I'm baaaaack!

After a long hiatus, I'm back! This past semester has been hectic and fun and full of learning, but I'm so glad it's over so I can get back to giving y'all recipes and wine that I know you'll love.

To celebrate the beginning of summer, I decided to splurge a little on this week's wine. I know, I know, the rule is wines under $15, but hey, I make the rules here. Besides which, this one is worth the extra few bucks. Introducing VieVité Rosé. This is one of the best rosés I've had all year.

VieVité Rosé

Price: $19.99

Varietals: Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah, Carignan

Region: Côtes de Provence, France

Vintage: 2016

Retailer: Publix (I promise I'll start shopping other places)

With a pale pink color characteristic of rosés of this region, this wine has a light nose of strawberry with a little bit of spice--but nothing overpowering. VieVité boasts tasting notes of apricot and peach with a delicate acidity that balances out its fruit forwardness. Yet again, I picked this beaut up at my local Publix. I promise I'll go somewhere else next week. Pinky swear. But isn't it nice to know that such a lovely wine is really accessible?

So since I splurged on my wine, I decided to pair it with one of my meals from my weekly subscription box with Plated. (No, this is not sponsored). I have a big problem with getting really ambitious at the grocery store. I'll buy all sorts of stuff with recipes in mind, and then they end up going to waste because A) I can't remember the recipe I bought the stuff for, and B) I don't feel like cooking it even if I do remember. So rather than drop some dough on groceries that don't get used, I use Plated, an affordable meal subscription service. They give me just enough ingredients, so nothing goes to waste, and all the recipes they send me are super easy and tasty--at least when we're talking about the vegetarian meals. I can't speak to any of the other ones.

This week's box featured Crispy Eggplant Tartines with Harissa Sauce and Hummus, and VieVité pairs with it so well. The fruit of the wine balances out the spices in the harissa sauce, and the creamy hummus just adds to the creamy notes of the wine. They're two peas in a pod. This particular recipe includes a salad as well, but I decided to stick with the main course this night. It's super versatile, so I'm giving you my own adaptation on this delicious meal. I recommend adding zucchini to the recipe for some extra veggies and trying out different hummus flavors and types of bread, so feel free to tailor this to your own preferences!

So without further ado, here's my take on Plated's delightful creation!

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Harissa Eggplant & Hummus Tartines

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 Minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1/2 small eggplant

1/2 zucchini

1/4 ounce dill

1 lemon

3 cloves garlic, divided

2 teaspoons harissa paste

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 1/2 tablespoons water

4 slices bread, I used sourdough, but a French baguette would be great too.

4 tablespoons hummus (the flavor is up to you, but I used classic)

Salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425º. Rinse the eggplant and zucchini, and cut into 1/2 inch rounds and discard ends. Season both sides of each round with a little salt and set aside (this helps draw out the moisture of the eggplant and give it a meatier texture).

2. Roughly chop dill and discard stems. Set aside in a small bowl. Halve the lemon. Mince the garlic and divide in half.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together harissa paste, tomato paste, cumin, juice of 1 lemon, water, half of the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Set aside.

4. Arrange sourdough slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of olive oil on each slice and rub the remaining garlic on and top with a sprinkle of salt. Toast in the oven until golden brown, about 7-8 minutes.

5. In a large high-sided pan, heat enough olive oil that it reaches about 1/4 inch up the sides of the pan. Pat dry vegetable rounds with paper towel, and once the oil is shimmering, put all rounds in the pan and fry for about 5-8 minutes or until both sides or golden and crisp. Make sure you turn the eggplant rounds occasionally so they get cook equally on both sides. Once the vegetable rounds are fully cooked, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

6. Remove pan from heat and throw out cooking oil. Add harissa sauce to the pan, but do not return it to heat. Add vegetable rounds to sauce and toss until each is well coated.

8. Spread hummus on bread slices, top with vegetable rounds, and garnish with chopped dill. Serve with a glass of VieVité!

Salud et bon appetit, mes amis!