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Peninsula Ridge Merlot Hot
Category: Red Tasting Notes
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Trapiche Iscay Merlot/Malbec Hot
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Trapiche Broquel Chardonnay Hot
Category: White Tasting Notes
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Tidings Cooking Challenge - Pastuccia (Polenta with Salami and Raisins) Print

Written by Rosemary Mantini | 20 August 2009
Posted in Cooking Challenge

Welcome to the Tidings Cooking Challenge! Every month we'll offer a recipe for you to try. You can follow the recipe exactly or vary it however you would like. Then, post a comment below — a short descriptive paragraph (up to 150 words).

Pastuccia (pronounced: pastoocha) is a polenta dish filled with raisins, pancetta and sopressata, which is a type of salami made from pork shoulder, red wine, garlic and black pepper, and pressed into an oblong shape while it ages and cures. Usually served as a first course, it can make a really nice hot or cold side dish accompanying grilled meats and vegetables. I first tried it at my cousin’s home in Italy. The dish and my cousin are native to Teramo, a city in the region of Abruzzo.

Cooking a batch of polenta requires about 20 minutes of your time and a strong arm for stirring. This version is decidedly easier with no-fail results. I adapted this pastuccia recipe from Salumi by John Piccetti, François Vecchio and Joyce Goldstein (Chronicle Books). Check out the slice I posted on the Forum.
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Tidings Cooking Challenge - Mango Sorbet in a Citrus Bowl Print

Written by Rosemary Mantini | 23 July 2009
Posted in Cooking Challenge

Welcome to Tidings' Cooking Challenge! Every month we'll offer a recipe for you to try. You can follow the recipe exactly or vary it however you would like. Then, post a comment below — a short descriptive paragraph (up to 150 words).

This is the perfect dessert for a hot summer day. Cool, refreshing and slightly sweet, you have the option of using your favourite store-bought sorbet or making your own. The citrus bowls take almost no time to prepare. All you need is a sharp knife or a mandolin to make paper-thin slices. The recipe actually allows for enough extra citrus for you to pick out the prettiest slices and save the rest for another use.

I decided to save myself the effort and, instead, cut thicker slices. I liked the idea of having a slightly more substantial slice of fruit to bite into. One word of caution: the mango sorbet recipe calls for up to 1 cup of sugar syrup to be added to the mango purée, you should make sure you add it to taste. The mangoes I used were very ripe and needed only about 4 teaspoons of sugar syrup. Both the citrus bowls and the mango sorbet can be made up to 1 week ahead. Just be sure to cover them well with plastic wrap.

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Tidings Cooking Challenge - Strawberry-Cabernet Pie Print

Written by Rosemary Mantini | 25 June 2009
Posted in Cooking Challenge

Welcome to Tidings' Cooking Challenge! Every month we'll offer a recipe for you to try. You can follow the recipe exactly or vary it however you would like. Then, post a comment below — a short descriptive paragraph (up to 150 words).

On a recent trip through the Niagara region, I stopped in at About Thyme Bistro in Vineland and had a thin crust pizza made with Cabernet flour. Tidings’ July-August 2009 issue features sausage-maker, Angelo Bean who uses Cabernet flour in his sausage mixture. So, when I came across a bag of the flour at The Upper Canada Cheese Company in Jordan Station I had to snap it up.

Cabernet flour is made by a company in Ontario called Vinifera For Life. Owner and founder, Certified Chef de Cuisine Mark Walpole, also produces Chardonnay, Icewine and Late Harvest flour. Grape flour is made by grinding dried grape skins into a fine powder and is extremely high in fiber and antioxidants. The Cabernet flour I used in this recipe has nuances of fruit flavours and a tart finish. It produces a pastry with a deep burgundy colour.

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Tidings Cooking Challenge - Quick Curry Shrimp Print

Written by Rosemary Mantini | 21 May 2009
Posted in Cooking Challenge

Welcome to Tidings' Cooking Challenge! Every month we'll offer a recipe for you to try. You can follow the recipe exactly or vary it however you would like. Then, post a comment below — a short descriptive paragraph (up to 150 words).

This month, I thought I'd continue our theme from Flavours of the Caribbean, and make a Trinidadian curry dish. Tamara Sanowar Makhan, a Toronto-based artist and filmmaker, shares her mom's famous recipe for curried shrimp. With ten people to feed everyday, Tamara says that her mom had developed a method of producing flavourful and complete meals that would take only minutes to prepare and cook. 

Don't shy away from this recipe because few measurements are given. It's very forgiving. In fact, I had forgotten to check my supply of curry before beginning the prep work, only to find that I had about a teaspoon of it left in the jar. No worries, I just added what I had. The final result was probably not nearly as spicy as Tamara's mom may have preferred it. But, the combination of flavours produced a sweet, complex dish. I served the shrimp with Jasmine rice. Tamara suggests serving a side of roti, paratha, veggie fried rice or sliced tomato and pepper sauce. Oh, there's one more important part to this recipe... When you've finished cooking, you must proclaim: I don't mean to brag, but this is the best curry shrimp I've ever tasted!

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Tidings Cooking Challenge - Chicken Breasts in Cream and Cranberry Sauce Print

Written by Rosemary Mantini | 23 April 2009
Posted in Cooking Challenge

Welcome to Tidings' Cooking Challenge! Every month we'll offer a recipe for you to try. You can follow the recipe exactly or vary it however you would like. Then, post a comment below — a short descriptive paragraph (up to 150 words).

This month's challenge was provided by Lenka, a friend of mine who is an expert in Czech cuisine which, she says, is characterized by cream sauces, a little bit of spice and a whole lot of flavour. This recipe is very elegant, but can be put together in about 45 minutes on a weeknight.

I'm not a huge proponent of cream sauces, so I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this dish. Since the recipe wouldn't have been the same without it, I lightened it by using partly skimmed milk instead of the table cream listed in the ingredients. The light sauce and the slight bite from the horseradish gives the chicken tons of flavour. This recipe is a great company dish, but it also has an air of comfort food about it, too. Given that this is April, fresh cranberries were nowhere to be found, so I opted for frozen. As it turned out, they released a lot less water than I had anticipated and resulted in a very nice sauce. Try this dish with an unoaked Chardonnay.

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