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With daylight saving time finishing mid-March, we are definitely in the last days of summer. But after the dreadful February that hit the whole country, here's hoping that the rest of March and all of April will be a long hoped for 'Indian summer'. As the sun shines hot while I type this, the positive signs are here.
This month's recipes include * Chicken Thighs stuffed with Basil and Pears* Roasted Kumara and Pear Mash with Coriander infusion * Potatoes and Peas in a creamy Feta and Garlic Sauce * A few favourite Marinades * Summer Fruit in Sweet Late Harvest Wine * Christine's Mock Riesling Chicken Thighs stuffed with Basil and Pears - Four heaped teaspoons of spreadable cream cheese - One 'almost ripe' pear, cut into quarters - 16 medium to large basil leaves - 4 rashers of streaky bacon Wash and dry the chicken thighs Bake in a medium oven for 30 minutes and serve. If you wanted to go for impact, you could slice one of the thighs to show off the contrast of the green basil against the white of the pear and the more creamy colour of the chicken. This was delicious with the Trinity Hill Gimblett Road Chardonnay 2002 and the Ngatarawa Alwyn Chardonnay 2002, I imagine it would also be excellent with Pinot Gris and perhaps with the basil, even sauvignon Blanc.Roasted Kumara and Pear Mash with Coriander infusion - 1 firm pear – select one that is on the cusp of ripeness - several cloves of garlic, unpeeled - 1 teaspoon of runny honey - 3-4 tablespoons of cream - a few sprigs of fresh coriander greens - 1 tablespoon of avocado oil Peel the kumara and pear. Cut pear into quarters and the kumara into similar sized pieces. Place in a microwave proof dish and microwave on high until they just start to soften. Potatoes and Peas in a creamy Feta and Garlic Sauce - 12 to 16 snow peas - 1/4 cup of cream - 2 tablespoons of Roasted Garlic and Feta Dip (I used the commercially prepared 'Turkish Kitchen' brand) - 1-2 tablespoons of butter for cooking Cook whole potatoes with skins on, either boil or microwave. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and cut the potatoes into cubes. This dish makes a lovely colour contrast with the bright green of the pea against the creamy background and it has excellent flavour too. It was the absolutely perfect match for the Alpha Domus AD Semillon 2002. A few favourite Marinades Balsamic and Soy Herb Infusion Orange, Ginger and Honey Summer Fruit in Sweet Late Harvest Wine I wanted to poach the fruit whole, especially the pears as they look so splendid standing on a plate, but I would have needed a lot of sweet wine in order to completely cover the fruit, so I halved the pears, quartered the peaches and broke the tangelos into segments. For the two of us I used: - 2 peaches - 2 sweet tangelo oranges - 1 cup of sweet late harvest wine, preferably Gewurztraminer but Riesling or Muscat (which is so much cheaper) will do - ¼ cup of water - One piece of cinnamon stick - 15 ml (3 teaspoons) of sugar Peel the fruit and cut into pieces to suit your fancy. With the tangelos, remove as much pith from the flesh as possible. Pour the wine into the saucepan with the water and add the cinnamon and the fruit. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes, removing the peaches after 10 minutes so they don’t overcook, then put aside to cool adding the peaches back to the liquid again. When the liquid has cooled, remove the fruit. Christine's Mock Riesling One whole lemon, peeled One knob of ginger, about 2cm long Place the lot in a juice extractor and whiz, collecting the juice. ********** Sue Courtney's recipes are all original creations unless otherwise stated. Recipes are inspired by the season and by the wine matches. Kia pai te kai © Sue Courtney |
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E-mail me: winetaster@clear.net.nz