Mexican Style Quinoa and Blackbean Salad with wine!

Spring hasn’t exactly been wowing me with her balmy days and nights, but I’ve decided it’s definitely time to embrace the salad once again. Yes, there have been some Ottolenghi cauliflower salads in there…but I thought I wouldn’t impose my love of cauli on you again.

This time it’s the all delicious, all amazing QUINOA and BLACKBEAN MEXICAN SALAD! It’s absolutely scrummy as a side dish or as a stand alone meal, and it's VEGAN to boot!

 Ingredients:
Half a cup of quinoa, rinsed and cooked as per the instructions to boil.
1 bunch of coriander, thoroughly rinsed and roughly chopped (stalks and all!)
1 tin of black beans, drained and rinsed.
1 capsicum sliced into thin fingers
1 large tomato, diced
1 ear of corn, cooked and removed from the cobb.
 Dressing:
Salt, pepper, juice of ¼ of a lemon, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin and tablespoons of olive oil.

  Method:
Place sliced capsicum onto a tray, drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast in a hot oven until it is soft. Allow to cool.
Cook quinoa in boiling water until soft, drain and cool.
Cook corn (either boil the cobb until the kernels are soft, cook on a barbeque, or do what I do and leave in the husk and pop in the microwave for about 5 minutes)
Combine all ingredients into a salad bowl.

For the dressing:
Combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and cumin (adjust as you see fit) and dress the salad.
I served mine with crisped up pita bread and a cracking glass of white, try the (also vegan) Spring Seed Semillon Sav Blanc for that hint of lemony mouth feel and lovely floral hints. You can buy it here.

*** Vegans look away now: this salad is also awesome topped with some crumbly feta cheese and grilled prawns or white fish.

The Perfect Spanish Tortilla!

Recipe Time! 

Okay, so I have a lovely Spanish friend who taught me how to make a real-deal Spanish Tortilla. The way he showed me there weren’t any measurements or the like. Basically make sure your potato to onion ratio is about 3:2 and that your potato/onion to egg ratio is about 3:2. Basically you need to make sure you don’t over egg it, the perfect ratio is what makes it sooooo good! This dish can be eaten alone, in a sandwich, with a salad or as a side to grilled meats. It is super versatile. It pairs well with many wines, including Tempranillo or Verdejo (try the Spanish Vicente Gandia) or with a good Reisling (try the Hochkirch). It also goes well with lighter style reds like a Grenache or a light red blend, check out our full selection here. 

My own tip is to choose your fry pan carefully. I usually cook up my potatoes and onions in a large wok (enough for several tortillas!), and then cook the actual tortilla in a smaller pan that I know inverts easily and isn’t too heavy for me to manage. A non-stick pan is essential.
I also know the capacity of my smaller pan, so when I am making my egg/potato/onion mix I make it to the exact quantity that fits in my pan. I have a large measuring-mixing jug where I combine the ingredients before pouring into the hot pan. If you are making enough for more than one tortilla I recommend combining the egg and veg for each tortilla individually, that way the heat of the vegetables won’t cook the eggs before you get it onto the stove!

 Below are ingredients for one tortilla
 
500g potatoes (I haven’t been fussy about what kind, I usually buy mine from a local organic veggie seller who drives around our neighbourhood in his ute!)
1-2 onions
Olive oil
3 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley (optional)
6 eggs

Method
 
1. Peel the potatoes or leave the skins on, if you prefer. Cut them into 5mm slices. Cut onion into half rings of the same thickness
2. Heat a good slug of oil in a large frying pan, add the potatoes and onion and stew gently, partially covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are softened. (add more oil if it’s sticking or looking dry).
3. Beat the eggs separately, then stir into the potatoes with the parsley if you like, and plenty of salt and pepper. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a smaller pan. Tip everything into the pan and cook on a moderate heat, using a spatula to shape the omelette into a cushion.
 
4. When almost set, invert on a plate and slide back into the pan and cook a few more minutes, until the middle of the tortilla feels firm, this indicates the egg is all cooked. Some people prefer to leave it a bit gooey in the middle, this is up to you! Slide on to a plate and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

* Variations on this dish are endless! Sometimes I cook slices of red capsicum with the potatoes and onions, or I add a small amount of chorizo or some olives. I also like to place some slices of tomato or some sage leaves in the bottom of the small pan before carefully pouring the mixture over them, this makes a lovely pattern on top of your tortilla for serving!  It's Spanish goodness on a plate, served with Spanish goodness in a glass!

Ottolenghi's Crushed Puy Lentils with Cumin...and a wine pairing

Today I'm sharing a recently discovered recipe which has become a total fave.   It's an amazing Crushed Lentil and Cumin dish from Yotam Ottolenghi's 'Plenty More'.  For those of your unfamiliar with Ottolenghi (have you been living in a cave somewhere??) 'Plenty More' is a book filled with delicious Middle Eastern inspired vegetarian recipes. I would like to add that I am not a vegetarian, but if someone cooked me food like this every day, I'd be tempted to convert! 

 



This was an easy to prepare dish (I doubled the quantities and have loads to get our family through the week, as well as a container for a sick friend). I'm planning to pair it with a light red wine tonight - the awesome Kalleske Clarry's GSM which you can buy here: http://bit.ly/24XbiUd. You could also choose one of our Pinots,  The new Huckleberry Hustle by Temple Bruer, a Tempranillo or a red blend like the Gemtree Phantom. Winner.

Crushed Puy Lentils with Cumin

Ingredients:
 
200g puy lentils
30g unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil , plus extra to finish
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
3 medium tomatoes, skinned and cut into 1cm dice
25g coriander leaves, chopped
4 tbsp tahini paste
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and black pepper
½ small red onion, peeled and sliced very thin (I pickled this in a mixture of red wine vinegar, water, salt and sugar...I found that it added a real zing to the dish...delicious!)
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered

This sustaining meal-on-a-plate is a little bit like hummus, though much easier and quicker to prepare. With warm flatbread, I could eat this every day. Serves two as a main, or four as a starter. 

Method

Bring a medium pan of water to a boil. Add the lentils and cook for 15-20 minutes, until completely cooked, drain and set aside.

Put the butter and oil in a large sauté pan and place on a medium-high heat. Once the butter melts, add the garlic and cumin, and cook for a minute. Add the tomatoes, 20g of coriander and the cooked lentils. Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes, then add the tahini, lemon juice, 70ml of water, a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Turn down the heat to medium and cook gently, stirring, for a few minutes more, until hot and thickened. Roughly mash the lentils with a potato masher, so that some are broken up and you get a thick, porridge consistency.

Spread out the lentils on a flat platter, run a fork through to make a wavy pattern on top, and scatter on the sliced onion, the remaining coriander and a final drizzle of olive oil. Serve warm with the hard-boiled eggs alongside. (I served this with a slice of Spanish Tortilla...I will post the recipe for that next time...I was taught to make the perfect Tortilla by a Spanish friend and I think I've got it just about right!).

Enjoy with a light red from our selection. Scrumbo!

How to store wine.

So, have you got yourself a wee collection of wines that you've been purchasing over the years?  Some might have been gifts, others lovingly collected from a weekend of exploring cellar doors with mates.  Some might be organic, others not.  I don't know about you, but I've begun to grow up when it comes to wine.  No longer do I need to drink ALL THE WINE in one sitting with pals.  I am happy to buy a bottle and have it tucked away until the right time.  Sadly, for many this can all end in tears when a bottle isn't stored correctly.  

Before I got into this wine caper I confess that my bottles of wine were stored in the bottom of my kitchen cupboard.  There was easy access, and it was as good a place as any considering I didn't have a wine rack, or a cellar, or a convenient backyard cave, with steady temperatures to squirrel my bounty away in.  Now I'm a bit more savvy and try a bit harder to make sure my bottles of precious vino are as well stored as possible given my limited space, and lack of a fore mentioned cave.  I confess to being a bit lucky in that my parents have a cellar at their home in the mountains.  If I have a particularly special bottle I can always VERY CLEARLY LABEL IT WITH MY NAME, and pop it in among their collection.  So far there have been no accidental consumption incidents.

I hear you...no cellar, no cave.  What to do?  Well, I've got a few tips for keeping your wine at its best for as long as possible.  I do have to say, please read your labels though. Ifa wine maker suggests that a particular wine would benefit from 5 years of cellaring, don't wait for 15 and then wonder why it's not great...  common sense peeps.

How's this for a nifty little cellar.  I'm sure I could fit this under my stairs...?

I've got a few tips on storing your wine and keeping it in the most optimal conditions.  I've read quite a bit on the subject, and the phrase that springs to mind and is easily remembered is 'Keep it cool, keep it dark, keep it still, keep it sideways'.  Pretty simple really.

Wine is a pretty delicate thing which is always evolving and changing within the bottle, and outside influences can interfere with the delicate dance happening beneath the cork.

Wine and bright lights are not best friends.  Most coloured wine bottles offer a small amount of protection against UV  light.  However, it isn't enough to keep your wine from being effected by light, which will prematurely age your wine.  White wine is particularly vulnerable to this, but red wine is also at risk.

It's best to store your wine in a cool, dry dark place with a constant temperature (between 12-16 °C).  If you don't have a cellar (which of course is the best place to keep your wine), keep it in the box it came in in a dark place (there must be a spot in the bottom of a cupboard somewhere?).  Ideally there should be some humidity to prevent the cork from drying out.  If you're feeling really flush you could buy one of those fancy (or less fancy) thermo-controlled wine fridges (of course this is another electrical appliance which needs to be plugged in and takes up space...but if you're a real buff might be worth it).

Shake, rattle and roll.  I don't think so.  Wine doesn't like to be shifted about or exposed to vibrations and movement.  Try keeping it away from your fridge, on its side on a rack (this ensures the cork is always covered with liquid and won't dry out).  If you keep your bottles upright you increase the chances of oxygen making its way into your bottle and oxidizing the wine.  Of course, corks can be a bit of a rarity these days, so the chances of oxidization are greatly reduced, and cork taint is almost unheard of!

Very importantly it must be remembered that not all wine is designed to be cellared.  And even those that are may only be suitable for a short cellaring period.  Many preservative free wines are made to be drunk quite soon after bottling.  Please, please, follow the instructions of the wine maker.  They want you to enjoy their wine, and will be giving you the best advice on when to drink their nectar.  

Many people that that white wine is not meant to be cellared.  This simply isn't true.  Many whites are intended to age gracefully, their flavour profiles changing and maturing along the way with secondary characters and complexity only developing with time. Think Riesling, Semillon and Chardonnay.  Red wines will always prefer some time in a bottle to allow all the goodness to harmonise.  Be it Shiraz, Cab Sav or Pinot, let the fruits, tannins and acids find their place before opening!  Be patient.  And then....

Happy drinking!

Food and Wine Pairing: Shiraz.

So, today's wine for food pairing is SHIRAZ!

I've chosen to start with the 'King of Reds'.  Shiraz (or Syrah) is pretty much the most popular red wine there is on the Australian market (and Australia is the biggest producer of Shiraz in the world).  And yes, it is pretty darn delicious.  If you're a straight up Shiraz drinker, please don't neglect the other red wine varietals.  Pinot, Merlot and poor old Cabernet Sauvignon get so overlooked, especially with a spike in popularity of European varietals like Tempranillo and Sangiovese.  But never fear, we will get to all of them in due course.  For now we'll start at the very beginning. 

 

So, Shiraz can come in many guises.  It's a versatile grape and depending on where it was grown, cool or warm climate, and how it is made into wine, there is a huge range in flavours and characters that can be produced.  This versatility really helps when looking at food pairing, because essentially you can probably find a Shiraz which will tick any box you need it to; lighter bodied and savoury, or sticky dark fruit flavours with intense tannins.  In general Shiraz is quite a full bodied fruity drop.  There are notes of charred summer fruits, pepper, liquorice, berries, currants and even chocolate.  It is distinctive and delicious.

Shiraz pairs well with beef.  However duck and pork with heavily flavoured savoury sauces also work well (mmmm, Peking Duck!).  Shiraz doesn't really work quite so well with cheeses.  It you really only drink Shiraz (perhaps it's time to expand your horizons a bit!), and want to eat cheese at the same time, try a creamy cheese like Camembert or Brie.  Even a smoked softer cheddar would work well.

I'm a big fan of Shiraz, and we've got loads of it in our organic and preservative free range.  I find it hard to go past the Paxton MV Shiraz for price and excellence, James Halliday gave it 95 points recently, and for a wine at the $20 price point this is nothing short of outstanding, we've also got the amazingly special Paxton Jones Block... so worth a little splurge.  It's no secret that I'm also a fan of the Kalleske Moppa, it's BIG, and impressive, the hearty flavours leave you in no doubt that this is indeed a Shiraz.  Oh, and I couldn't neglect to mention the Bunn Shiraz, it's warming and spicy all wrapped up in rich velvety fruit flavours.  Man, I am so having a bottle of Shiraz tonight.  You can read up on our range on our website, and if you feel so inclined put in an order for a bottle or two.

Now to what I've been eating while sipping shiraz... In my recent food adventures, I've been playing around with Beef Wellington.  Seriously, if you haven't tried this dish, GET ONTO IT.  It is nothing short of amazeballs.  For the uninitiated it is a prime cut of fillet beef, wrapped in pates and prosciutto, surrounded with flaky pastry.  Baked in the oven and served with a rich red wine sauce, wilted greens (or green beans) and creamy-buttery mashed potatoes, it is my 'death row last meal'.  So, so good.  (**Pauses from writing to wipe drool off chin).

I've tried a few different recipes for BW, but one that I really liked, and was pretty simple, is by potty mouthed chef Gordon Ramsay.  I'll include it here, with my own adaptations, plus a recipe for a velvety sauce to go with it.   

 

Gordon Ramsay's Kick A#*@

Beef Wellington.

Ingredients

• 400g flat cap mushrooms, roughly chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil, for cooking
• 750g piece of prime beef fillet
• 1-2 tbsp English mustard
• 6-8 slices of Parma ham
• 500g ready-made puff pastry (or a couple of puff pastry sheets joined up)
• Flour, to dust
• 2 egg yolks, beaten

To keep the pastry light and crisp, I wrap the beef and mushrooms in a layer of prosciutto to keep the pastry free from moisture (sort of, there is always some seepage).  Some people even use thin crepes, but I can't resist the salty parma ham!

Method

1. Put the mushrooms into a food processor with some seasoning and pulse to a rough paste. Scrape the paste into a pan and cook over a high heat for about 10 mins, tossing frequently, to cook out the moisture from the mushrooms. Cook for longer if you need to.  Spread out on a plate to cool.
2. Heat in a frying pan and add a little olive oil. Season the beef and sear in the hot pan for 30 secs only on each side. (You don't want to cook it at this stage, just colour it.) Remove the beef from the pan and leave to cool, then brush all over with the mustard - I like lots of mustard, and have found that the cooking process seems to mellow the 'hot' flavour, so don't be frightened to go hard.
3. Lay a sheet of cling film on a work surface and arrange the prosciutto slices on it, in slightly overlapping rows. With a palette knife, spread the mushroom paste over the ham, then place the seared beef fillet in the middle. Keeping a tight hold of the cling film from the edge, neatly roll the prosciutto and mushrooms around the beef to form a tight barrel shape. Twit the ends of the cling film to secure. Chill for 15-20 mins minimum to allow the beef to set and keep its shape.  (You could even complete this part of the process the day before).
4. Roll out the puff pastry (or use the shop bought sheets) on a floured surface to a large rectangle, the thickness of a $2 coin. Remove the cling film from the beef, then lay in the centre. Brush the surrounding pastry with egg yolk. Fold the ends over, the wrap the pastry around the beef, cutting off any excess. Turn over, so the seam is underneath, and place on a baking sheet. Brush over all the pastry with egg and chill for about 15 mins to let the pastry rest.
5. Heat the oven to 200ºC.
6. Lightly score the pastry at 1cm intervals and glaze again with beaten egg yolk. Bake for 20 minutes , then lower the oven setting to 180ºC and cook for another 15 mins. Allow to rest for 10-15 mins before slicing and serving with the accompaniments. The beef should still be pink in the centre when you serve it.

For my sauce I started with about 500 mls of BONE BROTH (this is just a super duper version of stock that has been slow cooked for 70 odd hours...sooooooo good!).  I get this boiling away on the stove then add a good slug or two of red wine, SHIRAZ in this instance.  I continue to cook until the sauce is reduced by about half and is quite thick, if it isn't thickening up well enough (or if you've just used regular stock), take out about 3 tablespoons of liquid and mix in 1 tablespoon of plain flour until you've formed a smooth paste, then return to the sauce.  As a final thickener and to add that bit of glossy deliciousness add a good tablespoon of butter.  Taste and then season with salt, pepper, and any other flavour profile you'd like (maybe a hint of chili, or a whack of hot English mustard?).  Basically tinker about with the sauce until you get a consistency, and flavour, that you like.

So, there you have it, what to eat when you've got a cracking Shiraz to drink.  And if you haven't got one on hand, drop by our website and order some!

Happy drinking!

How to make Red Wine Vinegar.

It happens to the best of us... a bottle of red is opened and a glass or two consumed (possible late in the evening, probably after a few too many other bottles), and the drinkers give up and go to bed.  Sadly this bottle is neglected (possibly due to a hangover and the vehement promise to never drink again!!) and over several days later is has lost that freshness and is no longer wanted.  And let's face it, if it was the last bottle at the end of a big night it was probably not your best (or sadly it may have been your best that you grabbed while under the influence and miserably regret not having first up).  Instead of tipping this poor ignored wine down the sink, why not get all frugavore on yourself and make RED WINE VINEGAR!?

I've made Red Wine Vinegar before and seriously it was delicious.  There is not much better than making a dressing, or a meat sauce, with a vinegar that you've lovingly tended to... plus it really does mean that those last few dregs, or forgotten half bottles of wine, don't go to waste. Also, if you're looking to make Christmas gifts for all those distant relatives, colleagues, or random people who all come out of the wood work during the silly season, this vinegar, poured into a nice bottle with your own label is a primo present!

So, to make your own vinegar you have a couple of options...

Option 1.

With this option you've got to get yourself a vinegar 'starter' mother.  Yes, MOTHER.  Making vinegar isn't that far off making kombucha, so you'll fit right in with the Hipsters.  You can get a 'mother' from a brew, or wine making, shop.  I live in the inner north in Melbourne - Italian heartland - so there are a few shops around with all the right gear.  A simple google search of your neighbourhood will point you in the right direction.  Once you got your slimy mother, simply follow the instructions that it comes with.

Instead of adding a purchased mother, you could add 3 tablespoons of 'live' vinegar (Bragg's, or if someone you know makes vinegar, some of their batch, for example) per cup of wine, and follow the steps in option two. 

The mother from a batch of Red Wine Vinegar.

Option 2.

GROW YOUR OWN MOTHER and let the wine do its thang.  I was taught how to do this by a Spanish friend of mine (he really wasn't a big drinker so there was always a glass or two left in the bottom of his bottles), so I like to think it's more 'authentic' and European...

First you have to find a jar, or jug, or a cooking pot, with a wide mouth (the wider the better).  Pour your wine in until the container is about two-thirds full.  Don't be tempted to over fill as you will make spills later in the process.  If you have a good low alcohol wine it's good as is, if you have a higher alcohol wine, mix in a bit of water to dilute it.  The high alcohol content can cause essential bacteria to curl up and die, or at least not grow so well.  I highly recommend you use a no added preservative wine in this process, as sulphites can (rightly so) overly 'preserve' the wine, and inhibit the conversion of alcohol to acetic acid.  

Cover the container with a breathable muslin cloth and secure with a rubber band or string.  Nothing worse than spending weeks waiting for awesome vinegar to find that it's full of dog hair, or dust.  

Place your container in a warm place, out of direct sunlight.  

Shake or stir your vinegar (carefully so as not to slop!) a few times a week.  

Over this time you will become the proud creator of a 'mother'.  It is a slimy, blobby thing that sits on top of the wine, eventually sinking to the bottom and allowing a new mother to take its place. 

In anywhere between 2 weeks to 2 months, you will have a lovely lot of vinegar (or something not quite vinegar which means tip it out and head back to the drawing board).

Once your brew tastes more like vinegar and less like wine (start tasting at the 2 week mark) you should pour it into bottles or jars that seal (swing top beer bottles, or old wine bottles are great).  Prolonged exposure to the air can spoil your vinegar.

You can pour off your vinegar, and can keep adding fresh wine to the remainder of the brew (mother included).  The newly added wine will be 'vinegarised' much more quickly than your first batch.

Now, if you find yourselves in the position where you don't ever have left over wine (I won't judge you), you might like to grab a bottle of our affordable preservative free cleanskin red as a starter.  You could even, once you got this down pat, try a white wine vinegar, or add herbs and the like for extra flavour. 

No more wasted wine!  Get mixing now to have vinegar in time for Christmas.  

I'd like to say 'Happy drinking', but think that this might not be the best sign off today.  So, Ciao!

New at Organic Wine: Tamburlaine Wines.

We've been on the lookout for some time now for a new Sparkling Wine to add to our arsenal. The Temple Bruer Pure White is a delicious and affordable favourite, but unfortunately stocks have been exhausted and we've been waiting for the next vintage which will be ARRIVING IN LATE OCTOBER.




In the absence of one of our best sellers we've been looking around to be able to provide our customers with something fizzy and delicious.  It's been a hard slog, a lot of tasting (and believe me this isn't always a good thing) but we think we've come up with something that will put a smile on your dial.  Tambulaine are now stocking us with not one but TWO sparkling wines.

Drum roll please!  You've been asking for a preservative free sparkling for years, and finally we've found a wine that fits the bill.  Please, put your hands together and welcome the Tamburlaine Au Natural Premium Cuvee!  It's a preservative free bubbly with all kinds of goodness happening.  It's great to have a preservative free sparkling on offer - don't say we never listen to you.  This one is made from early harvest, cool climate Chardonnay grapes.  The first thing that we noted were apples, apples, apples.  Yep, apples and crisp melon flavours.  Extended lees contact, some secondary fermentation and blending create a delicious rich creaminess.  It's only 13% alcohol, which means you can sneak in that extra half glass before you get a bit silly (but not if you're driving of course!).  At absolutely no stage in the production does sulphur come anywhere near this wine, so if you've got allergies, or like to have a clear head the morning after, these might just be the bubbles for you.


The other sparkling, is the Tamburlaine High and Dry Organic Cuvee.  The chardonnay grapes used to make this wine are grown in the cool climate Orange Wine Region.  The grapes were picked early to capture the light fruit, crisp acidity, elegance and freshness. The wine is alive with aromas of green apples, honeydew melon and vanilla.  To taste, there are green apples, nectarine and pineapple flavours, with a delicate creaminess.

Both of these sparkling wines are affordable (both starting at a measly $16.50), and infinitely tasty.  They make a great party wine, or accompaniment to an Asian feast.  These beauties are up on the website and ready for you to order right now.  They are perfect for any Spring time fizzy kind of event.

Why not include a few in your next order with us?

Happy drinking!