Where are the wine stories?

It was pointed out to me last week that even though this blog has been running for some time I have not as yet written about wine, not even once. So why is it in the title? A fair point and one I hope to address now.

I love wine and have done so since i was first introduced to it at University. I graduated from drinking flagons to ordering cases of quality wine. A good friend and cellarman by trade once said if you can't taste the difference between an expensive and an inexpensive wine then always get the inexpensive.

To educate your palate try anything. Some will become favourites and others you will never touch again. To improve your taste by a bottle now and then that is just above the price range you prefer. This way you will learn to know the difference.

I love Australian wine and it makes up most of the wine i buy. However I have come to appreciate that wines from many other countries have much to offer. The two Italian reds above are a case in point, smooth easy to drink wine that ideally complements food.

One small tip room temperature for reds is not 30c so put those reds in the fridge for a while to lower their temperature, you will taste the difference.

Thai style beef salad

Create a paste using garlic sambal oleck, salt and palm sugar and a drop of sesame oil

Marinate a thick piece of steak in half the mixture and char grill until just cooked

Allow to rest before cutting into thin strips

Prepare thai noodles (thick ribbon noodles are best)

Combine diced cabbage, diced shallots, and diced radish with remaining marinade (i must confess I add tamarind paste and fish sauce)

Serve over noodles with a drizzle of sesame or chilli oil

Squid Salad

Marinate a squid tube for a few hours in sugar (1tsp), garlic (2 tsp crushed) and tabasco sauce (to your heat level)
Char grill about 1 min each side
Cut into rings

Thinly slice one spanish onion and one or more chillies
Add fresh coriander, parsley and mint or basil
Drizzle with sesame oil and lime juice

Serve on a bed of noodles with peanuts as a garnish

San Choy Bow

1tbsp vegetable oil
1/4tps grated ginger
1 tsp grated garlic
3 diced spring onions
1 finely diced chilli
500gms pork mince
230gms of water chestnuts drain
2 tbsp Ketjap Manis
4 tbsp oyster sauce
iceburg lettuce
grated carrot
peanuts fried noodles if allergic to nuts

Fry ginger, garlic, chilli and onions
Add pork and chestnuts
Stir in sauces
Serve in lettuce cups topped with grated carrot and fried noodles

Chorizo and Prawn Ragu

Slice and cook chorizo remove from pan
Using pan juices
Add 1 diced garlic clove and 1 diced onion and 1 diced chilli

When cooked add prawns and chorizo and cover with pasata and season

Adding Beans gives the dish more body

Serve with crusty bread and garnish with parsley

Ocean Trout and Asian Greens

Combine coconut cream
2tbs red curry paste
2tbs tamarind paste
1 diced red chilli
Palm suger to taste

Combine and heat through

1 pin boned ocean trout fillet
Cover the fish in the curry paste and cook through

Serve with asian greens on Jasmine rice

Crab and Prawn Tart

1 large sheet of frozen shortcrust pastry
Line tart dish or pie dish with pastry and blind bake for 10 minutes at 180 c

140 gms crab meat
12 cooked and peeled prawns
Diced spring onions
Diced prosciutto
Chilli flakes

Heat through and mix together spoon into pastry shell.

Top with
120mls lite cream
3 egg yolks
and diced coriander

Mix and pour onto crab mixture

Bake until it sets.

Spicy Chicken with chick pea stew

This is adapted from Saha by Greg and Lucy Malouf, a wonderful book exploring the cuisine of Lebanon and Syria. A great read.

One Chicken Maryland per person, Cut through to the bone

Coat with:
1 tsp crushed garlic
Ground cinnamon
Ground cumin
Black pepper
Olive oil

Let sit in fridge for at least 1 hour

Stew:
2 grated onions
2 sliced garlic cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground nutmeg
blanched spinach- balanced and chopped
400 gms of cooked chick peas, lightly crushed
300ml chicken stock

Saute onion and garlic, add herbs, then spinach and chick peas and cover with stock
Simmer for 10 minutes
Drain the mixture reserving the liquid

Chicken:
Layout baking paper large enough to allow overlap of a piece of mountain bread
Place one tbsp of spinach mix on bread
Top with chicken
Wrap into a parcel using the paper to tie the package together
Oven bake in a casserole with lid on for 60 min at 220 c

Stew:
Add 1tsp of roasted pine nuts and the juice of one lime
Return all to the fry pan and add olive oil
Lightly simmer for 10 mins and serve in a bowl

Serve chicken in parcel at the table with stew as a side dish.

My Mexicana Pizza

Pizza base can either be bought or homemade, I make mine in the breadmaker and it really makes a nice base.

Topping:
200gms mince
1 can refried beans
1 diced onion
Powdered chilli to taste

saute onion until clear then add mince and brown finally stir through the refried beans, when complete leave in the fridge until cool

Assembly:
Use chilli sauce for the base or tomato paste if you don't like it hot.
Cover base with topping
Then place tomato sliced, jalapeno chillies, spanish onion, grated cheese, and top with sour cream.