Wine Review - Central England Co-Operative - Fair-trade Pinot Grigio

One of two wines I've chosen to review for Central England Co-Op We Like Wine blog is from their Fairtrade range which comes from the Famatina Valley in Argentina.  The Famatina Valley is situated from the Velazco mountain ranges in the East to the Andes in the West and is produced by the La Riojana Wine Co-operative.  This Co-Operative helps ensure that farmers receive a better deal for their grapes, thus improving their standards of living.

Argentinian wines benefit from the grapes being grown in very sunny summers, which allows the grapes to ripen fully, whilst the melting winter snows provide ample water to irrigate the vines.  It's a very reliable region, producing some very consistent wines. Argentina now produces some of the New World's "oldest wines" following investment from the Dutch, the Spanish, the Italians and the Austrians.

This 2013 Pino Grigio is a vibrant and fruity dry white wine with delicate floral aromas, refreshing apple and citrus fruit flavours which goes perfectly well with creamy pasta dishes, grilled fish or even a Thai green curry.

I chose to pair this wine with my potato topped chicken and leek bake, the recipe for which you can find by clicking on the link.  I'm a strong believer that you should only cook with a wine that you'd be prepared to drink on it's own.  So on that note, pour yourself a glass (or two), grab your ingredients and cook yourself a tasty dinner.  Cheers!

I was sent a voucher with which to purchase this bottle of wine, which currently retails at £6.99. (Price as at 08/02/2015).

Potato Topped Chicken and Leek Bake

A delicious meal of chicken and leeks in a white wine and cream sauce topped with thinly sliced potatoes, sprinkled with cheese and baked until golden.  What more can I say?  Except sumptuous!

25g Butter

15ml Rapeseed Oil

2 Leeks, finely sliced

4 Chicken Breasts, cubed into bite sized pieces

15ml Chopped fresh parsley

30ml White Wine

60ml Single Cream

Salt and Pepper to season

4 medium potatoes, thinly sliced (3-4mm)

25g Butter

50g Cheese, grated

1. Preheat the oven to 180℃.

2. Melt the butter and the oil in a large pan.

3. Gently sauté the leeks until softened.

4. Add the diced chicken and cook gently for 5 minutes.

5. Add the chopped parsley, wine and the cream

6. Season to taste.

7. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

8. Meanwhile bring a large pan of water to the boil and drop the sliced potatoes in.

9. Boil for 4-5 minutes until starting to soften.

10. Pour the chicken and leek mixture into a large ovenproof dish.

11. Drain the potato slices and layer on top of the chicken and leek to cover completely.

12. Dot with the butter and sprinkle the grated cheese on top.

13. Cook for 20-25 minutes until browned and bubbling on top.

14. Serve with steamed vegetables.

I cooked and paired this dish with a Central Co-Operative Fairtrade 2013 Pinot Grigio which I reviewed on my post {here}

Wine Review - Central England Co-Operative - Fairtrade Cabernet Sauvignon

One of two wines I've chosen to review for Central England Co-Op We Like Wine blog is from their Fairtrade range which comes from the Famatina Valley in Argentina.  The Famatina Valley is situated from the Velazco mountain ranges in the East to the Andes in the West and is produced by the La Riojana Wine Co-operative.  This Co-Operative helps ensure that farmers receive a better deal for their grapes, thus improving their standards of living.

Argentinian wines benefit from the grapes being grown in very sunny summers, which allows the grapes to ripen fully, whilst the melting winter snows provide ample water to irrigate the vines.  It's a very reliable region, producing some very consistent wines. Argentina now produces some of the New World's "oldest wines" following investment from the Dutch, the Spanish, the Italians and the Austrians.

The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon is a sophisticated wine with oak barrel ageing and a wonderful, full bodied character.  Rich in fruits with slightly spicy overtones and deep with tannins, providing a perfect accompaniment to full flavoured meat dishes.  My husband declared this to be one of the nicest red wines he's tasted in a while; so not only is it good to cook with, but it tastes fabulous to drink too!

For my meal pairing, I chose to cook a recipe from Gino D'Acampo Gino's Pasta - Timballo Alla Torrese (Baked Pasta with Meat Sauce and Parmesan Cheese) which I served with a simple salad of mixed leaves.  The perfect dinner for a cold, blustery and wet evening when the promise of spring being just round the corner still seems a little too far away.  Cheers!

I was sent a voucher with which to purchase this bottle of wine, which currently retails at £6.99. (Price as at 08/02/2015).

My Perfect Valentine's Day Meal - Fillet Steak in a Worcestershire Cream Sauce

This recipe is some 20 odd years old.  I know this because it was from a meal I had way before my eldest was born and he's now 19 and studying at University!  The story goes that my husband and I went out for dinner one night and I ordered a fillet steak in a Worcestershire Sauce from the menu.  It was sublime, so I asked for the recipe. Needless to say, Chef was more than a little reluctant to give away his recipe, but he did give me the list of ingredients, without the quantities, so I had to set about creating this myself.  I've 'toned it down' a little with the addition of cream it's a bit tangy for my daughter without, but either way this is one delicious dish.

If the way to a person's heart is really is via their stomach, then this surely is the way to get you there.

To create my Valentine's dish for 2 is as simple at this....

15ml Rapeseed oil (I recommend locally produced Farrington's Mellow Yellow)
1 small onion, chopped finely
2 Fillet steaks
50g Mushrooms, sliced
5ml Plain flour
1 Knorr Beef Stock Pot
125ml Boiling water
15ml Worcestershire Sauce
5ml Tomato puree
Salt and Pepper to taste
30ml Double cream

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan until it lightly shimmers.
2. Fry the onions until lightly golden in colour.
3. Add the fillet steak to the pan and braise the on both sides until cooked to your preference, then remove the steaks from the pan to rest.
4. Lightly fry the mushrooms until browned.
5. Dissolve the stock cube in the boiling water.
6. Add the flour to the frying pan and mix to absorb all of the oil.
7. Add the Worcestershire Sauce and tomato puree to the pan and mix.
8. Gradually add the stock, stirring constantly until thoroughly mixed and no lumps are present.
9. Add the double cream and stir through.
10. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. Return the steak to the pan and heat through.
12. Serve.

I chose to serve our dinner with Potato Dauphinoise, Sweet Potato Fondant and roasted mixed vegetables. (Click on the links to take you to my recipes for these dishes).

I created this meal for the Central England Co-Operative.  I was sent a voucher with which to purchase my ingredients. All of the ingredients above were sourced from my local Co-Op.

Sweet Potato Fondant

This can be made easily with either sweet potato or normal potatoes, but I really love the added flavour that sweet potatoes bring to a meal and cooked this way is certainly no exception.  It's incredibly simple and incredibly tasty too.

15ml Rapeseed Oil (I recommend Farrington's Mellow Yellow)
50g Butter
1 large Sweet potato (enough for one or two slices per person)
1 Knorr Chicken stock pot, dissolved in
75ml Boiling water
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Peel the sweet potato.
2. Cut in to 2cm (1") thick rounds.
3. Heat the oil and the butter in a pan until the butter is foaming.
4. Add the sweet potatoes to the pan, flat side down and cook for 2-3 minutes each side until golden brown in colour.
5. Carefully add the stock to the pan (it may spit a little, so be careful).
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Cover the pan and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes until tender and cooked through.
8. Serve with some of the cooking liquid spooned over the top.

To add a decorative element to your plate, why not try cutting the potatoes with a shaped metal cookie cutter?  Hearts and flowers for your loved one, or into a character for your children to make mealtimes interesting whilst still giving them one of their 5 a day.

This is the perfect vegetable accompaniment to so many meals and goes beautifully with my Valentine's Day menu of Fillet Steak in a Worcestershire Cream Sauce.

Enjoy! x

Potato Dauphinoise

I'd find it difficult to completely cut carbohydrates from my diet and my own personal philosophy in life is a little bit of everything (that you're not severely allergic to) can't do you any harm.  I find it sad that so many people profess to be allergic or intolerant to so many foods when really they just don't know for sure and are just guessing at what is upsetting their digestion.  I can speak from experience here as I was advised that I was wheat intolerant for over 5 years, removed it from my diet completely, but still suffered.  Only upon proper medical food allergy testing did they actually find out that my demon food was to be egg white, and on cutting that out of my diet, my life and health improved significantly.  But I digress, this is about a recipe not me on a soapbox, so here it is...

Serves 4

Little knob of butter to grease your dish
200ml Double cream
250ml Milk
2.5ml Nutmeg, freshly grated
1 Garlic clove, peeled and flattened (not crushed)
4 Large potatoes
100g Gruyere or Cheddar cheese, grated

1. Heat the oven to 190℃.
2. Butter the inside of a 20cm deep square dish.
3. Add the cream, milk, nutmeg and garlic clove into a large saucepan until boiling.
4. Meanwhile peel the potatoes, and using a mandolin (I thoroughly recommend the Oxo Good Grips Hand Held Mandoline), slice into 3-4mm thicknesses.
5. Reduce the heat under the cream and milk to a simmer and add the sliced potatoes.
6. Simmer gently for 3-4 minutes, gently stirring occasionally to prevent the slices sticking together or catching on the bottom of the pan.
7. Remove the potato slices with a slotted spoon to the buttered dish to create a relatively level surface covering the whole of the dish.
8. Remove and discard the crushed garlic clove.
9. Pour the milk and cream mixture over the potatoes.
10. Sprinkle with cheese.
11. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown on top and the potatoes are cooked.
12. Serve sliced into portions.

A wonderful, creamy and rich vegetable dish to serve with so many meals.  If you're watching you calories, then reduce the cream and replace this with milk, but be prepared to lose some of the taste if you do!

Serve this with my Fillet Steak in a Worcestershire Cream Sauce recipe for a decadent meal.

Review - Go Ahead bars

When you're out and about and need a quick energy boost that's going to see you through longer than the next 20 minutes of a high calorie, high octane sugar rush from a chocolate bar,  you can do so much worse than to grab yourself a pack of Go Ahead bars from United Biscuits.

These outer packs of 5 Crispy Slice deliciousness come handily wrapped in packs of three slices, contain only 57 calories per slice and come in a variety of flavours which currently include Strawberry, Blueberry, Orange, Red Cherry, Apple, Forest Fruit and Raspberry.  You'll find plenty of fruit enclosed within a crisp baked biscuity layer. They provide the texture and crunch of a biscuit with the satisfying sustainability of the generous fruity fillings.  Perfect for a quick pick me up boost of energy!

Also in the range are their Yogurt Breaks.  They have a higher calorie content of 73 calories per slice as each fruit filled biscuit slice comes enrobed in a delicious yoghurt topping.  These are packed as two per individual packet serving and currently the range includes Strawberry, Forest Fruit, Raspberry and Red Cherry.  These are great if you're in a rush and have had to miss breakfast, as we all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  However, in the busy lives that we all lead, sometimes, no matter how hard we try, there are days when we have to eat on the go, and one of these little packs is surely a much better option than a chocolate bar or an energy drink as we dash about our business.

They're great to pop into the kids lunch boxes in place of a chocolate biscuit, as their cannily disguised fruit fillings ensure that they're getting at least one extra bit of fruit goodness into their diets without you having to try to hard to get them to eat it.

I was sent two packs of the Crispy Slices and a pack of the Yogurt Bars free of charge to try, however, we do regularly purchase and enjoy these as an alternative to a chocolate biscuits or other sugary snacks.