Category Archives: Recipe

Pasta Sauce Recipe

I made my very first lasagna completely from scratch a couple of weeks ago! What was one the main ingredients in the sauce, you ask?? WINE, WINE, and WINE. Not only did it provide a great flavour, it gave the sauce a lot more depth and colour as well. Take a look-see:

  • Drizzle of olive oil
  • 4 celery sticks, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped 
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic gloves, grated finely 
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 1200g ground turkey breast
  • 2/3 a bottle of red wine (I used a Copper Moon Moonlight Harvest Shiraz)
  • a cup of chicken stock
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Chili flakes to taste

First, I cooked the celery, onion and carrots together in the oil for a while and then added the garlic and rosemary. Once they were all nice and warm and cozy, I added the turkey and cooked until almost all the pink was gone. Add the wine (Whatever you decide to do with the remaining 1/3 bottle is up to you ;) ) and cook until it reduces down, almost an hour. Lastly, add the tomatoes, stock and spices and cook for about two hours.

This is a nice, slow cooked sauce that is very forgiving and deliciously tasty. Give it a try and incorporate it into your lasagna or serve it alone on a bed of pasta with a nice bottle of red!

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Curry and Wine

A couple of weeks ago, Tomi and I were invited to go for dinner at my friend Holly’s house. Her and her boyfriend, Ali, were gonna have us over for homemade Indian food. Mmm! Every time we get together is because of a love of food. Like, a serious love of food. Holly and I work together and we’ve definitely spent a good solid couple of hours talking  just about restaurants. So, it was a nice change when we were invited over to their place for some home cooking! They did not disappoint. Holly made us Vij’s Family Chicken Curry and paired it with a really good Sauvignon Blanc. The curry was incredible, as was the wine. 

Name: Oyster Bay Marlborough

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Vintage: 2010

Producer: Oyster Bay

Country/Region: Marlborough, New Zealand

Where Sampled: Holly and Ali’s Apartment

Date: March 3, 2012

Price: $19.99/bottle

Notes:

  • Crisp wine with a clean, refreshing taste
  • Sweet and fruity
  • Hints of pineapple, citrus, grapes (lol. duh! But I really did taste grapes)
  • Not very complex, a very pleasing wine
  • Pairs very well with the strong flavours of Indian food
This wine was a really good choice for the Indian food. It didn’t over power the complexity of the dish, it only heightened the flavours. I was really impressed with this wine and will definitely be picking up a bottle to enjoy again soon.
And back to the curry! This was honestly the best curry that I’ve ever had – even better than a restaurant. I still haven’t tried Vij’s restaurant, but if his food is this good when I cook it (I made the dish last week), I can only imagine how good his dishes will be when prepared by him. I will definitely be going soon. 
Ali also found a great link for pairing wine with Indian food. There’s a lot to take into consideration when you’re dealing with such fragrant spices and this article definitely brings this to light. I would’ve assumed that a light, white wine would always be best, but, of course, I was proved wrong. Reds work really well too and I will definitely be pairing this dish with a red next time. 
P.S. Let me tell you…I have been sick lately. First, I got the stomach flu and then I thought I was fine, but, of course, I got a horrible cold. All in all it’s been about two weeks of hell, but I am finally feeling better and I’m happy to be back and blogging :)


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