Pairings: Zinfandel a match for smoky risotto

Trentadue 2014 Alexander Valley Estate Zinfandel ($18), our Wine of the Week, has a slightly haunting quality to it, a flourish of smoke that might make you look out your window to see if your neighbor has a fire going.

It's an engaging quality and one that rounds out the wine's other attributes, which include rich fruit flavors from purple raspberries to black cherries and black plums. There's a host of sweet spices, too, and a bit of toastiness, which mirrors and deepens that smoky quality.

The easiest matches are those you would expect: spaghetti and meatballs, classic American pizza, grilled sausages with polenta, hamburgers, bacon cheeseburgers, barbecued ribs, and similar dishes.

But you can also step outside the box of expected companions and have some fun with this wine, as we do in today's recipe. Subtle flavors - rich coffee, earthy blue cheese, and enticing smoke - are layered into a rich risotto that both flatters and is flattered by this wine.

It is a bit brazen, too, but in a good way, as long as you use coffee that is not too bitter; a medium roast, not a dark roast, is best. If you dislike blue cheese, as many people do, feel free to omit it and then use the full amount of the other cheese.

Smoky Olive Risotto

Serves 3 to 4

3 tablespoons butter

1 large or 2 medium shallots, minced

- Kosher salt

11/2 cups Italian rice, preferably Vialone Nano or Carnaroli

1/2 cup brewed coffee, preferably medium roast

6 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth or stock, hot

3-4 ounces smoked mozzarella or smoked Redwood Hill Farm Goat Cheddar, shredded or grated

1/2 cup minced black olives, preferably oil-cured

1 ounce smoked blue cheese, optional

- Black pepper in a mill

1/4 cup freshly chopped Italian parsley

16 black olives, preferably oil-cured, pitted and cut into thin julienne

Put the butter into a medium deep pan (an All Clad saucier is ideal) set over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the shallots and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 6 to 7 minutes. Season with salt.

Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the while, or until each grain turns milky white. Season lightly with salt.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the coffee and stir until it is fully absorbed by the rice.

Begin adding the broth or stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring after each addition until the liquid is nearly absorbed. Continue until the rice is nearly completely tender but not mushy, about 18 minutes.

Stir in the mozzarella or cheddar and the olives, cook for about 2 minutes more, and stir in the blue cheese, if using. Add several turns of black pepper, taste, correct for salt, and stir in the last of the liquid.

The risotto should not be too thick nor too thin. If necessary, add a little hot water to achieve the proper consistency.

Working quickly, divide among individual soup plates, garnish with parsley and julienned olives, and enjoy right away.

Michele Anna Jordan is the author of 24 books to date. Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com.