Blending Cultures: Korean Beef & Sicilian Wine

About a month ago, I visited my Aunt Mary up in the Boston area. She has been to Korea numerous times and has mastered the art of cooking Bul-go-gi in her wok. This beef dish created with sirloin strips combines sweet, savory, and salty into the perfect marriage on your plate. As much as we all sweat the aroma of garlic and onions for days after we consume them, it has always been completely worth it in my opinion. This recipe clearly doesn't shy away from either of these items. A soy based sauce is created and marinated into the meat for as long as you want it to sit. I generally decide whats for dinner about two hours before cooking, so a dish like this clearly won't be sitting for 24 hours in my house. My husband Scott is a pilot so our dinner plans are constantly changing. One of his flights cancelled the other night and I whipped up this dish in a matter of minutes. Letting it marinate for 30 minutes was plenty of time to fully enrich the beef.

For the wine pairing, I ventured off into the land of Sicily. My mind has been focused on an earthy and peppery blend that I have been selling for the past few weeks. Di Giovanna Gerbino Rosso is the name, and rich red varietals are the game. Many times when a wine from Italy is labeled "rosso" it signifies a red blend. In the case of this wine, Cabernet, Merlot, Nero di Avola, and a tiny bit of Syrah are combined to provide the perfect steak wine. The Cabernet adds a peppery taste, Merlot softens the wine to make it more food friendly, Nerd di Avola creates a rich finish on the palate, and the Syrah adds a depth of color. Sicily used to be a region of mass production; however, in recent years producers have focused much more on quality. Nero d'Avola is an indigenous varietal and has gained in popularity. Those that enjoy the dark fruit, body, and earthy components of Syrah should try Nero d'Avola as well.

See below for Bul-go-gi and 10 tips while cooking...

Bul-go-gi
- 2-4 tbsp peanut oil
- 1 lb. sirloin strips
- Black pepper, generously seasoned
- 2-3 cloves garlic pressed
- 1/2 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1-2 tbsp sugar
- 1 white onion chopped into larger chunks
- Chopped scallions as garnish

Create marinade and let beef stand in it for about 30 minutes. Heat oil in pan/wok  to medium high heat and work in batches with onion until beef is medium or medium rare. Garnish with scallions. Serve with steamed white rice and broccoli.

10 tips to make this dish at the peak of your satisfaction...

1> Oil is important. Purchase peanut oil if you don't have it. Olive or vegetable oil are not good substitutes in this case. The nutty oil adds a richness that no other can compare to.

2> Heating the oil is important. Let the oil heat up to medium high before putting meat and onions into wok. Don't put too much oil or the oil will burst and a burn will appear similar to the one on my wrist right now.

3>  Let the meat stand out of the refrigerator in the marinade for about 15-20 minutes before cooking. Don't cook cold beef, it will take away from the tenderness.

4>  Use a garlic press. This will release more flavor out of each clove.

5> Work the meat in batches. No need to put all beef and onions in at once. If cooking one pound, I do two batches.

6> Sticky white rice pairs perfectly alongside this dish. Cook on low heat with a tiny bit more water than the 2:1 ration of water to white rice.

7>  This isn't Chinese food, don't mix it into a rice bowl. The beef stands alone or you'll lose the richness of the sauce amidst the rice.

8>  Pepper, pepper, pepper... this black powder is the spice of choice, season it up!
9> White wine is not going to cut it, see my earthy recommendation above
10> Steamed broccoli florets are a great vegetable on the side. Steam in a pan with a 1/4 of water on the bottom until tender.