I had so much fun playing barbecue tag with CA photographer and barbecue freak Dave Darnell. Read about it by clicking here , if you missed it in today’s Playbook. Take up the game where we left it, in reality, by going to Central BBQ, having a bite and asking someone there where to go next. Or just play it online. Someone start with your favorite place and take it from there. I’ll be back on our Memphis in May blog today, so check out the shenanigans

Tonight Angela Moon is our expert and we’re going to drink rose. Yay! If you read the Food section yesterday, you might’ve noticed in the article about Rene Beziat, the Frenchman who is trying to introduce his countrymen to American barbecue, that rose is a recommended wine with smoky pork. Well, Angela knew this long ago. When I asked her to come up with something good for barbecue, she went straight for a rose (which she and I both love). And I’ll be posting from the river, so I will definitely be in the place to make a call on how it goes with a LOT of smoky meat. Come on back at 7. And by the way, there WILL be a tasting next week, thanks to Larry and Mimmye. We’ll talk about it tonight.

For the next couple of days, go to commercialappeal.com/mim to read my posts, along with those of bloggers Christopher Blank and Jon Sparks, from the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. But we’ll still do the wine tasting tonight from Whining & Dining, so this is where you want to be at 7 if you’re joining us for wine tonight.

OK, folks, I’ll be eating barbecue in the Ques Brothers tent when we’re tasting wine on Thursday, but here’s Angela Moon’s recipe for her rose. I’ll definitely try this another time… 

Tortilla Soup with Chipotle Citrus Shrimp & Salsa Verde
Soup:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1  cups onion, diced
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 cup poblano chiles, charred, seeded and chopped
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
 tsp. cayenne
4 cups chicken broth
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 corn tortillas, diced
Tortilla strips:
1 cup vegetable oil
3 corn tortillas, cut into  inch-wide strips
salt to taste
Shrimp:
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled (tails left on) and deveined
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 tbsp. chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
Salt to taste
Salsa verde:
2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
 cup scallions, chopped
 cup fresh lime juice
 cup olive oil
Salt and red pepper flakes to taste

For the soup: Saute onion & garlic in oil in a large pot over medium-high heat about 5 minutes, or until soft. Stir in chiles, corn & seasonings.
Add broth, tomatoes, beans & tortillas. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low & simmer 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the tortilla strips & shrimp.
Tortillas: Heat the oil for the tortilla strips to 350 degrees in a sauté pan. Carefully add tortilla strips in batches & fry about 1 minute, or until crisp & golden. Drain on paper towels & season with salt.
Shrimp: Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp & sauté 1 minute. Stir in lime juice, orange juice concentrate, and chipotle. Saute about 3 minutes, or until shrimp is cooked through; season with salt.
Salsa verde: Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Keeps for up to 1 week chilled.

Source: Cuisine at Home: Splendid Soups & Spectacular Sides

Tonight Krisi Raymond of Raymond Vineyards will be with us online to tell us about her family’s chardonnay, so this is the place to be at 7 tonight. Remember, post your comments in the “live blog” section below. See everyone at 7.

This dish is fabulous. My friends Larry and Mimmye Goode made it last month and served it with a Gary Farrell Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2005 and the pairing was perfect. I promised I’d get the recipe in case anyone wants to make it when we taste our Raymond Vineyards Chardonnay on Thursday. Larry sent it to me, and here it is. If you don’t join us for wine tasting on Thursday, make this dish soon, anyway. It’s divine.

CHICKEN with PEARS

3 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoon olive oil

3 shallots minced

2 cloves garlic minced

4 chicken breasts (Larry used boneless)

2 pears (firm) peeled, cored and sliced

½ cup white wine to deglaze pan

1 cup heavy cream

zest of 1 lemon

juice of ½ lemon

parsley chopped for garnish

Salt and pepper

Sauté shallots and garlic in butter and olive oil only until tender.  Remove from pan and save.

Brown chicken in same pan, adding salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from pan and save with shallots and garlic.

Put pear slices in same pan and brown lightly.  Deglaze pan with white wine, picking up debris from pan bottom.  Add cream, lemon zest, shallots, garlic and chicken.  Cook until of sauce consistency.  Add lemon juice, garnish with parsley and serve.

If you keep up with the blog, you know I’m devoted to Duke’s mayonnaise (although Carole H. suggested I try Sauers, made by the same company, and it’ll do in a pinch). But my friend Michael sent along this trivia about Hellmann’s I thought you might like to read: 

Most people don’t know that back in 1912, Hellmann’s mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York. This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico. But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York. The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost.
The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were disconsolate at the loss. Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day.
The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th and is known, of course, as Sinko de Mayo.

Ha! Did I getcha? Happy Cinco de Mayo, and if you see my friend and coworker James Dowd today, tell him happy birthday.

Sign on tonight at 7 and taste this pinot noir with our expert, Robert Dean of United Liquors. I’ve heard nice things about this bottle and am looking forward to tasting the wine and spending the hour with all of you. See you tonight!

I posted about fresh wasabi some time last year, and found out yesterday that you can buy it at Blue Fin (which made the list of the Top 10 Downtown restaurants in tomorrow’s Playbook; thank you all for your suggestions).

Anyway, I’m headed down there next week to give it a try. If you go before I do, tell me about it.

Last night I met up with a couple of foodie friends and we started our search for the perfect nachos in Memphis. (They got a jump start on me a few weeks ago, beginning with a plate they described as “glumpy mess” at Huey’s on Poplar at Erin Drive, but last night was my first time out).

We’d planned to go to Belmont, but one of the group had a coupon for Cozymel’s, so we went there. The nachos made a pretty picture, but they ended up with six thumbs down. First, a certain amount of goop is necessary for good nachos, and these were too dry. Plus, they were composed, and we want our nachos diggable. Further, they were on baked flour tortillas, not on corn tortillas.

I remember that R.P. Tracks used to have good nachos, so that’s on our list. And Belmont, which my friend Susie remembers served up a nice dish. We’re talking back in the day here, but we’re hoping both are still good. Where else should we go?