Cooking with Ina: Easter and Passover Menus...

With holiday wine pairings that Jeffrey would enjoy

Ina Garten. Image Courtesy of Alamy Stock Images

I’d like to think that Ina Garten is my spirit animal. Her recipes delight in their simplicity. She believes in making dishes ahead of time and approves of adding some store-bought items to the menu. She has fun in the kitchen. Most importantly, Ina is a true hostess in every sense of the word. She makes entertaining look easy, and she makes her guests feel welcome.

I’d give anything to walk through her garden and pick fresh produce for a salad or flowers for the table. Imagine being invited to dine with her and Jeffrey at the barn? That would be true bucket list fulfillment!

As I contemplated the upcoming Easter and Passover feasts, I thought it might be fun to take Ina’s menus for both and pair them with wines. I’ve chosen wines readily available at Total Wine for this experiment. Hopefully, Jeffrey will approve.

The Easter menu is showcased on the William Sonoma website. Her Passover menu is posted on the Barefoot Contessa website. Let’s get cooking!

Easter:

Ina plans to welcome her guests with a pitcher of Rosé Sangria. There are many excellent still Rosé wines for Sangria. I recommend Marcelline Cote de Provence Rosé. It costs $19.99 and it’s definitely a crowd pleaser. If Sangria isn’t your cup of tea, consider treating your guests to a bottle of Roederer Estate Brut Rosé from California’s Anderson Valley. It retails for $35.99.

Ina’s Spinach in Puff Pastry and her Asparagus with Prosciutto bundles will pair beautifully with a Sancerre from France’s Loire Valley or a Grüner Veltliner from Austria. If you opt for the former, consider the Pascal Thomas Sancerre Chavignol Sauvignon Blanc. It’s $32.99. For the Grüner, I recommend Gruber Roschitz. It’s $17.99. Both will highlight the food.

For the Crunchy Iceberg Salad with Blue Cheese and the Orange Marmalade Glazed Ham, consider a fruity Pinot Noir. The Brewer-Clifton Santa Rita Hills 2022 Pinot Noir is a splurge at $46.99, but it’s delicious and will bring out the best in the Blue Cheese, Glazed Ham and the other side dishes. And you can wow your guests when you tell them that Wine Spectator gave it 93 points. For the Carrot Cake, consider a bottle of the Château Cantegril 2019 Sauternes. It’s $29.99 and Vinous recently rated it at 94 points.

Passover:

One of the things I love most about Ina Garten is her insistence that simple is better. She writes that her menu is all about old-fashioned flavors with a modern twist. Best of all, some of the key dishes can be made up to a week in advance.

Image from The Barefoot Contessa’s Passover Menu

Her first course is one of those dishes. It’s a hearty chicken soup with Matzo balls and it can be made up to a week in advance. There are lots of pairing options here. Sauvignon Blanc or Sancerre would be great because of the acidity. Pinot Gris or unoaked Chardonnay would also work. I recommend a Spanish Cava. The bubbles provide a textural contrast, and the flavor profile will highlight the vegetables. The Segura Viudas Brut Heredad Reserva is a bit of a splurge at $36.99, but it’s worth it.

Ina’s main course, Brisket with Onions and Leeks served with Roasted Vine Tomatoes and Asparagus Cacio e Pepe lends itself to most dry red wines. I would stay on the lighter end of the spectrum because of the asparagus, so I chose a Pinot Noir. The Siduri Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley is $24.99 and it should work well with all three menu items.

For dessert, Ina chose Coconut Macaroons. I would recommend that you switch back to a white wine, unless you decide to add nuts or chocolate. In that case, a red Zinfandel would work. When it comes to white wines, you could opt for a dry Riesling, a Sparkling wine, a Sauternes, or a Pinot Gris. My choice is Palliser Pinot Gris from New Zealand’s Martinborough region. It comes highly recommended and retails for $22.99.

Happy Easter, and to those who celebrate Passover: Chag Pesach Sameach! And to Ina Garten, a special thank you for sharing your gifts with the rest of us. You make it look easy. Cheers…

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