The following is a post written by Mariana Trulli. It even includes a delicious butter chicken recipe - relaxed dinner with a lovely glass of Australian wine this weekend anyone?
Sophie
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Sophie
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All
Around The World
Pairing the right wine with an international dish is
more art than science, and you don’t have to be an accomplished sommelier to
get it right. With just some basic knowledge of the different types of wines,
your tastebuds will help you make the right choice. You also don’t have to be a
master chef to cook up international culinary delights that will tantalize the
palate. You just need the right recipe. The bottom line is that the right wine
with the right recipe is always a match made in heaven.
A Bite of Italian with
the Right Wine
Gnocchi is a traditional type of Italian pasta that
has been created and enjoyed since Roman times. Not only is it delicious, you
don’t need a lot of ingredients or gadgets to make it. All you need is some
baking potatoes, flour, eggs and a pinch of salt. Bake the potatoes and mash
them. Mix them with the flour, eggs and salt until you have firm dough. Divide
the dough into one inch pieces and boil in water for two to three minutes. When
the gnocchi float to the surface, you’ll know they’re done. Top it off with a
brown butter, sage and parmesan sauce. Just prepare the sauce in a skillet and
pour over the gnocchi.
Since Australian wines like merlot have less tannin and structure than some
other wines, they are well-matched with hearty dishes like potatoes and pastas.
Merlot is soft with black cherry and plum flavours that complement the flavour
of gnocchi. It also goes well with another traditional Italian dish known as
puttanesca. Puttanesca is also easy to whip up in the kitchen. Sauté some
chopped garlic in olive and add some chopped plum tomatoes along with black and
green olives. Boil up some linguine and pour the mix on top of the pasta. Top
with fresh basil, and you’ve got a gastronomic masterpiece.
Warm up with Boeuf
Bourguignon
This traditional French stew is pure comfort food. All
you need is some chuck steak, flour, butter, small button mushrooms, bacon,
spring onions, carrots, red wine and beef stock. Cut the meat into 1-inch
chunks and brown on all sides in a skillet. Mix and sauté all of the other
ingredients and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Garnish with some roughly
chopped parsley and dig in. Red burgundies are ideal for boeuf bourguignon.
They are medium bodied with aromas and flavours of strawberries and raspberries
that make the flavour of this dish pop. Red burgundies offer subtle tannins and
acidity for balance. One of the best Australian wines for boeuf bourguignon is
the Australian red labelled Shiraz. Malbecs also go well with any braised beef.
These wines are full bodied with earthly and woody flavours.
Create the Popular Indian
Koyla Butter Chicken
Take the taste of chicken to a whole new level with
this recipe for koyla butter chicken by celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor. Although
there’s a long list of ingredients, prep time is just 20 minutes and cook time
is just 30 minutes. Here’s a list of the ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 piece of coal
- 2 teaspoons red chilli powder
- 2 teaspoons ginger paste
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- 8 black peppercorns
- 6 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes and onions
- 2 tablespoons of turmeric powder
- 3/4 cup yoghurt
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek
- 10 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons honey
- handful of chopped almonds
- 1 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons cream
Marinate chicken with red chilli powder, lemon juice
and garlic. Grind the cloves, cinnamon sticks, bay leaf and peppercorns into a
fine powder. Add the ground powder to the yoghurt along with the cumin and
turmeric powder. Add this mixture to the chicken.
Place onions, garlic cloves, nuts, honey ginger, red
chilli powder and tomatoes in a pressure cooker. Tie muslin cloth around the
remaining cinnamon sticks, peppercorns and bay leaf. Seal it to make a bundle
known as a potli.
Add the milk and potli and pressure cook for 30
minutes. Let this delicious meal sit for about half an hour and serve with one
of your favourite Australian wines. While you’re enjoying a great international
meal, it’s great to celebrate your heritage with a local wine. A Pignot Grigio
always goes great with chicken. It’s a citrusy wine that is perfect for casual
dining and summer quaffing.
Serving a tasty international meal along with the
right Australian wines is a tradition to be celebrated.
