Pairing of the Day: May 9-13, 2011

This is a great, fast version of American-style pad thai, with an appealing combination of sweet, sour and spicy flavors. Look for the noodles in the Asian section of markets.

Pairing: Ripe, lime-scented Pinot Gris from Oregon: 2009 O'Reilly's.

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"In Samoa, insanely good tuna is cheap and plentiful; a 20-pound fish might go for $5," says Andrew Zimmern. "Samoans season raw tuna with coconut milk, lime and fermented sea cucumber intestine, called se'e. At home I skip the se'e in favor of fish sauce to give the dish a salty balance."

Pairing: Vinho Verde from Portugal: 2009 Quinta da Aveleda or the limey 2009 Casal Garcia.

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Pairing: Dry sparkling wine such as cava: NV German Gilabert or 2006 Gramona Gran Cuvée.

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"In Argentina, we eat so much beef. When I talked to [Mauricio] Couly about making empanadas, I said, 'It would be great to fill them with something that is not meat,'" Piero Incisa della Rocchetta recalls. Mauricio Couly uses a mix of spinach, fava beans, green beans and a good amount of mint. He makes his own paprika-spiced empanada dough; store-bought empanada wrappers (available in the freezer section of many supermarkets and specialty food stores) work well, too.

Pairing: Silky, aromatic Pinot Noir: 2009 Bodega Chacra Cincuenta y Cinco or 2009 Rodney Strong Russian River Valley.

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"I'm crazy for chicken," Piero Incisa della Rocchetta says. "I regularly eat a whole one by myself." Inspired by beautifully browned Peking duck, he brushes chickens with a mixture of soy sauce and honey from the beehives in his Patagonia vineyards.

Pairing: Red Burgundy: 2007 Nicolas Potel Pommard Les Vignots.

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