a lil wine review... and a lil recipe

one of jason's subcontractors gave us a wine basket for christmas and the Dry Comal Creek Sauvignon Blanc came with a jar of jalapenos. a few months ago i went on a limo wine tour in comfort and one of the vineyards (don't remember the name and it was terrible) also offered a wine and jalapeno pairing. it was neat. kinda quirky.  i think this is definitely something unique to texas because the 8 years we lived in CA, i'd never heard of such a thing :)  getting back on track, i cracked the wine tonight, but not the jalapenos. maybe i should have, because the wine is not impressing me. it does have some spiciness to it, which i'm not opposed to, but the overall flavor is just not quite right.

so i decided to try it with the peppers and there is a vast improvement. i had some homemade tomatillo "salsa" leftover from making enchiladas (recipe below) and made some nachos with queso fresco. it actually compliments the wine quite nicely!

12 tomatillos
8 plum tomatoes
2 jalapenos
2 serrano peppers
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch cilantro
1 onion
1 bay leaf
small pinch of fresh oregano
a dash of cumin, salt, and pepper

broil half the ingredients for about 20 minutes (minus the bay leaf and cilantro). boil the other half in about 3 cups of water (add the bay leaf, still no cilantro) until the oven ingredients are ready, or the tomatoes are soft and the tomatillos are pale. remove the bay leaf and add the broiled ingredients. remove from heat and add the cilantro. blend in batches and then re-heat on medium for about 15 minutes until it thickens slightly.

it's great for enchiladas or for dipping!