By Pamela Hatton My Mom microwaves pie pumpkins in pieces to speed up cooking time. Failing her instructions, I accidentally discovered all squash cook like a charm whole – as long as you poke holes deep into the flesh allowing steam to escape. A lesson quickly learned… Serves 8 first course Ingredients: 1 acorn squash 1medium onion, finely chopped 1 shallot, finely chopped 2 tablespoons butter 2-3 garlic cloves, finely diced 1 stalk lemongrass, smashed then finely chopped ½-1 tsp green curry paste 3-4 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock (1 tetra pack) or homemade ½ -3/4Cup whipping cream Salt and pepper […]
Vegetables & Wine
Duck Pizza Recipe with Smoked Mozzarella, Roasted Butternut Squash and Sauteed Mushrooms Paired with Las Rocas Garnacha
A swanky pizza with smoky, sweet and savoury flavours. Choose a wine with the same bold flavours such as Las Rocas Garnacha 2009. The wine is full of ripe black cherry and raspberry notes supported by supple tannins and some very food friendly acidity. This incredible bargain should not be missed, until November 10th receive 20 Bonus Air Miles with each bottle purchased. Duck Pizza with Smoked Mozzarella, Roasted Butternut Squash and Sautéed Mushrooms Makes four 6-inch or one 12-inch pizza Pizza dough, purchased or homemade (recipe below) Ingredients: 1 whole head garlic 5 tbsp olive oil, divided 1½ cup […]
Ratatouille au Gratin Paired with Chianti or Pinot Blanc
Ratatouille au Gratin How to Cook Two Meals at Once Hosting adults is one thing. Hosting families is another. While children aren’t exactly demanding when it comes to decoration and music, they can be extremely picky with food. This typically leaves you with two options: “dumb down” your entire meal to accommodate everyone or make an entirely different meal for the kids. But here’s a third, far-better alternative: a ratatouille au gratin for the adults, which turns into a delicious spaghetti sauce for the kids. The beauty of this meal is that you are minimizing time and effort spent, while […]
Root Vegetable Gratin Paired with Chenin Blanc or Pinot Noir
Root Vegetable Gratin It only tastes like you slaved over it. In an ideal world, your refrigerator is always filled to the point of bursting and you have all the time you need to cook a meal that everyone will love. In reality, however, your refrigerator may be pretty barren, especially towards the end of the week. And having lots of time? Let’s not even go there. Fortunately, I have a wonderful recipe that requires only a handful of ingredients and a few minutes of preparation time: Root Vegetable Gratin, featuring Canadian Provolone. What’s especially nice about this recipe, beyond […]
Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin and Spinach Salad Recipe with Southbrook Cabernet Franc Rose
Spice rubbed pork tenderloin and spinach salad with summer fruit and curry vinaigrette This spice mix is a blend of sweet and heat. A bright, vibrant rose with touch of sweet fruit freshness would be a terrific match for this main course salad. A delicious choice would be Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Franc Rose 2011, an organic wine from the Niagara Peninsula. Serves 4 Ingredients for the pork one 2¼ to 2½ lb pork tenderloin, trimmed ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp garlic powder ½ tsp cumin seed ½ tsp fennel seed ½ tsp chili powder ¼ tsp black pepper 1 tsp […]
Ratatouille Recipe Paired with Bordeaux Chateau Des Moines 2008
Ratatouille by: Shari Goodman Throw the word “Ratatouille” (rat-a-too-ee) into a conversation these days and people tend to think of the 2007 Oscar winning, computer-animated movie produced by Pixar. In this movie, Remy the rat, dreams of becoming the best chef in Paris, and not to spoil the movie if you are among the few who have not seen it, the French dish, Ratatouille plays a significant role. Ratatouille is not only beautiful to behold, it is a perfect dish for this time of year when Farmer’s Markets are still offering vegetables fresh from the gardens. And the good news […]
Mushroom Risotto with Butternut Squash Recipe Paired with San Michele A Torri Chianti Colli Fiorentini
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb Recipe Paired with Grant Burge The Holy Trinity 2007, Australia
Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb Paired with Grant Burge The Holy Trinity 2007, Australia French cut rack of lamb, encrusted with a blend of pistachio, herbs and Dijon, is the perfect partner for Grant Burge The Holy Trinity 2007. A blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre, the wine offers lots of intense fruit with a touch of pepper and spice. Fine tannins and good acidity allow the wine to stand up to the richness of this dish giving a full lingering finish. Serve the lamb with a side of herb roasted new potatoes. Serves 4 ( 2 ribs per person) […]
