Im not sure about the name of this wine. Eroica means “heroic” in Italian referring I think to the symphony Beethoven dedicated to Napoleon. However Chateau Saint Michelle being in Washington I dont understand the reasoning behind the name at all.

What I do know is I love this wine. In fact Ive yet to have a less than stellar wine from Chateau St. Michelle. A couple years ago I visited their vineyard and liked every single thing on the tasting list. Its a shame more of their wines dont make it to Madison because they are out of this world. Their Rieslings especially stand out in my mind so I was excited when I sent the fella out on a wine run and he came back with the Eroica. I really hate to brag but I do have the best boyfriend ever.

I threw together Berry and Rosemary Chicken Thighs and some asparagus for dinner to pair with the wine. It worked out well. The sweetness of the jam in the food played off the sweet, spicy wine nicely. And the asparagus brought out some tart green undertones. The only problem with this wine is it is additively sweet, almost to the point of being cloying. Its really more of a dessert wine, better enjoyed alone to get the full effect. Just watch out for the sugar headache it left us both with afterwards. It has a powerful 12 percent alcohol content and it isnt joking around.

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This is one of those recipes that is so fundamentally simple it seems like it couldnt possibly be that great. The fact that when its finished cooking it looks like a pot full of orange mush doesnt do it any favors either. But once you top it with a few crumbles of feta and almonds this soup shows what its all about.

I certainly didnt think I was going to like this soup as much as I did. It seemed like something this mushy was going to be a chore to eat and wouldnt be very yummy but it showed me how wrong I was. It is warm and filling and perfect for fall low maintenance low fat cooking. It was great the first day and just kept getting better as left overs. Those lentils suck up moisture though so keep some extra stock around to thin out the left overs the next couple days.

Think while I curl up under a blanket this afternoon Im going to start another pot of this.

Red Lentil Soup

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 shallots, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

6 cups good-tasting vegetable stock (or water)
1/2 cup brown rice, picked over and rinsed
1 1/3 cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed

slivered almonds, toasted
black oil cured olives, chopped
feta, crumbled

In a big soup pot, over medium heat, combine the olive oil, onion, shallots, and red pepper flakes. Let them brown, and caramelize a bit, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the broth, bring to a boil, then stir in the rice. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the rice is about half cooked then add lentils four about another 10 minutes or until both rice and lentils are very tender, and not at all toothsome. By this time, the lentils will have collapsed into a thick slop of sorts. If you need to add more water/broth at any point do so a splash at a time, until the soup thins out to the point you prefer.

Unless you used a salty broth, you will likely need to salt generously, until the the soup no longer tastes flat. Serve each bowl topped with almonds, olives, feta, and a slight drizzle of olive oil if you like.

Original recipe from 101 Cookbooks blog.

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