A practically perfect pairing

My family has a certain meal that has become a tradition: The Salad. Once it had an actual name, a recipe title published in Taste of Home magazine years ago, which my mom clipped out and we refined so far over the years that the version we now make is too unlike the original to even be referred to as the same recipe.

The Salad is time-consuming; my sisters, mom, and I have spent many an hour chopping ingredients together in the kitchen when Derek and I make the trip back to South Dakota. When each of us had a serious boyfriend, we’d make The Salad as a test; if he liked it, he could be initiated into the family. (Luckily for Derek, he pronounced The Salad to be wonderful.)

I made the salad on a 90-degree Sunday afternoon, and as it cooled off to a balmy 85, the girls and I decided on a picnic supper (those are some of my lovely porch flowers in the background). I opened a Hopler Gruner Veltlinger, a cool-climate, racy, acidic white that’s Austria’s national grape.

I happen to love GV; Derek isn’t as much of a fan, but I suspected it would pair will with The Salad’s vinaigrette. I don’t think I’ve ever tried to pair wine with The Salad before.

Gruner Veltliner is so high in acidity that if you drink it alone, it can sit in your stomach like battery acid. I’ve always maintained to Derek that it just needs the right pairing, and I think I’ve found it. The Salad + GV = True Love. Really.

The Salad

3 chicken breasts, cubed
2 cups green grape halves
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
5 ounces fresh baby spinach
3 green onions, sliced
3 ribs celery, sliced
1 small cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced
8 ounces rainbow corkscrew pasta, cooked and drained
12 ounces marinated artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

Dressing:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon minced dried onion

1. Cook chicken over medium heat in a frying pan until no longer pink. Cool in refrigerator.

2. Meanwhile, combine the rest of the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Combine dressing ingredients in a small container; shake to mix until sugar is dissolved.

3. Add chicken and dressing to salad. Toss to coat and serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.