Italian white wine - The Unadvertised Winner

October 31, 2016 - Roy Thomson Hall - Toronto, ON
Italian Trade Commission - Master Class 2016
By Fire & Sea - A Tasting of Wines From Italy
 

I began the tasting with a diverse assortment of rich red wines from the Puglia, Calabria and Sicilian regions of Italy.  Although I could go on for days about the reds, the new flavors and perfume like aromas I discovered by trying grapes grown in rare climates like at the base of volcanoes.  I feel like everyone knows Italy produces amazing red wine. So this time I think it far more interesting to tell you about how surprised I was about the unbelievable quality of their white wine production.

On a day to day basis it is easy to say that I prefer to drink white wine.  The rich concentrated color of these red wines sure was beautiful, just not on my teeth or my clothes, so for vanities sake, for me anyways, usually white is right. In past, I have always preferred the flavors of whites from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Unbeknownst to me the light, fruity and fresh flavors I crave could be further magnified with the calcium rich, chalky, clay soil used to grow these Italian Bad Boys.

So next time you head out to the liquor store, pick yourself up a bottle of Italian white wine and start your own winecation.  Here are some  Italian whites that I would recommend as a perfect stand alone drink or to go with chicken or seafood:

$21 - Vermenti - Bolgheri DOC - 2015 - Very fresh and light with tons of bright citrus aroma.  Balanced acidity with fruity flavor and good length.

$27 - Alois Lageder - Pinot Bianco 2015 -  Brightly colored, light, fruity, palate awakening.  

$31 - Colli di Lapio - Fiano di Avellino DOCG - 2014 - Ripe summer fruit and floral aroma, rich full body with excellent length, soft fresh flavor.

How to cook rice

Always tasty, yet often over complicated!
Making rice is so easy to make and once you know how, it will surely become one of your go-to side dishes of choice.

Ingredients: may vary depending on variety of rice so check your package for the correct rice to water ratio*

1 cup parboiled rice, rinsed
2.5 cups water
Pinch salt

Instructions:

Combine ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer until the rice has completely absorbed the water.

Remove from heat and gently fluff rice with a fork and serve.

Check out this video for visual instructions!

Pascual Toso celebrates 125th Anniversary in Toronto

Fabulous Faith at Pascual Toso 125th Anniversary celebration in Toronto

Toronto, ON - October 12, 2016

The National Club, located in the financial district of downtown Toronto. Traditionally filled with the upper echelon of Toronto's business community, today hosted Argentinian winery Pascual Toso.

Pascual Toso's current Winemaker Felipe Stahlschmidt, described his expansive vineyard that features a variety of altitudes and soil types offering the ability to produce a variety of high quality grapes. With over 300 acre's and over 40 lots of various Malbec and Cabernet grapes, Argentina's warm Climate affords a long ripening season allowing for a diverse variety of flavors to develop.  

Beginning in the 1890s, Italian immigrant Pascual Toso stumbled upon Argentina's ideal climate for growing grapes and established his first winery in San Jose. Then later, at the beginning of the 20th century, he acquired further land and built another winery at his estate making Pascual Toso one of the oldest and most prestigious wineries in Argentina.

Unlike other wineries, Pascual Toso doesn't depend on recipes.  Their master wine makers taste the wine daily and decide when it's ready for market  and what quality has been created. Today, for this exclusive wine tasting event, we were delighted with a celebratory tasting of 12 varietals to mark the 125th Anniversary of their vineyard and award winning wines.  All of the Malbecs, Cabernet Sauvignons and red blends were lovely but here are my favorites:

Everyday wine - Pascual Toso Malbec Limited Edition

Made of 100% Malbec grapes aged in American Oak, this mid-weight flavorful wine exudes a sweet berry aroma.  Upon meeting your palate, you are greeted with a rich balanced peppery fruit flavor, followed with a clean berry finish that rolls right off your tongue.  At just $16 it's perfect for dinner tonight and everynight!

Special Occasion - Magdalena Toso - Ultra Premium Blend

Further to the above, it seems like I enjoy a lot of fruit flavors in my wine :) So this varietal was definitely the mack daddy of them all, like loaded with ripe juicy berry-plum flavor. It's rich and strong, like loads of tannins but unfortunately it's aged for 18 months in premium French Oak barrels in limited quantities which pushes the price point to up to $100 a bottle. Making it the perfect gift for the wine lover in your life, your boss you need to impress or a last minute gift for that special person in your life.  But that special person could be you too, I mean it's definitely going to be me on pay day.

Kale Salad & Kale Chips

Kale's everyone's new favorite super food. But let's face it, kale salads are usually unpalatable rabbit food or smothered in high fat dressing. Kale chips are everywhere these days but they are too expensive, especially when preparing fresh is so simple.

I picked up a giant bunch of red kale on sale at the market this week, as having greens on hand is the first step towards cooking them and being recently diagnosed with P.C.O.D. I am trying to make the drastic changes required to balance my hormones naturally. So having a giant bunch of kale staring at me everytime I open the fridge is the reminder that I need that eating healthy is just a few chops away.

So on to the food.  I felt like asian flavors so I created these delicious and healthful recipes that are easy to prepare and can be stored for up to a week.

Asian Kale Salad

Ingredients:
3 cups finely chopped kale
1 cup finely chopped cabbage
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of roasted sesame seeds

Dressing (prepared asian sesame or peanut would work well if you don't have the time!)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon miso paste
1 tablespoon tamari
Splash mirin
Splash pineapple juice
Splash sesame oil
Pinch garlic powder
Pinch onion powder
Pinch ground ginger

Instructions:

Combine dressing ingredients in the bottom of a large bowl and whisk until combined.

Add the other ingredients and toss until coated.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.


Kale chips

Ingredients:

3 cups roughly chopped kale leaves
2 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
3 tablespoons sesame oil
Pinch granulated garlic

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Toss ingredients until the kale is evenly coated and layer onto a baking sheet.

Turn the broiler on the lowest setting and bake for 10 minutes and then check to see if the kale leaves and dry and crispy. If not return to oven for a few more minutes and then check again.

Allow to cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

Kidney bean salad

Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Here is a super easy, healthful and flavorful salad filled with Texmex inspiration.

Kidney bean salad recipe

Ingredients:
1 (796 ml) can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed.
1/2 cup diced English cucumber
1/2 cup frozen kernels, thawed
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced sweet red pepper
1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
Pinch oregano, salt, pepper and sugar
1/2 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard


Instructions:

Combine dressing ingredients in serving bowl, whisk until smooth.

Add remaining ingredients and toss to coat.

Allow to marinate at least 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe yields 4 side dish size servings or 2 entree portions.

Tex Mex couscous salad recipe

Tex-mex couscous salad

After the gym I needed some good carbs to soothe my yoga pains. Enter couscous and a ton of healthy Texmex flavor!  Check out this perfect stand alone or side dish tonight, you won't be disappointed!

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked couscous, Israeli or large grain
1\2 an avocado, slice
1\2 small tomato, sliced
1\4 cup each black beans & corn kernels
A few slices of onion
A black and green olive, pitted and chopped
A sprinkle of Natera Life Himalayan Sea salt hemp seeds
A sprinkle of Cayenne

Dressing:
Juice of half lemon
Drizzle of olive oil

Instructions:

In a small bowl combine ingredients and stir gently

Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes before eating

Recipe yields two side or one entree serving

Prep time 5 minutes

Chick pea salad with sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts

Spring has sprung so I thought it about time to introduce a new healthy easy to prepare salad recipe.  Introducing this new vegan chick pea salad with sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts.  Loaded with flavor and light on your waistline.

Chick pea salad with sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts recipe

Ingredients:

1 can chick peas (580ml or close)

4 sundried tomatoes, chopped

4 artichoke hearts, chopped

1 plum tomato, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

Dressing:

2 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp. Olive oil

2 tbsp. Olive from artichoke hearts

Instructions:

Combine dressing ingredients in bottom of a large bowl and whisk until combined

Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine

Refrigerate for an hour or two to allow for flavors to combine

Recipe yields 4 - 6 servings 

How to make vegan tacos!

Vegan tacos recipe

Tacos, one of man's greatest creations. The options are endless, unfortunately mostly for meat eaters. So I introduce you to my roasted butternut squash and potato tacos, easy to recreate even on the fussiest night of the week.

Oh and they are so delicious, you won't even miss the meat!

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped, peeled butternut squash
1 potato peeled and chopped
1 package Taco seasoning (as hipster friendly as possible)
1 tbsp. Oregano (preferably Mexican)
Some slices of onion (like a handful)
A pinch of salt and pepper
4 tbsp. Oil (coconut or olive)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Place the squash, potato and onion in an oven safe dish

Add the rest of the ingredients

Mix it up so everything is well coated

Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes or until brown around the edges

I served mine with guac and some lightly dressed zingy cabbage but you can add we whatever you like! Dairy fans would love some zesty vegan cheese :)

Enjoy!

Easy, Cheesy jalapeño cornbread muffins

Who doesn't want fresh, hot bread with their meal?  These easy, comforting little quick breads are ready in minutes and perfect anytime of day!

Ingredients:
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. Brown sugar
1 tsp. Salt
1 tbsp. Baking powder
1 egg
1 1\2 cups milk
1\2 cup melted butter
1\4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 tbsp. Finely chopped jalapeño

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Combine dry ingredients (first 5) in a large bowl and stir until combined

Make a well in the center and add the egg, milk and butter.  Mix in the well until the egg is broken and then combine with dry ingredients.

Stir until well blended and then ntly stir in cheese and jalapeño

Scoop 1\3 of a cup batter into well oiled muffin tin

Bake for 15-20 minutes

Recipe yields 8 muffins

Homemade pita chips

Pita bread it's delicious and perfect for stuffing with just about anything. Unfortunately, after a few days it's not so plyable and becomes unappealing. The solution pita chips!

I love bagged please pita chips but they are over priced this 5 minute alternative can be easily and quickly prepared for your snack or party anytime!

Homemade Pita Chips Recipe

Ingredients:

Pita bread
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper


Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Rip pita bread into bite sized pieces

Drizzle with olive oil

Sprinkle with salt & pepper

Bake for 5 - 7 minutes or until the edges of the chips are golden brown

Takes less than 10 minutes total and you get these!

Homemade pita chips