New Wine and Food Video, and Online Wine Magazine

During the past two weeks my videos and writing have been broadcast from Europe by others who enjoy food, travel, and a decent glass of vino.

Last summer, sommelier Alexandre Moirin worked with the owner of Château Pindefleurs – Audrey Lauret, as well as videographer Vincent Malet and myself (taking drone footage). He produced the splendid short video clip below. It’s about Château Pindefleurs wine from the Saint Émilion region of Bordeaux, France. There are also snippets showing some tantalizingly food visuals in the Bordeaux city restaurant Le Chapon Fin.

Darby Higgs from Australia now produces the attractive online publication Est Wine Tours Magazine – emphasizing travel and taste. I’m flattered that he asked to re-publish my blog post about The Black Wine of Cahors, from last October, and requested that I collaborate with his other online publishing venture. His web app (and magazine) look great. Thanks Darby – I’ll be in touch 🙂

Both of the above two projects were undertaken for free – with no commercial gain on my part.

Winemaker Recipes

Willing winemakers continue to stream vibrant recipes into my online mailbox for the forthcoming book The Winemakers’ Cooking Companion. If you know any potential contributors, please share their (or my) contact information.

For dozens of recipes available so far, here are basic statistics. Because the number of recipes from any region depends somewhat on who I contact, this will shift as I focus on different geographical regions.

Recipe Providers –

49 percent female, 40 percent male, and 11 percent a joint contribution by a male/female team.

Origin of Recipes –

North America – 36 percent, Europe – 37 percent, South America – 6 percent, Australia and New Zealand – 7 percent, South Africa – 10 percent, Asia – 4 percent.

Types of Main Dish –

Meat – 41 percent; seafood – 26 percent; poultry – 11 percent; vegetable dishes – 17 percent; pasta – 6 percent.

Again, these compositions will change with time.

This week we’re featuring two Southern Hemisphere recipes – from Argentina and South Africa. The first dish is vegetarian; the second includes meat. Photographs below were supplied by the winery and winemakers.

Humita en Olla, from Sommelier Diego Esteban of Anuva Wine Tastings, paired with wine from CarinaE Wines, Mendoza, Argentina  (Yes, that’s a capital E at the end of Carina – it is Latin for ‘friends’) 

Screen Shot 2016-02-14 at 10.23.23 pm
Photo by Diego Esteban

Preparation Time and Quantity –

20 minutes to prepare, 40 minutes to cook. Serves 10 people.

Ingredients and Amounts –

Corn kernels – from 20 cobs, or 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg) [canned corn is an option]

Butternut Squash (grated)– 3 cups (600 grams)

Red bell peppers – 2

Green bell peppers – 2

Spring onions (only green part)– 2

Purple onions (medium) – 2

Chimichurri mix – 1 cup (200 grams)

Olive oil – 3 tablespoons

Fresh basil – bunch

Parmesan cheese (grated) – 4 cups (400 grams)

White pepper – 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams)

Milk – as required

Salt and pepper – to taste

Screen Shot 2016-02-14 at 10.20.25 pm
Ingredients – photo by Diego Esteban

 Preparation –

  1. Cut corn off cob. Chop with a food processor. Add some milk and stir until the consistency is creamy.
  2. De-seed bell peppers, and take out white parts (to avoid humita becoming too acidic).
  3. Slice onions and green parts of spring onions.
  4. Chop up bell peppers, spring onions, and purple onions – or put them in a food processor).
  5. Grate the butternut squash.
  6. Wash basil leaves and tear into little pieces.

Recipe –

  1. Put 3 tablespoons (45 grams) of olive oil in a big pot.
  2. Heat pot until hot.
  3. Add onions and bell peppers and sauté for 5 minutes.
  4. In a bowl, add chimichurri powder, salt, pepper, and enough olive oil to cover ingredients by a half inch (1/4 cm).
  5. Add corn, grated butternut squash, and chimichurri mixture to pot.
  6. Add more milk, depending on how thick or thin you want texture.
  7. Once it boils, lower heat to medium.
  8. Stir every few minutes for 20 to 25 minutes.
  9. Five minutes before ready, add basil and grated cheese.
  10. Take off stove, and leave covered for 5 minutes.

Serving –

According to Cara Lester from Anuva, “Humita is a traditional northern Argentine dish, and pairs with the flagship white wine of Argentina – Torrontés – made from the only high quality native wine grapes of the country. The best examples of this varietal come from the north of Argentina region of Salta (hence, an exellent pairing with Humita). They have a nickname for it in Argentina – ‘la unva mentirosa’ meaning ‘the lying grape’ due to its exuberant sweet and aromatic nose, which leads tasters to believe it is a sweet wine, when on tasting they discover is is a delicate dry white.”

Diego agrees, adding “Torrontés is known for being a super aromatic wine, and the spices from the Humita work wonders with these aromas.”

Cara continued:

“Wine can include Salta’s Carinae Harmonie Torrontés, from Cafayate, Salta. “On the nose – peach, mango, jasmine, honeysuckle…in the mouth a refreshing touch of citrus fruit and minerality. The intense flavors means it pairs beautifully alongside Humita. While the sweet corn, pumpkin, and regganito cheese work the sweeter notes, the chimichurri spices cuts through the acidity perfectly.”

CarinaE is owned by a couple, Brigitte and Philippe Subra, who moved from France to Argentina in 1998.

As an allternative, Diego suggests a Mairena Torrontés.

Screen Shot 2016-02-14 at 10.24.02 pm
Photo by Diego Esteban

The next recipe is also from down south.

Spiced Garlic and Herb Rump with Concertina Potatoes, from winemaker Christiaan Coetzee of Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards, Stellenbosch, South Africa

UvaMira_Vineyards_22
Image from Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards

Preparation Time and Quantity –

15 minutes to prepare, 1 1/2 hours to cook. Serves 8 people.

Ingredients and Amounts –

Rump Steak 

Rump steaks – 4 ½ pounds (2 kilograms)

Milled pepper – 2 teaspoons (4.5 grams)

Coriander seeds – 4 tablespoons (20 grams)

Dried chili flakes – 1 1/4 teaspoons (6 ml)

Garlic cloves (medium) – 6

Thyme (sprigs) – 4

Rosemary (sprigs) – 4

Concertina Potatoes

Potatoes (medium) – 10

Package brown onion soup – 1

Water – 3 ½ cups (800 ml)

Butter – 1/5 cup (50 grams)

UvaMira_Vineyards_03
Image from Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards

Preparation –

  1. Pre-heat oven to 355 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
  2. Place all rub ingredients (pepper, coriander seeds, chili flakes, garlic cloves, thyme, rosemary) in a mortar and pestle and grind until well combined.

Recipe –

  1. Slice the potatoes, but not all the way through. Place in an ovenproof dish.
  2. Mix the water and soup mix, then pour over the sliced potatoes. Add a dollop of butter.
  3. Bake potatoes for 90 minutes, turning and spooning soup mixture over potatoes every 30 minutes.
  4. While potatoes are baking, toss the steaks in the rub and leave to marinade for at least half an hour.
  5. Cook the steaks heat over extremely hot barbeque coals until done, and season to your liking.
  6. Let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes.

 

Screen Shot 2016-02-14 at 10.33.19 pmServing –

Slice the steaks and serve with the Concertina Potatoes, and with a Bordeaux blend red wine, such as an Uva Mira O.T.V. – a 14.5 percent alcohol blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.

Enjoy 🙂

 

 

 

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Looks delicious! (All we need is a kitchen – by the time the book comes out, we should be back home again. Looking forward to it!)
    Your posts always make me hungry – or envious of the good bottles of wine that you show! Thank you!

  2. Here’s an email I received from Diego, sommelier mentioned in the article:

    Hey Tom!!!

    Congrats on the article. I loved it! Without a doubt, keep me updated on the book!

    Thanks very much!

    Diego

    Diego C. Esteban
    Argentine Sommelier & Host
    http://www.anuvawines.com
    Office (11) 4774 4673

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