Can’t All Be Winners

I suppose they can’t all be winners.  We saw a recipe in out local newspaper which really intrigued us.  Cannellini Beans with Sautéed Fennel and Blistered Tomatoes seemed to have everything we like in a dish.  I use cannellini beans and fennel in one of my favorite recipes (Tuscan Bean Chicken Soup – which I will have to write about in the future) so I had high hopes for this dinner.  We served it up with some Naan bread and a topping of grated parmesan cheese.

The main problem with this recipe was that the result was too dry.  The flavor was not bad but it needed some liquid (perhaps some white wine or chicken broth).  By the way, in my opinion this is one of the most appropriate uses for a good white wine.  Anyway we will probably not make this dish again … as I said they can’t all be winners.

On a more positive note we paired this with a Nebbiolo d’Alba   This 2008 Nebbiolo from Italy was very smooth and complex and went successfully with both the dry dinner and the chocolate.  I guess with the proper wine, they can all be winners after all!