The holiday season is here and, with it, many opportunities for sit-down meals with family and friends. Wintertime, in general, seems to work better than summertime for staying in and enjoying home-cooked food.
At Pretty Lady Vineyards, we know that grapes have long been revered as a healthy snack the world over, and we love how, more and more, they’re being incorporated into beloved desserts and side dishes across all styles of cuisine. But we also know that they blend well (sometimes quite literally) into entrees and main courses, too. If that news is surprising to you, then you might get a kick out of one or more of the following recipes. We think they’re all grape dishes (pun intended) but you don’t have to take our word for it. Try out one or more of these recipes this season (with our Pretty Lady Grapes, of course), and discover on your own what a perfect partner grapes make for main course dishes.
Pork Chops with Roasted Grapes
This is our recipe, and it’s one of our favorites. The smell of the rosemary cooking, alone, is enough to make it a worthwhile contender for one of your holiday main courses. As a bonus, this recipe also works just as well with chicken, and is just as tasty as leftovers as it is fresh from the stove. That is, if there are any leftovers to be had…
White Fish with Grapes
Another one of our own concoctions, this White Fish recipe is healthy, quick, and works for many diets with restrictions (such as Paleo and Gluten-Free). It only takes 15 minutes to make and includes one cup of dry white wine as an ingredient. You know what that means? The rest of the bottle can go to your hard-working, recipe cooking self. You deserve it.
Balsamic Steak with Red Grape Relish
This one is from Taste of Home, and features tangy vinaigrette with a relish made from sweet, creamy blue cheese, mild green onions, and crunchy red grapes. The result is a full, well-rounded flavor sensation in what is also makes for a very filling main course. Also, the colors make for a beautiful presentation, especially when you keep the meat on the medium-rare side. If you’re doing a plated Christmas dinner, this is our vote for making it something truly special.
Chicken Braised with Grapes
This recipe takes an hour from prep-to-serve but don’t let that intimidate you. It’s still relatively simple to make and the result is well worth the 30-minute cook time. This recipe can be made with balsamic vinegar, but we highly recommend trying it with the pomegranate molasses suggested as an alternative on the NY Times website. There is an extra layer of tanginess that happens when you make the switch. Red or green grapes both work well with this recipe, and either way, it’s a dish that looks mighty fine on the dinner table.
Those are four of our favorites but a quick Google search will reveal so many more possibilities. However you decide to cook this holiday season, we hope you have a great December and we hope you have an opportunity to utilize one of our holiday brands: