On Wine and Conversation

The finest wine is only as good as the conversation it accompanies.

This past Wednesday marked the first official “Wine Tasting Tuesday Night Dinner Club (on Wednesdays)”. I believe the name itself deserves a toast. The wines were to be from California, and something none of us had yet tried. Within these limits (and the limits of our paychecks), we were able to taste, ponder, and discover the uniqueness of several varieties of wines.

There is something to be hailed about exploring new skills with friends. Amongst true friends, one can safely announce that they taste pear in a peppery wine, or proclaim “I don’t see any legs” on the, um, leggiest wine (can you guess who made that comment?). While we began to recognize the flavors that separated a Pinot Noir from a Zinfandel, we laughed, we mocked, and we basked rosy-cheeked in the warmth of great dialogue.

Below are our notes on the wines we tasted. They are the first thoughts of beginner self-educating wine tasters, so please excuse any incorrect terms. Hopefully we will be able to chart our growth, as there will be more tastings to come.

Cold Heaven
2003 Viognier
Santa Barbara County
$16.00

Flavors of melon and pear with subtle hints of kiwi. Sits in the back of the mouth, a very wet wine but not too sweet. Slight hint of alcohol, but not overpowering. A nice sipping wine.

4.45/5

Montevina
2001 Zinfandel
Sierra Nevadas
$9.99

Cherry, hickory and plum flavors. Dry, peppery finish. Would be good with BBQ or other saucy meats. Better paired with food than sipped on its own.

3.7/5

Beaulieu Vineyard
2003 Pinot Noir
Napa Valley
$17.99

Blackberry, currant and cherry flavors. Dry to the taste. Smooth and fruity. A good sipping wine, or paired with a tender filet minion.

3.75/5

Concannon
2002 Cabernet Savignon
Central Coast, San Louis Obispo
$18.00

A “big red”. Bold and hearty, with flavors of cherry, vanilla and boysenberry. Lingers on the sides of the tongue. Good with hearty meals such as a t-bone steak, rigatoni, or even hamburgers.

4.1/5

My Mint and some Mojitos

It is that week again, that one time a month when TND is at my house. To keep with my previous posts, I have decided to BBQ. Tonight the menu is grilled coconut-lime shrimp with spicy mango salsa, coconut rice, grilled pineapple, and, of course, mojitos.

Those tiny seeds I planted and watched sprout on my windowsill back in October are now full-grown mint plants. They will be center-stage tonight, no longer happily basking in the morning sun. Instead, they will be enjoying the spotlight as they dazzle the crowd with their breathtaking emerald gowns and their one-of-a-kind perfumes.

What a perfect excuse to enjoy good conversation with great friends.

Mojitos

1 teaspoon superfine sugar
2 springs fresh mint
Squeeze fresh lime juice
2 ounces light rum
Splash club soda

Muddle sugar, crushed ice, and mint in a tall glass using the back of a spoon. Add the remaining ingredients, mix, and serve.

Re-inventing the BBQ

As summer is rapidly approaching, my barbecue seems to be calling at me louder each day. I am sure that by mid-June, I will be complaining about the L.A. heat and constant sunshine; but for now, it feels great. I want to spend every minute outside. And grilling has seemed the most obvious method for the preparation of any meal.

This summer, my goal is to reach beyond the burgers, hot dogs, and chicken. I love to invite people over for a meal that they have certain expectations about, and then surprise them. Inviting people over for a bbq can be as creative, formal, romantic, whatever, as you are willing to attempt. One of my favorite dinners for entertaining centers around the grill: chicken tikka with mango and red pepper chutney, mint raita, and toasted coconut rice. Indian food is a fantastic source of inspiration for barbecues.

The chicken tikka are spicy chicken kabobs grilled until perfection, and then removed from the skewer before serving. Arrange the chicken on a formal platter, and garnish with sprigs of fresh mint and wedges of fresh lime. Serve with the chutney, raita and toasted coconut rice. Set up a table outside, light some candles, and you have just reinvented your guests’ idea of a summer barbecue.

Don’t be intimidated by the length of the recipes, they are the kinds of dishes that you simply mix the ingredients together and then leave it for a while. There is nothing difficult about this dinner...and the chutney is to die for.

Chicken Tikka
(adapted from epicurious.com)

¾ t. cumin seeds, toasted
3/4 t. coriander seeds, toasted
2 C. whole-milk yogurt
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (1 1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3 T. vegetable oil plus additional for greasing pan
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 1/2 t. salt
3/4 t. ground turmeric
1/2 t. garam masala (Indian spice mixture)
1/2 t. black pepper
1/4 t. cayenne
5 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

20 wooden skewers

Light charcoal, or preheat grill to high.

Purée all ingredients except chicken in a blender until spices are well ground.

Put chicken in a large bowl, and add yogurt mixture, stirring or turning to coat. Marinate chicken, covered and chilled, at least 4 hours (can be refrigerated overnight).

Soak skewers in water 30 minutes. While skewers are soaking, bring chicken to room temperature.

Divide chicken among skewers (about 5 cubes per skewer), leaving an 1/8-inch space between cubes, and arrange on the grill. Grill chicken, turning over once, until browned in spots and just cooked through, 9 to 12 minutes total.

Transfer cooked skewers to a large platter and, if desired, cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Grill remaining chicken in same manner. Remove chicken from skewers and serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 10 servings.

Mango and Red Pepper Chutney
(from epicurious.com)

3 firm-ripe mangoes (3 lb total), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 C. distilled white vinegar
1/3 C. packed dark brown sugar
1/3 C. golden raisins
1 3/4 t. salt
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 T. chopped fresh jalapeño including seeds (from 1 chile)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 t. ground cumin
3/4 t. ground coriander
1/2 t. turmeric
2 T. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick


Toss together mangoes, vinegar, brown sugar, raisins, and 1 teaspoon salt.

Mince and mash ginger, jalapeño, and garlic to a paste with remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt using a large heavy knife, then stir in cumin, coriander, and turmeric.

Heat oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion and bell pepper, stirring occasionally, until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic paste and cinnamon stick, then reduce heat to moderate and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in mango mixture and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until mangoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick and cool chutney, uncovered, about 45 minutes.

Chutney keeps, chilled in an airtight container, 1 month.

Mint Raita
(from epicurious.com)

3 C. whole-milk yogurt
1 cup packed fresh mint leaves
3/4 t. salt

Drain yogurt in a paper-towel-lined sieve set over a bowl, chilled, 3 hours. Pulse all ingredients in a blender until mint is finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and chill, covered, at least 3 hours.

Raita can be chilled in an airtight container up to 1 day.

Toasted Coconut Rice

3/4 C. well-stirred canned unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 C. water
1/2 t. salt
1/2 C. long-grain white rice
Garnish: sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

In a small saucepan bring coconut milk, water, and salt to a boil and stir in rice. Reduce heat to moderately low and simmer rice, covered, until most of liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes.

Serve rice sprinkled with coconut.

Tangelo Granitas

Tangelo. Oh the joy, the excitement, the mouth-watering that accompanies the mention of the word. The way it rolls off the tongue, taan-gell-oooohh. You can just taste it.

Or perhaps you never have. In that case, let me introduce you. One of my favorite discoveries from freshman year of college, the tangelo is a cross between a mandarin orange (any variety), and a grapefruit. The name itself evokes memories of orange jello in a cup, eaten around an elementary school table. The flavor is sweet like an overly-ripe tangerine, and tangy like a grapefruit. When juiced, the pulp is larger than a regular orange, and significantly more delicate. And the color, oh the color. The tangelo is typically a brilliant orange, with hints of red throughout.

It was the color that convinced me to purchase 5 tangelos at last week’s farmers’ market. They spent all day Saturday mingling with the Meyer lemons, which I purchased at the same stand, in a glass bowl on our patio table. At last, I decided it was time to bring the tangelos in from their lazy day basking in the sun. They needed to be shown that life was not meant to be lazy, but to utilize the skills and characteristics they were created with. To fulfill the purpose for which they were created. Amongst many, to become Tangelo Granitas.

What a delight! The juice froze perfectly and every slurpy spoonful was consumed with little sighs and emissions of “mmmm” until, alas, the glass was empty.

Tangelo Granitas

5-6 Tangelos (substitutes: tangerines, mandarin oranges, etc)
1 T. Grand Marnier
Fresh mint (for garnish)

Juice the tangelos into a glass bowl. Whisk in the Grand Marnier. Pour into a metal or glass pan and place in the freezer. After an hour, scrape the top with a fork to create the granita texture. Repeat every 30-60 minutes. The first time you scrape, the mixture will not be frozen solid. You want to start scraping while it’s still slushy so that the texture of the granita will be even throughout.

Pour into champagne flutes and top with a sprig of mint. Serves 2-4.

Lasagna col Pesto

Alas, I am not the Italian-language queen I think myself to be. Pesto lasagna is actually Lasagna col Pesto, not Lasagna al Pesto as I wrote earlier. It is said that a person retains an average of 30% of a foreign language if they do not use it on a regular basis. Sigh.

To get to my point, my darling friend Kellie requested the recipe for the Lasagna col Pesto at TND last night. (Kellie, you know you must now attempt this. You have no excuse. Perhaps we can work on it together sometime this weekend.) Unlike most American meat lasagna recipes, this recipe does not call for the use of ricotta. The lasagna col pesto is less focused on the structure of the filling, as it is too busy with the delicate balancing act the pasta, bechamel and pesto are performing.

Enjoy this simple lasagna, it is delightfully versatile. It can be frozen for an easy weeknight dinner, and leftovers are incredible. I used pre-made pesto as fresh basil is still not available in the markets. Once it is, make your own pesto, it adds such depth to the dish.

Lasagna col Pesto

1 C. pre-made pesto (I use Trader Joe’s, it is by the pizza sauce and cheeses)
Béchamel sauce
½ C. pine nuts
1 C. grated Pecorino or Parmigiano cheese
1 lb best-quality lasagna noodles
½ C. grated mozzarella cheese

Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 385.

Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add a spoonful of oil to it, so the sheets of pasta won’t stick, and add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente, gently remove the sheets and set them to drain on a clean cloth. Stir two tablespoons of the pasta water into the pesto.

In a large casserole dish, spread a thin layer of bechamel sauce. Top with a layer of pasta, then another layer of bechamel, a layer of pesto (you can mix the pesto and bechamel, I found this the easiest route) and a layer of cheese. Repeat layers until you reach 1/2 inch from the top of the dish. Top with mozzarella and a generous amount of parmesan.

Bake 30-45 minutes, until warmed through and the cheese is browned and bubbly. If the cheese begins to brown too quickly, cover the dish with foil until the last 10 minutes of cooking time. Remove foil and finish baking.

We need to talk

I think it's time we had a serious talk.

Have you recently sat down and kept track of how much sugar you consume in one day? I'm not just referring to the obvious candy and soda, but really, really took a look?

I was about to eat my raspberry yogurt yesterday morning, when I thought to look at the ingredients. I've been on my "Just Say No to Processed Foods" kick lately, and was curious if the last of my yogurt supply was compliant with my little campaign. With soap box in hand, I held the round container up and braced myself for what I was about to read. Beyond the obvious preservatives, the ingredients looked good at first. No sugar in the first 4. Then I got to the raspberries, "high fructose corn syrup, raspberries, sugar, water". I had often wondered how my lowfat yogurt contained 240 calories!

And even the fruit filling is a little obvious when wondering about sugar content. What about ketchup, barbecue sauce, salad dressings, and on and on and on? Sugar, sugar, sugar.

How is it that people sit and question all of these diseases, obesity, and chronic illnesses, as they sip their diet coke? It is so simple. Your body is a machine. If you don't put good fuel into it, how do you expect it to perform at it's highest capacity? If you put garbage into your car, it won't run. At some point, if you feed it enough poor fuel, the car will just stop working. Basic, common sense.

My quest these past two weeks has been to significantly increase my consumption of whole grains and vegetables, and cut out (almost completely) my consumption of processed sugar (natural sugars are fine, including honey, in moderation). I have been shocked at the increase in my energy, my desire to be outside, and a more positive outlook on life. The last has been the most surprising outcome of my new diet; I had not realized that what I ate affected my moods.

So I challenge you: take some time today and write down everything you've eaten. Be honest. Then challenge yourself to make a few reasonable changes to your diet. Incorporate more vegetables (no, not potatoes). Your body will thank you.

I will now get off my little soap box and put it away until I find something else to get worked up about. Don't worry, it won't be long.