Adding Wine to Thanksgiving Dinner: Eggplant Croquettes and White Wine

CRW Thanksgiving Wine Special

Thanksgiving is the wine lover’s holiday. Yes, Christmas is just as great, but we aren’t cutting down the Christmas tree just yet. Why? Thanksgiving is the one holiday of the year that places the most focus on food. And what pairs well with food? Wine, of course. Thanksgiving invites the country to relax and to gather with friends, family, and even strangers to sit around the table, converse, and truly enjoy a great meal. As for the recipes, the options are endless. And that makes it even better for the wine lover. When turkey, potatoes, jam, pie, fish, ham, salad, sweet potato, green bean, casseroles, and much more all share the same menu, the wine list also grows.

This Thanksgiving, really enjoy your meal. Indulge in each bite and follow it with the pleasures of exquisite wine. Sure, save time to watch the football game later, but don’t neglect those taste buds.

For this Thanksgiving, at the winery we all chipped in our favorite Thanksgiving recipes and tested them with the wines. We came up the Thanksgiving Dinner Pack in which we offer a wonderful recipe to pair with the selected wines. Over the next week, I’ll post one of those recipes for you try out at home. I hope that you’ll enjoy them just as much we did.

The Opener:

Eggplant Croquettes: Pair with Pinot Gris or Chardonnay:

Serves 5

INGREDIENTS

2 medium eggplants, peeled and cubed
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, Add Mozzarella if desired
1 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
A few red peppers, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Place eggplant in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on medium-high 3 minutes. Turn eggplant over and microwave another 2 minutes. Or, for better results, steam the eggplant. The eggplant should be tender, cook another 2 minutes if the eggplants are not tender.
Drain any liquid from the eggplants and mash.
Combine red peppers, cheeses, bread crumbs, eggs, parsley, onion, garlic and salt with the mashed eggplant. Mix well.
Shape the eggplant mixture into patties. Heat oil in a large skillet. Drop eggplant patties one at a time into skillet.
If you choose to fry, then fry each side of the patties until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes on each side. Patties can be frozen before frying and cooked later.
If you choose to bake the patties, bake for 10 minutes on one side. Flip and bake for 10 more minutes.