This is not the first cookbook to double down on the importance of a dish and a wine complementing each other. However, we think it goes further on the subject without getting bogged down in theory, formulas and rules—and the invariable exceptions to them—in a very commonsense and straightforward way.

It’s true that we have all come a long way from “white with fish” and “red with meat,” but there is some value in going about the subject in a direct manner. Jan has often said that he’ll figure out what to cook and how to cook it based upon what he is in the mood to drink. And vice versa.

That very unfussy, sort of “weeknight” ethos is present throughout these pages. While Jan’s training is classical and Todd is capable of discussing the relative merits of certain sangiovese clones, among other esoteric wine-geek topics, this book isn’t about the flexing of our respective “muscles.” Rather, it is about lovely wines and delicious dishes on your table. The recipes aren’t designed to elicit oohs and aahs or impress by employing the newest technology or technique—the words “sous vide,” “air fryer” and even “tweezers” will not show up in them. Instead, there are dozens of recipes, some simple, some less so, that hew to traditions that in some cases date back hundreds of years, or borne of necessity, or by chance. Many others are grounded in Jan’s background in professional kitchens, including his own in Miami, Two Chefs.