Beyond the High Table

A Bear After My Own Heart

2004-10-06T22:49:00.000+01:00

Blackberry-pie-gobbling bear crashes dinner party

Now, if only my own blackberry pies would inspire that kind of fanatic one-track-mindedness...

Tomato Rice

2004-09-25T14:40:00.000+01:00

Hi all,

This recipe involves a walk to the nearest south asian grocery store. I tried this at home and it tastes great, with no claims to high pedigree. Enjoy!

Amit
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(Serves 4)
Basmati Rice (1/2) Kg
Tomato ( 4 big red ones)
Red chilli powder (1 tsp)
Green chillies (4 or 6 whole ones)
Garlic Paste (1tsp)
Ginger Paste (1tsp)
Clarified Butter (1/2 cup)
Cardamom (4)
Cloves (4)
Salt to taste
Onion ( 2 small one) golden brown slices.
3 tblspns of chopped coriander.

Method

Soak rice in water one hour before you begin to cook. Drain the water. Heat clartified butter in a pot. Add 3 big cardamoms and 4 cloves till they turn golden brown. Add whole green chillis , garlic, red chilli powder, ginger paste and stir for 5 minutes. Add tomato slices. Stir till it becomes a thick paste. Add rice, salt, and 4 cups of water. Allow it to cook. Cover the pot for pressure till the water is completely absorbed . When the rice is tender, and you see funnel shaped holes on the surface, add golden brown onion rings and green leaves of corriander on rice and serve. Touche!

Wine review: Gonzalez Byass "Nutty Oloroso" Sherry

2004-09-24T04:21:00.000+01:00

After dinner today I was hit by a very powerful craving for fortified wine. So powerful that I accompanied my parents on their evening walk to go to the local liquor store and pick up a bottle. At first I thought I had wanted port, but I changed my mind when I saw an interesting new oloroso that I hadn't tried before from the bodega of Gonzalez Byass -- perhaps the most famous of all the Spanish sherry houses. When most people think of sherry, they think of either the extremely sweet Bristol Cream stuff that your British uncle Francis serves before you have dinner with him on the Queen's birthday, or the bone dry finos that tapas bars sometimes serve with those delicious little green Spanish olives. In between the two, however, are the amontillados and the olorosos, the medium-dry and the medium-sweet respectively. I find that the very dry finos do well as an aperitif or even as an accompaniment with spicy food, but the sweeter amontillados and olorosos are best served as after dinner wines. They're not quite dessert wines, but they are very special and satisfying nonetheless and a nice way to end a meal.

The Gonzalez Byass "Nutty Oloroso" has a distinctive orange-caramel colour (think the colour of scotch) and has a very typical sweeter sherry nose of muscat grapes and toasted walnuts or hazelnuts. On the palette, it has a bit of a citrus zing to it and discernable sweetness --maybe a hit of toffee or caramel. The finish is gloriously long, which is good if you're drinking and blogging at the same time since the alcohol on this guy weighs in at 20%. All you need for a nice evening of epicurean satisfaction, however, is but an ounce of this stuff. Take it in one small sip at a time, and allow the sherry to linger on your palate for some time to appreciate its full complexity before going in for the next sip.

And the best thing about this sherry? The price! I bought this bottle for just $11 Canadian, which is about $9 American or £5. I'd say you can easily get twenty enjoyable drinks out of this bottle, which works out to $0.50 Canadian a drink. That's less than a can of Coke! So it is possible to be economical and epicurean at the same time.

Ole!

epicurious.com

2004-09-23T21:10:00.000+01:00

Since I'm procrastinating at the moment, may I be the first to post a suggestion for everyone to log onto epicurious.com. It is a great website with thousands of recipes and you can create your very own online recipe box.