Student kitchens
Easy, delicious, healthy(ish) recipes that won’t own your budget.Archive for Uncategorized
How I like my veggibles…
…cooked, but still pretty crunchy, never boiled, brightly coloured and brightly flavoured, not drowned in sauce (except maybe…cheese..sauce), but seasoned enough to bring out the individual flavours and complement them well.
If you like your vegetables this way too, but haven’t yet tried doing so on your own, then this is your lucky day. Gather round, for I be sharing my super simple, highly versatile, top secret way of getting stir fried vegetables perfect.
Zo’s guide to getting to the peak of vegetable perfectiondom.
Ingredients needed:
Veges
Cooking oil
salt
possibly a splash of water or two, depending on what veges you use
extra optional additions (just some suggestions, don’t use the lot obviously):
seeds (esp. sesame), flavoured oils (eg. chilli, garlic, or sesame oils), pepper, light sauces (eg. light soy sauce, oyster sauce, or even a light chicken stock), freshly roasted nuts (these go in the oven while you’re cooking the veges), herbs, spices (eg. cumin), finely chopped garlic…
Equipment needed:
cast iron or regular frypan, or a wok with fitting lid (no need for non stick, unless you’re adding meat to the mix)
a heat-proof cooking spoon or spatula or large wooden spoon (never use metal on non stick pans)
a decent chef’s knife or cleaver, and chopping board
The basic method I use is a combination of steaming & stir frying. The only bit of stir frying you really need to put a thinking hat on for is the order in which to put your veges in the pan, and also how well you like certain vegetables done. This is why frozen vegetable mixes are not Zo’s friends (among other reasons). Individually, frozen veges are fine. They will need a little adjusting in terms of cooking time though. Below is a rough guide on the order of things, vegetably speaking:
Put in first:
anything cut larger than a walnut, especially things like broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes (which I generally avoid in stir fries, but if using, I wouldn’t cut them any bigger than small, 2cm cubes) etc. Also, onions. Unless you like your onions “just cooked,” in which case you can put them in last or second. Generally these ingredients want about a minute or two in the pan (maybe partially covered) before moving on to second base.
Put in second:
Anything thicker than 1cm, but less than walnut sized. So if you cut carrots into cubes, for example, you put these in earlier than if you cut them into thin matchsticks. If you like your cabbage softened, throw them in here rather than at the end. If you like them really soft, throw them in at the beginning. Generally these ingredients want about a minute or two in the pan (maybe partially covered) before moving on to second base.
Put in last:
Anything less than 5mm thick, or anything you can pretty much eat raw. So, even if you cut spinach into huge leaves, you’d put these in last, because you can eat spinach raw. Most leaves follow this rule, except for cabbage (although raw cabbage doesn’t exactly taste bad, y’know?). You want them JUST wilted, and then everything should come out of the pan, pronto. The heat retained in the vegs will mean they keep cooking even after out of the pan, so that’s why you should be taking them out even if they’re not totally wilted. Capsicum/bell peppers always go in last. Mushrooms can also go in last, if you don’t want them thoroughly cooked. Peas also go in last, although maybe half a minute before leaves. Generally these ingredients want about thirty seconds in the pan (NOT covered) before serving.
Now, there is a reason Chinese take outs can do fresh vegetable stir fries to order in the amount of time it takes McDonalds to serve up a hamburger. This is because it’s meant to be a fast cooking process, because most of the time is spent on prepping the ingredients. However, to cut time here, you can prep ingredients that go in later while the “big” veges are cooking. So for example, you can start with just chopping your onion, throwing it in the pan with some oil, and while it’s cooking, chop the next ingredients to go in, and so on.
If you like bits of your veges a little “seared” or “charred,” all you need to do is put the pan on a medium high – high heat and leave your veges alone for about 30 seconds so the bottom gets a little brown touch. Don’t do this for every side, or your veges will be overdone. However, if you can get only one side browned, they will taste AWESOME. Think seared meats. Yeah.
The process as a whole requires a little common sense on your part. If stuff looks a little too wet (there’s water surrounding the veges where they touch the pan), leave the pan uncovered. If things keep going brown faster than you’d like, turn the heat down and add a little splash of water.
Meat, eggs, tofu, nuts or other nice things
Before I begin, just a note about seafood: it generally does not like being in a stir fry. Squid is okay, but considering the amount of effort required, generally I don’t add seafood to my stir fries. Nothin wrong with a fillet of fish on the side (if you’ve overcome the overfishing argument), but avoid it in stir fries.
Par-cook your meat (preferably marinated beforehand in some sort of sauce) before even starting the veges, and set aside. Same with eggs and tofu. Eggs should not be wet but should have lmost no golden brown spots. Tofu should be stir fried in some sauce.
With nuts or seeds, roast at 180C for about 3-7 minutes until the nuts are golden or seeds are slightly puffed up and darkened a touch. Remove, cool on a cold plate, and mix in just before serving veges, after you’ve removed the veges from the heat.
Sauces
I generally use light, liquidy sauces that stick to the veges but don’t coat them in a slimy layer of excessive sauce-ness. To each his/her own, but I promise you, less is more. Add sauces near the end of cooking, because otherwise most will burn. You can add half at the middle of the process, but generally, don’t add it at the very beginning. If you want to use store bought sauces, try using half the reccommended amount and you may be pleasantly surprised (assuming you use fresh, not frozen, veges).
Add a pinch of salt with the onions, but otherwise, add salt and pepper at the end.
Here are my top five favourite sauces/additions:
1. Light soy sauce (get an Asian brand, at an Asian supermarket) – about 1 tsp per cup of veges
2. Oyster sauce (ditto above) – about 1/4tsp per cup of veges
3. Sesame oil – drizzle a little over your veges after you’ve plated them. Sesame oil brings out the flavours of most veges, and tastes delicious on its own. Use sparingly.
4. White vinegar – for cabbage, about 1/2 tsp per cup of veges
5. Butter – a few tiny cubes of butter are amazing to top your hot veges with if you’ve used oil sparingly. Or cook your onions in butter. Works great with cabbage.
I have yet to try teriyaki sauce, but have heard it is great for marinating meats.
Happy vegetable-ising!
More exciting Cadbury news, plus promises!
Thanks to the recent change which Cadbury UK & Ireland made to making their Dairy Milk chocolate fair trade certified, New Zealand consumers have applied pressure to Cadbury NZ & Australia to follow the lead. Just earlier today, Cadbury NZ announced that they would be aiming to have Diary Milk sold under the fair trade logo from Easter 2010. Yay!
Onto more food-bloggy things, I know I’ve been neglecting the posting a bit; it’s all very much a mood thing, as well as just starting holidays and wanting to finally enjoy the sunshine, get spring seeds planted in pots etc…whew. I promise at least one post in the next few hours or so! There are several photos waiting to be shown to the world, so keep your eyes peeled.
…a quick brag
Okay. Imagine two slices of home made bread, pan toasted in butter with a sprinkle of dried basil. Then between them, place some rocket picked from the garden, and some locally made aged gouda cheese, plus a drizzle of kato hollandaise sauce.
This is my lunch. I love my life.
Snack series #1 – addictive flaky crackers
I’ve made crackers several times before,but this recipe uses much more oil and also has butter to make a flaky, crispy cracker. It uses actual cheese, and takes about ten minutes to form into dough and about half an hour to roll out. I present to you: rosemary, parmesan and sesame crackers.
The picture above has no sesame in, as I kept forgetting to add them in the rolling stage. You may be wondering why on earth I’m suggesting to bake crackers before exams. Well, firstly, it’s damn cold, and any reason not to go out (and just use the flour in the pantry) for snacks is good by me. Second, it’s damn cold, and this will get you moving about, and a good excuse for a not-all-day-break. Third, it’s damn cold, and this is a good reason to turn the oven on, and huddle around the meagre heat that escapes through the oven glass window. Fourth…well, you know me, I like baking things from scratch. It’s fun :D Fifth, you can make any flavour combination you want pretty much – I’m sure you could experiment without the parmesan, and do plain herbed crackers, or spiced crackers, or plain poppy and sesame. And lastly, they taste pretty fantastic.
Parmesan, rosemary, and sesame crackers
makes several dozen thin, rectangular inch long crackers
about 30g butter, diced finely
about 1/3 c oil
1 1/3 c plain flour (I used the equivalent wholemeal)
about 50g parmesan, finely grated
sesame seeds to taste (black or white) – I’d use about 1 Tablespoon.
Rosemary leaves (pref. fresh), roughly chopped a little
pinch salt
a few Tablespoons water
Rub butter, salt, and flour together to create a mixture resembling breadcrumbs (like you’d do for scones, but there’s a lot less butter). Add parmesan, rosemary, sesame seeds and oil, and mix to create larger clumps. Add a tablespoon of water at a time, mixing for at least a minute after each addition, to form a soft dought that holds together easily.
Generously flour your benchtop, and lightly oil as many baking trays as you have (you want at least two to make the process speedy). Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Divide the dough into six sections. Roll out a section on the well floured surface until you have a thin sheet just under 2mm thin. Make sure the dough isn’t sticking at any stage while you’re rolling it out. Transfer to lightly greased baking tray, cut into 1 inch (at the longest side) rectangles, and separate (you want about 1cm of space between the crackers. I’ve tried not separating – the outside rim of crackers will cook fine, but the centre will be undercooked. So separate, okay?
Throw into the oven and let bake in the centre rack for about 5-10 minutes (depending on your oven). You want them to be lightly golden, or if using wholemeal, golden brown. They may not be crispy-feeling when they come out, but transfer them immediately to a cooling rack and they will crisp up after about five minutes. While cooking, you can prepare the next batch, so you shouldn’t have too much idle time.
Enjoy with the best cheese you can afford, or just on their own. EDIT: Store in an airtight container to keep them crisp.
Next up: The classic chocolate chip cookie, without butter or eggs…but with plenty of deliciousness and super quick-ness! lea
Bob’s Wine Review – Raining Red
Beauty and the mediocre beast.
Well, I had hoped to give (or at least consume) two stunning reds this week, however I was only able to try one and what I’ll call a half wine – oddly it’s the pinot noir I’m calling the mediocre beast. And its story goes like this…
Brand: Drylands
Area: Marlborough
Vintage: 2006
Price: $14~
Rating: 4/10
Mediocre would be doing this a favor… No, that’s a bit harsh I can still drink it…However I am a red wine drinker as it is and so find this blatantly average, which for the price is okay, not good, but acceptable at least. However if you’re not a fan of reds, drinking this risks chasing you away from pinot noir as a snarling beast chases children away from the enchanted forest after urinating in their mouths.. So overall, no. I don’t recommend this one. However, on the bright side it did prompt me to make a decent cocktail!
Brand: Redwood estate
Area: Canterbury
Vintage: /
Price: $13~
Rating: /
Okay, so it’s not really a wine, but their boysenberry nip is still amazing! I’m not going to rate this as it’s not a wine per se but if I had to I’d give it a 9.7, because damn… As an additive to average pinot noir or to a plethora of other drinks this hits the spot. As far as drinking in place of red wine I’d recommend their range of berry wines instead (feijoa and blackcurrant pictured below) as it is still rather syrupy (great in cocktails though, or just with lemonade/chi), however I haven’t seen any berry wines around in quite a while, at least in christchrch anyway (hence no review). However, you’ll still find the berry nip in your wine aisle so I thought this beaut was worth at least half a review =P
The gear guide – kitchenware picks <$50
…do you have a few prized tools in the kitchen (other than your man/woman I mean) that just do the job perfect every time? That you think: “I can’t believe I only paid x for that,” or “this is so worth those x paychecks I paid!” (Personally, if you’ve thought the latter, I think you’re nuts a very unique invididual). Well, here’s my review of the things in our kitchen that I love. I don’t own anything excessively fancy, these are just the basics, and to be frank, they’re the things most worth spending the most on. You’ll be using them almost every day, and thus having good basic gear will save you lots of time (and money, because they’ll last ages). Here are a few great ones, all of which cost under $50 (since I bought them anyway)
Not all of them I own, either! Muahaha…If you’re in Christchurch, it’s worth buying the following, and not all of them I splashed out on. You might be surprised at some of the places these are from…
Prestige ceramic coated non stick pan
~from $50 from Farmers (mine was $50 RRP for the 24cm frypan)
Not cheap but worth every cent. Get ‘em next time Farmers has a “buy one get one free” sale, though. Make sure before you buy one that matched up in size with a lid you already have if you want to save some cash (and space).
I won’t let anyone near this pan with metal still, but even if an unfortunate soul wandered about on its surface with a *shudder* fork, this won’t feel the pain as much as other non stick pans (of the teflon variety). This has lasted me more than a year and has yet to be scratched. Not only will this baby last you for more than ten minutes in a flat full of potential cookware imbeciles…it cooks beautifully evenly, and is the most non stick thing to ever, erm…not stick to your food. I tested this out with a friend’s cast iron skillet for pancakes, and it still measured up! The ceramic will withstand any temperature you could possibly crank your cooker up to (without the possibility of melting or being structurally weakened, which is why it outlasts any other coatings). The only thing I wish was that it could be thrown in the oven (for frittata or cake making), but this will definitely be a contender if you’re considering a cast iron pan (as this pan heats up slightly faster).
Victorinox 4″ paring/utility knife
~$10 from The Homestore, Merivale Mall
The best small knife I’ve ever used. Considering the price (and brand – these are the guys that sepcialise in swiss army knives) this is an amazing little knife that stays incredibly sharp and has a very good feel when you cut with it. It has a rather thin blade that makes it great for slicing thin.
Silicone fish slice/whatever you want to call it
don’t know the price, but apparently quite cheap, from Countdown.
A supermarket made cookware that is actually good?! This is brilliant for non stick pans, and because they’re NOT plastic, the bottom doesn’t flake off (you’ll never wonder if those black bits in your food are edible or not). The top is metal, so it’s nice and sturdy too. Need I say more? Well, I suppose I should mention that it’s Bob’s :P
Silicone coasted whisk
$4.50, from the Warehouse
Amazing, huh? After looking at $70 whisks, this was a much appreciated stumble. Large, relatively sturdy, and did I mention, bloody cheap?! I’ve been looking for a whisk that has a decent handle like this, but the silicone was a bonus! If you have non stick saucepans, or simply want your mixing bowls to remain scrape-free, this is the shiz. Just don’t immerse the handle in hot water for too long (turns out it’s stuck together with hot glue, but it’s still working!)
Silicone basting/pastry brush
~$5, from Countdown
Gone are the days your pastry brush is the world’s biggest bitch to clean – this doesn’t retain the basting juices from your last chicken (*shudder*) like an old creep man’s beard! No, this beauty ensures your next meal can be a salmonella hazard free zone, and also ensures your resident dish washing person doesn’t seek revenge from the last pastry thing you made! Countdown makes love cheap.
Silicone spatula and spoon in one
$15, from the Homestore, Merivale Mall
Wait, wait, wait! I know, $15 for a SPOON?! But this is no ordinary spoon, people. I first saw this and thought the same. Then, months later (and much wasted cake batter later), I headed straight into the store and picked it up. Why? Because when you make things from scratch in the kitchen, not a scrap should be wasted. When you’ve slaved over those muffins, you should not have to clean up a thing more than you need to (this is dishwasher safe, doesn’t need soaking, and unlike the wooden spoon, doesn’t take on that “special flavour” from everything from soups to custard). When you’re in the middle of baking, you shouldn’t have to reach for the spatula. And lastly, when you’ve left the spatula in the pan you’re heating, it should not start melting. I hope I’ve now justified the exorbitantly priced spatoon. It’s my new love. Now let us be together, in sweet, chocolatey peace, with none wasted.
If you’ve got some original favourites of your own to share, comment below and, if my mood is willing, I may send one of the above items to you via post (NZers only please) if your suggestion is indeed the most awe-inspiring! Make sure you give either a picture or detailed description, the approximate price, at least one place where you can get it (in NZ), and why it deserves love and attention (and possibly a spending spree).
Happy cooking!
PS. I didn’t review the cleaver because frankly, I stole it off Mum, and have no idea where she obtained it…
Endorphin rush – flourless chocolate cake that still resembles cake
It’s nearing the end of Univeristy holidays (for me anyway), and it was also Will’s birthday yesterday, so I ruffled through the dessert recipe folder to find something sugary that would cheer us up. Even after biking into a headwind to get to Slack’n'Slave for the ingredients, buying full price unsalted butter (which only comes in the best butter and worst kind of butter), separating 5 eggs (I still have some hair left! Mainly because I didn’t want to get egg in my hair though), and realising I couldn’t make dinner because there was a cake in the oven at a low temperature for the next hour…this cake was worth it.
Hopefully, because you’ve been cooking at home over the holidays, you’ve saved up a bit…yes? Yes…because this cake isn’t recession material, you see. The hearty dose of eggs and chocolate and and ground almonds make this one hell of a treat. If I hadn’t just spent most of my dollars on Will’s birthday presents, I would havebought proper chocolate for this cake, because due to how much there is in it, you’ll actually taste the difference.
As you can see, it’s also preeeetty. Unlike many a flourless chocolate cake, this still has a cakey crumb, but with a mixture of gritty (from the almonds) and silky, smooth moistness. It’s so rich, in fact, you may want to make this cake with more than one or two people in mind – a relatively small slice will satisfy even hardcore chocolate fans. It’s up there with Clare’s chocolate guinness cake and the Tia Maria cake I made a while ago. While it’s a little finickier (what with the separation of eggs and all), it’s all worthwhile.
Flourless chocolate torte
found on Taste
makes a thick 8″ or 9″ cake
250g dark chocolate (60% gives a regular chocolate cake level of bitterness, so if you like dark chocolate cake, best to go 72%)
150g butter
5 eggs at room temperature (important!), separated
1/2 c icing sugar
1 1/2 c ground almonds
1/2 c raw, white or caster sugar
Melt butter on low heat in a small/medium saucepan. While butter is melting, roughly chop chocolate. Once butter is fully melted, turn off heat and mix in chocolate (at this stage you can mix it a little to get it started and prep your other ingredients while the heat from the butter melts the chocolate). Make sure you don’t cut corners by heating the chocolate, or it will taste burnt and will RUIN the cake *gasp*
Set yolks aside in a small cup or similar, and separate egg whites into a large bowl (I tried to find a video, but they were really more moronic than useful, so I have a litte written thing on it below if you’ve never done it). Beat egg whites (you want an electric beater for this, trust me), gradually adding the caster sugar, until the mixture is smooth and glossy. When you stop the beaters and bring them out of the mixture, they should form sort of stiff peaks (that fall over, but they’re peaks nonetheless).
Mix chocolate into butter until fully incorporated, smooth and glossy. Add egg yolks, icing sugar, and ground almonds, and mix until fully incorporated. Preheat your oven now to 150C or 300F.
Fold the chocolatey mix into the egg whites, being careful not to beat (you want to keep as much air in as possible), until the mixture is uniform (do not keep mixing after this point). It looks pale now, but don’t worry, the insides will darken during cooking.
Generously grease an 8″ or 9″ springform cake pan, and dust with cocoa (optional), tapping the edges and rotating the pan so the cocoa sticks to the butter. This cake will stick, but if you let it cool completely, it will be possible to take it out without the whole thing falling apart (I did say it was moist!)
Scrape cake batter into the pan, and pop in the lower middle rack of your oven. Let cook for at least an hour, up to an hour and about ten minutes for the 8″ version (which is thicker). When removed from the oven, the center should not wobble, but it will be very soft (gently press the cake in the middle and it should spring back).
Once cooked, let the cake cool in the tin until the cake sinks down a little (about half an hour). Run a knife around the outside of the cake (between the cake & tin sides), and remove the ring. Let cool completely (it’s only a few hours of torture, but it’s very important if you don’t want your cake to fall apart) before dusting with icing sugar and serving with fresh fruit on the side :)
Time for nostalgia, and pumpkin soup.
When holidays for Uni roll around, especially 3 weeks worth, I check most of the emails I get, even the ones I normally wouldn’t. That includes e-newsletters from my old high school. This afternoon I opened it up, excepting to do my usual scoff and oo-er as a few familiar surnames registered as scholarship winners. Instead, however, I started to get all teary eyed. I felt like I’d been away for too long, almost like a home-sick puppy wondering when it would finally be able to go see its mummy again, but somehow knowing that it never would. Not that I can’t see the black gates and red bricks again, but in any case, it’s not the buildings I miss. I think it’s that stage in my life when it’s actually beginning to dawn on me that I have to actually take care of myself, that if the cleaning doesn’t get done, it’s never going to get done. And hey, my flatmates are, comparatively speaking, great at doing dishes. No, it’s not just the cleaning. It’s the certainty that someone is going to be there, and that you’ll know and trust them to do it well, that I miss. It’s the familiarity and feeling of community with everyone around you, that deeper, fundamental understanding and common sense of knowing, deep down, what’s right. Even if they’re little things, like how the toilet seat should bloody sit (can you tell I went to an all girls school?!), or bigger things, like what you really mean when you say things. Even though I didn’t like everyone at high school, there were just so many things that were obvious to everyone, but at Uni, the person sitting next to you could be 35, have kids, be in a totally different mindspace. So there’s no attempt to reach out, and the cycle of unfamiliarity just continues. And with that simmering away in the depths of my brain, I shall attempt to bring you a recipe for a pumpkin soup I made the other day.
If you’re feeling anything like me, and noticing the chill outside (Autumn is here!), then I hope this is of some comfort to you. It’s fairly simple, and certainly great to curl up with (paired with a plate piled high with fresh bread). The soup photo is awful I know, but hey, I was hungry!
Pumpkin soup
serves 3 with bread, 2 without bread
1/4 small pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes
3 Tbs butter
1 tsp thyme
1 onion or equivalent leek, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped (or substitute with more pumpkin if you prefer)
1c vege stock
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbs sour cream
In a large frypan, melt 2/3 of the butter on medium heat, and add pumpkin, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cover, and cook 2 mins until underside is browned. Uncover, flip, add thyme, add a little water if the pan is dry, cover, and cook a further 2 mins. Uncover, add onions or leek, stir, add a little water if the pan is dry, cover, and cook another 2 mins. Uncover, add garlic, stir, cover, and cook another minute. Uncover, check pumpkin is fully cooked and soft (putting a fork through should be very easy), and transfer mixture to a large saucepan.
Add the last third of the butter and the celery, and mash with a potato masher (or you can whizz it all in a food processor, which is what I did). Turn heat for the saucepan on medium. Add stock to the frypan to sort of clean out the last bits and pour into the saucepan. Stir to bring the stock to the bottom, to prevent the whole mixture from sticking. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then turn heat down to medium low. Add more water or stock to bring it to the consistency you want, then keep simmering for a further 3 minutes (just enough to cook the celery). Add the sour cream and more water if by the end of the 3 minutes you think it’s too thick. Taste, season further with salt and pepper if desired, and serve with more dollops of sour cream and a few sprigs of fresh thyme.
This soup is fantastic with bread to dip into – try this basic (one rise time only) focaccia that takes very little time to cook, and you can replace the spring onion with thyme. It doesn’t matter how long the initial rise time is either really, so you can whip the dough up in the morning in 5 minutes, then just shape it out and put it straight in the oven before you make the soup. Ta da!
Clare’s Thai-inspired creamy chicken
200mL cream
1tsp minced ginger
2tsp green curry paste
2tsp red curry paste
approx 1/2 tsp powdered coriander seed (ground),
2Tbsp tomato paste
800g chicken, diced
1 red pepper, finely sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
½ leek, roughly sliced
½ red onion, roughly sliced
½ c frozen peas
Combine yoghurt and cream in a bowl. Add crushed ginger and chicken, 1 tsp each of red and green curry paste.
Introducing…
Twospoons is proud to present a new “regular” feature from Ben (erm…Bob) the wine reviewer, who will be reviewing wines exclusively from the affordably-priced aisles of classy wine stockists such as Pak’n'Save, Countdown, and if he’s feeling like a bit of luxury, New World (if you’re from New Zealand, you’ll know that these are big-chain supermarkets) – so basically, Bob will be reviewing wines you’ll actually be able to afford. Now, don’t let the charming denim and expression put you off – Bob works for Pernod Picard NZ, one of the largest companies responsible for the alcohol you sip, chug and, well, dare I say it, sometimes chuck (out! goodness gracious, what did you think I meant?). If you’ve ever heard him talk about wine, you’d entrust the safety of your tastebuds to him when it comes to the grape scene. I’m honoured to have him post regular features, which will hopefully help the average Joe pick something that is fantastic yet affordable, or avoid the bank-breaking (haha, sort of literally now) yet awful. Without further ado, I’ll let Bob introduce himself and what the wine reviews will entail…
They say he’s part devil, part legend, all man. A rouged borderline narcisist with the wit and charm of forty bastards. He’s also quite apt at writing in the third person and would seem to know his way (or at least know how to bluff his way) around the wine scene. Now, before I begin it would seem prudent to at least try and explain what I am, and am not going to do here; my place here isn’t to rave about “oaked flavors”, “petrol notes”, and all the other jargon lost on anyone not consumed in the quasi-snobbery of the wine “scene” while giving reviews and suggestions that are well.. fundamentally useless (touch wood). I plan to explain some of the ins and outs of wine that won’t cost you the earth. Also to save you from enduring some of the truly terrid wines lurking out there.
First, something I feel compelled to at least breeze over – age does not necessarily make a wine good. Many people fall for picking the oldest wine they can find which is a misconception. Basically the vintage (year it was made) isn’t so we can see how old the wine is, but to see when it was made. Example: Wine X 2005 may be lackluster, 2007 may be amazing.
Well to start things off I’ll give you two wines and a cocktail. The two wines I had to review were Mud House riesling, and Wild South riesling. I’ve decided to compare two of my beloved rieslings. Rieslings are nice white wines that tend not to taste and smell of feline urate, more over they tend to be quite drinkable even for people who tend not to like wine, like Zo for example.
Now, onto the wines…
The Mud house 2006 Malborugh Riesling
7/10
For $11-$14ish this is a pretty solid buy with a nice aroma for those who must sniff their drink and a semi-sweet-kinda-fruity-flower-punchy taste for those who like to down it. I rated it 7 as it seemed to pull its punch a tad making it’s flavor weaker than I feel it could have been, however that can be a very good thing for people not so used to wine – Zo was able to drink an entire glass of this (that’s alot for Zo to drink of anything except for water :P). However for entertaining it may or may not be so good as it goes down rather quickly, yet is easy to get into so overall I’m agnostic on the punch pulling side of it and have to say this is an easy wine to like even if you can’t love it. I would serve this with fish, or another mild dish that doesn’t leave much of an after taste for risk of overpowering the wine. The crux of this bottle is a solid buy and a good fail safe, even if not amazing.
Wild South 2008 Malborugh riesling
9.5/10
I managed to score this for $11 at pack n’ slave Riccarton, however this was on sale from $17 which is still good value for this particular wine. At $11 it’s a value orgasm – in fact I may well bare the rain tonight, walk to the shop and buy some more..so far I can’t think of a reason not to. The flavor is strong yet yummy which makes for a rather moreish sipping wine. Great whether you intend to down the bottle by yourself (in this case, no one can fault you for doing so), or sock it to some guests at the dinner table. As with all good rieslings the taste is semi-sweet and fruity yet with a man sized kick to crush any doubters. If you will, imagine nectar graced by Chuck Norris, and our old pal, ethanol ^_^ I’d recommend it with light meals (chicken, fish, etc), desserts, breakfasts, or even on its own. The only thing I can fault it with is not having that…je ne ces qua, in other words it’s so close to perfect yet not which may leave the more experienced (or picky) wine-O feeling teased. It’s the feeling of climbing to the top of the mountain, but having a view of only clouds; it’s what I expect, but maybe, just maybe, there is another mountain with a better view out there…or maybe not. Either way this near perfection is sadistically, unbearably (and intoxicatingly) good!
Bob out!
