Chilean Smoked Salmon Ceviche Recipe

A refreshing and appetizing starter.

A ceviché for those who don’t trust the curing of raw fish by citrus juice or for those who cannot obtain beautifully fresh raw fish.

This recipe contains typical Chilean ceviché ingedients like grapefruit juice, chilli and garlic.

Smoked Salmon ceviche ready for serving at our Andean Adventure

For 2 starter portions or 3 to 4 taster portions.

Ingredients and food preparation:

1 garlic Clove – crushed

Half a not too hot red chilli – finely chopped

Half a not too hot green chilli – finely chopped

2 spring onions – finely sliced

Juice of half a lime

Juice of half a grapefruit

Zest of half a grapefruit

Pinch of salt

Pinch of black pepper

6 mint leaves – finely chopped

Twice (in weight) as much coriander leaves – finely chopped

1 glug of olive oil

125g of smoked salmon – cut into 2 inch by 1 inch pieces

30g of mixed baby salad leaves

Method:

Put all of the prepared ingredients except for the salmon, grapefruit zest and baby leaves into a bowl and mix.

Add the salmon to the marinade and stir.  Leave for 30 minutes.

Place the salmon and marinade onto the leaves and add the zest.  Serve immediately.

A good wine pairing for a Sauvignon Blanc or maybe a Riesling or a Chardonnay.  It also works well with the Argentine Torrontes that we served it with at the Andean Adventure.

Photo by Clive Greenfield.

CHICKEN CURRY POPCORN

Chicken Curry Popcorn

Following my recent post on how good popcorn was as a pairing with wine, I have been experimenting with other flavours. For the recent Tongham Taster’s Chablis Uncorked evening, I came up with the idea of Chicken Curry flavoured popcorn and I think it worked well both with the Burgundy Pinot Noir rosé and the Chablis that we served it with. If this combination appeals to you, here is how to make it.

Ingredients for a large bowl of Chicken Curry Popcorn:
Popcorn
Skin from 2 chicken breasts or thighs
Curry Powder.
Black Pepper
Sea Salt.
Butter
Greaseproof paper

Equipment Required:
Thermomix or food processor
2 baking trays
Oven
Microwave or pan and hob
Large bowl and large spoon to toss the popcorn

Step 1 Flavour and crisp up some chicken skin.
Take the skin off of some chicken breasts or thighs and flatten the skin as much as possible. Place the skin on greaseproof paper in a firm baking tray. Season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a good quality curry powder on both sides. You can be quite generous with the seasoning. Place another piece of greaseproof paper on top of the skin and then place another similar sized firm baking tray on top. Then put some weight on the top baking tray so that the chicken skin remains flat. Put the baking trays with the skin in a preheated oven at about 190 degrees centigrade for 35 minutes.

Step 2 Crispy skin in a food processor.
Once you have checked that the chicken is nice and crispy,  let it cool on some kitchen paper to help it dry. If it is still too wet to process, you might want to leave it to dry in the cooling oven. Once dry, whizz it in a Thermomix or good quality food processor until it is powder like.

Step 3 Pop the corn.
Follow the instructions on the packet and pop your corn either in a pan or microwave.

Step 4 Melt some butter and add the chicken powder.
Melt a good amount of butter (say 50g for a big bowl of popcorn) that you will eventually use to coat the popcorn. Add the chicken powder and mix.

Step 5 Season the popcorn
Add the butter and chicken mixture to the popcorn and toss thoroughly so that it is evenly coated. Taste and then adjust the seasoning. You will probably need to add extra curry powder and also sea salt and then toss thoroughly again. Taste and adjust until you are satisfied with the taste.

Step 6 Enjoy with a nice glass of wine in the company of your partner and some friends.
Most rosé and dry white wines will go well with the chicken curry popcorn. This is definitely a better match for wine than crisps or peanuts.

Wine and Popcorn

Want to add some irreverence to your wine tastings or dinner parties whilst still serving something interesting?  Why not try popcorn!   Not the sweet or salty mixes you get at the cinema but more interesting mixes that you can make yourself.  Here is just one suggestion to make a great aperitif snack.

As an aperitif before a Moroccan Tajine or as a food pairing for a German Riesling, why not try Moroccan popcorn.  All you need is some popcorn, olive oil, ras-al-hanout, lemon zest and salt.  Follow the instructions on the packet of popcorn about how to pop it; some are popped in the microwave and some in a pan with a lid.  Then add some melted butter or loive oil and toss.  Once completed add your flavourings to taste.  I added some good quality ras-al-hanout spice blend and grated some lemon zest and then some sea salt onto the popcorn.  Taste and balance the flavours by adding more of some if necessary.  Serve with a nice cold German Riesling such as the Markus Molitor pictured sold by Fromvineyardsdirect that I can highly recommend. It is really surprisingly good.

For other popcorn ideas search the web or, as I did, make up your own idea. Salt, pepper and Parmesan is just one of many other good combinations. 

Shepherd's Pie at Night, Wines a Delight.

Enjoying the wine and food!

Our May date had to be brought forward which meant that unfortunately a couple of our regular tasters couldn’t make it, and Jane decided she was on a diet and so didn’t join in.  However, we still had a good crowd of eight wine enthusiasts around to see what wines would pair well with English food such as shepherd’s pie and cheddar cheese.  Each of our tasters was asked to bring along a wine that would go well with the food I was cooking for the evening – how good were the wines and how well did they pair on our Friday English Supper Night.

As usual, all wines were tasted blind and are presented below in descending order of preference with scores out of twenty, shown in the order – John E, Clive, Andy, Chris, Steve W, Steve S, Sheila and Sarah.  Prices are what our team paid and may be special offers.

1. Gerard Bertrand Minervois Syrah/Carignan 2009, French Red, 14%.  Waitrose £8.69.

Top wine of the evening was picked by Sarah and was the reliable choice of a Gerard Bertrand Languedoc red wine.   It was a pleasant blend of Syrah and Carignan grape varietals and had a dark red colour.  I thought it tasted quite New World but Steve S disagreed and proved correct about its origin.  This wine got three top votes and everyone had it in their top four.  Despite Clive’s view that it had an aroma of bakelite, it paired extremely well with the shepherds pie.  Score were 14, 19, 13, 14.5, 13, 13.75, 12 and 15.  A perfect match for our classic English lamb and mashed potato dish or the French version a Hachis Parmentier.

2. Lyngrove Collection Pinotage 2010, Stellenbosch South African Red, 14.5%.  Budgens £7.81.

We had not had a wine from Budgens before but it did well in this tasting and was the cheapest wine of the evening as well, so good value.  This was definitely a New World wine and had a concentrated taste with raspberry and a hint of leather.  However, it didn’t pair particularly well with either of our English dishes but got two top votes and another three top three positions.  Scores were 14.5, 20, 14.5, 14, 10, 13.25, 11 and 12.  A pleasant value South African red.

3. Ramon Bilbao Single Vineyard Rioja 2009, Spanish Red, 13.5%.  Majestic £8.74.

This was a Rioja that doesn’t taste much like a traditional Rioja.  We got aromas of liquorice and chocolate from Steve S’s wine.  It went very well with the mature cheddar cheese that we served and scored two top votes including mine.  Scores were 14.5, 17, 13, 14, 9, 13.5, 10 and 14.  A wine to consider for your cheese course.

4. Macon-Villages La Cote Blanche Cave de Lugny 2010, Bourgogne French White , 13%.  Sainsbury £7.99.

Steve W went out on a limb and brought along a white wine to pair with our evening’s food.  It actually went extremely well with the mature cheddar so don’t always be boring and serve red with cheese.  It deservedly got one top vote and two second votes in an evening dominated by red wines.  Someone thought it was “too good to be French!” but there were wrong, as this is a white from Burgundy.  Despite one person’s guess of Sauvignon Blanc this is a Chardonnay and is typical of the Macon region and appealed even to those in our team who apparently don’t appreciate Chardonnay, rather like a Chablis really.   Scores were 12, 14, 13, 14.5, 12, 11.75, 9 and 17.  A good value Burgundy white worthy of your consideration.

5. Domaine Jean Bousquet Malbec 2010, Mendoza Organic Argentinian Red, 14.5%.  Abel & Cole £8.62.

Chris and Andy brought along two wines from the home delivery organic grocer, Abel & Cole.  This proved to be the better of the two and scored four top three votes.   It was a powerful fruity concentrated wine with hints of burnt rubber, liquorice and toast.  As for food pairings, it went extremely well with olives.  Nobody guessed it was a Malbec but it had a slightly sweetish flavor.  Scores were 11.75, 17, 14.5, 13, 11.5, 13, 11.5 and 16.  A wine to pair with green olives at a South American evening. 

6. Malbec Les Comes Cahors 2009 Georges Vigouroux, French Red, 14%. Tesco £8.99.

Sheila brought along the second Malbec of the evening and only one of our team really liked it.  It did, however, improve after a while but didn’t pair well with the cheese.   It was a smooth wine with relatively low acidity and a floral perfume.  Scores were 8, 13, 12.5, 11, 9.5, 11.75, 12.5 and 11.  A rather disappointing supermarket red.

7. Domaine du Faucon Dore La Souche 2010, Cotes de Rhone Biodynamic French Red, 13%.  Abel & Cole £10.50.

Our most expensive wine of the evening actually finished in bottom place as nobody had it in his or her top five wines!  Funnily enough, cheese really improved it and it went well with our mature cheddar.   Scores were 8.5, 13, 11, 10, 9, 9.5, 8 and 13.  A soft French wine but not good value at this price.

Concentration as the wines are scored!

The cheese we served was Ford farm Coastal rugged mature Cheddar from Costco - rather good I think.

…and so ended our twentieth monthly Tongham Tasters’ wine evening.   This was another fun and good value evening.   Next month we will be in Farnborough to try Ian’s midsummer wines on Saturday June 23^rd at 8pm.  Sheila will be hosting back in Tongham on Friday July 19^th and we hope to have Chris and Andy lined up for another Farnborough evening in August.  September and October dates will both be in Tongham with Jane doing the first and Steve S the second of these events to look forward to.  Click on Wine Circle above if you want to know how you can join in the fun –newcomers to our wine evenings are always welcome if they enjoy good wine, good food and good conversation, and remember the average cost per person is only £10.

John’s Top Tips for a healthy and tasty shepherd’s pie –

·      Drain the lamb mince in a colander after browning to reduce the fat content.

·      Add plenty of carrots, celery and onions to the mince to get some of your five a day and to add texture and flavour.

·      Add some chicken stock, herbs, Lea & Perrins, salt and pepper for extra flavour and to replace the lamb fat you discarded.

·      Cook the meat and vegetables in the stock for 45 minutes to an hour, before adding the potatoes, to make it nice and tender.  Remember to taste and add seasoning if necessary.  Let it cool a little before putting on the topping.

·      Add butter, salt, pepper and milk to your boiled potatoes before mashing to ease this process and to add more flavour.

·      After carefully putting the mashed potatoes on top of the meat, go over the top with a fork to create lots of edges that will become brown and crispy when put in the oven at a high temperature.
For other wine suggestions for shepherd's pie -why not try a Cabernet Franc or a Merlot.  Then again maybe a pint of English bitter might be the best match of all. If like Steve, with his white wine, you want to be adventurous why not try a Tavel Rose.

The tannic wines of Madiran and Irouleguy - TonghamTaster’s French Wine Tasting Course – week 18

The 12 month on-line course to help you learn about French wines - Top tips on how to get value when buying them - Reasonably priced up-to-date recommendations of what to buy and  try in the UK - Bringing you the best of Tongham Village Hall wine tastings.

INTRODUCTION
This week we complete our discovery of the lovely wines of South West France with the tannic reds of Madiran, Irolueguy and other local appellations containing the Tannat grape varietal.

LOCALITY
From the same area as the white wines of Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh come the red wines of Madiran. They have been known for centuries because it was on the old pilgrims route to Santiago de Compostela in Gascony. Next to Madiran are the two VDQS appellations of St Mont and Tursan that produce relatively similar wines.
Right on the Spanish border, in the heart of Basque country not far from Biarritz, come the red wines of Irouleguy. A similar VDQS appellation slightly further into France is that of Bearn. .

VARIETALS
The grape that makes these wines distinctive is the Tannat varietal. As might be expected from the name, this grape produces quite a tannic wine. Due to these characteristics the wines are often softened by the use of other varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Fer.

THE WINES
If you are interested in the wines of France and like the distinctive food of South West France, the appellations of Madiran and Irouleguy are essential tasting.
The wines of Madiran are often very Tannat dominated and can age for many years. The older style of Madiran needs at least 5 to 10 years before drinking. However, there is now a softer modern style that can be drunk younger.
The wines of Irouleguy are instantly recognisable on the wine shelves due to the distinctive basque script and amazing amount of “X”s that you find in their names. Irouleguy is a small appellation in the Pyrenees and produces lighter reds than Madiran.

THE TASTE
These wines can be quite rustic but can often be mistaken for the left bank wines of Bordeaux. The tannins give these wines high levels of astringency. They are often big wines that require to be drunk with strong flavoured food.   Tastes may be of dark berries or plum.

TOP TIPS

• Look out for the wines of Madiran and Irouleguy. To me they represent good value, particularly when bought in France, and are also suitable for drinking with the local dishes.

HOMEWORK
For your homework this week you need to buy and try a Madiran or Irouleguy. You will find buying these wines quite difficult but not impossible in the UK It may include the following wine but I also highly recommend a trip to Les Caves de Pyrene near Guildford:
Waitrose – Château d'Aydie 2007, Madiran – about £13.

FOOD PAIRINGS
These distinctive tannic wines go well with the local cuisine such as Confit of duck, cassoulet and the local Pyrenean brebis cheeses. Try it also with lamb and game as these wines need powerful flavours.

COMING SOON
Next week we move on, eastwards, to the Rhone Valley and discover the great value wines of the Cotes du Rhone which has had great vintages recently in both 2007 and 2009. If you missed the early weeks of this course, it is not too late to catch up. Just click on the French Wine Course link at the top of this page.