News and views
Here's to Clean Monday!
The start of Lent is cause for gloom for many people faced with the prospect of giving up something pleasurable like wine or chocolate Not for the Greeks however who kick off their fasting with a splendid celebration called Kathara Defter or ‘Clean Monday’.
According to Greek friends and contacts it involves a slap-up lunch - usually out of doors - and the flying of kites - the day is a national holiday. “Clean Monday is a time for friends and family to get together, especially out of Athens if possible” says my friend Marianna Cosmetatos of Gentilini Wines in Cephalonia. “Kids fly kites that they make themselves and then the big lunch follows (it is always lunch).”
But it is the food that is particularly fascinating. As part of the cleansing process that accompanies lent nothing that contains or is derived from an animal that contains blood can be served - so no meat, fish, dairy or eggs - and that includes sweets and pastries with eggs in them. But shellfish, octopus and squid are fine and there are many special vegetable dishes which are served during lent. There is also a special unleavened bread called lagana which is baked only for Clean Monday.
Typical dishes that would be served today are taramasalata, melitzanosalata (aubergine or eggplant purée). fried squid, marinated grilled octopus, lobster, gigantes beans (large butter beans) cooked with tomatoes. black eye peas mixed with fresh onion and parsley and boiled greens. “There are also vegetables like cornichons, roasted red peppers, hot green peppers, pickled cauliflower and carrots" adds Mary Irene Triantafillou of Emery Wines of Rhodes.
"For dessert, people traditionally eat halva, which is made from tahini." Marianna told me. "The best is thought to come from Macedonia. The texture is similar to Spanish turron, but less greasy. It sometimes has nuts or cocoa in it, and can be coated in dark chocolate. Homemade halva can also be served, but this is a different sweet, made from semolina. Other desserts can be made from fruit, nuts, plain chocolate or jelly. Pastry can also be used as long as it is not made with butter."
I wondered if this feast must all be washed down with water but apparently not - far from it. "Wine is freely consumed and in vast quantities!" says Nikos Panidis, the sommelier at one of Athens' top restaurants Milos. "Retsina would be the traditional wine to drink but nowadays many Greeks would drink modern Greek whites such as Assyrtiko, Roditis or the more floral Moschofilero. A Fume Blanc, Pinot Gris or a European Chardonnay are also good alternative." Ouzo and tsipouro (the Greek version of grappa) are also served. (The meal is generally followed by a nap or a walk!)
"I remember discussing with my Uncle Theordore how ironic it is that all these amazing dishes - some of the best fare in Greek cooking - were born out of a need to be abstemious." writes Theodore Kyriakou in The Real Greek at Home, which includes some nice recipes for lent. “If this is ‘spiritual and physical cleansing’ we should all do more of it."
If you’re interested in knowing more about these fascinating traditions Mary also recommends "The Festive Fast" by Marigoula Kokkinou and Georgia Kofinas, "an excellent source of information on how Greeks are supposed to fast and the foods and recipes for the Lenten period."
And if you’d like to try your hand at an authentic recipe here is one from Marianna’s mother-in law Irini, who, she tells me, is a very good cook. “It’s time-consuming and somewhat fiddly, until you get the hang of wrapping, but well worth it.”
Irini’s Lahanodolmades (cabbage rolls)
Makes 35-40 dolmades
1 large white cabbage
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, grated
5-6 spring onions, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 bunch parsley, chopped,
1 little dill, chopped
2 cups short grain rice
2 lemons
Olive oil, salt and pepper
With a sharp knife remove the base and heart of the cabbage, creating a cone shaped hole on the underside. Place in a large pan, hole up and add cold water to come about half way up the cabbage (without floating). Put on the stove over med-high heat. As the water approaches a simmer, the leaves will start coming away easily. Remove them one by one with your fingers as they come away and place carefully on a tray or baking sheet. They should be soft but not soggy. Remove the hard base of the larger leaves and cut in half. If very large, they can be cut in three.
Place some of the leftover inner leaves that are too small and trimmings in a large pan (you can use the same one you boiled the cabbage in) to cover the base. This will prevent the parcels from sticking, and give a better result (they are also delicious for the cook to eat at the end!).
Mix all the ingredients from the garlic to the rice together. Season with salt and pepper. Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of a cabbage leaf. Fold over the bottom, then the sides and roll into a parcel. Pack the parcels tightly in the pan, on top of the bits of cabbage. If you have any leftover bits of cabbage, use them to divide the layers. Pour over 2 cups of water, drizzle over some olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place a large, flat plate on the parcels, cover the pan and cook over medium heat for 20-25 mins until the rice is cooked-sacrifice one parcel to make sure (you deserve it anyway!), then add water and cook a little longer if necessary.
Remove the plate and pour over the juice of 2-3 lemons. Remove parcels carefully to a plate. These can be eaten warm, but are just as delicious at room temperature.
Variations: You can add some cooked baby shrimp to the mix if you wish, but this is not traditional.
Why the Chinese prefer to drink red wine with food
To most westerners the idea of drinking young red Bordeaux with Chinese food seems bizarre. Especially with delicate Cantonese dishes, the most widely available of the Chinese cuisines in the west . Clearly though the Chinese who are paying stratospheric prices for first and second growths - and presumably drinking them - think differently. They don’t turn to riesling and other aromatic and off-dry whites for a reason.
The most common explanation is that it’s not a question of taste but of face. Bordeaux labels impress according to wine writer and MW Jeannie Cho Lee of Asian Palate but it’s not only about the status of the host. “Ordering an easily recognised wine label shows an acknowledgement of the importance of the relationship with the guest, sending a clear message to the recipient that says, ‘This is how important you are to me’. This is not limited to wine but has always existed in our food culture - high grade abalone can cost over US$200 for a single small serving.”
But why Bordeaux, rather than the more food-friendly burgundy? “Because the Chinese have a strong love of prestigious luxury brands and Bordeaux is the most prestigious accessible wine brand” says Doug Rumsam, managing director of Bordeaux Index in Hong Kong. “Burgundy is much more difficult to get your head around. It’s much less about food and wine matching than the best they can offer of each.”
“There’s also an element of masculinity involved in business transactions. It used to centre around hard liquor. Bordeaux would be seen as a more masculine drink.”
Such an attitude is of course is not restricted to the Chinese. “We have a lot of Bordeaux on our list because of the area we’re in” says Michael Peng of Hunan in Belgravia, one of London’s longest established upmarket Chinese restaurants. “People who love Bordeaux want to drink it with everything. We have a lot of 2nd and 3rd growths at prices that appeal to bargain-hunters.”
The colour red also has a much greater resonance in Chinese culture than it does in the west. “The red for luck thing is certainly true” says cookery writer Fuchsia Dunlop who acts as consultant to the Sichuanese restaurant Bar Shu. “Red is the colour of celebrations such as weddings and New Year's festivities. At a festive dinner table you would try to have red-coloured foods such as lobster and red grouper. So red wine would fit in with that. By contrast white is the colour of funerals in China - traditionally, mourners wear white, while brides wear red.”
Red wine also has a positive association with health, points out Jeannie Cho Lee, which would increase its prestige. “One of the key factors that popularised wine in the mid-1990s was the connection between red wine and health. If one looks at expensive, highly sought after Chinese ingredients such as bird’s nest, shark’s fin and sea cucumber the most common factor is their purported health-enhancing properties.”
There’s also the issue of language, according to Hong Kong journalist and MW Debra Meiburg. “One problem for a white wine producing region such as Alsace, is that the classic Chinese character depicting wine is a catch-all character for any alcoholic beverage. Thus when one mentions ‘white wine’ it is easily confused with domestic white spirits. Chinese newcomers to white wine find them tart and insipid compared to Chinese distilled, high alcohol ‘white-lightening’ beverages.”
White wines are also less appealing than reds because of their serving temperature. “With hot tea the traditional drink of choice for Chinese diners, migrating to a super cold white seems a much bigger step than switching to a room temperature red.” says Meiburg.
Even the tannins of young Bordeaux don’t seem as offputting as one might assume. Again the Chinese are used to tannin from drinking tea and, in some cases, stronger liquor like whisky and cognac. Michael Peng from Hunan also points out that there are dishes that positively benefit from a tannic wine. “Ingredients like jelly fish, sea cucumber and abalone tend to be quite glutinous, chewy and even slithery. When you drink a wine with tannin it cuts right through. Chinese people like those textures.”
And far from turning to an off-dry white to deal with hotter dishes the Chinese enjoy the cumulative build up of tannin and spice on the palate according to Cho Lee. “For those who are not used to the heat of Sichuan pepper for example, the tannins in red Bordeaux can exaggerated the burn. However, this is precisely what spice-lovers enjoy — prolonging the heat and spiciness of chillies, not neutralising the flavours with a jarring sweet wine."
“I’m always cautious about promoting sweet wine with spicy food” agrees Meiburg. “Sweetness has the effect of mellowing spice. For the regions that love spiciness, such as Hunan or Sichuan, diners want their spices cranked up, not toned down.”
There is a generational factor at work however. The questions of ‘face’ and preference for tannic reds is more marked among older more conservative Chinese consumers than among their younger, more widely travelled counterparts who may have been educated in the west. Bryant Mao assistant head sommelier at Chez Bruce is a Taiwanese-Canadian who finds many of the ingredients in Chinese cooking unsympathetic to red Bordeaux. “If I think of my mum’s cooking it uses a lot of sauces and condiments like vinegar and oyster sauce that clash with red wine. And white’s certainly better than red with seafood. If I’m going to drink red I tend to go for pinot noir or Italian reds or Bordeaux with a higher proportion of merlot. White bordeaux can often work better than red.”
“It does depend which region you’re in” admits Charles Sichel of Chateau Palmer. “While I would say that consumption is still 90% red the feeling we get is that white wines are becoming a little more fashionable on the east coast below Shanghai and further south where there’s a lot of fish and shellfish.”
No-one’s putting their money on whites though, least of all China’s homegrown wine producers. “At the moment, all signs seem to indicate that the Chinese are perfectly happy with red Bordeaux and full bodied Cabernet blends with their meals, regardless of how outsiders perceive their preferences” says Cho Lee. “The enormous amount of new vineyard land being planted with Cabernet Sauvignon is a clear indication that even the giant domestic wineries are continuing to bet on full bodied reds.”
This article was first published in the June 2011 issue of Decanter.
Photograph © michaeljung - Fotolia.com
Award-winning whiskies to drink on Burns Night
If you're planning a Burns Night supper this weekend you may be wondering which whisky to pair with it. Born and bred Scot, Ewan Lacey, general manager of the International Wine & Spirit Competition has some answers.
"I’m from the north of Scotland and as a child, whisky was always present: at family gatherings, New Year and Christmas or in the bottom of my grandfather’s tumbler. For us then, it was something local and traditional but sadly, in decline. The ongoing story in the 80’s was of distilleries falling silent and often demolished. Distilleries were going to great lengths to try and find new business: indeed my sister’s class was invited on a school trip to the GlenDronach distillery and she came back laden with miniature bottles of whisky and a branded chamois leather windscreen cloth (she was nine years old!)
Thankfully, down to the planning and foresight of the men and women of the industry and the smart decision to position malt whiskies in the duty free market, the crisis was replaced by a boom. Thirty years of growth has led to peaks of quality in the industry. Scotland’s water of life – uisge beatha – has never been so good.
I’ve got a few recommendations below drawn from some of our top medal-winning whiskies, which will pair wonderfully well with the best of Scotland’s natural larder.
Food Matches:
Cullen Skink
I favour a whisky like Glenmorangie Original (Gold 2014), it has ‘high’ flavour notes of citrus, dried fruit and has a lovely zesty finish, it offers a lovely contrast to the dense, deeply flavoured soup.
Scallops
This is all about delicacy and one of the ‘silent’ lowland whiskies, such as Auchentoashan 12 (Silver Outstanding 2014) will offer a fabulous match because of its gentle flavour profile and smooth finish.
Venison
If pushing the boat out, the whiskies of Dalmore are an unparalleled match. If not, Black Bottle (Silver 2014) is a personal favourite, a blend that offers plenty of punch and peat.
All-Rounders
If you are serving one whisky throughout, I would recommend one of the fantastic own brand whiskies out there which are blended to appeal to a broad range of palates and flavours. Waitrose and Lidl (Queen Margot) both won Gold Outstanding for their 8 year old blended whiskies which offer tremendous value.
What to drink with haggis:
Haggis is rich and peppery and the choice is whether to complement these strong flavours or create a contrast with them.
Peaty, fully flavoured malts from Islay offer a fabulous match. They have a wonderful smoky characteristic which is fabulous with the spicy notes in the haggis. Blends such as White Horse (Gold Outstanding) also work, as do single Islay malts such as Bowmore or Laphroaig
If you’re looking for a contrast then the lighter malts of Speyside and the Highlands work wonderfully well. A blend such as Grant’s is a quintessential dram for those in search of something clear, pure and not too taxing on the wallet. Glenfiddich and Macallan are fantastic if you favour a single malt.
There are also some deluxe whiskies such as Chivas 18 year old (Gold Outstanding 2014) which are not only of the highest quality, but made with a broad range of drinkers in mind and will also match marvellously well with the haggis.
The IWSC 's Burns Night Supper is offered by T.E.D restaurant, King’s Cross from the 15th – 25th January. The five-course set menu is priced at £38.50 pp, whisky pairing at £22.50 pp. 0203 763 2080
A quick guide to wine serving temperatures
The mistake most people make when they’re serving wine is to serve whites too cold and reds too warm. Assuming you haven’t got a handy wine thermometer here’s a quick guide to the ideal temperature for different styles of wine:
Six tips to remember:
* chilling wine improves inexpensive whites and rosés but can dumb down richer, more expensive whites such as chardonnay.
* even full-bodied reds benefit from being served cellar cool rather than at room temperature (which can easily reach 23°C plus during a party)
* How cold - or warm - you want your wine may also depend on the time of year and the weather - a little warmer in winter, a little colder in high summer.
* If your fridge is stuffed with food it will obviously take longer to chill your wine.
* Magnums will take longer to chill than standard bottles which in turn will take longer than half bottles.
* The easiest way to cool a large number of wines is to plunge them into a large plastic bin filled with ice and water (not just ice). Far quicker than the fridge.
Sparkling wine and non-vintage champagne 6-8°C (43-46°F)
2-3 hours in the fridge
Vintage champagne 8-9°C (46-48°F)
1 1/2 - 2 hours in the fridge
Dessert wines (excluding fortified wine like madeira, port and sherry) 6-8°C (43-46°F)
2 hours in the fridge (though half bottles may take less)
Crisp dry white wines like pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc and aromatic whites like riesling 8-9°C (46-48°F)
1 1/2 hours to 2 hours in the fridge
Richer, full-bodied whites like chardonnay 10-11°C (50°-52°F)
1 hour in the fridge
Rosé 8-10°C (46°-50°F)
1 1/2 hours in the fridge
Light reds such as pinot noir and gamay 12-14°C (59-57°F)
1/2-3/4 hour in the fridge
Medium-bodied reds such as Bordeaux, Chianti and Rioja 15-16°C (59-61°F)
‘cellar temperature’ or, if you don’t have a cellar as most of us don't, the temperature of an unheated room
Full-bodied reds such as shiraz and malbec 17-18 °C (63-65°F)
in other words ‘cool room temperature’
Fino and manzanilla sherry 10-11°C (50-52°F)
Often in half bottles so should chill in the fridge within 3/4 of an hour to an hour
Amontillado sherry and tawny port 12-14°C (59-57°F)
1/2 an hour in the fridge
Image © food pictures studio - Fotolia.com
Is Aldi or Lidl better value for your Christmas wine?
Just as UKIP has shaken up the political landscape so Aldi and Lidl have changed the face of retailing in the UK. You might not have considered buying your wine there before but you certainly should this Christmas.
Which is the better shop to go to? Each has its strengths and weaknesses. I’d say Aldi had the better offers across the board - I’ll be posting some of their best wines for everyday drinking in the next few days - but Lidl has some real highspots too. Be aware that both operate on a WIGIG (when it’s gone, it’s gone) basis so you might find some lines - e.g. the 30 y.o. tawny port - are already sold out.
Here’s my pick of what each has to offer.
PARTY FIZZ
ALDI Philippe Michel Crémant du Jura 2012 £7.29 ****
Aldi consistently sells one of the best value sparkling wines in the country. Surprisingly it comes from the obscure Jura region in the east of France but is an elegant bottle of bubbly that’s just as enjoyable as champagne.
LIDL Cava Gran Cuvée 11.5% **** £7.49
Cava gets overlooked these days but this delivers the goods in a great-looking bottle. Fresh, clean and drier than prosecco.
CHAMPAGNE
ALDI Leon Launois Grand Cru Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2006 £22.99 *****
Champagne is the big battleground this Christmas and Aldi does of course have a budget line (the perfectly decent Veuve Monsigny at £11.99 ***) but if you feel like spoiling yourself this gorgeous blanc de blancs is a great price for a vintage fizz. Save it for seafood - maybe an Aldi lobster!
LIDL Champagne Grand Cru Brut £17.99 *****
Same message. Lidl’s basic Bissinger is decent but this is a significant step up. A really elegant, classy champagne - great for the price.
CHRISTMAS DAY WHITE
ALDI - Henri de Lorgère Macon Chardonnay 2013 £6.99 ****
A lovely creamy white burgundy that could pass for a much more expensive bottle. Would go with the Christmas turkey, if you prefer white to red. Better still with salmon or a festive fish pie.
LIDL - Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie 2012 12% £6.29 ****
You might not think Muscadet quite posh enough for the Christmas table but this good-looking bottle would be perfect with seafood or smoked salmon
CHRISTMAS DAY RED
LIDL - Gigondas, Calade des Eveques 13.5% £9.99 *****
I was tempted to pick the smooth, mellow Chateau Roylland Saint-Emilion Grand Cru **** 2008 but at £12.99 it’s a little more than you might want to spend especially at Lidl but this Gigondas - a Chateauneuf-du-Pape drinkalike - is a real bargain. Definitely one for the turkey.
ALDI - The Exquisite Collection Crozes Hermitage 2012 £8.99 12.5% *****
Aldi’s Exquisite Collection Gigondas, also at £9.99 is good too **** but this big, generous spicy Crozes Hermitage is even better, a pound cheaper and only 12.5%. Would go with turkey but better still with beef.
SWEET WINES
LIDL - Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh 2011 £7.99 *****
You may not be able to pronounce it (it’s pash-er-anc dew vic beel) but this tiny region of south-west France is one of the country’s hidden treasures. Locally they would drink it with foie gras but it’s also perfect with Christmas pudding.
ALDI - Selection Beerenauslese 11% £5.99 ****
From the best wine region in Austria for sweet wine, this lush beerenauslese is a fantastic buy. Delicious with a light fruity trifle or a festive pavlova. Or sip it with stollen
PORT
LIDL - 10 year old tawny £9.99 ****
A lovely rich nutty tawny - perfect for the Christmas cheeseboard. The best 10 y.o. tawny for the price I've tasted.
ALDI - Maynard’s 30 year old tawny port £29.99 ****
I’m not a big fan of Aldi’ Maynard’s ports as a rule but this deeply nutty 30 y.o. version is a bargain for a port of this age and would make a splendid present. Sip with dark chocolate and nuts. Or some aged parmesan.
RSS
Most popular
12 great wine pairings with salmon
My latest book
How to Drink without DrinkingNews and views
What to drink in a heatwave
About Fiona
About Matching Food & Wine
Work with me
