Mushroom Risotto with Butternut Squash Paired with: SAN MICHELE A TORRI CHIANTI COLLI FIORENTINI 2009 By: Shari Goodman I’ve been tentative about risotto. Not about eating it. Who doesn’t love a plate full of starch? But about making it. Though I love it, I’d never made it before. And it turns out to be easier to make than I had thought; it just requires attention now and then. Not constant attention as some people may think. Just the occasional, prevent-from-sticking kind of stirring. Use Italian Arborio rice for the best results. This short-grain rice retains a creaminess and slight chew. […]
Wine Recipes
Harvest Soup Recipe Paired with Cave Spring Riesling
Pat’s Harvest Soup Paired with Cave Spring Estate Riesling By Pat Anderson It’s fall, and the bounty of the harvest season is upon us. We’ve got a huge selection of vegetables at this time of year! Go to your local farmer’s market, and see what’s in season. You can use almost anything, from corn on the cob to shelled peas and new potatoes. Watch your colours: I’d go either green and yellow or yellow and orange, but wouldn’t put green and orange together. White vegetables work with any colours. Harvest Soup You’ll notice that this recipe doesn’t have a lot […]
Moroccan Lamb Tagine Recipe Paired with Tait The Wild Ride Shiraz 2007
Moroccan Lamb Tagine Paired with: Tait ‘The Wild Ride’ Shiraz 2007 Tagines, in Moroccan cuisine, are slow cooked stews braised at low temperatures. This recipe features lamb but beef would be another option. The key ingredient in this dish is a spice mix, Ras El Hanout, which contributes to the sweet spicy flavours. Ras El Hanout can be found at some specialty food shops but is easy to put together from your own spice cupboard. The flavours in this dish would work well paired with a ripe new world Shiraz which displays aromas of dark fruit, pepper and some savoury […]
Shrimp, Watercress, Bacon and Walnut Salad Recipe Paired with Coopers Creek Chardonnay, New Zealand
Shrimp, Watercress, Bacon & Walnut Salad Recipe by Shari Goodman When autumn falls, you can still head to the farmers’ market to gather up the bounty from the summer’s sun and rain. A mix of crisp greens, fragrant herbs and a tangy vinaigrette can satisfy that craving for raw simplicity. To make a salad of complexity that’s hearty enough to eat as a main, you can add some grilled shrimp, a bit of bacon and goat’s cheese. And if you give the sliced potato and goat’s cheese some extra love in the deep fryer, it’s even better. Though many people […]
Italian Sausage and Beef Shank Ragu Recipe Paired with Alamos Cabernet Sauvignon
Italian Sausage and Beef Shank Ragú Paired with Alamos Cabernet Sauvignon Fall is upon us. Here’s to cozy sweaters, comfort food and full bodied reds. This hearty, meaty ragú, is made with flavourful bone-in beef shanks and hot Italian sausage, slowly simmered in a rich red wine tomato sauce. Don’t be daunted by the cooking time. The dish is the ideal thing to make on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Curl up with a good book and a glass of wine while the house fills with delicious aromas. A concentrated, full bodied red like Alamos Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 would be […]
Girls’ Night In with Indian-Style Shrimp Pizza with Mozzarella and Canadian Cheese Platter Paired with Lenz Moser Mariandl or Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon
INDIAN-STYLE SHRIMP PIZZA WITH MOZZARELLA Someone famously said that girls just want to have fun. Given our hectic modern-day lives, this ’80’s anthem holds true now more than ever. It is important to put some time aside for your girlfriends and indulge in conversation, laughter and a bit of silliness. I propose that you call your friends and invite them over for no other reason than to have fun. To make your life easy and get the evening going in style, I suggest a simple and flavourful Indian-style pizza, followed up with a nice platter of comforting cheese paired with […]
Recipe: Grilled Seafood Goat Cheese Tart Paired with Delta Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand
Grilled Seafood Goat Cheese Tart Paired with Delta Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Marlborough, New Zealand A simple tart using buttery puff pastry as the base is topped with grilled shrimp and scallops, tangy goat cheese and ripe grape tomatoes. Served with a greens salad the tart would pair well with an aromatic sauvignon blanc. The characteristic of white currant and melon notes found in sauvignon blanc complements the flavours in the tart. It is also one of the best wines for tangy cheeses like goat cheese. An excellent choice to try would be Delta Sauvignon Blanc 2010 from Marlborough, New Zealand. […]
Recipe for Grilled Adobo Pork Loin Chop with Blueberry BBQ Sauce Paired with Catena Malbec
Grilled Adobo Pork Loin Chop with Blueberry Barbecue Sauce Paired with Catena Malbec 2008, Argentina The secret to juicy pork chops is to grill on medium low heat. The chops are first marinated in an adobo sauce, a fragrant paste of cumin, garlic, oregano and lime juice which is used extensively in Latin cuisine. The standout here is the sauce. Ginger and red chili flakes make the blueberry flavours pop. You’ll want to eat the sauce by the spoonful-though it goes equally well with grilled chicken, duck or homemade meatloaf. Try the chops and sauce with a Malbec which boasts […]
The Magician Shiraz, Pinot Noir Paired with Mushroom Strudel by John Pekka Woods
Mushroom Strudel The Magician, an unusual blend of Shiraz and Pinot Noir, is Reif Estate’s first appassimento style red wine. In 2009 the winery purchased two tobacco kilns and refurbished them for a number of research projects including the drying of grapes prior to fermentation. The grapes were hand harvested and slowly dried in the kilns over a three week period until the fruit was concentrated by 20-25%. Intensity and complexity are the main ingredients here. Named ‘The Magician’ and magic it is! All the nuances of these two great grape varietals unfold on your palate. The 2009 vintage is […]
Savouring Early Fall Flavours With Easy Wine and Tapas Entertaining
By Tracey Black Tapas-style hors d’oeuvres and casual platters are hands down, my favourite way to entertain and spend time with friends. My experience as a caterer also tells me this style of entertaining almost guarantees a relaxed and lively vibe at a party and is perfect for casual early fall soirées. I like to serve an array of tasty bites as part of a lengthier cocktail hour before a BBQ or as a tapas style dinner. The pressure is off, the food is make ahead, eye appealing and more time is spent enjoying your guests, and of course your […]
