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February Podcast

[Click the link above to listen to this episode of "Pairings".]

This month, we'd like to give you a sample of our new wine and food pairing minutes - soon to be heard, each day, on Atlanta's WJZZ, 107.5 FM. We're so excited to be able to launch these "radio minutes" in our hometown market. In the future, we'll be telling you about other radio markets we'll be in this year.

When we launch in Atlanta, we'll send you a new page link to all episode of "Pairings". We hope you enjoy all of them.

PAIRINGS: SHERRY AND GAZPACHO

2000 years ago the Romans sang its praises. 600 years ago Chaucer immortalized it. Sherry has been around for thousands of years, but the drink we enjoy today was discovered by accident in the 18th Century. Producers noticed a thick white scum on the surface of their barrels. Surprisingly, it improved the taste of the Sherry. Spanish regulations now dictate that only Sherry that has been affected by this scum can be called fino, or fine.

Fino is the driest of the Sherries, and matches well with white gazpacho. It's hard to believe that gazpacho can exist without tomatoes. But the production of this cold soup preceded the discovery of America by centuries - and tomatoes are decidedly New World. Though white gazpacho lacks tomatoes, it features toasted almonds, and lots of garlic. White gazpacho and Fino Sherry, classically Old World.

Shopping List

2 cups stale white bread, without crusts, cut in cubes
1 1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds (lightly toasted)
4 large garlic cloves, roasted
1 teaspoons Kosher or sea salt
5 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons Fino Sherry
2 1/2 cups cold water

In the Kitchen

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees

1. Remove four garlic cloves from the bulb. Leave the outer skin intact. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Once they have cooled, remove the skin.

2. In a bowl, combine the bread cubes with enough water to cover them. Set aside.

3. In a heavy sauce pan over medium heat toast the almond slivers. Watch them closely, you don't want them to burn, just lightly toast. Set aside 1/4 cup for garnish.

4. In a food processor, combine the remaining almonds, roasted garlic and salt. Process until creamy.

5. Squeeze the excess water out of the bread cubes, add the bread to the preparation in the processor. Process well until it forms a paste. While the food processor is on, add the olive oil in a thin, steady stream.

6. Then add the sherry and the water. Pulse until smooth.

7. Garnish each serving with some of the set aside toasted almonds. Serve warm or cold.

If it's not a Rival, it's just a crock

For most of human existence slow cooking has been a way of life. Even prehistoric humans understood that slow cooking tough meats or fibrous root vegetables was a great way to tenderize them and make them more palatable. But in the 18th and 19th Centuries as food preparation became more refined, slow cooking fell out of fashion with the upper class. Only the the cheapest cuts would benefit from slow cooking and European tastes demanded only the very best.

In the 1960's, Naxon Co. out of Chicago, developed a slow cooking appliance that was specifically for beans. The Beanery, as it was called, cooked at a very low temperature and long cooking times (several hours). But the trade off was that the appliance could periodically be left unattended which was seen as a great convenience. Rival Industries realized possibilities for the slow cooker that Naxon had not, and in late 1970, it purchased Naxon and acquired its little bean cooker. It wasn't long before the Rival chefs figured out that even meat tasted better cooked in a slow cooker.

Before it was ready for the public the basic design had to be altered. On a slow cooker the heating element is on the bottom. Even though the heat is low, it still required the occasional stirring. Rival move the elements to the side of the appliance and the modern Crock Pot was born. For ease of cleaning the pottery crock was made removable, and the lid was glass allowing the cook to see how things were progressing. Now the word Crock Pot, like Kleenex, refers to any and all slow cookers, when in actuality, the name and the invention belong to Rival Industries.

Crock Pot Shrimp and Grits

Try this classic low country shrimp and grits recipe that has been adapted for your Crock Pot. Great for a weekend brunch.

6 cups chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups quick cooking grits, uncooked
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup red peppers, chopped
6 green onions chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds small shrimp, peeled & cleaned, vein removed
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (3 ounces)
1 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese (3 ounces)
2 10 ounce cans diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1. Combine chicken broth, salt and grits in the crock pot. Cover and cook on LOW 6-8 hours (or overnight).

2. One hour before serving, saute the peppers, onions, garlic, and shrimp in the 2 tablespoons butter until tender. Add this
mixture to the crock pot along with the cheeses, tomatoes with chilies, and cayenne, if using.

3. Continue to cook on HIGH an additional hour.

Pairings: A Valentine's Day Tribute

So, it’s that month again. Lover’s celebrating everywhere or singles celebrating what Ted wisely provides as an alternative - “Singles Awareness Day,” (though the abbreviation is not so uplifting). By the way, did you know that there is an “Unmarried and Singles Awareness Week” on the third full week in September? This, according to a U.S. Census report, is due in large part because over 41 percent of Americans are single and/or unmarried in the 2005 census.

But this month’s column is not about celebrating the steadfast Single, nor is it a review of the hottest (um, bestseller) romance novel, or a ‘cooking for two’ recipe book, although “Cooking in the Nude: For Wine Lovers" (from the Cooking in the Nude series), certainly looks interesting and offers some pretty tasty recipes.

Since, A Big Slice identifies food and wine pairings throughout the year, why not offer some different pairings? This month, let’s celebrate pairings who, for good or bad, we all probably recognize; couples who are etched in our history and culture for all time. It was incredibly agonizing to narrow each list to just 10, but after careful deliberation, I’m offering my Top 10 Pairings. I hope you would’ve included many of these in your own list or feel free to offer up other names on the abigslice blog if you feel your pairings warrant more recognition. For an idea of just some of the names to consider, I recommend the wonderfully amusing website (www.famous_couple.com). So without further musings, I present to you the Top 10 Best Pairings of 2008 in the Celebrities, Movie and TV, Book, and Music categories.

1. Famous/Celebrity Pairings
Antony and Cleopatra
Mary Wollstonecraft and Percy Bysshe Shelley
Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor
Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy
Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio
Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson
Joann Woodward and Paul Newman
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy and John F. Kennedy
Nancy David Reagan and Ronald Reagan
*Honorable Mention: James Watson and Francis Crick (discovered the DNA molecule)

2. Movie and TV Pairings
Antony and Cleopatra - Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in “Cleopatra”
George and Martha - Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”
Captain Von Trapp and Maria - Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in “The Sound of Music”
Marge and Homer Simpson
Harry and Sally - Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal in “When Harry Met Sally”
Richard Sumner and Bunny Watson - Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in “Desk Set”
Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle - Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady”
Rhett and Scarlett - Clark Gable and Vivienne Leigh in “Gone with the Wind”
Bonnie and Clyde – Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty
Ricky and Lucy Ricardo – Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball

3. Book Pairings
Adam and Eve – the Bible
Romeo and Juliet – Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare
Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Eyre
Catherine and Heathcliff – Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson - Arthur Conan Doyle
Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Guinevere and King Arthur (and Sir Lancelot)
Superman and Lois Lane – Superman or The Man of Steal by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, John Byrne
Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin – Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn – The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

4. Music Pairings
Simon and Garfunkel
Elton John and Bernie Taupin
James Taylor and Carly Simon
Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille (The Captain and Tennille)
Ike and Tina Turner
Sonny and Cher
Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart
John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash
George Jones and Tammy Wynette
*Honorable Mention: Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen/Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain

From a Drinker to a Taster

When Clare and I conduct our wine seminars all we ask of the participants is that they slow down and take their time with a wine. In other words, we want to turn them from drinkers into tasters. The next time you have a great bottle of wine, follow these simple steps and increase your enjoyment. Get A Big Slice out of that wine!

Appearance: look for three things
a. clarity - stand up and look through the glass preferably against a white background. Wines should be clear. Murkiness can be a sign of a bad, or unfiltered wine.
b. brightness - focus on the surface of the wine, check out the brightness of the reflections. This is associated with acidity and is especially important in white wines, it gives them their structure.
c. color - be creative. Take note of the depth. Color can be a good indication of the age of a wine. White wines get more golden, and red wines more brick colored with age.

Smell: really stick your nose down in that wine.
a. still - Before swirling the wine. This allows you to detect any real subtle tones.
b. swirl - This runs the wine up on the sides of the glass, increasing the surface area, giving it a greater chance to oxidize.
c. cover and swirl - This is going to release the heaviest molecules. Be careful - often these are the most unpleasant; oak, fingernail polish, alcohol. But it can also help with a "dumb" wine.
d. nose - the smell on the way in, aftertaste - after you breathe out and the wine has been warmed by the mouth.

Taste: slow down and savor this moment, you may never have this wine again.
a. We can only taste four things, sweet, acid, salt, bitter. Nice thing is, these are things we can't smell.
b. Remember, tasting is communication. Dogs and children are more sensitive, but cannot communicate what they are tasting.
c. Tasting is more difficult than smelling, there is only a limited time we can hold a wine in our mouth. Try to gather information first, describe the wine without judging it. Then interpret second, decide what you liked or disliked about the wine.

It's Valentine's Day - Be Good to Your Heart

Heart healthy tips from Eating Well: Secrets of Low-Fat Cooking

Technique #1: Use tea to reduce oil in a basic vinaigrette.
Instead of the three-to-one oil-to-vinegar ratio, use equal amounts of oil, vinegar and strong brewed tea to make a vinaigrette that is not too bland or acidic.

Technique #2: Substitute buttermilk and cottage cheese for sour cream.
If you find no-fat sour cream lacking the good old dairy flavor, try pureeing two parts low-fat cottage cheese and one part buttermilk. And what is Buttermilk? Today's buttermilk is no longer a by-product of butter making, it is a low-fat milk that has bacteria added to it, which thickens it and imparts a mild acidity.

Technique #3: Skim the fat from canned broth and add herbs and spices.
After skimming the fat from the top, build your own homemade broth by adding garlic, herbs, and spices that will boost the flavor.

Technique #4: Replace meat with mushrooms in sandwiches.
Mushrooms have what the Japanese call *umami* or a savory taste. Portobello and cremini mushrooms taste great grilled and are a low-fat substitute for a burger or meat in a sandwich.

Technique #5: Roast vegetables to enhance their natural sweetness.
Roasting vegetables seals in their juices along with their nutrients and caramelizes their sugars making the vegetables so much tastier and satisfying. Boiling vegetables loses the flavor and the nutrients.

Cold Prevention that Works

1. Did you know that only a small percentage of sneezes and coughs contains the virus that causes colds? You are much more likely to spread or pick up a cold virus by way of your hands. One of the best cold protection tactics around? Washing your hands regularly.

2. Surprisingly, exercising very hard temporarily lowers your immunological guard. But regular, moderate exercise can boost the immune system and may help in preventing colds.

3. All sorts of hopes are pinned on Vitamin D right now. Research has shown that it may even have anti-cancer effects. It may also help defend against colds by boosting the immune system. Keep this in mind, the safe daily upper limit for vitamin D is 2000 International Units.

And once you get a cold...

1. Aspirin or acetaminophen can ease the pain of a sore throat. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like naproxen (Aleve) can help with a cough.

2. Instead of a decongestant, try inhaling steam from a tea kettle, or in a hot shower. Drinking plenty of water can help unplug nasal passages by keeping the mucus moist and flowing.

3. If you are running a fever, drink plenty of fluids, this guards against dehydration.

4. Don't blow your nose too hard or too much! This can actually push the nasal fluids that are laden with bacteria into the sinus cavities causing a secondary infection. And sinus infections need to be treated with antibiotics.

from the Atlanta Journal/Constitution