November Wine Club - Kangarilla Road Cabernet Sauvignon

I told you about The Fabulous Ladies Wine Society last month when I wrote about their online wine club I was taking part in. One of the wines for November is the 2011 Kangarilla Road Cabernet Sauvignon.  To match this beautiful wine, I decided to make a delicious meal to go with it. Roasted eye fillet with a beetroot and vincotto salad was on the menu!

Kangarilla Road is a McLaren Vale winery established in 1997. Located less than an hour out of Adelaide, in South Australia, their cellar door is easy to pop in to. They use biodynamic and organic winemaking styles, using grapes from their 30 acre property in the rolling hills of the McLaren Ranges. Having a Meditteranean climate they tend to make full flavoured red wines with a couple of whites and a rose too.

I was lucky enough to visit Kangarilla Road a couple of years ago and managed to try one or two (or three or four...) of their wines. I loved the Zinfandel and Sangiovese. If you ever happen to be in the area, they are definitely worth a visit.

The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon was a delight. Being quite a young wine, I expected it to be a bit rough around the edges and heavy with tannin, but it was exactly the opposite. It was very smooth with dark plum and berry flavours and a touch of vanilla from the French oak barrels. It also had quite an earthy taste to it, which perfectly matched the earthiness and sweetness of the beetroot. The crunchy, roasted macadamias had a great texture and also brought out the vanilla and spice. Matched with the roasted eye fillet as well as the salad, the wine was given much more depth of flavour.

While this wine was perfect with the steak and salad, it would also have been wonderful to drink on it's own or with a cheese platter with some dried fruit and nuts. Maybe next time we'll just have a bottle on a Sunday afternoon with some nibbles!

Beetroot And Vincotto Salad 

 

2 large beetroots, stalks trimmed
1/4 cup macadamia nuts, halved
A large handful of rocket leaves, chopped into large pieces
80g Danish feta, cut into small pieces
1 Tbs vincotto
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Peel beetroots and cut into large pieces.
Place on a baking tray, spray with oil spray and toss to coat.
Roast for approx 30 mins or until cooked. This time will depend on how big your pieces are.
Remove the beetroot from the oven and cool to room temperature.
While the beetroots are roasting, place macadamias on a small baking tray and roast for about 5 minutes or until starting to brown. Keep an eye on them as they burn very quickly.
Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.
When ready to serve, toss beetroot, rocket, nuts and feta with combined extra virgin olive oil and vincotto. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Roasted Eye Fillet

 

500g eye fillet, all in one piece
Salt and pepper to season
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Trim any sinew from the beef so that you have a nice even cut of meat.
Season all over with salt and pepper.
Heat a good drizzle of oil in a frying pan on high heat.
Sear the beef on all side for a minute or so, until browned evenly.
Transfer the beef to a baking tray and roast for 15 mins, or until cooked to your liking. 15 mins will give you medium rare, which is how we like it.
Allow the meat to rest in a warm place, covered with foil, for 10 minutes before you carve it, otherwise you'll loose all the wonderful juices.
Carve meat into two large pieces and serve with the salad and mustard or chutney of your choice.

Using My Fresh Vegetables

Last week I wrote about the great delivery of fruit and vegetables that I received from Kelly Bros. This week I thought I'd share with you a couple of the meals that I've made using this beautiful fresh produce.

The first thing I made was a simple, but very tasty, san choy bau using the iceberg lettuce and spring onions. A perfect Friday night dinner when all you want after work is something that you can whip up in no time. I very rarely buy iceberg lettuce, favouring mixed leaves or baby cos, even though I do love that crispy crunch you get from freshly washed leaves. Whenever I do have iceberg lettuce, it really makes me think of wrapping up a flavoursome mince filling and enjoying a light summer meal. My version of san choy bau really was easy and I cooked it up in the time it took my husband to read the kids their bed time stories and put them to sleep!

When you cook up the filling, make sure you evaporate as much of the sauces as possible. You don't want too much liquid or it will leak out all over the place when you're eating! It's still best to have a napkin on hand to catch all those juices. Alter the flavours to suit your taste, add some chilli if you like. It may not be authentic, but damn it tastes good.

San Choy Bau

500g pork mince

3 mushrooms, diced

4 spring onions, washed, trimmed and cut into thin rounds

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

1 stalk of lemongrass, sliced into rounds, white part only

1 1/2 Tbs hoisin sauce

A few drops of sesame oil

1/2 tsp fish sauce

1/2 tsp oyster sauce

A handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped

Iceberg lettuce leaves, torn into cups

Heat a wok on moderate heat and stir fry the mince, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and mushrooms until cooked and the meat and mushrooms release their juices.

Stir in the hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and fish sauce and reduce the juices until the mixture is reasonably dry.

Stir through the few drops of sesame oil, or to taste.

At the last minute, stir through the mint and spring onions, keeping them fresh.

Serve the mince mixture in lettuce cups. 

Over summer, when we have lots of tomatoes and parsley in the garden, I love to make big bowls of tabouli. I love this as a meal in itself, served with some fresh Turkish bread and a dollop of natural yoghurt. It's also great as a salad to take to BBQ's or to just have with grilled chicken or fish. We had ours with some simple grilled chicken and a yoghurt, mint and sumac sauce.

As an alternative to the regular style of tabouli, which uses cracked wheat or burghul, I decided to use Quinoa. It's an equally easy grain to use and bulks out the salad much the same way as burghul. Great for those looking to cut out or reduce the wheat products in their diet. Also, being lazy, I had quinoa in the cupboard and couldn't be bothered heading out to the shops again to buy some burghul!

Tabouli really does need the freshest vegetables and herbs to make it shine. Make sure your tomatoes are red and full of flavour and the herbs are freshly picked and fragrant. I also added a radish to mine, as I had a bunch from my delivery and thought I'd make it slightly different. Add the lemon juice to your taste and make sure you season well to bring out the flavours of the vegetables.

Quinoa Tabouli

1 cup quinoa

2 vine ripenend tomatoes, diced

1 lebanese cucumber, seeds removed and diced

3 spring onions, washed, trimmed and sliced into thin rounds

1 French radish, finely chopped

A bunch of parsley, chopped

A large handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sumac

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook quinoa in a saucepan of boiling water until tender, approx 10 minutes. Rinse, drain and allow to cool until room temperature.

Combine tomato, cucumber, spring onion, radish, parsley, mint and quinoa in a bowl. Stir gently to combine.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the sumac.

Pour over the lemon juice and oil to make a dressing. You want enough to make the salad moist, but not too wet.

Kelly Bros Fresh Produce

I love to cook with fresh produce and nothing beats picking some herbs or vegies out of the garden to use for lunch or dinner. Obviously you can't grow everything and that's where having a good relationship with your local fruit shop is so important. They will know where the food you are eating comes from and ensure that it is fresh. The problem with buying fruit and veg from the supermarket is that some of it can be up to a year old and kept in cold storage. Not really what you want, when so much of the nutritional quality is lost.

There are times, however when you might be super busy with work and other events and getting to the shops can be a bit difficult. Fresh food delivery services are just what you need when life gets hectic, to make sure that you still have plenty of fresh, healthy food to add to your pantry staples.

I was lucky enough to try the Kelly Bros fruit and veg delivery this morning. We were given a $28 box for two people, and what value for money and beautiful produce we received! Certainly more than enough for two. The other options are the medium box for three people at $38 or the large box for four people at $45.

Our box was waiting out the front this morning at 7am and I couldn't wait to open it up and see what we got. The stunning array of fruit and veg included bananas, nectarines, apples, potatoes, kale, radishes, baby carrots, zucchini, parsley, spring onion, iceberg lettuce, truss tomatoes and salad onions.

Everything was in great condition and super fresh. Now the only thing to decide is what to cook with it all!

Tonight we had some of the zucchini, chargrilled in a salad with rocket from the garden and parmesan cheese. Tomorrow night I'm thinking of making san choy bau, and using crisy iceberg lettuce cups to wrap up the tasty pork and spring onion filling. I think a tabouli might be on the menu in the next few days too.

Any other suggestions for my vegies would be much appreciated.   I'm going to have to do some research on the radishes, because I've never really been much of a fan. Maybe I'll be converted!

Kelly Bros - Farm to You are a family business who have been farming fresh produce for 150 years. They have access to 2000 acres of market gardens in Yarrawonga on the Murray and near Cranbourne, on the outskirts of Melbourne. All produce is picked, packed and delivered within 36 hours, so you know that what you receive is of the highest quality. Being seasonal, you will only receive what's currently growing and not something that has been imported from elsewhere.

Delivery occurs on Monday and Thursday and usually happens between 2am and 7am, so when you wake up and step outside on your delivery day, a box of goodness and sunshine will be waiting. You don't need to worry about produce sitting in the sun all day and becoming ruined. You can also choose to have deliveries weekly, fortnightly or just as a once off, so no need to worry about getting roped into something you don't really want.

I would definitely use this service again, particularly when I'm busy and just don't have the time or energy to trek to the shops with the kids in tow. Such beautiful produce and great service, it really is a wonderful option.


This blog post was not sponsored in any way by Kelly Bros, but is of my own opinion.

Stuffed Mushrooms a Winner!

There has been some serious eating and drinking going on in the eat quaff laugh household recently and it doesn't look like settling down any time soon!  A charity dinner tomorrow night, a dinner party on Saturday, plus another one next week, it's going to be a busy lead up to Christmas.

After a weekend away to celebrate my nephews first birthday, catching up with family and friends who I haven't seen in a while, eating and drinking lots of fancy meals, it's time for something a bit healthier.

After being exhausted following the busy weekend and flying solo with the kids, I knew that something simple was going to be needed for dinner. I had a few bits and pieces left over in the fridge, but after a quick dash to the shops, decided a vego meal was in order.

Stuffed mushrooms are such an easy meal, whether it be for lunch or dinner, and you can more or less fill them with anything you like. It's a great way to use up those little bits and pieces that are in the fridge or cupboard as you want the flavours to all meld together to create something yummy.

I picked up a couple of big swiss brown mushrooms and some sweet corn that was on special from the fruit and veg shop to create the base for this meal. With some stale bread, a piece of feta, tomatoes and fresh herbs, I quickly whipped up something delicious. Even though this was a last minute meal, it will become a regular in our house, especially when we need a night off from heavy, rich food.

To go with the mushies, I wanted a nice fresh salad, and that's where the corn came into it. I love the combination of corn and feta and have made this salad many times before. What made tonight's version a little bit more special was the dressing. Given to me by my Mother in Law after a trip to Tasmania, this Ashbolt dressing was divine.  Made with extra virgin olive oil, elderflower concentrate, vinegar and mustard, it was a little bit different to your standard dressing. With a bit of sweetness and a bit of acidity, it was the perfect match to the sweet corn. Definitely one worth looking out for, as it was beautiful!

Stuffed Mushrooms

2 large swiss brown or portabello mushrooms
1 slice of slightly stale bread, cut into small cubes
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, diced
A handful of baby spinach leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil


Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Prepare the mushrooms by cutting away the stalk at the base to make a nice cup for holding the filling.
Place mushrooms on a lightly greased oven tray and drizzle with a little oil.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until beginning to soften and release their juices.
While the mushies are cooking, prepare the filling.

Finely chop the mushroom stalks and combine in a bowl with the chopped bread, tomatoes, garlic, spinach and a drizzle of oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Take the mushrooms out of the oven and carefully pile the filling into them. Return to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft and the bread cubes are crusty.
Serve with the corn and feta salad.

Corn And Feta Salad

4 cobs of corn, husk and silks removed
100g feta, cut into cubes
A handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
Ashbolt salad dressing, or dressing of your choice

Wash corn cobs to remove any grit and remaining silks, then boil in a saucepan of salted water for about 4 minutes, or until the kernels are plumped and soft.
Drain and allow to cool.
When cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off the cobs using a sharp knife.
Place the kernals in a bowl with the chopped feta and parsley, and combine.
Dress the salad with your favourite dressing and serve.

A Quick and Tasty Dinner

At this time of year, when things start to get really busy, it's nice to have a fall-back dinner option which is quick, tasty and healthy. If you're out for drinks, dinner or lunche a couple of times a week, all you need is something easy and tasty to satisfy you.

A while back I wrote about the amazing Lemongrass Paste made by Under The Pickle Tree, which we picked up at the Coburg Farmer's Market. Well, tonight I'm using the same paste, but making a different dish. Tonight we're having fish, rather than chicken.

When cooking with fish in a stir fry or curry, you really need to use a firm fleshed white fish that has a mild flavour. You don't want the flesh falling apart as you cook it and you want a mild taste so that the fishiness doesn't overpower the other flavours in your dish. The snapper that I picked up at the local fish shop today was perfect. Dense and meaty with a sweet, but mild taste, it was perfect to suck up all the flavours in the paste.

With a staple paste like this lemongrass one in the fridge or the cupboard, you should never have nothing to cook. All you need is some meat, fish or prawns, mixed vegies and either noodles or rice and you have a simple midweek dinner. Nothing could be easier!

Lemongrass Fish with Noodles

400g firm fleshed white fish
1 packet of fresh noodles (approx 200g)
1 onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 red capsicum, cut into thin slices
1 bunch of asparagus, woody ends snapped off and cut into 3cm lengths
1 1/2 Tbs Under The Pickle Tree Lemongrass Paste
A drizzle of oil
Fresh coriander leaves to serve

Prepare the fish by removing any skin and bones and then cutting in to bite size chunks.
Prepare all the vegies and have them ready to go.
Soak noodles in warm water for five minutes to soften, then drain well.
Heat a wok on medium high heat and add oil.
Add the fish and lemongrass paste and cook together until the fish is beginning to become opaque, but not completely cooked. Remove from the wok to a bowl and set aside.
Heat another drizzle of oil, then cook the onion and carrot together until starting to soften. Add a dash of water and cover with the lid to let it steam for a few minutes.
Add the capsicum and asparagus and cook until all the vegetables are cooked to your liking. You want a bit of crunch, so don't overdo them.
Throw the noodles in and stir them around until they soften a bit more.
Add the other 1/2 Tbs of lemongrass paste to give the noodles and veg more flavour.
When that's all mixed in, return the fish and it paste and juices to the pan and gently heat through to finish cooking the fish.

Serve in bowls with a sprinkling of fresh coriander over the top.

Simply divine!

Just Stuff It!!

We've had a few big and fancy dinners over the last couple of weeks and have probably drunk too much over the Spring Racing Carnival, so it's time to settle down and have something simple and slightly healthier.

Just because something is simple and healthy, doesn't mean that it has to taste bland and boring! We try to do a vego meal at least once a week, so I thought that tonight would be perfect for that. After a great lamb Rogan Josh and roast pork with crispy crackling on the weekend, something lighter was definitely in order! Thanks to my beautiful husband for his weekend cooking adventures when I was at a course for the two days.

I have made stuffed capsicums in the past and shared one of my recipes with you a while ago. On that occasion, I stuffed them with a mixture of goat mince, onion, garlic and herbs. This time, to make a vegetarian version, I've stuffed them with chickpeas, feta, onion, garlic, spinach and fresh oregano.  The filling has enough substance to make them hearty, without being too dense. When roasted, the capsicums give off their beautiful sweetness and the juices mix in with the filling.

Top it all with a blob of Greek yoghurt, a sprinkling of sumac and a light salad, and you have the perfect dinner. I decided to go with rocket, roasted tomato and toasted pinenut. Other roasted vegies that you cook at the same time would be perfect too. You could also make this as a weekend lunch when you don't want anything too difficult or heavy. 

I chose medium sized red capsicums, but depending on how hungry you are, you could choose larger ones. If you wanted, you could even use the little baby ones in red, yellow or green to make pretty appetisers for a party. With Christmas coming up, the colour scheme would be perfect for a festive get together!

Depending on the size of your capsicums, you'll probably have some of the filling left over. Heat it up in a pan or the microwave and serve it with a dollop of yoghurt and some fresh crusty bread for lunch.

Vegetarian Stuffed Roasted Capsicums

2 medium red capsicums
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
A handful of fresh oregano, chopped
A handful of fresh spinach, chopped
400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp sumac, plus extra for sprinkling
100g feta, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil spray
Greek yoghurt and salad to serve

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
To prepare the capsicum, cut the tops off them so you have a base with a lid. Remove the membrane and seeds from the inside.

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan and gently cook the onion until starting to soften.
Add the garlic for another minute until it becomes fragrant.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the chickpeas, oregano, spinach, feta, sumac and salt and pepper to taste. Remember that the feta is salty, so you might not need much salt.
Fill the capsicums with the chickpea mixture until it reaches the top. Pack it in so it's quite firmly filled as it will shrink down during cooking.
Place the capsicums and lids on a baking tray and spray with the oil spray.
Bake for about 30 mins, or until the capsicums are softened and slightly charred. You might need to take the lids out of the oven before the bases to stop them burning.

To serve, place a capsicum on a plate, dollop Greek yoghurt on the top, sprinkle with sumac and replace the lid.
Serve with a simple salad.

So Much Spinach!

We have so much spinach in the garden at the moment that it's getting ridiculous! Over winter there wasn't much growing, but spinach and rainbow chard were the two things we definitely didn't have a shortage of. I've made pies, spinach daal, lamb saag, salads and a variety of vegetable dishes, but still it keeps growing. I've given away bags and bags of the stuff to friends, family and local cafes and restaurants, but we have more and more and more!

What to do with it all??

When we were kids, Mum used to make cheese and spinach pie all the time. It was probably the Aussie version of spanakopita, that amazing Greek pastry. We would gobble it down and there were hardly ever any leftovers.

I have modified Mum's recipe a bit - taken away the filo pastry, added extra herbs and more cheese. It's probably less pie now and more frittata. Whatever you want to call it, it tastes delicious as a light dinner with a salad and can also be served cold to take to a picnic. For nibbles at a party, try cutting it into small squares and putting a dollop of a tomato chutney on top. Your guests will love it!

Cheese And Spinach Slice

A bunch of fresh spinach or other greens

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

500g cottage cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, plus extra for the top

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1/2 cup mint, chopped

6 eggs

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Wash spinach well to remove any dirt and shake dry. Finely chop and place in a microwave safe container with a lid.

Microwave for 2 minutes so that it starts to wilt. Drain well in a colander, pressing to remove extra water. Allow to cool.

Combine all other ingredients in a bowl, mixing well.

Stir through spinach when cool so it doesn't start cooking the egg.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remember that the cheese is salty, so you might not need much.

Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 20x30cm baking dish and smooth the surface.

Sprinkle the top with extra grated cheese to cover.

Bake for approx 45 minutes, or until the filling is set and the cheese on top is golden and bubbling.

Serve with a simple salad or some vegies.

A Fabulous Dinner

I've recently started following a website called The Fabulous Ladies' Wine Society. They are a wonderful group of women trying to get more females interested in drinking and learning about wine in a fun way. They hold events, give tasting notes on wines and support females in the Australian wine industry. As part of their website, they also have an online wine club. No forced buying of wines each month at all! This fabulous wine club lists two wines per month for you to try and then rate using their tasting cards. The wines are easily available at regular bottle shops and are not expensive.

This month they have a red and a white and tonight I've made a fancy meal to match with the white. It's a Taltarni Fume Blanc, which is actually the Sauvignon Blanc grape variety, but made in a very different style to the New Zealand type. I'm not such a fan of NZ Sauv Blanc, so am really looking forward to trying this one.

After lots of research in to the flavour of the wine, I've decided on a warm beetroot salad with feta and pan-fried scallops. I'm hoping that this will match perfectly.

Beetroot is another of my favourite vegetables and we tend to eat it quite a bit, especially once the plants in the garden have grown and we have beets on hand. They have such a rich, earthy sweetness, which I love. I grew up with tinned sliced beetroot, which I did love with cheese in a sandwich, but fresh is a world apart!

When you are preparing the beetroot, be aware that the colour will stain your hands and your clothes, so it's best to wear an apron and disposable gloves.

Feta brings a nice tartness and creaminess to the salad and the scallops some sweetness too. As is my preference, go for the creamy Danish feta, rather than the Greek style. I tend to find this much too dry and salty.

If you've never cooked scallops before, don't stress too much. The orange roe on the outside can be eaten, but it's a matter of personal preference. I don't like the taste or texture, but others do. It's up to you whether you want to keep it on, or cut it off. I prefer to cut it off, for a sweeter and cleaner taste.

This would also be the perfect party dish. Served in Asian soup spoons, a dollop of beetroot and feta with a scallop on top would be a great appetiser.

And To Drink...

 

The 2010 Taltarni Fume Blanc was like no Sauvignon Blanc I have ever tried before. Being a couple of years old, it may not have been as fresh as it could have been, but it was still amazing. Full of passionfruit and stone fruits, with some gentle oakiness, it was perfect drinking.

This was definitely my sort of wine. There was still plenty of that fruitiness that you want in a wine, but it wasn't overpowering in any way. The oak also didn't overpower, as sometimes it can.  If you like a lightly oaked Chardonnay, then you'd love this one!

The sweetness of the beetroot and the scallops matched wonderfully with the fruit and acid in the wine, with the creamy feta adding some tartness. The handful of rocket added some extra pepperiness.

Thanks to The Fabulous Ladies, I've found another wine that I'll be drinking again and again. Next time I might look for a current vintage to compare with.

Warm Beetroot and Feta Salad with Pan-fried Scallops

2 medium beetroot
1 Tbs butter
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbs water
100g Danish feta, chopped
20 scallops, cleaned and roe removed
Salt and pepper to taste
A drizzle of olive oil
Rocket or parsley to serve

Chop the leafy tops off the beetroot and then peel the main section of the vegetable.
Cut them into halves or quarters so you have manageable pieces.
Coursly grate the beetroot and set aside.
In a saucepan, melt the butter, then add the beetroot, vinegar and water. Pop the lid on and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occassionally.
Take the lid off and cook for another couple of minutes to boil off any remaining liquid. You want the beetroot to be tender, but not swimming in juices.
Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Just before serving, stir through the chopped feta.

To cook the scallops, heat a pan with a drizzle of olive oil until hot.
Season the scallops with salt and pepper and then fry for about 40 seconds on each side, or until browned on the outside, but on the slightly raw side inside. How long you need to cook them will depend on how thick the scallops are.

To serve, place a good spoonful of the beetroot salad on the plate and then dot the scallops around it.
Scatter a couple of sprigs of parsley or a handful of rocket over the top and give it a grinding of cracked black pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Enjoy!