular meals that we have after Thanksgiving in order to use up some of that bird sitting in the refrigerator.  This recipe also works with leftover chicken throughout the year.

Since I work hard to make sure, in the spirit of the season, that the majority of my Thanksgiving meal is local I decided to pair this dinner with a local, Michigan wine.  This wine comes from Leelanau Cellars in the Northwest part of our lower peninsula. Their winter white is one of the most popular of their wines and is priced at a mere $7 a bottle.  It is marketed as a slightly sweet wine but I find it quite sweet for my taste.  My sister and mother in law love this wine.

As many of you know, I raise my own turkeys.  I also belong to a local CSA and still have pumpkin, squash, celery, onions and potatoes that I used for Thanksgiving dinner.  This meal uses the leftover turkey and  some more onions.   I also added some broccoli because it was in the refrigerator.  You can omit that or add any vegetable that you have leftover from Thanksgiving or available in your refrigerator.

The food and wine pairing was not great. The wine was a little sweet for my taste and the richness of the dish calls for a wine that is brighter and crisper.  This wine is good, however better suited as a dessert wine, I think. Please do try this dish with your leftovers this year.  I guarantee you will love it.

Turkey Tetrazzini

1 c. leftover turkey (or chicken) cut into bite size pieces
1 T. olive oil
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
4 T. butter
1/4 t. flour
1/2 c. white wine
1 c. turkey (or chicken) broth
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1/2 lb pasta of your choice, I used penne noodle
1 bunch broccoli florets
1/4 c. parmesan cheese


In a large saute pan over med high heat, cook mushrooms, onions and garlic until softened and fragrant.  Season with salt and pepper.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Return pan to heat and melt the butter, stir in the flour until smooth and nutty smelling.  Add the white wine and cook until evaporated, scraping any bits off the bottom of the pan.  Add the broth and stir until smooth. Incorporate the evaporated milk stirring and cooking until thickened.  Return the mushroom mixture to the sauce along with the turkey (or chicken).

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of salted water per package directions, adding the broccoli florets during the last 3 minutes.  Drain well and add to the turkey and sauce.  Turn into an oven safe casserole and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 350* oven for 20-30 minutes, until top starts to brown and sauce is bubbly.  Print Recipe

Be sure to check out all these Creative Thanksgiving Wine Pairings!

• Culinary Adventures with Camilla will share Simple Elegance: Beurre Noisette-Braised Radishes + Sips from Languedoc
• Rockin' Red Blog will Celebrate Thanksgiving Lodi Style 
• Cooking Chat will share Garrigue Roasted Turkey Breast with Wine from Languedoc #winePW 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm will pair Turkey Tetrazzini with a Michigan Wine 
• Curious Cuisiniere will share French Herb Roasted Turkey with Languedoc Wine
• Confessions of a Culinary Diva is planning A Sud Ouest Thanksgiving 
• Pull That Cork will post #winePW Thanksgiving for Two: Storm Pinot Noir and Seared Duck Breast 
• Tasting Pour will Pick Picpoul, Choose Corbieres: Languedoc Wines and Thanksgiving
• ENOFYLZ Wine Blog will share Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake Paired With An Aussie Sticky
• Grape Experiences will post Wine and Dine: Chateau Paul Mas Belluguette and Mediterranean Fish Stew 
• Dracaena Wines will discuss How to Be Creative with Your Thanksgiving Table

Join our live Twitter chat on Saturday, November 14, from 11 a.m. to noon, Eastern Time. Just tune into the hashtag #winePW. This will be a great chance to ask your Thanksgiving wine pairing questions, and share what you know! If you’ve come to us after November 14, consider joining us for #winePW on December 12, focused on “Sparkling Wine and Festive Holiday Dishes”, hosted by Cindy at Grape Experiences. You can get a full listing of past and upcoming Wine Pairing Weekend events here.